Cane's POV
I sat alone in my study, the silence feeling like a reward. The chaos of the day was over, and now I could finally think. On my desk sat a small, dark glass bottle. I picked it up, rolling it between my fingers.
Of course I knew. I knew everything.
For twenty years, I had watched the Dario family. I learned their routines, their secrets. I was a shadow, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. That's how I found Stephanie. When my investigations revealed she was their real granddaughter, a brilliant, cruel idea began to form.
For the plan to work, I needed to marry her. To control her completely.
There was one problem. She was already married. To my own son, Myron.
But it didn't matter. My thirst for revenge was a fire that burned away everything else—even family.
Luckily, Myron's own stupidity and greed handed me the opportunity. He was trying to replace Stephanie with her gold-digging stepsister, Tiffany. He threw Stephanie away. So, when she was at her lowest, I swooped in. I became her savior. I presented the perfect solution: I would help her get revenge on Myron and Tiffany.
She never knew she was just a pawn in my game. By helping her, I was killing two birds with one stone. I was using her to destroy the Dario family's legacy from the inside, and I was punishing my disloyal son at the same time. Myron's full punishment… that was a story for another day.
My thumb stroked the cool glass of the bottle. Inside was a poison. A slow, silent killer. It was meant for Stephanie.
Just like the Darios did to my sister.
The memory was a sharp pain, even after all these years. We were orphans, just the two of us against the world. I was young and stupid, only seventeen, when I got a girl pregnant. She had Myron, dumped him in my arms, and ran away with another man.
I was lost. But my sister… she was my strength. She worked three different jobs just to feed us, to put a roof over our heads. She was everything to me.
Then the Darios came into our lives. They said their son was ready for marriage and they had been watching her. They said she was a good, hardworking girl, perfect for their family.
I begged her not to do it. I told her it was a trap. I even told her I loved her, hoping that would make her stay.
But she just smiled sadly. She said it was a blessing. Everyone knew how rich and powerful the Dario family was. She said she could give us a better life. She said she would learn to love their son.
So, she married him.
For three years, everything seemed okay. Then the truth started to show. Not all that glitters is gold. Their son was a monster. He cheated on her. He hit her. He was a drunk.
Soon, she began to discover their dark secrets—the lies, the business deals that were really murders. I convinced her it was time to leave, to go to the police and file for divorce.
But she knew too much.
The Darios moved quickly. They told everyone she was crazy, unstable. They locked her away in their mansion and stopped me from seeing her. I went to the authorities, but no one would listen. They said I was just a poor man trying to blackmail a rich and important family.
Then, she died.
They didn't even give her a proper burial. They just dumped her body with me, like she was trash.
But my sister was smart. Before she died, she had managed to save a lot of money. She slipped me her bank card during one of my last visits. With that money, I paid for an autopsy.
That's how I found out the truth. They hadn't just broken her spirit. They had poisoned her. Slowly. So it would look like an illness.
I held her cold hand and swore an oath. I would have my revenge. I would make them feel my pain.
And now, finally, it was here. I would do to Stephanie exactly what they did to my sister. She would die slowly, thinking the man who saved her was caring for her until the very end. It was perfect.
Suddenly, a loud, piercing scream shattered the quiet of the house.
My study door flew open. It was one of the maids, her face white with fear.
"Sir! Sir!" she cried, her voice trembling.
"What is it?" I asked, my voice calm. "What's wrong?"
"It's the madam!" she gasped, pointing a shaky finger toward the hallway. "She just collapsed!"