For five years, I was with Julian, Wall Street's golden boy. Every anniversary, I’d secretly hope he would finally get down on one knee — but he never did.

Every single time, he’d press a tender, apologetic kiss to my lips. "Baby, let's wait until the IPO. I want to give you the biggest wedding imaginable. Just wait a little longer for me, okay?"

And I’d nod, swallowing the ache, year after year.

.Finally, His company went public and landed a huge deal with the Castello family—the most powerful syndicate in the country. I was certain he’d finally propose.

Instead, I found a trust fund document. There, right under the "Legal Spouse" line, was a name: Caroline. The widow of Julian’s late brother.

When I called to confront him, his response was utterly callous.

"I promised my brother I'd take care of Caroline and his son, Noah. The boy needs a father, Alessia. That's the only reason I married her. We have a deal—we'll divorce as soon as Noah turns eighteen."

"You should be more understanding of how hard it is for Caroline to raise a child alone. Don't be so unreasonable, alright?"

I didn't lose my temper. I just calmly replied:

"No need. I’m not interested in sloppy seconds."

What he didn't know was that I am the daughter of the Castello family's Don.

I made a call to my father. "Dad.I'm ready to come home and take over the family business. I will personally attend the signing ceremony with Obsidian Group in three days."

I was going to make Julian taste absolute despair.

The second I hung up, I fired off my resignation letter and walked straight out of the corporate building.

A second later, my phone buzzed. It was Julian.

Curious to hear what kind of bullshit he’d spin next, I picked up.

His low, disapproving voice came through the speaker immediately.

"I saw your resignation. You're acting entirely too impulsive, Alessia."

"Do you have any idea what you just did? Your little interrogation terrified Caroline. She’s in tears, threatening to pack up and leave with Noah. You scared the kid half to death, too."

Right on cue, I heard Caroline’s fragile, muffled sobs in the background, followed by Noah’s loud wailing.

"Bad lady! Why are you kicking me and Mommy out? This is my house! I don't want that bad lady here!"

"Alessia, please, just blame me," Caroline wept. "Don't fight with Julian over this..."

Then came Julian’s voice, dropping into a sickeningly gentle tone meant only for them. "I'm right here. Nobody is making you leave."

His tone shifted back to me, cold and demanding. " Alessia, apologize to them."

I didn't say a single word. I just hung up the phone and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

Memories from the past five years flashed through my mind like a bad joke.

Five years ago, Julian’s company was on the verge of bankruptcy. I couldn't bear to see his talent go to waste. So, I secretly wired him fifty million dollars of my own money through an anonymous shell company. That money pulled him out of the gutter and turned him into Wall Street’s new golden boy.

For five years, I willingly played the shadow behind his throne. His most loyal assistant. A foolish girl waiting for a promise that he’d marry me after the IPO.

But the truth was, he already had a wife. His own sister-in-law.

I remembered how I used to see Caroline wearing different pieces of high-end, custom jewelry. I had wondered how she could afford it.

Back then, Caroline had just looked at me with a sweet, twisted little smile. "My darling husband bought them for me."

I’d assumed she meant Julian's late brother, and even felt guilty for being suspicious. Looking back now, the husband she was flaunting was Julian all along.

I hadn't walked far when Julian's car pulled up in front of me.

He rolled down the window, frowning. "I knew you were mad. Fine, you don't have to apologize. But really, why are you getting jealous over a widow and a fatherless kid?"

"Look, I brought Caroline along so we can explain things in person. We only got married so I could legally take care of them. It's not what you think. Get in the car."

I didn't have the energy to argue. I walked straight to the passenger door.

When I pulled it open, Caroline was sitting there.

She raised an eyebrow. She had Julian's suit jacket draped over her shoulders and gave me a fake, apologetic look.

"Sorry, Alessia. I get a little carsick, so I took the front seat. Do you mind sitting in the back?"

It was laughable. Was this really her way of "clearing the air"?

Before I could speak, Julian looked at me nervously, opening his mouth to defend Caroline.

In the past, I would have definitely frowned and marked my territory, fighting for the passenger seat that belonged to the woman of the house.

But today, I didn't say a word. I just got into the back seat.

If he wanted to chauffeur me around, I’d just treat him like a free Uber.

Julian looked surprised. His lips parted, and he turned his head to say something to me.

But Caroline cut him off.

"Julian, the car behind us is honking. Let's go."

I closed my eyes. I didn't know how much time had passed when the car finally stopped.

I opened my eyes and saw we were parked outside an elite private club.

Seeing my frown, Julian rubbed his cufflinks and chuckled softly.

"Caroline knew you were upset about the trust fund, so she specially wanted to treat you to dinner to apologize."

I said coldly, "No need. I'm going home."

But Julian grabbed my wrist with a strong grip, half-pulling, half-holding me as he dragged me inside.

"Play nice. Don't ruin the mood. I'll make it up to you later—my way."

I sat in the corner of the private booth, expressionless.

For the entire night, I watched them shamelessly flirt with each other.

One minute, Caroline was playfully handing Julian her glass, making him take a sip of her martini.

The next, Julian was naturally reaching out to fix her dress, his fingertips brushing against her thigh.

I lost my patience. "If you have something to say, say it fast so I can leave," I said coldly.

Julian slowly unbuttoned his collar. "What's the rush? We just opened a good bottle."

Just as the red wine was poured, Caroline suddenly touched her forehead and leaned weakly against him.

Julian instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist.

He turned to me, his tone leaving no room for argument:

"Caroline is dizzy. I'm going to take her home to rest. Wait for me here like a good girl."

Caroline shot me a triumphant, provocative look before leaving in Julian's arms.

But I sat in that booth for a full hour, and he never came back.

Instead, the club manager walked in with several security guards. He slapped a leather folder onto the table, his tone polite but icy.

"Miss, your bill for the evening. Two hundred thousand dollars. How would you like to pay?"

I froze.

A second later, a text from Julian lit up my screen:

"You insisted on giving me an attitude in the car and still refuse to admit you're wrong. I've spoiled you too much over the last five years."

"I've frozen your card. Consider it a lesson. The second you apologize and beg, I'll come bail you out."

"Alessia, don't piss me off again."

Seeing me sitting in silence with my phone, the manager impatiently raised his voice.

"Miss! Please settle the bill immediately! We don't have the patience to wait for you to scrape the money together!"

Wealthy socialites walking past the booth cast disgusted looks my way.

"Is she really trying to dine and dash? Or did her sugar daddy ditch her?"

"How embarrassing..."

Countless mocking stares landed on me, but none of it hurt as much as the humiliation Julian just handed me. My chest ached.

My phone kept buzzing:

"Alessia, stop being stubborn. All you have to do is text Caroline an apology and promise you won't throw tantrums over this again. Otherwise, you'll be detained by the club, and trust me, you don't want to experience their methods."

It was a blatant threat.

If I were just a normal girl relying on him for survival, maybe I would have been terrified into submission.

Too bad I wasn't.

I pulled a card from my purse. It was a gold-stamped black card bearing the crest of the Castello family.

"Who said I can't pay? Swipe it."

The manager stared at the card representing the highest power in the North American underworld. Instantly, cold sweat dripped down his face.

"Miss Castello... I am so, so sorry. I didn't recognize you. I deserve to die—"

I raised a hand to cut him off.

"Save it. I just need you to do one thing."

I nodded at the security camera above us. "Intentional dine-and-dash. Call the cops right now. And under local laws, you have the right to demand ten times the unpaid tab, don't you?"

Walking out of the restaurant, I took the bank card Julian had given me from my wallet, snapped it in half, and threw it in the trash.

I remembered when we first met. His startup was failing, and he was a frustrated genius.

I stayed up night after night, staying by his side, encouraging him, holding him together.

When he received my anonymous investment, he held me and cried tears of joy, making a solemn vow: "You gave me strength when I had nothing. When I make it to the top, I'll give you the best life in the world. Alessia, I swear on my life."

Back then, I thought he was different from those cold, greedy men.

I had even made up my mind—once we got married, I would introduce him to my father and share the Castello empire with him.

Clearly, I was blind.

I took out my phone and called my father.

"Dad, I'll do as you asked. I'm coming back to the family."

"I will personally attend the signing ceremony with Obsidian Group in three days."

Julian actually thought cutting off my allowance would break me. Let's see how he handles the full wrath of the Castello family once he learns who I really am.

My first night back at the Castello estate, my phone buzzed endlessly.

"Alessia, why aren't you replying? Are you still at the club?"

"I called them. You left? How did you manage that?"

"Where are you? Why are you ignoring me? Are you just playing disappearing games to make me worry?"

I ignored all of it.

By day two, his tone turned anxious: "You made your point. I didn't sleep all night."

"Where are you? Stop making me worry."

I only felt disgusted.

By day three, he sent a single text: "If you have any dignity left, don't ever show your face again."

I flipped my phone face down on the vanity and met my own gaze in the mirror, carefully drawing a razor-sharp wing with my eyeliner.

The signing ceremony was held in the penthouse banquet hall of Obsidian Group.

By the time I arrived, the red carpet was already packed with elites.

Julian, wearing a bespoke navy suit, stood in the center of the hall, laughing with some old Wall Street contacts.

Caroline clung to his arm in a burgundy gown, the diamond necklace on her chest catching the light blindly.

That necklace was the one Julian bought at an auction for an insane price. Back then, he told me it was a gift for me.

As I walked forward, Julian spotted me instantly. His eyes flashed with surprise, then darkened. He took a few quick steps and blocked my path.

"Alessia!" he hissed, lowering his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for business, obviously," I said, looking straight ahead, ready to walk past him.

"Are you here to sabotage my signing?" He grabbed my arm, his face turning ugly.

Caroline hurried over, feigning concern. "Alessia, I know you're still mad about the other night, but this really isn't the place for a tantrum. This is too important for Julian..."

Julian’s frown deepened. He raised a hand and signaled two bodyguards over. "Please escort this lady out."

Two massive men immediately surrounded me.

I didn't move. "Back off. I am a Castello."

A low ripple of laughter spread through the crowd around us.

Julian raised an eyebrow. "The Castello family? Alessia, you wrote a pretty good script today."

Caroline covered her mouth and giggled. "Alessia, if you're going to lie, at least make it believable. The Castello family? You?"

"I'm telling the truth," I said coldly. "My father is Victor Castello."

Julian's smirk grew wider. He stepped closer and pinched my chin.

"Then should I call you 'Princess'?" His thumb brushed across my lips. "Be good. Go home. Once tonight is over, I'll make it up to you in private."

I jerked my head away, shaking off his hand, and reached into my coat pocket to pull out the Castello crest as proof.

"She's got a gun!"

Caroline suddenly screamed, throwing herself into Julian's arms.

Before I could react, a heavy hand clamped down on the back of my neck.

As I was shoved violently to the ground, my forehead smashed against the marble edge of a table.

Blood instantly ran down my temple, dripping onto the pristine white tiles.

A wave of agonizing pain hit me, followed by intense dizziness.

Through my blurred vision, I saw Julian instinctively shielding Caroline behind him, patting her gently and whispering, "Don't be scared, I've got you..."

In that moment, I honestly couldn't tell what hurt more—my shattered head, or the final, dying shred of my feelings for him.

Seeing me covered in blood, a flash of hesitation crossed Julian's eyes.

But it only lasted a second.

He frowned, looking down at me from his high horse, his voice dripping with disappointment.

"Alessia, look at what you've reduced yourself to."

He sighed, waving dismissively at the whispering crowd. "Apologies for the scene, everyone. She's my former assistant. She's... mentally unstable."

Knowing chuckles echoed around the room.

Hiding behind him, Caroline shot me a sideways glance, the corners of her mouth curling into a smirk.

I didn't speak. The pounding in my head made it impossible to form a word.

The bodyguard’s knee dug into my back as his free hand roughly patted me down.

"Where's the gun?" Julian asked coldly.

The guard's hand paused in my coat pocket.

He pulled something out and held it up.

It wasn't a gun.

It was a heavy metal crest, stamped with the Castello family emblem: a black eagle spreading its wings.

The smile froze on Julian's face.