In the room, Isadora was reading a copy of Forbes magazine.The face of Julian Sinclair IV stared up from the cover, his expression arrogant, his eyes the color of a winter storm. The headline read: Sinclair Holdings Faces Billion-Dollar Cyber-Lawsuit. The Titan Seeks a Champion.

Her lips twisted into a humorless smile. A champion. How fitting.

Over the past six years, she had buried Isadora Hayes. In her place, she had forged a new identity in the crucible of London's most ruthless courtrooms. "Isadora." No last name. A legal phantom, a name whispered with a mixture of fear and awe. She was undefeated. She was untouchable. And she was Julian's only hope.

This was her way in.

She picked up her phone and dialed a secure, encrypted number. It was answered on the first ring.

"Cornell."

"Izzy," Cornell Carpenter's warm, familiar voice came through the line. "You sound like you're about to declare war."

"I am," she said, her tone devoid of warmth. "I'm sending you a link. The Sinclair Holdings case. I want it."

There was a pause on the other end. "Are you sure about this? That's not just a case, Izzy. That's him. The biggest, nastiest shark in the Wall Street tank."

Cornell is his strategic partner, and the only person who knows her true identity. Not all of it, but enough. He knew she had fled New York with two infants and a shattered heart, and he had helped her build her new life from the ashes.

"That's why he needs me," she said, her voice like chipped ice.

"There has to be another way," he argued, his voice laced with concern. "You've built a fortress around yourself here. Going back there... you're walking back into the fire. What if you can't handle it?"

"It's the only way to save Leo," she stated flatly. The words were a sentence, absolute and final. "I can't afford to fail."

Cornell sighed, a sound of weary resignation. "That man broke you into a million pieces, Izzy. I was the one who helped you glue them back together. I don't know if I can do it again if this goes wrong."

"Then we won't let it go wrong," she said. "For Leo, I'll do anything. I'll become whatever I need to be."

"You must have done something terrible in a past life to deserve this one," Cornell muttered, the affection and pain in his voice unmistakable. "Alright. What's the plan?"

"Intercept the case," she commanded. "Use every contact, every piece of leverage we have. I want Sinclair Holdings to have no other choice but me. And make it clear: I only speak to the CEO."

"Forty-eight hours," Cornell promised. "The case will be yours."

She hung up and walked back to the glass wall of Leo's room. He was asleep now, his small chest rising and falling in a shallow rhythm. The machines beside him beeped softly, a constant, terrifying reminder of how fragile his life was.

"I will save you, my love," she whispered to the glass. "I promise."

Inside the room, Leo's eyelashes fluttered. He wasn't asleep. He had heard every word. He knew his mother was going to face a monster for him.

He pretended to stir, his eyes opening slowly. "Mommy," he said, his voice weak. "I'm sorry I make you worry so much." He looked at his own small hands. "I don't know if I'll have time to grow up."

The words were a dagger in Isadora's heart. She forced a bright, confident smile. "Don't you worry about that. I've found a way to make you better. A real cure. Soon, you'll be able to run and play and do whatever you want. Mommy promises."

His eyes widened with what looked like genuine hope. "Really? So I'm not going to die? I can stay with you and Mia forever?"

"Yes," she said, her voice thick with unshed tears. "We will always be together."

She would make it true. No matter the cost. She had already lost one child; she would not lose another.

Through the glass, she saw the flicker of something else in his eyes—a shadow that belied the hopeful smile. She watched as his small hands clenched into fists under the thin blanket, his jaw setting with a quiet, stubborn determination that mirrored her own.

Leo was in bed, didn’t believe it. He noticed a strange look in his mother’s eyes.

He knew very well about his own condition. Unless a match was found, there was no hope of recovery. But finding a match was a extremely lengthy process—three years, five years, or even a lifetime might pass with no success.

And his body couldn’t hold on much longer. His mother was probably just trying to comfort him. But he wasn’t really sad either. After all, everyone has to die eventually.

Over these six years, Mommy gave him all her love. He was very happy. He only hopes that in his next life, he’ll have a healthy body, so he can return and be Mommy’s child again.

Thinking about the phone call just now, Leo had no idea what his mother was willing to do for him. But it must be very dangerous. He felt guilty. The incredibly smart Leo clenched his little fists under the covers, determined to use his hacking skills to help his mother find out more about that man.

Isadora turned away from the glass and walked to her dressing room. She stripped off the soft cashmere sweater, the uniform of a worried mother. She replaced it with a suit of armor: a black, razor-sharp power suit.

She twisted her long hair into a severe chignon at the nape of her neck. She slid on a pair of frameless, anti-glare glasses, a shield to hide her eyes. The soft, gentle mother vanished, replaced by a predator.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. The woman looking back was a stranger, her eyes cold and hard as diamonds.

"The game begins, Julian," she whispered to her reflection.