At that moment, Serenity clenched her fists by her sides, the muscles in her jaw visibly tightening. Her grandfather’s sudden shift from calm to fury stung more than she wanted to admit. She didn’t respond not because she didn’t have anything to say, but because if she opened her mouth, she might say something she would regret. So instead, she simply turned around and walked away, her boot clicking firmly against the polished marble floor of the grand hallway.“Remember, you only have 24 hours!” her grandfather barked from behind. “This is not a joke, Serenity! I mean it!”Serenity didn't pause or look back. Her back was straight, and her head high, but inside, she was seething. As she exited through the heavy wooden door of the estate, the guards gave her a respectful nod, but she barely acknowledged them. Her mind was racing, her heart pounding with a mixture of frustration, humiliation, and bitter resentment.Once outside and alone, she let out a breath, then muttered under her bre

At that moment, upon hearing what Deborah just said again, Damien slowly turned his gaze toward her. His expression remained unreadable, calm on the surface, but his eyes revealed a deep exhaustion from everything he'd endured today, and in the past.“You said you had one more request,” Damien finally said, his voice low and controlled. “So, Deborah… what exactly do you want now?”However there was a long silence. Deborah’s throat tightened, and she pressed her palms together nervously. She looked at her daughter, Jessica, who sat beside her looking down, too ashamed to meet Damien’s eyes. With a deep breath, Deborah stood up again, clutching her hands to her chest as if she were trying to gather courage from the very air around her.“It’s about Jessica,” she began softly.Damien arched a brow slightly but said nothing, waiting.Then Deborah continued, “I know this might sound selfish. Maybe even foolish. But I don’t care anymore. I don’t care what anyone thinks because I was the one

At that moment, as the silence stretched across the room, Damien looked straight into Uncle Bernard’s eyes, his expression calm but firm. He smiled, not out of disrespect or sarcasm, but as a gesture of sincerity he respected Uncle Bernard and the entire family, but he needed to be honest with them.“Uncle Bernard,” Damien began slowly, his voice deep and steady, “I’ve already made my decision. You know I’m a man of my word, and I don’t go back on my decisions once they are made. From the very beginning, I’ve always seen Jessica as my younger sister. That’s how I’ve treated her. That’s how I’ve felt. And while I understand and respect that this marriage was a promise made by my father, I cannot honor something that doesn’t come from my heart. I’m truly sorry.”The words landed heavily in the room. But Uncle Bernard didn’t react with anger or disappointment. Instead, he nodded slowly, his lips pressed together in understanding. There was pain in his eyes, yes, but also something else r

At that moment, Damien leaned forward slightly, his voice calm but cutting, “You should relax, now that I'm still calm. Why are you stressing yourself over nothing?” He casually waved his hand. “Nobody’s coming. You can call every contact on your phone if you want, friends, family, even security. But no one will answer. Just like your precious younger brother... he’s not coming either.”Then Demian slowly reached into his coat and pulled out a sleek black phone. He dropped it gently onto the glass table with a soft clink, letting it settle between them like a ticking bomb. His eyes never left Victoria’s father.The moment Victoria’s father saw the phone, his brows furrowed. His heartbeat picked up, but his pride wouldn't let him flinch.“What’s this?” he barked. “You think I’m stupid, boy? You think you can just toss a phone on my table and trick me into believing it’s my brother’s? Who the hell do you think you are?”His voice grew louder with rage. “You lowlife scum! There’s no way

At that moment, as Demian’s voice echoed across the grand, silent living room, Victoria’s father, Joe, felt the weight of the room shift. His earlier attempts to appear bold and unshaken were just a paper shield against the storm standing in front of him. Even though he sat straight and nodded like a man in control, deep down, his heartbeat was no longer calm, it thudded against his chest like war drums. He could feel the truth crawling toward him, and every step Demian took with his words made that truth sharper.Demian leaned forward slightly, his tone calm but razor-edged, like a man delivering a verdict rather than a conversation. “Let me not waste your time or mine,” he said. “First of all, your little brother, the one you sent to stir trouble for that innocent family? He’s gone. No longer part of this world. But I’m not here for him. No. I’m here for something far more dangerous.”Joe flinched subtly at the mention of his brother. He tried not to show emotion, but his face brief