I was devoted to Tom Collin, a man whose ambition I once admired. I gave up my career, my future, my entire identity for him. I was the perfect wife while he built his empire. But when he reached the top, I became invisible.
Then I found him with her—his college ex, the woman who’d abandoned him when he had nothing. When I confronted him, the man I married vanished, replaced by a monster whose hands left bruises on my skin.
I was finally ready to leave. But I never got the chance. He left our five-year-old daughter, Joy, alone for his mistress. And in his absence, my baby was murdered.
I buried my child, and with her, the weak woman I used to be. In a haze of grief, I let a handsome stranger hold me for one night in Italy—a single moment of oblivion.
Five years later, I live for one purpose: Revenge. Tom Collin will pay for what he did. He has no idea the woman now standing before him. But my new boss… he might. The magnetic CEO of our rival company is the stranger from that night. And he doesn’t know he’s the father of my secret daughter.


The metallic clink of my fork hitting the porcelain plate echoed through the silent dining room. I had barely tasted the meal, my thoughts already focused on the evening that lay ahead. The black tie draped around my collar remained unknotted, and my crisp white dress shirt hung open, revealing the defined muscles of my chest. I settled back in my chair, letting my dinner digest while I reached for the linen napkin.


The household staff stood motionless behind me like statues, their eyes trained on the marble floor, hands folded respectfully in front of their uniforms. Years of training had taught them to remain perfectly still until I signaled otherwise. The moment my fork touched the plate, they sprang into action.


Chapter 97 - Chapter 97 Commanding Presence