When the night came, I stepped onto the rooftop bar, city lights stretching out beneath me like a glittering ocean. The wind tugged at my hair, and the faint hum of music mixed with laughter floated through the air. I drew a deep breath and scanned the crowd.

There he was.

Lucian leaned against the railing, tall and impossibly calm, a glass of whiskey in his hand. The neon lights hit his profile just right, sharp as stone.

I slid into a seat at the edge of a table with the others, smiling politely, tossing out casual small talk. But my eyes kept drifting back to him but he never glanced my way.

As the night wore on and the drinks flowed, someone shouted for a round of Truth or Dare. The group erupted with laughter. When it was Lucian’s turn, he chose ‘truth’.

A guy across from him leaned in, grinning. “Alright, Sullivan. Tell us what kind of person do you hate the most?”

The chatter died down.

Lucian tapped the rim of his glass with one finger, “I hate people who think they can have it both ways. The ones greedy enough to take profits from one side, then run to collect benefits from the other.”

He paused. Then turned. His eyes found me, slicing through the distance like a knife.

“You know the word for that, Aurelia?”

My blood ran cold.

The room went quiet for a second. Then someone quickly cracked a joke to ease the tension, and the chatter started up again.

Lucian muttered a cold apology and stood to leave.

“Lucian, wait… please!” I hurried after him.

Just as I turned the corner, someone yanked my wrist.

“Lucian doesn’t want to see you. Why are you keep chasing him? Are you really this desperate?”

Viktor. Again. He was everywhere.

His grip was like iron. I tried pulling away, but he wouldn’t let go. “This is none of your business!”

A sly look flickered in his eyes and then he snapped his fingers. Two bodyguards appeared, each grabbing one of my arms.

“Let me go! Viktor, what are you doing?!”

“Relax,” he said softly, almost sweetly. Then one of them forced a small red pill into my mouth, holding my jaw so I couldn’t spit it out.

“Mm—!” I tried to choke it back, but Viktor tipped a glass of liquor against my lips. The burn shot down my throat, making me cough until my eyes watered.

He watched me with an awful kind of satisfaction. My face felt hot, my breaths quick and shallow. He waved the men away, slid an arm around my waist, and pulled me close.

“Easy now. I’ll take care of you,” he tugged me down the hall toward his suite.

The drug made me dizzy. My hands pushed weakly at his chest, but it probably looked like I was clinging instead of resisting.

Then I saw him.

Lucian stood at the far end of the corridor, his eyes locked on Viktor’s arm around me.

“...Aurelia.”

It made my heart twist. He started walking fast toward us. And god, I tried to reach for him, “L-lucian, please hel—”

Viktor cut me off, “Don’t embarrass yourself. You’ve had too much to drink and you came looking for me. Begged me to give you another night, like the one in the presidential suite.” He dragged out the words.

“No… that’s not true!” I whispered, but my voice was broken, barely there.

“Shh, sweetheart. Don’t say nonsense. Mr. Sullivan is watching.” Viktor brushed a tear from my cheek, then looked at Lucian, his smile turning cold.

“Mr. Sullivan, are you planning to interfere? Aurelia is mine. I’ll marry her. Do you think I’d hurt her? You should keep your distance.”

Lucian froze. His hand, half raised, slowly dropped to his side and something inside me went dark. The last spark of hope in me died right there.

I stopped fighting. My body went slack as Viktor dragged me back to the private room.

The door shut hard behind us. He shoved me onto the leather sofa, and the drug made my limbs heavy. I saw his shadow bend over me, his fingers pulling at the buttons of his shirt, one by one.

The last thing I remembered was his grin hovering above me before everything slipped away.

**

I blinked slowly, my lashes heavy, the glow of the chandelier above me coming into focus. My head pounded, my body ached all over, and every inch of my skin felt sore. A bitter taste rose in my throat. I leaned forward, gagging, though nothing came out except a little sour water.

I pulled my dress back over my shoulders, trying to fix it enough to look presentable, and forced myself up. My legs were unsteady, but I somehow made it out of that suffocating room and into the cool air.

The parking lot lights flickered dimly. I almost wanted to just sink to the ground, but then I saw him. Lucian.

He was leaning against his Bentley, a cigarette burning low between his fingers. He looked like he had been waiting there for a while.

When he saw me stumbling toward my car, his whole posture shifted. He dropped the cigarette, eyes narrowing, and walked toward me quickly.

“Aurelia…”

I froze. That hand he held out… I knew it. That same hand had pushed me away earlier. Pushed me straight to Viktor.

I shook my head and stepped back. “Don’t,” I whispered.

His brows furrowed, but I didn’t let him touch me. I turned away, forcing myself to keep moving even though every step hurt.

I reached my car and slammed the door shut. The second I was alone inside, my forehead fell against the steering wheel. A sound broke from me, small and helpless.

At four in the morning, I dragged myself home with swollen eyes. I went straight to the bathroom and scrubbed my skin until it turned red. No matter how hard I washed, I could still smell him on me. My father would never let me call the police. Even if I tried, he’d force me to drop the case and rush me into the Roberts family faster.

I bit down on my lip and told myself it was fine. Just pretend it was nothing. Pretend it was like a dog bite.

When I finally stepped out of the shower, I collapsed on my bed. My fingers brushed the photo of my mother on the nightstand. She died when I was twelve. A mistress walked into our home, flaunted herself, and broke her heart. My mother never recovered, and she died. That was the day hatred planted itself inside me. But I was too young. Too powerless. Since then, every year, I’ve had to bow my head in front of my stepmother on the day of my mother’s death.

I stared at my mother’s smile in the photo and whispered, “Mom, I tried to change my life in another chance. I tried not to be controlled. Was I really wrong?”

The moonlight poured into the room. I clutched the photo and fell asleep. In my dream, my mother stroked my cheek, “You’re not wrong, my child. Those who love you will always understand.”

Then the dream twisted back into last night, the leather couch, the heavy air, and my own helplessness.

When I woke, tears were already on my face. I forced myself to get ready, but before I could finish, the butler knocked.

“Miss, the young master of the Roberts family is here to propose. Please come to the front hall.”

My stomach dropped. Viktor moved fast. Too fast.

I steadied myself and walked out. From the hall, I heard his voice, smooth and steady, as if nothing in the world could shake him.

“Mr. Velasquez,” Viktor was saying to my father, “I want Aurelia. I’ll treat her with respect. I’m asking for your blessing.”

My father looked pleased, “If that’s your intention, we’ll have someone check your compatibility tomorrow.”

The air thickened in my chest. Marry him? That would be walking straight into his cage again! And I remembered exactly how that ended.

No. Not this time.

“Dad,” I said, stepping into the room, “I’ll agree to marry into the Roberts family. But… I have two condition.”

My father’s smile disappeared. “Aurelia, don’t speak out of turn.”

Viktor’s dark eyes landed on me. He looked dangerous, yet his tone was calm. “What is it? Say it. If it’s something I can give, I will.”

I inhaled deeply. This was a gamble. “I want a dowry of two billion dollars. And the land your family is developing in upper town. All of it in my name.” I kept my back straight, refusing to waver, praying Viktor would be furious enough to leave.

But instead, his mouth curved into something close to a smile. He leaned back, studying me like I was a puzzle he wanted to keep breaking apart.

“Two billion and UpperTown,” he said slowly, like he was savoring the taste of it. “You really surprised me, Aurelia. Looks like I’m going to enjoy this marriage.”

My heart clenched. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. His voice carried so much weight that I wanted to run but my eyes drifted toward the entrance.

And there he was. Lucian.

My breath hitched. He stood tall in the doorway, broad shoulders filling the space, his dark suit cut sharp against the light. The kind of presence that made an entire room shift without him needing to say a word. But his face… his face was cold, unreadable, and when his eyes flicked to mine, I froze.

Mr. Velasquez immediately rose from his seat, smiling nervously. “Mr. Sullivan? Didn’t expect you tonight. Something urgent?”

Lucian’s gaze lingered on me for a second before he looked at my father. “Mr. Velasquez. I came here to propose.”

My heart leapt into my throat. This is it!

“I want to marry Miss Polly Velasquez.”

What?

The words knocked the air right out of me.

For a moment I couldn’t move. I couldn't think. My chest tightened until I thought I might faint. In my past life, Lucian had never married anyone. He’d been mine, in his own quiet, stubborn way. I remembered how his ears would burn red whenever he tried to talk to me, how he’d spend everything he had to fight for me, even risk it all to give me freedom.

And now, here he was, saying he wanted my sister. My illegitimate sister. Polly.

My lips parted, but before I could speak, Polly burst forward.

“Dad!” Her voice cracked, and desperate. “I don’t want to marry him! I love Viktor!” She pointed toward the man beside me, and Viktor only leaned back in his chair, the corner of his mouth lifting in that dangerous, mocking way of his. “Please, Dad, I don’t want Lucian. Let Aurelia marry him instead. They actually make sense together. Why don’t we just switch?”

I honestly thought for the first time in my life that my silly sister had finally done something right. I turned to Lucian, waiting, hoping he would speak for me.

But he didn’t even glance at me. “Mr. Velasquez, I can’t marry Aurelia. She belongs to Viktor. I won’t stand in between them.”

The air caught in my throat. “That’s not true! Viktor and I… we’re nothing.”

Across the room, Viktor rose to his feet. The dangerous edge in his smile made my skin crawl. “Aurelia, don’t deny it. You and I share something… unforgettable. How could you betray me so easily?”

“You—” My hands curled into fists, anger burning through the shame threatening to drown me.

He came closer, lowering his voice just enough so only I could see the satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. “The cameras were there, little dove. The whole world already knows. Stop pretending.”

My heart dropped.

My father’s pale face appeared before me, his phone shoved toward my eyes. “Look at this, Aurelia. Look what you’ve done!”

I didn’t want to. But there it was.

My name was all over the headlines.

#Velasquez Heiress and the Roberts Golden Boy Lock Themselves in for Two Hours

20 pictures. Each one was worse than the last. Shadows, blurred edges, but clear enough to tell the story they wanted to tell. My skin flushed under the effect of that drug Viktor had slipped on me, my body leaning into him, eyes half closed as if I had wanted every second of it.

Heat drained from my body. I turned to Viktor, horrified, betrayal clawing at my chest. He only stood there coolly, as if none of this was his faultm

“You forced me! Rape me—”

“Enough!” My father’s roar cut me down. “Our family doesn’t raise liars who play with men and deny responsibility. You will stand by Viktor, Aurelia. You will not disgrace us further.”

My knees weakened. The whole world had already seen the pictures. My father cared about nothing but reputation. There was no way out.

And then I looked up.

Lucian’s eyes caught mine. They were sharp, cold, filled with disgust and disappointment that sliced through me like a slow knife.

Something inside me cracked.

And then Polly’s soft voice broke the tension. “Mr. Sullivan,” she said quietly, almost lifeless, “do you still mean to marry me?”

Lucian’s gaze stayed on me as he answered, “Polly, I am a man who keeps his word. You will be the only woman in my life. I won’t falter. Not ever.”

My throat burned.

“Then… yes. I’ll marry you.”

And just like that, the decision was made for both of us.

By the time the night ended, the date had already been chosen. October tenth. A double wedding.

Me and Viktor.

Polly and Lucian.

***

After everyone left, I slipped out through the back door and found myself in front of Lucian’s car. I stepped closer. “W-why did you do that? Did you really mean to propose to my sister?”

The tinted window slid down, and his deep voice came out smooth but sharp. “Yeah. I wanted you to stop thinking there’s a way out with me. Better you give up now.”

The car pulled away before I could say anything else, leaving me standing under the blazing sun. My chest felt like it was burning, and I could barely breathe. My knees gave out, and I sank onto the hot pavement, tears rolling down my face.

From that day, I shut myself in. I didn’t go anywhere, didn’t talk to anyone. I wasted away, sleepless and aching, watching my life slip further into a place I couldn’t pull back from.

Then an invitation arrived for a charity dinner. I told myself I’d go, just to breathe somewhere that wasn’t my room.

When I stepped into the hotel ballroom, my heart stopped. This was the same place where Lucian and I had first crossed paths. Back then, Polly had set me up, and I’d run off in a daze. I had stumbled into the wrong hall, and before I knew it, a clumsy waiter crashed into me. I was about to fall into a champagne tower when a strong cedar-scented arm caught me, steadying me before the whole room could turn into glass and ruin. That was the beginning of us.

The memory broke when I noticed movement. A couple was walking toward me, hand in hand.

He wore a sharp, perfectly tailored suit, and she wore a designer gown that hugged every line of her body.

My heart froze. Lucian. And Polly.

Polly’s eyes lit with triumph when she saw me. Without hesitation, she tugged on his collar and kissed him, her lips pressed against the man who once only belonged to me.