It just so happened that my brother had come from Emperor Bay that evening, sent by our parents to reason with me and stop me from being so stubborn. He arrived just in time to drag me away from a group of capos who clearly had ill intentions toward me.
Who would have thought that simply taking me to a safe hideout to rest would be intercepted by someone with a hidden agenda?
No wonder Sebastian had been acting so distant ever since that night—cold at times, yet forcing himself to appear warm and approachable.
It turned out he had been bottling up his feelings all along. He had waited until I had secured the allegiance of key families and quietly leveraged my family’s influence to help him claim the leadership position he wanted for his own territory. Tonight, finally, he chose to explode.
I couldn’t help but feel hurt by his lack of trust.
And yet, he was also the first man I had ever truly fallen for. I didn’t want this misunderstanding to tear us apart.
Even more, I didn’t want my parents to learn that my first true, consuming love had ended before it ever really began. After all, I had fled Emperor Bay to escape the marriage they had planned for me.
I wanted the freedom to choose my own partner, to stand as an equal beside someone, not be trapped in a loveless alliance orchestrated for power. But I had never confided this to anyone—not even Sebastian.
I feared that if he discovered I was the heiress of the Elite Circles, he would feel crushed beneath the weight of my status, insecure and overwhelmed.
Since childhood, every man around me had only ever wanted me for my position. I despised those calculated displays of affection, those compliments dripping with hidden agendas. But Sebastian—when he looked at me, his eyes held nothing but stars.
The memory of how perfect things had been made a bitter laugh escape me.
“What are you laughing at?” Sebastian’s frown cut through me, his voice sharp with disdain. “How can you laugh at a time like this?”
I lifted my head, holding his gaze without flinching. “Do you honestly think I climbed to the top by sleeping with other dons?”
“Then what else have you done?” he sneered, his voice icy. “Tell me—what else could you have done that deserves any respect?”
It felt as if invisible hands had squeezed my heart, tightening until every breath became a struggle.
I drew in a steadying breath and spoke slowly. “The man in that image… is my brother.”
“Your… brother?” Celeste’s laughter rang sharp and cruel. “Do you take us for fools? A ‘sworn brother’ your real brother? Or is that what you call every man you deal with? Must admit, that does make things… more interesting!”
The laughter around me grew louder, sharp and mocking; someone even whistled mockingly.
Sebastian’s eyes were ice. “Enough,” he said, voice cutting through the noise. “Stop humiliating yourself. Take your exile notice and leave. From this moment, you no longer exist to me or to this family.”
I gripped the letter tightly, feeling only emptiness crawl through me. For five years, I had hidden my true identity, living as a low-profile operative in his organization, working tirelessly to help him rise to power.
And now, after personally laying the path to his dominance, he was ready to cast me aside like a used tool. I could endure loss—but I would not be made a fool. The last five years of my youth might have been wasted on an ungrateful Don, but I would not break.
“Sebastian… you’ll regret this,” I whispered, low and deadly.
Sebastian’s reaction was laughter, sharp and mocking, as though I had just made the world’s most absurd joke.
“Regret?” he barked. “The only thing I’ll regret is ever meeting a faithless heiress like you!”
He extended his hand toward Celeste. The two exchanged a triumphant smile and strode together to the center of the ballroom.
It was only then that I noticed—their matching ceremonial attire, a designer set of dark tailored suits and a flowing gown of deep crimson. He raised their joined hands high, his voice loud and commanding over the gathered family heads.
“Tomorrow marks the most crucial day in the history of our territory—our ascension! None of this would have been possible without the effort of every capo and soldier here. Together, we shall continue to rise to greatness!”
The room erupted in cheers, the walls shaking with applause and the clinking of glasses, the air electric with loyalty and ambition.
