On the night Victor's company won "Beauty Brand of the Year," his wife Esther sat in the front row, clapping. Every product on that stage came from her research. Every formula was hers. But the woman accepting the award was Felicia, Victor's so-called genius chemist, and Victor kissed Felicia's cheek on live television, calling her "the brilliant mind behind it all." Esther sacrificed everything for this marriage. Her chemistry career. Her published research. Her name in the industry. In return, Victor gave her silence, paid her sick mother's hospital bills, and made her believe she could never stand alone. He was wrong. Victor controlled her money, her mother's medical care, and formulas worth billions that she created before their wedding. Formulas now credited to his pregnant mistress. When Esther left, she didn't disappear. She returned as the anonymous chemist whose mystery skincare line outsold Victor's company for two straight years. The genius every brand in Europe wanted to find. The man who found her? Raymond. Victor's estranged stepbrother. Cold, ruthless, and completely consumed by the woman his brother threw away like a failed experiment. When Victor came crawling back, Raymond stepped between them. His voice dropped to a whisper: "Touch her. Go ahead. Give me the reason I've been waiting for."