The Romano Estate – Night
The Romano estate sat on the outskirts of the city — luxurious, quiet, and intimidating. On the surface, it looked like the home of a powerful business tycoon. But behind the marble walls and iron gates… secrets were currency, and blood was loyalty.
In the private study, Giovanni Romano poured himself a glass of whiskey, his thick fingers adorned with gold rings that glittered under the chandelier. He turned to the young woman standing across from his desk — sharp-eyed, poised, a predator in designer heels.
His daughter. Alessia Romano.
The only girl among four sons. His princess — and one of the most dangerous of them all.
"You're almost twenty-six, Alessia," Giovanni said, taking a slow sip. "It's time we talk about your future. About marriage."
Alessia arched a brow, resting her manicured hands on the edge of his desk.
"If you're about to show me pictures of princes and politicians, save it," she said calmly. "I'll pick my husband myself."
Giovanni chuckled, though there was tension in his eyes. "You're too much like your mother, God bless her soul."
"No," Alessia said, her smile tightening. "I'm more like you, Papa. You picked your kingdom. I'll pick my king."
He studied her, pride flickering behind the sternness. "And what kind of king are you looking for?"
Alessia's eyes gleamed, cold and certain. "The kind who already sits on the underworld's throne. Or will soon."
Giovanni's expression darkened slightly. He didn't need a name to know who she meant.
"Adrian Blake is now engaged. You know this."
"And yet… no ring on his bride's finger yet, Papa. He's engaged, not married," she said, lowering herself into a chair. "In this world, things change. Loyalty shifts. People fall."
Giovanni raised a brow. "You think you can take the future queen's place?"
"I don't need to take anything," Alessia replied smoothly. "If Seraphina Hart can't survive the world Adrian lives in… someone else will."
She leaned forward, voice like a whisper.
"And if not him… then maybe I'll find someone almost like him. Someone hungry enough. Someone who hasn't claimed his crown yet."
A pause.
Someone like Victor Blake.
Giovanni looked at his daughter — the one he had once tried to shield. Now he could only try to keep her leash loose enough not to snap.
"Whoever you choose," he said slowly, "he better be ready for what comes with you."
Alessia smirked, rising to her feet.
"And don't mess with the Blakes too much. They are dangerous," Giovanni warned.
"I know when to step forward and when to step back, Father," Alessia said. Then, softer: "I won't disappoint you, Papa."
"Your spouse better be ready to rule beside me."
"He will," Alessia assured with a smile before leaving the study for her room.
Giovanni watched her go, his pride swelling despite the unease curling in his chest.
If she succeeds, the Romanos' life will be better than this.
—
Adrian slept and rose at dawn, as he always did. He freshened up and dressed with practiced precision, every button of his crisp shirt fastened, tie knotted without a wrinkle.
Last night? A minor disagreement — that's all he allowed himself to believe.
She'll return. She just needs time to cool off. By tonight, this will be forgotten.
He moved through the quiet house as if nothing had happened. His tea was poured for him as he scanned the morning news, his expression unreadable.
A knock at his study door caught his attention.
"Come in," he said.
Stephen entered, looking uneasy. In his hands — a handbag.
Adrian's gaze sharpened instantly.
Stephen spoke quietly, as if afraid of what would follow.
"Sir… one of the guards found this by the estate's outer gate. It's Miss Hart's bag."
For a heartbeat, Adrian didn't move. Then, slowly, he set his cup down.
He took the bag from Stephen's hands, fingers brushing the familiar leather. It was the same bag Seraphina carried last night.
Inside — everything. Phone. Wallet. Keys.
She wouldn't have left this.
His jaw clenched.
"Where exactly did they find it?"
"By the edge of the drive, near the service road. No sign of her, sir — and her car's gone."
Adrian stood, his presence filling the room like a storm about to break.
"Lock down the estate. Quietly. No one speaks of this. I don't want a word reaching the press. Or her family. Or anybody."
Stephen hesitated. "Sir… are you sure we shouldn't—"
"I said no one."
His voice was ice.
"Double security. Find her."
"Okay, sir," Stephen said, nodding quickly.
Adrian's gaze turned deadly.
"Call all my men and have them search every corner. She must be found."
Stephen bowed his head and left the study.
Alone, Adrian's thoughts were steel.
Seraphina must be found. No matter what.
—
The air felt heavy as Raya walked the cracked, narrow path leading to her father's house. The sun burned high above, but the heat couldn't reach the chill in her bones. In her worn-out bag was the envelope that had cost her blood, sweat, and sleep: $20,000 she had clawed together from endless shifts.
To be sincere, it hadn't been easy to get the money. She'd scraped it through different hard labors — jobs meant for men, not for a woman like her.
Her body ached, but it was her heart that weighed her down most.
As she neared the house, voices reached her ears — low, threatening, impatient.
The house looked smaller than she remembered — or maybe it was just that everything felt smaller under the weight crushing her chest.
She clutched the envelope tighter, the money she'd sacrificed food and sleep for, only surviving because of Anna's kindness.
The door creaked as she entered. Voices.
The loan sharks were already there.
Three men stood by the doorway, leaning against the peeling paint of the small house like they owned it. Tattoos snaked down their arms, their cold gazes fixing on her the moment she appeared.
One of them — a man called Kai, whom she'd seen before — smirked.
"You're late."
Raya swallowed, forcing herself to stay calm. "I have the money."
She handed over the envelope, fingers trembling as Kai opened it and thumbed through the bills.
"That's all we owed," Raya said.
The man weighed it in his hand, smirking. "For that debt, yeah. For today."
Another chimed in. "Yeah, that's for today. We'll be back — since we always end up here somehow."
They laughed, finding amusement in what to Raya was pure torment.
Kai whistled softly. "You're a good girl. I wish all debtors' kids were this responsible."
The others laughed again, their humor sharp as knives.
"Nice doing business with you," one said before they left — boots heavy on the wooden floor, the door slamming behind them.
Silence.
Raya turned to Philip, who looked like he'd aged ten years in ten minutes.
Her voice was quiet, trembling.
"How much time do we have to pay the other debt? The… the five hundred thousand?"
Philip's eyes filled with fresh tears.
"Actually, Raya… it's seven hundred thousand now. And we only have fourteen days."
She stared.
Then she laughed. A bitter, hollow sound.
"Seven hundred thousand." She sank onto a rickety chair, her hands shaking. "I couldn't even come up with five."
Her father wiped at his face, guilt making him small.
"Dad, what exactly did you do with all this money? How did we get here?" Raya demanded, standing abruptly.
Philip sagged back into his chair, burying his face in his hands.
"I didn't mean for it to happen. It started with twenty thousand. I borrowed it from those men who just left to try my luck at this gambling place. A friend told me I'd win big. And I did, Raya. That first night… it felt like everything could change. I thought I could fix everything for us."
His voice cracked.
"I kept thinking I'd stop after the next win. But the next win never came. I borrowed… and borrowed. First from the loan sharks. Then from them. Now they say I owe them, plus interest. The interest alone is two hundred thousand."
Raya pressed her hands to her temples and sat back in the chair.
"How do we talk to them? There's no way we can get that kind of money, not in fourteen days, not even in fourteen months. Even for these twenty grand I had to work myself to the bone, without sleep, without food. If not for Anna feeding me, I'd have starved."
Philip shook his head, fear clouding his eyes.
"We can't. Raya, you don't understand. These aren't just any loan sharks. These are sharks in human form. The kind no one dares cross. They don't talk. They don't bargain. They take. They might kill me if I can't pay… or harm you."
He broke down completely, sobbing as he said the last part.
Raya stared at him, numb.
Isn't it too late for him to care about me getting harmed? she thought bitterly.
Her world was collapsing, and for once, she had no plan. Nothing to stop the doom about to fall upon her father… and her.