The ice-cold water slammed against my skin, jolting me awake. Before I could react, a pair of rough hands yanked me out of the doghouse. In the dim glow of the courtyard light, I saw the face of Wendell.

"What do you want?" I asked, voice hoarse from the cold.

He sneered, his expression twisted with cruelty. "Did you really think bringing you back meant welcoming you into the Weber Family?"

He wrapped a metal chain around my neck, pulling it tight. I stared at him, not struggling—only watching him with quiet confusion.

"You used to follow me like a shadow," I said. "Why the sudden betrayal? Was it Diane’s return that turned you?"

He laughed coldly. "I followed you because you were favored by Andrew. But when Diane came back, you were discarded like trash. That’s the real world, Geneva. In a family like ours, being obedient gets you nowhere."

His grip on the chain tightened, choking my breath. "In your next life, learn to beg properly. And don’t cross paths with Andrew again."

My vision blurred. As darkness crept in, I reached for the dagger hidden in my sleeve. But before I could strike, a sharp gleam flew through the air and embedded itself in Wendell’s foot.

He screamed and released me.

"You’ve got guts," a cold voice said from behind him.

Andrew stood at the top of the stairs, a long robe wrapped hastily around him. The scent of desire still clung to him—he had come straight from Diane’s bed.

Wendell dropped to his knees, clutching his foot. "Sir Andrew, I don’t understand why you’re keeping her alive. Why not just take her eyes and be done with it? Why pretend to marry her?"

Andrew's expression didn’t waver. "You dare question me?"

A beat of silence. Then his voice dropped, deadly calm. "If you interfere again, the next blade will pierce your heart."

Wendell scrambled away.

I clutched the bruises on my neck and crawled toward the doghouse, but before I could reach it, a hand gripped my chin hard. Andrew crouched before me, face cold, voice colder.

"Starting tomorrow, you won’t live in the doghouse. We’re getting married, and you’ll receive the ‘treatment’ you deserve." He paused, his thumb pressing into my jaw. "But don’t get any ideas. The only thing I value about you is your eyes. No matter how devoted you are, you’ll never have a place in my heart. Understand?"

I nodded, eyes lowered. "I understand."

But deep inside, a memory surfaced—seven years ago, on a rain-soaked night. I had carried Andrew, half-dead, from a mound of corpses. He had touched my cheek with a bloodied hand and whispered, "You saved me. My life is yours now."

He had grown up and learned to walk again—but the first thing he did as a man was cast aside the crutches that held him up.

That night, he took me back to the villa. As I turned to find a guest room, his voice stopped me.

"Don’t bother. Just keep watch outside my and Diane’s door. Wasn’t it your specialty to serve me?"

The cold of the corridor bit deeper than the winter winds. I curled up like a stray mutt at the threshold of the room where he now lay tangled with another woman.

I’d stood watch for him once, through fevers and wounds. Now I guarded his pleasure.

But it was still better than the mental hospital. At least here, I wasn’t being electrocuted or starved.

I drifted into sleep—until the sharp pain of something crushing my face woke me.

A high heel.

Diane stepped on me as if I were trash on the ground, her expression innocent.

I clenched my fists but said nothing.

“Geneva, I remember how good you used to be. After I was done with Andrew, you’d come in and clean everything up. Five years in that asylum, and you’ve forgotten the rules?”

She leaned close, smiling sweetly. “From start to finish, you were never anything more than the Weber Family’s loyal dog.”

I bowed my head and apologized softly. Around me, the room’s details swirled—familiar. Too familiar.

The soft ivory palette, the delicate patterns on the wallpaper, the curve of the armchair—I had chosen it all. Even the clothes in the closet—agile, elegant—were pieces I had custom-made. But none were in my size.

He had been preparing for Diane’s return long before I ever suspected.

While I had been dreaming of becoming Mrs. Weber, he had been plotting to make me the dressmaker for someone else's wedding.

I glanced at the calendar. The wedding date loomed like a knife.

"Why are you staring at it?" Diane’s voice came from behind me. "Excited? Counting the days until you die?"

A flash of silver—her butterfly knife came at me fast. I jerked aside, but not fast enough. A shallow cut opened on my cheek.

She blinked in surprise. "You dodged?"

Then her smile turned cold. "You’ve been pretending to be obedient, haven’t you?"

“What are you doing?”

Andrew’s voice sliced through the air as he entered the room. Diane flinched, then quickly concealed the butterfly knife and rushed to him, wrapping herself around his arm with practiced sweetness.

“Andrew,” she said softly, “Geneva was talking nonsense again. She said that once she marries into the Weber Family, she’s going to kick me out.”

It was a careless lie—but one that Andrew didn’t question. His face twisted with rage. The next second, he kicked me to the ground.

I fell, landing hard on my knees. I lowered my head without protest.

“Did you forget what I told you last night?” His tone was ice. “Without Diane, do you really think you could still be by my side? If your eyes didn’t look like hers, do you think I would’ve taken you back ten years ago?”

Even after everything, those words still hurt. For years, I believed the light that pulled me from despair came from him—but I was only a reflection of someone else. An echo. A placeholder.

With a wave of his hand, the bodyguards entered and dragged me out.

“Five years in the mental ward, and you’ve already forgotten the rules of the Weber Family?”

Those words sent a deeper chill through me than the winter air. The Weber Family wasn’t just powerful—they were brutal, bound by strict, merciless codes. I remembered vividly the banquet five years ago, where a false accusation nearly cost me my life. Now, with Diane in control, I wouldn’t get out alive this time.

They dragged me into the main hall, forcing me to kneel in front of the crowd. A bodyguard loomed behind me, gripping a heavy wooden club.

The Weber Family gathered like spectators.

“She’s getting beaten again!”

“She had it coming. Always defying Diane. Wonder if she’ll still have legs after this?”

I said nothing. I stared at the stick in the bodyguard’s hand. My marriage certificate hadn’t been issued yet. If I acted now, no matter what revenge I took, I’d land in prison.

But if I didn’t... I might not survive.

The first blow came down hard against my side. Pain exploded through me, and I collapsed.

“Tie her up. If she struggles, break her hands.”

Cold iron shackles clamped around my wrists and ankles. I lay crumpled on the ground as the beatings continued, each strike digging deeper into flesh and memory. In that storm of agony, my mind began to fracture.

The madness was back.

I remembered that night in the asylum—when a dozen inmates pinned me down, treated me like nothing. That night, something inside me died. My body bled, and my mind broke. The next morning, the room was soaked in blood. They took me to the ICU. Electroshock followed. After that, I was no longer human.

Now, that same voice echoed again.

Kill them. Kill them all.

The club came down again—but this time, I grabbed it mid-swing.

The bodyguard yanked, but it didn’t move.

Gasps rose around me.

I quickly let go and dropped my hand. The guard stumbled back, unnerved.

“What’s going on?” Andrew frowned. “No strength? Haven’t eaten?”

The bodyguard wiped his forehead, confused, then raised the stick again.

Just as he swung—

The doors burst open with a bang. A voice rang out from the entrance.

“So lively in here.”

Everyone turned.

A man dressed in black stood at the doorway, a blood-soaked figure lying at his feet. It was the Weber Family’s undercover man—half-dead and barely breathing.

Black leather shoes stopped in front of me.

I looked up—and froze.

Marco Weber.

He looked down at me, lips curling into a faint smile. “Why so pitiful, sister?”

He used to be just a boy, a nameless wanderer. I gave him the name Marco—after mine. The last time I saw him was five years ago. He had begged me to leave with him. But I stayed for Andrew, foolishly believing he’d change. Marco had walked away in anger. And I… I was sent to the asylum.

Looking at him now, I barely recognized him.

The streetwise boy was gone. In his place stood a man who ruled Chicago.

I gave him a hollow smile. “Long time no see…”

But inside, I felt nothing. I was no longer his sister. I was a monster created by pain.

Marco’s eyes flickered as he took in my injuries. Around us, the Weber Family readied their weapons. Andrew stepped forward, gesturing for them to part. He walked to Marco, his expression cold.

“Mr. Weber,” he said evenly, “this is the Weber Family’s estate. Don’t you think it’s rude to break in without notice?”

Diane gasped behind him. “That’s Marco? The one who took over Chicago in five years?”

Marco ignored her. He kicked the bleeding body at his feet. “I’m just returning your garbage. Honestly, the Weber Family should stop wasting resources on this kind of trash.”

Then he looked around.

“Five years ago, when your Miss Geneva was still here, the Weber Family was unbeatable. Look at you now—weak, crumbling.”

All eyes turned to me again.

I saw it in their faces—realization. Regret. They all knew how much I had done: the contracts I secured, the alliances I negotiated, the victories I won with nothing but charm, wit, and loyalty.

But Andrew only remembered how obedient I was.

“She’s just a dog,” Diane said sharply. “Everything she had came from clinging to Mr. Weber. I’m the real core of the Weber Family. Without the Knight family, would your jewelry empire even exist?”

Marco’s eyes narrowed. A cruel smile spread across his face.

“Don’t worry,” he said softly. “The Knight family won’t exist for much longer.”

Diane blanched. “What… what do you mean? You’re going after my family?”

Marco didn’t answer Andrew. Instead, he turned to me, his expression unreadable.

“If she’s just a dog,” he said quietly, “then I’d like to take her back. Do you have any objections?”

Andrew, who had remained silent until now, stiffened. “She’s my fiancée.”

“Your fiancée?” Marco repeated, voice cool.

“Yes,” Andrew said, meeting his gaze. “Your sister has always wanted to be my woman. I brought her back this time to fulfill her wish. As long as she donates her eyes, I’ll marry her.”

“Her eyes?” Marco’s tone darkened. He turned to me, voice low. “This was your condition? Trading your eyes for a spot at his side?”

I didn’t speak.

But my silence said enough.

Marco’s smile was sharp and bitter. “After five years, you’re still this stubborn.”

He shook his head, disappointment flashing across his face. “I really looked up to you, Sister.”

Then he turned away, as if he’d seen all he needed. I could feel him giving up on me.

“I’ll be leaving Chicago soon. Take care of yourself.”

With that, he walked out. His men followed without a word. Through the open doors, I saw a petite figure rushing after him. I remembered her—his little follower from years ago. Now, she stood tall beside him, his most trusted aide.

A quiet sigh rose in my chest. People like Marco rise. Monsters like me? We’re better left behind.

When my revenge is complete—on the day of the wedding—I won’t drag Marco into it.

After Marco’s intrusion, the Weber Family tightened security. No one could enter or leave without facial recognition or biometric clearance. I didn’t have either. I was locked out of their system.

But I needed to get to the hospital personally to retrieve my mental illness certificate. Andrew couldn’t be bothered with such “trivial” things.

Since Marco’s visit, Andrew had grown colder, like he couldn’t bear the sight of me. He locked me in the basement to await surgery. There was no light, only cold concrete and rotting food. Moldy steamed buns were tossed in from the door like scraps for an animal.

They didn’t stop there.

Sometimes they released rats and bedbugs into the room. Other times, someone would dress as a ghost and scream outside the door at night. All their twisted games aimed to break what little was left of me.

Then one day, I woke up to the sound of footsteps.

Andrew stood before me, looking down with the same disdainful gaze as always.

“Get up,” he said. “I need you.”

When I stepped out, I glanced at the calendar. I’d been unconscious for three days. The operation was only three days away.

But something felt wrong. Why now?

That bad feeling gnawed at me as they dragged me to the backyard.

There, in the courtyard, a gun was pointed at Diane’s head. A group of armed thugs stood surrounding her. Their leader sneered.

“You want to trade hostages?” he said.

“Use her,” Andrew replied. “I’ll pick her up in three days.”

“Use just any woman?” the leader scoffed. “I want someone important to the Weber Family.”

For the first time, Andrew acknowledged me without mockery.

“She’s my fiancée. Is that important enough?”

The man looked me over, surprised. After a pause, he nodded and shoved Diane forward. Andrew caught her instantly.

“Andrew, I was so scared…” she whimpered, clinging to him.

“Don’t be afraid, Diane,” he whispered. “I’ll protect you at any cost.”

Then he turned to me without hesitation—and pushed me toward the men.

I was immediately restrained, my wrists bound tightly. As they hauled me toward their vehicle, their leader gave me a lecherous once-over, grinning.

“I’ll give you three days,” he said to Andrew. “If you don’t deliver, I can’t promise this beauty stays untouched.”

With that, they shoved me into the car and drove off.

Out of sight of the Weber Family, I could no longer hide my smile.

I was free.

No more pretending. No more helpless girl waiting for scraps.

As the car rumbled forward, I pieced together the truth.

The gang that captured me had taken over a portion of the Weber Family’s territory. Meanwhile, Marco was relentlessly attacking the remaining Weber assets. The Weber Family was surrounded.

These thugs had somehow acquired the property deeds and bought the land at a fraction of its value. Now, Andrew had to pay a massive ransom to get it back—100 million. But he didn’t have the funds.

The mighty Weber Family’s capital chain had finally broken.

When I left, the Weber Family stood tall. Now it was cracking. The only variable?

Diane.

From the gang’s chatter, I learned that Diane hadn’t returned to America to help Andrew. She had been siphoning resources to benefit her own family from the start. She was the one who sold the property deeds to these men—at rock-bottom price.

She did all this under Andrew’s nose, and he never noticed.

That’s how deep his blind devotion ran.

At this rate, I didn’t even need to lift a finger. The Weber Family would collapse within three years.

Eventually, we arrived. They blindfolded me and tied me to a chair. The black cloth was ripped off—

And I found myself staring into a familiar face.

“You?” I whispered, stunned.