I always thought that if I just held on a little longer, I could see this marriage through—a union meant to secure our family's interests.

But my fiancé, Ronan, and my brother, Sebastian, showered Amber and her mother with their protection, leaving me with nothing but cold indifference.

They demanded I accept the daughter of a traitor as my duty, a humiliation that was unbearable.

In a moment of wild self-destruction, I did the unthinkable. I dragged my suitcase away and let the manor, a place saturated with our memories, be consumed by a consuming fire.

News reports stated the manor had been burned to the ground. The family's internal investigation found that security footage showed no one leaving the premises, leading them to the preliminary conclusion that I had perished in the blaze.

Ronan refused to believe it.

It wasn't until he and Sebastian saw the box of my belongings at the family Consigliere's office that the truth sank in. Seeing the things I cherished most—a family heirloom, a custom pen from my father—finally made them realize this wasn't just another tantrum. I was gone for good.

A real pity.

By then, it was far too late.

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1

My fiancé, Ronan, from a family of equal standing, and my own brother, Sebastian, had both fallen for a woman with no status named Amber.

One of them betrayed the marriage contract our families had arranged. "A Principessa like Cassandra? Forget it, she's out of my league."

The other forgot his vow to our mother on her deathbed. "Amber is so vulnerable," he’d said. "I'm just extending my protection to her as well. Is that too much to ask?"

On my birthday, my fiancé Ronan chose to be with Amber.

On the anniversary of my mother's death, Sebastian was also with Amber and her mother.

The last time I brought up our postponed wedding date to Ronan, the entire VIP room of the dinner party fell silent.

The air was thick with cigar smoke and Ronan's undisguised, overbearing presence, an invisible hand tightening around my throat.

Ronan's friend, Liam, noticing his impatience, immediately started to jeer.

"Still thinking about your wedding?"

"Our Cassandra has always carried herself like a queen, hasn't she? What, has reality finally started to set in?"

I ignored the piercing laughter and noise.

I just stared at Ronan on the sofa, the engagement he’d so carelessly dismissed sending a dull, constant ache through my heart.

I felt the blood in my veins turn to ice, shards scraping against my bones. It was a Griffin instinct—a primal response to having my dignity trampled.

His shirt collar was slightly open. On the side of his neck was a cheap lipstick stain that wasn't mine.

This man has betrayed our family's covenant, a cold voice roared in my mind.

It felt like a needle, so fine it was almost imperceptible, piercing my skin. The pain arrived a moment later, sharp and cruel.

"We were young and foolish," Ronan said, lifting his eyes. The corner of his lip curled into a thin, mocking smile.

"We were naive enough to think the family's arrangements were always for the best."

He looked at me with a bored indifference. "Cassandra, we're all adults now."

"Let's just forget about those childish family games."

He rejected me, just like that.

I stared at him in shock, about to speak, when the door to the room was pushed open.

Amber walked in, wearing a skimpy performance outfit.

With her brown hair and slender waist, she swayed seductively to the center of the room.

The cloying sweetness of her perfume cut sharply through the masculine scents in the room.

When she saw me, her body trembled. "Cassandra…"

Her eyes instantly reddened, and she shot a quick glance at Ronan.

"I'm… I'm sorry. Am I interrupting you?"

Her voice trembled as she spoke, looking like a frightened fawn, and she turned as if to leave.

Ronan suddenly stood up and kicked a bodyguard who was in his way.

The bodyguard lost his balance and crashed into the table behind me, shattering the wine glasses all over the floor.

Glass fragments flew, and one of them sliced my arm. Blood welled up, hot and fast, streaming down my arm as the sting sharpened into a vicious pain.

The scent of blood hit the air, and instinct—sharp and cold—straightened my spine. The Griffin in me was ready to strike.

But Ronan didn't even glance at me.

His face was as dark as a storm as he strode straight toward Amber.

He made no effort to restrain his menacing presence, as if he wanted everyone in the room to know exactly who he was protecting.

He reached out, roughly pulling off his suit jacket and draping it over her nearly bare shoulders.

"Amber, didn't I tell you? You're not allowed to perform in places like this anymore."

Amber nodded obediently, again and again.

Then her eyes reddened again, and she whispered timidly, "I just… I don't want to be a burden."

"You and Sebastian have already done more than enough for me."

"If I work, I can earn my own living expenses…"

"But… I'd be worried."

Ronan wrapped her tightly in his jacket.

"You're coming back with me now. If I see you in this kind of place again…"

"You set foot in a place, and I'll have it burned to the ground."

Then he turned his head and looked at me.

"If anyone thinks they can pull rank and bully her, don't blame me for what happens next."

I clutched my bleeding arm.

Amidst the chaos and the mess, I met his gaze with a blank expression.

This club was one of our Griffin family's properties.

This was my territory. As the family's Principessa, I had surveyed this territory with my father countless times since childhood.

Ronan thought I had deliberately humiliated Amber by having her perform here.

The tragic irony was that Amber, nestled under his and my brother's protection, was already being treated like a true princess.

She had endless money to spend.

Why would she deliberately put herself through this, just to earn a meager performance fee?

But I knew.

Even if I shouted it out loud, even if I dragged a Capo over to swear it was all a coincidence—

Ronan wouldn't believe me.

In his eyes, I was the malicious, heartless Principessa.

A Griffin family heiress who used her status to do whatever she pleased.

And Amber was the innocent, powerless girl being "bullied" by me.

"Cassandra."

Ronan pulled Amber into his arms, shielding her.

"A Principessa like you? You're out of my league."

"As for that damn family marriage contract, forget it."

The moment he finished speaking, the room fell silent again.

I felt as if a cold hand had seized my heart. My fingertips ached with a numbing pain.

Amber's face turned deathly pale. She trembled, burying herself deeper into Ronan's embrace.

The men from our Family eyed me as if I were a threat.

For a moment, I almost laughed out loud.

Because yes, ever since Amber's mother forced her way into our family…

Ever since Amber came between me and Ronan…

I had thrown tantrums. I had argued. I had made scenes.

The devotion that was once exclusively mine was now being unconditionally redirected to Amber and her mother.

How could a spoiled Principessa like me swallow that?

But the only result of all my crying and fighting was this:

I had pushed everyone closer to Amber.

And now… I was tired.

I didn't even have the strength to fight back.

"Fine."

I nodded, my calmness unnerving.

I took a few steps forward.

Ronan instinctively shielded Amber behind him.

"Cassandra. If you're going to do something, come at me."

I released my arm and held out my hand.

On my pale palm, the blood smeared, stark and red.

Ronan's lips pressed into a thin line. A tiny crack seemed to appear in the iciness of his eyes.

But then Amber suddenly broke free from his embrace.

"Cassandra, please don't make things difficult for Ronan."

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come. I shouldn't have disturbed you two…"

As she spoke, perfectly timed tears welled in her eyes. "I'll leave. I'll leave right now."

"Amber," Ronan said immediately, his tone instantly softening, "I told you. I'm here to protect you."

Pity washed over him instantly.

He used one hand to wipe away her tears, then turned back to me.

The tiny crack in his expression was gone.

Only disgust remained.

"Cassandra, can you stop being so clingy and unreasonable—"

I cut him off. "Fine, cancel the engagement. But give me back my family's pledge."

Ronan froze. "What pledge?"

I raised my hand and unclasped the expensive watch from my wrist.

This was the token Ronan's mother, Donna Catherine of the Killian family, had given me when our engagement was set.

What my mother had given him was even more valuable.

"Take back your watch," I said. "And give me back the Griffin family's sapphire ring."

Ronan's expression grew colder by the second.

His gaze locked on the watch in my hand.

I had worn this watch for five years. I had never taken it off.

Everyone in both families knew how much I cherished it.

"You think everyone is as pathetic as you, fawning over a piece of junk?" he sneered.

He snatched the watch from my hand and hurled it to the ground. "Why are you treasuring a piece of trash?"

Then he gave me one last cold look. "I'll find that ring when I get home. After that, we're even."

When I got home, Sebastian was waiting in the living room.

"Cassie, there's something I need to tell you."

He handed me several thick stacks of documents.

"This downtown apartment, I'm transferring it to Amber's name so she'll have a safe place to live."

"She's suffered enough. Now that she's with us, it's time she had a good life."

I glanced at the documents.

That apartment was part of my mother's inheritance, an asset from her own family.

I took the documents with a blank face and tore them in half.

"Cassie!"

"What the hell are you doing?"

Sebastian pushed up his glasses, looking at me as if I were a disappointing child.

"Last time you had someone push Amber down the stairs, I was the one who cleaned up your mess."

"She's been through so much. Giving her an apartment is nothing."

"Have you forgotten your promise to Mother on her deathbed?"

Sebastian fell silent.

Before our mother died, she had gripped Sebastian's hand so tightly he couldn't break free, forcing him to swear—

Swear that he would protect me for the rest of his life. Take care of me. Spoil me.

Swear that no one would ever wrong me.

Swear that no one would ever take what was mine.

It was the most solemn oath a member of the Griffin family could make—to swear by the family name. To break it meant your soul would be consumed by guilt.

"I haven't forgotten," he finally said.

"But Cassie… since Amber needs my protection now too…"

"Is it really so wrong for me to share some of my kindness with her?"

"Cassie, you're too willful. Too domineering."

He sighed. "Can't you learn to be more like Amber?"

I wanted to laugh, but tears fell first.

"Sebastian."

"No one is taking anything of Mother's."

"If you want to give Amber something, fine. Take it from the Griffin family's assets. Give her as much as you want."

"Our family has more than enough to go around—"

Sebastian stopped mid-sentence.

Yes.

The Griffin family never had anything worth loving.

Neither the people. Nor the things.

I threw the torn documents into the trash can and went upstairs.

"The anniversary of Mother's death is in a few days," I said without looking back. "Don't forget."

"How could I forget?" Sebastian forced a smile.

"You get some rest. I'm going to the study to handle some things."

I didn't answer. And I didn't look back.