Chapter 3

Jacob stepped forward and said, “Don Castilliano, it's an honor to have you here. I hope tonight is the beginning of a very profitable partnership between our organization.”

Victor looked at him. “We'll see about that.”

His voice was deep and calm.

Noah gave a laugh. “Come on, Don We're not here to waste your time. Let's talk numbers and get this deal moving.”

Victor glanced at him. “I don't rush business.”

Noah's smile faded a little. “Of course.”

I stayed near the wall, holding the wine bottle. I didn't belong at that table. I knew that.

Then Jacob looked at me. “Larisse. Wine.”

I immediately walked over.

My hands were shaking as I approached the table. Please don't spill it.

I reached Victor first. “Your wine, sir.”

I tilted the bottle carefully.

Then he looked up.

Our eyes met.

I froze.

He didn't look annoyed. He didn't look disgusted. He didn't look at me the way my brothers did.

He looked at me.

Really looked at me.

My breath caught. Why was he staring at me like that? I quickly lowered my eyes and moved to the next glass, but before I could step away, I heard Noah laugh.

“Don't mind her, Don. Castilliano. She's just one of our servants.”

My face burned.

I waited for Victor to agree. Instead, there was silence.

I glanced up.

His eyes were still on me.

Then he looked at Noah. “She has a name.”

Noah's smile disappeared.

Victor turned back to me. “What's your name?”

My lips parted. “Larisse.”

He repeated it quietly. “Larisse.”

…

Weeks went by after that dinner.

Victor Castilliano kept coming to the mansion for meetings with Jacob and Noah. He never spoke to me and barely looked my way, but sometimes, when I was serving dinner or passing through the room, I could feel his eyes following me. His gaze was quiet and careful, and I never knew what he was thinking.

Jacob always looked tense whenever Victor was around. Noah was even more uncomfortable. Neither of them liked having him in the mansion, and I could see it in the way they watched him, careful not to say anything that might offend him.

One afternoon, Jacob ordered me to stay in the kitchen while they had another meeting. I was washing glasses when I heard Victor's voice through the slightly open door.

“I want Larisse.”

My hands stopped, and the glass nearly slipped from my fingers.

He wants me?

Why?

Noah's voice came next, and I could hear the anger he was trying to control. “You can't be serious Don. She's a servant. She's a murderer who killed our parents, and you're telling us you want her?”

Victor's voice remained calm. “I've made my decision.”

“You're willing to take her into your house after what she did?” Noah asked.

“She'll come with me.”

There was a long silence.

Then Noah spoke again. “I don't agree with this.”

“That's your choice,” Victor replied.

Jacob finally spoke, his voice more careful. “Don Larisse has been part of this family for years. Whatever happened between her and our parents, taking her away isn't something we can simply agree to.”

Victor was silent for several seconds.

Then he said, “You'll receive the five billion-dollar contract if you agree.”

The kitchen went completely silent.

I stopped breathing.

A billion dollars?

For me?

I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

Jacob didn't answer immediately. I could imagine him looking at Noah, both of them realizing what Victor was offering.

Finally, Jacob said, “That's a very large offer.”

“It's not an offer,” Victor replied. “It's my condition.”

Noah's voice became tense. “You can't just buy her.”

Victor answered without raising his voice. “I'm not buying her. I'm giving you a reason to let her go.”

Another silence followed.

I heard Jacob breathe slowly before he finally said, “Fine. If that's your condition, we'll agree. Take her.”

Noah immediately objected. “Jacob, you can't be serious.”

Jacob lowered his voice. “Do you want to reject Don Viktor?”

Noah fell silent.

Neither of them wanted this.

But they were afraid of what would happen if they refused.

A few minutes later, Jacob called for me.

I walked into the living room with my head lowered. Jacob didn't look at me when he said, “Pack your things. You're leaving with Don Viktor.”

I blinked. “Leaving?”

“Yes. Tonight.”

I looked between him and Noah. “Why?”

Noah stepped closer, his expression hard. “Don't ask questions.”

“I don't understand.”

“You don't need to understand,” he said. “Just behave yourself around Victor. Don't embarrass us, don't cause trouble, and don't make him regret taking you.”

His words sounded less like an order and more like a warning.

“I won't cause trouble,” I said quietly.

Noah stared at me for a moment before looking away.

I went upstairs.

My room was still the same small, miserable place I'd lived in for years. I opened the closet and stared at what little I had. Three sets of clothes, most of them old and worn out. No jewelry, no perfume, no proper shoes, and nothing that made me look like I belonged anywhere.

I put everything into a small bag.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking.

What would happen to me now?

I didn't know.

Before leaving, I looked around the room one last time. The cracked walls, the broken lamp, and the thin blanket were all I had known for ten years. This was where I'd spent my life being punished for something I never did.

I thought I should feel sad.

Instead, I felt empty.

I picked up my bag and walked out.

...

The drive to Victor's mansion was quiet.

I sat beside him with my hands folded tightly in my lap while he watched the road. Every now and then, I caught his reflection in the window.

He was watching me.

I quickly looked away.

I still couldn't understand why he wanted me. What could a man like him possibly see in someone like me?

Victor was the Don of Castilliano Blood, a billionaire, and the president of the Castilliano Empire. Men feared him, yet he had offered a billion-dollar contract just to take me away.

When the car finally stopped, I looked outside.

His mansion was huge. Everything was clean and quiet, and the lights were warm. There were guards outside, but nobody shouted at me. Nobody called me a murderer. Nobody ordered me around.

I stepped inside slowly, waiting for someone to tell me what I'd done wrong.

No one did.

Victor noticed me looking around. “This is your home now.”

I stared at him.

He stepped closer. “No one here will hurt you.”

Something inside me broke.

I started crying.

I tried to stop, but the tears kept coming. I didn't even know what I was crying about. Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was relief. Maybe I'd simply forgotten what it felt like to hear someone promise that I was safe.

Victor stood in front of me. “Larisse.”

I looked up.

He reached out and pulled me against his chest.

I froze at first, then slowly grabbed his coat. He was warm and steady, nothing like the cold rooms I'd grown used to. I closed my eyes, and for once, I didn't feel like I had to protect myself.

His voice was low beside my ear. “Would you believe me if I told you I fell in love with you?”

My heart hurt.

I wanted to believe him.

God, I wanted to.

After ten years of being hated, I wanted someone to love me.

So I nodded.

Victor lifted my chin and kissed me.

It was gentle at first, and I didn't pull away. When the kiss deepened, I held onto him as if he were the only safe thing I'd ever known.

That night, I gave myself to him.

I thought I'd finally found love. I thought I'd finally escaped. I thought the cage was gone.

I was wrong.

I hadn't escaped a cage. I'd only walked into a different one.

…

Moving into Victor's mansion felt unreal.

I had the biggest bedroom in the house. The bed was softer than anything I'd ever slept on, the sheets were clean and smooth, and the closet was filled with clothes in my size. There were shoes lined up neatly on the shelves, bags I was afraid to touch, and jewelry that cost more than anything I'd ever owned.

Every morning, someone brought breakfast to my room. Every night, Victor came home with something for me. A dress, a necklace, a new pair of shoes. Anything I looked at for more than a few seconds somehow ended up being mine.

But there was one thing he never gave me.

Freedom.

He never took me outside. Not once.

There were no dinners with him, no parties, and no walks around the city. I stayed inside the mansion while he came and went whenever he wanted.

One night, I finally gathered enough courage to ask, “Can I go with you next time? I don't want to stay here alone all the time.”