by john1208·Translated by Novel AI Studio
Rain pours down on the funeral of the Vadasz Consortium's founder when Jarek Tarjan returns. Years ago, an alchemical accident shattered his legs, and Olenka Vadasz - his fiercest rival and closest confidante - seemingly abandoned him to steal his patents. Now walking perfectly and wielding immense wealth, Jarek poses as a sympathetic friend. He slowly infiltrates Olenka's lonely, stressful life at the top of the empire, becoming her only pillar of support. Olenka, meanwhile, plays the part of a cheerful, easily distracted airhead, though her sharp eyes quietly piece together the strange gaps in her own memories. When Jarek finally springs his trap - a brutal hostile takeover that strips Olenka of her legacy and wealth - he expects tears and begging. Instead, she gives him a bright, knowing smile, hands over the keys, and vanishes into the foggy streets of Oskara. The agonizing emptiness of his revenge drives Jarek to her private vault, where he discovers the horrifying truth: Olenka's past self engineered his accident, the abandonment, and his eventual takeover to sever his ties to a fatal blood-curse, taking the lethal magic onto herself. Now the undisputed master of an empire he never wanted, can Jarek find the woman who sacrificed her mind and body for him before she shatters completely?
