Chapter 2

I packed my bags in a rush. However, just as I opened the front door to leave, I nearly collided with my parents and Camilla, who had just returned from the celebration.

Dad's brows furrowed as his eyes locked on the suitcase in my hand. His tone was harsh as he questioned, "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm leaving," I said coldly. "One daughter is all you need anyway."

Dad's expression darkened. In one swift motion, he yanked the suitcase out of my grip and hurled it hard against the wall, snarling, "Over my dead body! Where the hell do you think you're running off to when you're about to get married?"

Staring blankly at him, I asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Camilla leaned in with a grin, her eyes glinting with malice. "The Marra family, the one who placed the order, showed up at the celebration earlier tonight.

"They're willing to add another two million to their order… on one condition."

She deliberately drew out the last words. "That you marry into their family."

My whole body went rigid, dread coursing through me. "The Marra family?"

"That's right. The impoverished Marra family, who can't even afford to buy a decent gun," Camilla declared in feigned surprise. "You'll be marrying the infamous Lorenzo Marra."

I stared at my parents in disbelief. "Have you lost your mind? Everyone knows that Lorenzo is a violent womanizer who's killed plenty of women!"

Mom let out an insincere sigh. "Don't make it sound so bad, Elena. We're your parents! Do you think we'd harm you?

"You're already 26 years old. Do you plan on staying single forever? We'll be the laughingstock of the entire city!"

She patted my shoulder and said with false tenderness, "Behave and do as we say, unless you'd rather marry a homeless beggar instead?"

I was trembling with rage, while Camilla was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. "Don't worry, Elena. Although it's said that he likes having his way with women before killing them, isn't it touching that he's willing to spend millions just to marry you? He's showing such sincerity!"

Mom chuckled along as well. "That's right. That's probably all the money the Marras have! I wonder if they borrowed money from anyone else. Everyone knows they're barely holding on right now, but it's fine. At least they're still a family with a long history. You won't have a hard time after marrying into that family."

My fingers shook from anger as I pointed at them, growling, "That's enough! I'm a human being, not an object for sale!"

"Shut up!" Dad bellowed in annoyance. "Two million dollars isn't much, but at least it's enough to fund another production line. You should be grateful that someone wants a useless person like you. What's there for you to be unsatisfied with, huh?"

Now that I'd been reborn, I never once thought about getting married again, much less suffer the same torment because of a man.

"I'm not marrying him! I'd rather die than marry him!"

I tried to bolt for the door, but Dad gave a signal, and his bodyguards surged forward, twisting my arms painfully behind me.

"We've accepted the deal, so it's not up to you to refuse," Dad said coldly. "Lock her in the basement. She'll only be let out on the wedding day!"

"Let go of me! You lunatics! You leeches!"

I kicked and screamed with all the strength I could muster, to no avail. I was tossed into a basement room with only a tiny window. When the door slammed shut behind me, I was left alone in almost complete darkness.

From the other side, Camilla's voice rang out. "Oh. I almost forgot."

She raised her hand, which was now sporting a massive diamond ring, and tossed something in through the window on the iron door. It fell with a clang.

I groped for it, and under a sliver of moonlight, I saw what it was—a plain, timeworn silver cuff.

"It's a wedding gift from the Marra family." Camilla's mocking voice came through the door again. "Who knows where they picked up that piece of trash from?"

She cackled smugly, turning to leave as she said, "It's just like you, my dear little sister."

I clutched the cuff tightly, my tears spilling uncontrollably onto it. Strangely, it began to give off a faint bluish glow.

Startled, I brought it to my eyes and took a closer look.

Under the moonlight, the intricate carvings slowly revealed a secret mechanism in the cuff. I ran my fingers across it until I felt a tiny raised notch.

With a click, a paper-thin blade sprang out, gleaming in the light.

My heart pounded wildly. Even my breath hitched.

Was this… the forgemaster's cuff?

The forgemaster's cuff was a legendary masterpiece. It was said that only the greatest weaponsmiths could create it, for it was incredibly challenging to have both the material and the craftsmanship required to make one.

It had long since vanished from the market.

As a weapons designer, I knew better than anyone just how precious and valuable a forgemaster's cuff was.

Would a man capable of giving me a gift like this really be as useless as he was rumored to be?

…

When the light of dawn hit my eyes, I realized I'd dozed off. The door lock rattled, making me bolt upright. "Who's there?"

"Shh. It's me."

Leon's face appeared in the doorway. He snuck into the room before locking the door behind him.

He gave me that familiar smirk that he probably thought made him look charming. "I just came to check on my little Elena."

Step by step, he closed in. "I heard you're marrying Lorenzo Marra?"

"That's none of your business," I replied curtly.

"How is it none of my business?" Leon remarked before he reached out to stroke my face. "We grew up together. I care about you, too."

I swiftly turned my head away, feeling nauseated. "Don't touch me! Aren't you and Camilla engaged to be married?"

"That doesn't stop the three of us from having fun together," Leon said, his breath reeking of alcohol as it washed all over my face. "After all, you've been in love with me since you were little, right?"

I struggled to get away from him. "That's in the past. You make me sick now!"

Leon didn't care. He pushed me down and pinned me against the floor. "Stop acting like you're so chaste. You think Lorenzo will treat you better than me?"

His hands tugged at my clothes. "Rumor has it he's useless in bed. If you marry him, you'll be a widow in all but name. Why not be mine instead? At least you'll have some memories to rely on when you pleasure yourself."

"Get off me!" I screamed as I kneed him in the gut.

Leon grunted in pain, but he held me down even harder. "How dare you!"

Now that he was infuriated, he became frighteningly strong. With just a few tugs, he ripped the collar of my clothes into pieces. As I struggled in despair, my fingertip brushed against the cuff around my wrist.

The hidden mechanism sprang to life with a clack, and at the very next second, Leon's screams of agony tore through the basement.