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Chapter 4

Author: Soda
Dante’s eyes locked onto the packed suitcase, and his gut twisted.

He spoke, his voice a low rumble.

"Elara. Where do you think you're going?"

"Sketching."

Elara lied, her face a mask, meeting Leo's suspicious gaze head-on.

"Professor recommended Newport upstate for a sketching trip. Course requirement. I need these supplies."

"Absolutely not!"

Her father, reclined on the sofa, shot the idea down without a second thought.

"Put your things back. Serena's changing seasons, easily allergic. She could need a transfusion any minute. You're not going anywhere. You'll stay home, on standby."

Her mother chimed in, snatching Elara's backpack. It hit the coffee table with a loud thud, spilling her passport.

"I'll keep your passport safe. If you leave, what about your sister? Who gives her blood? You're trying to hurt your sister!"

Dante stood by, straightening his cuffs. His tone was deceptively mild, his words steel.

"Elara, be sensible. This is family duty. Once Serena is stable, I'll take you to Paris. Shop all you want. Hermes, Chanel,whatever you pick, it’s yours."

Family duty.

The words were chains, binding Elara for two lifetimes, choking her.

She watched her mother lock the passport in the safe. A Swiss bank-grade vault. She couldn't get it open.

But a cold laugh echoed in her mind.

Did they think a passport could trap her?

Julian Thorne's private jet didn't need one.

In that man's world, he made the rules.

It was a pass for privilege, a black card to freedom.

"Okay." Elara lowered her head, feigning compliance, the mockery hidden deep in her eyes. "I'm not going."

Just survive this week.

In three days, it would be her and Serena's twentieth birthday.

On the calendar, the date was circled in red, filled with hearts, labeled "Serena's Princess Day."

Not a single mark for Elara. As if it were just her sister's celebration.

Since she could remember, this was the norm.

Serena was the princess in the spotlight. Elara, the shadow in the corner.

Her birthday was a feast. Elara's was a service day.

But this year would be different.

Elara counted down silently in her head.

Three days.

Three more days, and she’d be free.

At dinner, the family buzzed, discussing party details.

"I want that custom pink Valentino gown! It's from this season's limited run!"

Serena's cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling. "Dante, what do you think?"

"You look stunning in anything, my princess of New York." Dante stroked her head, his gaze soft enough to melt.

"Oh, and the champagne tower needs seven tiers. Seven's Serena's lucky number. And we need a band," her mother added.

Elara ate in silence, a ghost at the table.

Suddenly, Serena turned to Elara, a mischievous glint in her eyes, as if it just occurred to her.

"Sister, what are you wearing that day? How about my old blue dress? It's two seasons out of style, and a little loose, but we can alter it. You're the older sister; you can't look too shabby and embarrass the Vane name."

Bare naked humiliation.

But Elara offered a faint smile, setting down her cutlery.

"No need. I have plans."

No one pressed her about her plans.

They didn't care.

They didn't even remember it was her birthday, too.

To them, she was just background noise for the party, or a blood bag on standby.

But Elara knew. That day would be her rebirth, and the Vane family's nightmare would begin.
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  • Beyond the Family's Shadow   Chapter 18

    Serena wasn't dead.Death would have been a mercy.On a moonless midnight, a nondescript black cargo plane took off from New York.Serena, sedated and treated like damaged goods, was tossed into the cargo hold.She was sent to a mental hospital deep in the Siberian wilderness.A place with no windows, no visitors, just endless cold and loneliness.For Serena, who once lived in haute couture and sipped Evian, it was a hell far worse than any abyss.She would spend the rest of her life in endless cold and madness.But that wasn't the end of her reckoning.The day before Dante's funeral, Elara, accompanied by Julian, went to New York State Maximum Security Prison.It was her first, and last, visit to her parents.After they went bankrupt, their enemies moved in for the kill. Soon, they were arrested on various charges.The visiting room had thick bulletproof glass separating them.When Mr. and Mrs. Vane were brought out by the guards, Elara could barely recognize them.Mr. Vane, who once

  • Beyond the Family's Shadow   Chapter 17

    The calm days never lasted.Just as Elara and Julian were preparing for their wedding, an urgent call shattered the peace."Boss, we've got a problem. Serena Vane broke out of the max-security facility."Julian's face darkened instantly.That place was a fortress. No way that pampered, spoiled brat Serena could've gotten out without inside help."And," the subordinate's voice trembled on the other end, "she kidnapped Dante Rossi.""We figure she'll be in touch with the Madam soon."Julian frowned, meeting Elara's gaze.Soon, Elara's phone buzzed. It was an encrypted FaceTime call.The video connected. After a moment of shaky footage, a dim background came into view.It was an abandoned church, surrounded by construction debris.Dante was tied to a stone pillar, covered in blood.And the one holding the phone was Serena.She had completely lost it.Serena, once delicate as a porcelain doll, now had messy hair, wore a filthy hospital gown, and clutched a black handgun."Elara… my dear si

  • Beyond the Family's Shadow   Chapter 16

    The private jet landed on a private airfield in Tuscany, Italy.This was the Thorne family's ancestral home.If Julian was the feared godfather in New York, then here, he was the true uncrowned king.The motorcade cut through miles of vineyards and olive groves, finally stopping before a magnificent medieval castle.The castle stood atop a mountain, overlooking the entire golden plain.Hundreds of servants and family members lined up to welcome them. The sheer scale and grandeur of the ceremony far surpassed anything Elara had ever witnessed in New York.Even Elara, who had built up her confidence on Sanctuary Island, felt a dizzy spell now.She looked at the castle that had weathered centuries of storms, at the portraits of past patriarchs hanging on the walls, and a deep sense of inferiority welled up inside her.She was an abandoned child, raised to be a blood bag.Did she truly deserve all this?Dinner was held at the castle's long table. The food was exquisite, but Elara couldn't

  • Beyond the Family's Shadow   Chapter 15

    The storm on Sanctuary Island had just passed, the air thick with the scent of sea salt.Elara sat on the glass terrace by the cliff, sketching.She wore a stylish burgundy velvet dress, its hem rippling gently in the sea breeze, like a blood-red rose blooming on the cliff's edge.Just then, the elevator door dinged open.Dante Rossi stepped out.The moment his gaze fell on Elara, he froze.He had never seen Elara like this before – no longer Serena's meek shadow, but a queen radiating raw power.In comparison, Dante looked utterly disheveled.He had searched for Elara relentlessly for a month. The once imperious scion of New York's social scene was now unshaven, his eyes sunken and bloodshot with anxiety."Elara…"He spoke her name, his voice rough, as if his throat were filled with gravel.He took two steps forward but was coldly stopped by a bodyguard beside her."Sir, you cannot approach."But he seemed not to hear, calling out to the woman he had longed for."Elara, come home with

  • Beyond the Family's Shadow   Chapter 14

    The Vane family's collapse continued.Ever since Dante's meltdown that night, the Vane Enterprises stock had plummeted twice in three days.The Rossi family pulling their investments was the first domino, triggering a chain reaction.Banks started calling in loans, and partners were cutting ties.The Vane couple seemed to have aged ten years overnight.They tried reaching out to Elara, but it was like shouting into the void.And the most panicked person in the mansion was Serena.Her parents and brother had suddenly turned on her, leaving her no choice but to run to Dante."Brother Dante… you don't want me anymore?"Serena stood barefoot at the door of Dante's study, wearing a white silk nightgown, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls.She looked so pathetic, just like she had countless times before.But this time, Dante didn't even look up.He was staring at the dense intelligence data on his computer screen, his hand clenched tight around the pink diamond ring

  • Beyond the Family's Shadow   Chapter 13

    Sanctuary Island. Early morning.Elara stood by the huge floor-to-ceiling window, watching Julian practice shooting on the private tarmac.He was shirtless. The muscles in his back tensed and released with each shot, each one sculpted for killing.It was absolute power, something she’d never had.She remembered Dante’s insane bounty posted on the dark web last night.Five hundred million dollars, just for a lead on her whereabouts."What are you thinking about?"Julian was back in the room without her even noticing.He carried the chill of the morning sea breeze and a faint scent of gunpowder. In his hands, two cups of hot coffee."Thinking I might be too expensive."Elara took a coffee, a bitter smile on her face. She met his gaze."Five hundred million. Dante's really throwing down to get me back. Back at the Vanes', I couldn't even get five hundred bucks for spending money without them throwing a fit."Julian let out a low chuckle, stepping closer."Five hundred million? Trying to

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