Chapter 226

LEONIE'S POV

I stared at the large television screen on our living room wall, my hands shaking with pure rage.

I was holding a crystal glass of expensive red wine, but my grip was so tight that the dark liquid sloshed over the edge, dripping down onto my fingers and staining the white marble countertop.

I did not even care about the mess. My entire focus was locked on the woman smiling on the screen.

There she was. Aria. She stood behind the grand mahogany podium, wearing a crisp, perfectly tailored snow-white suit. She looked like a queen. She looked absolutely untouchable, completely unbothered by the chaos I had spent all night trying to create.

"The records leaked yesterday were outdated, incomplete drafts from an old project," Aria’s clear, steady voice echoed beautifully from the television speakers.

"A thief can steal a file, but they cannot steal our worth. Under my leadership, this company will continue to grow larger than any bitter detractor could ever imagine."

"Shut up! Just shut up!" I screamed at the television screen. I grabbed the plastic remote control from the counter and slammed my thumb down on the power button.

The screen flashed and went completely black, but her confident, beautiful smile stayed burned into the back of my mind. I let out a loud, frustrated cry and threw the remote control across the room with all my strength.

It hit the hard brick fireplace and shattered into a dozen tiny plastic pieces. I was completely furious. My chest was heaving up and down as I tried to breathe.

All my hard work, all the heavy risks I took by downloading those files from Julian’s work laptop was washed away in a matter of minutes. I really thought that the smear campaign would completely destroy her reputation.

I thought the board members of her father's company would turn on her and kick her out of the building by morning, leaving her completely broke and miserable.

Instead, she was smarter than I thought. She turned the whole terrible disaster into a glorious victory lap, making herself look even stronger to the public. Worse, my husband was absolutely no help at all.

I turned around and looked toward the hallway. Julian was currently passed out cold on the bedroom floor, smelling like a disgusting brewery. He was completely useless to me now.

His professional hockey career was hanging by a very thin thread because of his constant drinking and his wild, unstable behavior.

The hockey league was already whispering about suspending him, and if his massive sports fortune disappeared, my luxurious lifestyle would go down right along with it.

Julian was supposed to be my permanent ticket to endless wealth and high society, but he was too busy crying and drinking over his ex-girlfriend to notice that our ship was sinking.

He was weak. If I wanted to protect my future, I had to be the strong one. I had to take control. I paced back and forth across the thick living room rug, aggressively chewing on my fingernail.

My mind was spinning. I needed a new plan. I needed something dark, something heavy, something that would not just hurt Aria, but completely remove her from my head and our lives forever.

Then, a sudden thought hit me. A wicked feeling of satisfaction washed over me as I remembered my secret weapon.

I walked over to my purse, reached deep into the pocket, and pulled out my secret burner phone. I quickly dialed a private number that I knew by heart.

It rang twice, the sound cutting through the quiet house, before a quiet, steady voice answered. "Hello, Miss Leonie," the voice said calmly.

"Anna," I hissed, leaning my back against the kitchen counter. I kept my eyes on the hallway, making sure Julian couldn't hear me if he suddenly woke up from his drunken sleep. "Tell me you have good news for me. Are you securely inside the house?"

"Yes," Anna replied smoothly, and I could hear a faint sound of a child's toy in the background. "They fully trust me here. To Aria, Brandon, and little Amelia, my name is Sarah. I am the sweet, perfect nanny. I have been watching their daily schedules, learning the security codes for the gates, and making myself indispensable to the little girl. Yesterday, I even made Aria tea when she came home stressed. They have absolutely no idea who I really am."

A dark, wicked smile slowly crept onto my lips. Hearing her words gave me a sudden rush of deep relief. The tension in my shoulders began to fade. "Good. You are doing perfectly," I whispered into the phone, my voice full of malice.

"Keep playing the part, Anna. Do not do a single thing to make Brandon’s sharp security team suspicious. Those guards are like hawks, so keep your head down. Just stay in place, keep acting like the sweet nanny Sarah, and wait until I give you the final signal. I am going to make sure Aria is so overwhelmed with massive problems at her job that she won’t even see us coming from behind."

"Understood, Miss Leonie. I will be waiting," Anna said, and the line went completely dead. I set the burner phone down on the counter, feeling my confidence return.

Having a snake sleeping inside Aria’s own house was a massive advantage, but I knew I couldn't just rely on Anna. I needed to strike Aria from another angle too. I needed to hit her where it hurt her the most.

Her late father's corporate empire. If I could completely ruin her financially, she would lose her power, her confidence, and her crown.

I picked up my regular smartphone and scrolled through my long list of high-society contacts. I bypassed the hockey wives, the sports managers, and the club owners until my eyes landed on the exact name I was looking for. Thomas Sterling.

Thomas Sterling was one of the wealthiest, most arrogant, and most corrupt majority shareholders in Aria's company. I knew from country club gossip that he was incredibly greedy, and he absolutely hated the fact that a young woman had taken over the board of directors.

He thought a woman had no business running a multi-million dollar shipping and logistics empire. I dialed his private number, taking a deep breath and putting on my most charming, sweet voice when his deep voice finally picked up.

"Thomas Sterling speaking," the man’s gruff voice boomed through the receiver.

"Mr. Sterling," I purred into the phone, using my most polite tone. "It is Leonie Vance. I hope you are having a wonderful afternoon."

"Ah, Leonie," the man said, his tone instantly changing when he realized who it was. "To what do I owe the pleasure of a phone call from Julian Vance's beautiful wife? Is your husband finally ready to sign that stadium endorsement deal?"

"Actually, Thomas, I am calling because I have a highly profitable proposition for you," I said, my voice turning cold, sharp, and calculating.

"I know you are not entirely happy with how young Aria is running her late father's company. I saw her little performance on the news today. What if I told you there is a quick way for you to make a massive profit while putting that girl back in her place? All I need you to do is pull your financial backing from the company. Withdraw your shares. Create a massive financial deficit right now. Make her panic."

There was a long, heavy silence on the other end of the line. I held my breath, clutching the phone tightly against my ear, waiting for his response.

"Pulling all my funds without warning is a major move, Leonie," Thomas Sterling said slowly, his voice dropping into a low murmur. "That would cause a lot of waves on the market. What is in it for me? I am a businessman, after all. I don't move my money for free."

"I have a substantial, untraceable offshore cash payment ready to be transferred to your private account by tomorrow morning," I whispered, naming a massive, staggering amount of money.

It was an amount that would practically drain my entire personal savings account, money I had secretly taken from Julian over the years. But to me, it was worth every single penny.

"And besides the cash, Thomas, think of the ultimate power. With a massive financial hole in her company, Aria will be desperate. Her expansion project will stall. She will have to come to you on her knees, begging for your terms just to stay afloat. You can make her do whatever you want."

I listened closely, and after a moment, I heard a low, greedy chuckle coming from the other end of the phone line. I knew I had him. The trap was officially set.

"You have a deal, Leonie," Thomas Sterling sneered, his voice full of dark arrogance. "I will inform my legal team to liquidate and pull all my investments first thing in the morning. Let us see how long the proud young CEO can keep her head high when her foundation completely crumbles beneath her feet."

"Thank you, Thomas. It is always a pleasure doing business with a man who understands power," I said, a look of pure, unchecked triumph washing over my face as I hung up the phone.

I stood by the window, staring out at the city skyline, a dark, wicked laugh escaping my chest.

Aria thought she won today. She thought she was safe and secure in her pretty white suit, standing next to her perfect billionaire boyfriend.

But by tomorrow morning, her father's empire would be bleeding millions of dollars, and she wouldn't even know who stabbed her in the back.