Chapter 4

Ethan’s footsteps echoed against the marble floor, deliberate and heavy, as he walked straight past the frozen crowd.

The oppressive silence in the hall stretched so thin it felt ready to snap.

Lorenzo’s face contorted into a mask of pure rage. He shoved Rosaline aside—nearly causing her to stumble—and stepped into Ethan’s path, his chest heaving.

“You’re out of your mind, Ethan,” Lorenzo spat, his hands balling into tight fists. “Lucy is my fiancée. The wheel’s outcome is void. She isn't going anywhere with you, let alone to that island.”

Ethan didn't even slow down. He stopped just inches from Lorenzo, towering over his younger brother with an air of absolute, suffocating dominance. His gray eyes were cold, amused, and utterly devoid of fear.

“Void?” Ethan asked softly, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. “Since when does the ruler of the empire break the sacred law set by himself? You insisted on the rule yourself, Lorenzo. ‘A Moretti never breaks his word.’ Isn't that the motto you used to keep her waiting for seven long years?”

Lorenzo’s jaw twitched violently. “This is a trap. She staged this!”

“She spun an open wheel that you provided,” Ethan replied smoothly, bypassing Lorenzo as if he were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

He stepped onto the elevated platform, his gaze fixing entirely on me.

For seven years, I had seen Ethan only in distant family portraits and whispered rumors. He was the exiled heir, the man who built his own bloody empire across the seas after Lorenzo seized power at home. Up close, his presence was overwhelming—sharp cheekbones, a shadow of stubble, and eyes that saw through every mask.

He reached out a gloved hand, offering it to me with surprising gentleness.

“As per the rule, if both the persons- the one spinning the wheel and the one whose name appears- agree to the term, no one can stop them from visiting Lucy Island for a night,” Ethan said, his voice neutral, yet carrying a weight that made my heart hammer against my ribs. “I agree with this term, Lucy. Are you? Will you come with me?”

“Lucy, Don't!” Lorenzo barked from his place. Shoving Rosaline aside, he came to me. “Don’t agree to this. Spin the wheel again. If you spin my name, I’m going with you.”

“Lorenzo…” Rosaline yelled from behind, “I spun your name first!”

“Shut up!” he yelled without even turning to look at her. His gaze remained fixed on me. “Spin the wheel, Lucy. Spin my name.”

I stared at his desperate eyes and then Ethan’s outstretched palm. A single word from me would ignite a full-scale war between the brothers.

But as I glanced over Ethan’s shoulder, I caught sight of Lorenzo—his collar displaying a lipstick mark, the same shade Rosaline was currently wearing; the last remaining piece of my hesitation turned to ash.

I placed my hand in Ethan’s. His fingers wrapped around mine, warm and firm.

“Lucy! Don't you dare!” Lorenzo roared, pulling a sleek black handgun from beneath his jacket.

The crowd screamed, scattering toward the exits in absolute panic. But before Lorenzo could raise the barrel, six red laser dots appeared on his chest. From the upper balconies, Ethan’s elite snipers racked their bolts in ominous unison.

Ethan didn't even bother to turn around. He simply drew me closer to his side, his arm wrapping securely around my waist.

“Put the gun away, little brother,” Ethan warned, his tone casually lethal. “You played your game for seven years and lost. Lucy’s Island belongs to her—and tonight, so does her partner.”

“It's your fault!” Lorenzo turned to his assistant, his eyes red with fury. “How could she draw any name? The mechanism should have let her land on the blank section. You messed it up!”

As soon as these words escaped his lips, the crowd once again erupted into whispers and snickers. But this time, those were all directed at him.

He confessed!

Now everyone knew he had been cheating for seven years despite appearing to be the strictest and most disciplined man.

“The mafia Lord had been playing his own fiancée? For seven years?”

“Serves him right!”

“She should have left him years ago.”

Ethan only shot a short glance over Lorenzo’s assistant before he turned and led me straight past the paralyzed guards toward the heavy double doors.

As we stepped out into the crisp night air, where a matte-black chopper waited on the landing pad, I heard Lorenzo’s frantic, desperate scream echo from inside the hall.

“Lucy! You’ll regret this! You belong to me!”

I didn't look back. I climbed into the helicopter beside Ethan, the wind whipping my hair as the blades roared to life. For the first time in seven years, I wasn't waiting for permission to live. I was taking control.