Chapter 2

Ten years.

Ten years of being punished for something I didn't do. How much longer was I supposed to survive this?

I pressed my forehead against my knees and whispered to myself, “I didn't kill them.” But even after saying it, I could barely hear my own voice anymore.

…

That night, I curled beneath a torn blanket outside while rain soaked through my clothes. I was freezing, but I didn't cry. I was too tired.

Through the window, I saw Cassandra standing in her room and looking straight at me. Then she smiled.

I knew that smile. She was proud of herself.

After that night, I stopped counting how many times she hurt me. The bruises, the punishments, the hunger, and the lies all started to blend together.

I learned to stay quiet, walk carefully, and keep my eyes down because Cassandra didn't need to hit me. She had my brothers for that.

Every day, she became someone different. Sometimes, she was the scared little sister who flinched whenever I came near. Sometimes, she was the sweet one who begged Jacob and Noah to forgive me. And sometimes, when nobody was watching, she looked at me with that cold smile.

She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew my brothers would believe her.

One night, I finally tried to run away.

I waited until the whole house was asleep. I didn't pack anything. I didn't take money. I just ran barefoot into the dark because I didn't care where I ended up. I only wanted to get away.

But they found me before sunrise.

Jacob's guards dragged me back to the mansion by my hair. By the time they brought me in, my feet were bleeding, and Jacob was waiting for me.

“You fucking ran away?”

I could barely stand. “I just wanted to leave.”

“You don't get to leave.”

“Please, Jacob. I can't do this anymore.”

His face hardened. “You dare run away after everything you've done?”

“I didn't kill Mom and Dad!”

“You didn't even blink when they died, and now you're suddenly scared?”

“It was Cassandra!” I cried.

Jacob slapped me across the face. My head spun, and I struggled to stay on my feet.

Noah stood nearby, his jaw tight. “You're still going to lie?”

“I’m not lying.”

“You're a fucking murderer.”

“I’m not!”

Then Cassandra walked in wearing a white dress, her eyes red and her face covered in perfect tears.

“Jacob, Noah, please.”

She came toward them, looking like she couldn't bear to see me suffer. “Don't hurt her anymore. She's still our sister.”

I stared at her. She was unbelievable. After everything she'd done, she still had the nerve to pretend she cared about me.

“She doesn't deserve this,” Cassandra whispered. “She's angry and confused. Please, just let her calm down.”

I laughed, and blood filled my mouth. “You're really good at this, Cassandra.”

She looked at me innocently. “At what?”

“Pretending.”

Her eyes flickered before she started crying again. “You think I'm pretending?”

“Yes.” I wiped the blood from my lip. “You should become an actress. You'd win a FAMAS award for sure.”

Jacob slapped me again, and my cheek burned.

Cassandra immediately grabbed Noah's arm. “Please don't hurt her anymore.” She pressed her face against his chest and cried softly. “She doesn't mean it. She's just upset.”

Noah wrapped an arm around her. “Stop defending her.”

“But she's still our sister.”

I stared at them. My brothers. The same brothers who used to carry me on their shoulders, the same brothers who once promised they'd always protect me.

Now they were protecting Cassandra from me.

They couldn't see me anymore. They only saw the monster she'd created.

…

Then one day, Cassandra got accepted into a medical school in US.

The whole house changed after that. She was leaving to study medicine, and for some reason, my brothers seemed relieved. For the first time in years, the mansion became quiet. Jacob stopped yelling at me, Noah stopped hitting me, and they didn't even bother punishing me anymore. They simply stopped caring.

When I walked past them, they looked through me as if I wasn't there. I used to think being ignored would feel better, but it didn't. It was strange because I could finally walk around the house without waiting for someone to scream my name, yet I still felt trapped. Maybe this was what they wanted. For me to disappear without actually leaving.

So I started studying in secret.

Late at night, when everyone was asleep, I'd sneak into the library and read whatever I could find. There were old textbooks, business books, medical books Cassandra had left behind, and sometimes I even stole papers from Noah's office and copied whatever I didn't understand.

I didn't know why I was doing it. Maybe I just needed to prove to myself that I could still think, that I wasn't stupid, and that I wasn't the useless servant they'd turned me into.

Somehow, I was good at it.

I learned quickly. Numbers made sense to me, as did business, law, medicine, and languages. I could remember things after reading them once or twice. But what was the point? I could learn everything in the world and still be locked inside that house.

Where would I go? Who would take me in?

I had no money, no documents, and no family left who believed me, so I kept studying.

Months passed, and the maids barely noticed me anymore. One morning, I walked past two of them while carrying a basket of laundry.

“Poor thing,” one whispered. “She used to be the young miss of this house.”

The other glanced at me before adding, “Now look at her. She can't even raise her head when the masters walk by.”

A third maid quietly joined them. “If I were her, I'd run away and never come back.”

I kept walking.

I wished I could.

I wished I could disappear somewhere no one knew my name.

Then, one evening, the entire mansion suddenly became busy. People were cleaning everything, the dining hall was being prepared, the silverware was changed twice, and even the guards were standing straighter than usual.

I was carrying glasses when I heard one of the maids whisper, “The Murray Syndicate is partnering with the Castilliano Corporation.”

“Seriously? That's huge,” another maid replied.

“Of course it is. The Castilliano Empire isn't just some ordinary company.”

I slowed down as I listened.

“The heir is coming tonight.”

“Victor Castilliano?”

She nodded. “Victor Castilliano. The Don of Castilliano Blood.”

My fingers tightened around the glasses.

I'd heard his name before. Everyone had.

Victor Castilliano was a billionaire, a mafia don, and the president of the Castilliano Empire. People said he was dangerous, cold, and ruthless, the kind of man who didn't need to raise his voice to make people afraid. Some even whispered that he'd destroyed companies simply because their owners crossed him.

That night, even the guards looked nervous.

Jacob found me before dinner and said, “You're serving tonight. Stay where you're supposed to be, and don't talk unless someone speaks to you.”

“Yes, sir.”

His eyes narrowed. “And don't embarrass us. I won't tolerate any fucking mistakes in front of the Castillianos.”

“I understand.”

Noah walked past us and added, “Keep your head down, Larisse. Nobody invited you to sit at the table.”

I lowered my eyes. “I know.”

A few minutes later, the doors opened.

Everyone went silent.

Victor Castilliano walked in first. He was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a black suit that made him look even more intimidating. He didn't smile or greet anyone warmly. He simply walked into the room with the kind of confidence that made everyone move out of his way.

His dark eyes swept across the room.