CHAPTER NINETY-NINE - A LIGHT IN THE RUINS

  The silence in Leon's office was deafening as Nia's nod confirmed Justin's revelation. For a moment, time seemed to stand still, the distant sounds of the gala fading away until all Nia could hear was the pounding of her own heart. Leon's face contorted, a myriad of emotions flashing across his features - disbelief, pain, anger. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and dangerous, trembling with barely contained rage. "How could you?" he whispered, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "How could you lie to me for so long?" Nia took a shaky step forward, her tears flowing freely now. "Leon, please, let me explain-" "Explain?" Leon exploded, his voice rising to a shout. "Explain what, Nia? Explain how you've been lying to my face every single day since we met? How you sat there at Kyra's memorial, watching her family grieve, knowing you were the one who took her from them?" Nia flinched at his words, each one cutting deeper than the last. "It wasn't like that," she ple