Chapter 4: A Devil’s Trap and a Final Farewell

Back in Country C, the sprawling estates of the Vance family were gripped by a quiet, anxious confusion. Damian’s parents and grandparents were huddled in the study, staring at the global headlines in disbelief. They knew the Vance Empire was completely untouchable. Why on earth would their ruthless heir deliberately announce his own financial ruin? What sort of calculated havoc was the Ghost Reaper planning to wreak this time? Still, knowing his terrifying nature, they ultimately chose to let it go. As long as he had agreed to the old family engagement without tearing the world apart, they would play along with his game.

Meanwhile, inside the ostentatious living room of the Hayes mansion, Chloe dramatically summoned her parents to make an announcement."I'll move in with him," Chloe declared, crossing her arms with a vicious pout. "But on one condition. I am taking Aria with me."At first, Arthur and Victoria were overwhelmed with sheer happiness that their spoiled daughter had finally stopped screaming. But then Victoria paused, her heavily painted brows furrowing. "Why do you want to take that trash with you to Country C?"Chloe instantly threw a massive tantrum, kicking a glass coffee table. "If she doesn't come, I'm not going anywhere! You can go ahead and marry that bankrupt loser yourself!"

Terrified of her wrath, her parents quickly yielded. Chloe smirked with a sense of dark victory. She wasn't taking Aria out of sisterly love; she was bringing her along as her permanent punching bag. She needed someone to vent her rage on every single time life in a bankrupt household frustrated her.Late that night, Aria was abruptly summoned to her father’s private study.

Approaching the heavy mahogany doors, she knocked softly. Receiving a cold permission, she stepped inside and stood quietly on the opposite side of the massive desk, her hands clasped nervously in front of her. She waited for her verdict, expecting the usual insults.

But for the first time in twelve agonizing years, Arthur Hayes slowly raised his eyes and called her by her actual name. "Aria."Aria froze in absolute shock. For a brief moment, her breath caught in her throat. He hadn't called her a bitch's daughter, a disgusting piece of shit, or that thing. He had used her name. Before she could fully process the shock, Arthur’s voice hardened into its usual detached tone. "You will be accompanying your sister to Country C in a few days. This is an official order, not a negotiation. Pack your things."

Aria could only nod weakly. Bowing her head in compliance, she turned and quietly left the room.

The moment Damian’s private flight touched down in the bustling capital city, he bypassed the public terminals entirely. Slipping through a secure back door, he slid into the plush interior of a waiting, unmarked vehicle and instructed his driver to head straight to the imperial suite of the Vance Horizon Grand—one of the crown jewels of his hidden global hotel empire.

The Vance Horizon was an ultra-exclusive fortress of luxury. To secure a room, the world's most powerful tycoons and billionaires had to apply months in advance, waiting on an endless digital queue just for a chance to cross the threshold. The general manager was a legendary, elusive figure whom ordinary wealthy guests could never hope to catch a glimpse of.

But today, the manager was a nervous wreck. The staff watched in utter shock as the corporate executive practically flew down the grand spiral staircase of the lobby, sweating profusely as he rushed out to the driveway.The manager personally threw open the car door, his hands trembling.

From the darkness of the backseat, Damian Vance stepped out into the light. Standing at an imposing six-foot-two, his broad shoulders were cloaked in a pristine, custom-tailored dark suit. His sharp, sculpted jawline and piercing eyes radiated an intoxicating, lethal dominance. He didn't just walk; he commanded the very ground beneath his feet.

The manager scurried alongside him, breathlessly explaining the hotel's daily multi-million-dollar operations as they rode the private elevator up to the restricted penthouse floor. Damian stepped into the imperial suite—a breathtaking masterclass in high-end design, featuring rare marble floors, silk-paneled walls, and a panoramic glass view of the entire city skyline. Damian didn't spare the luxury a single glance. He dismissed the manager with a cold flick of his wrist.

Shedding his heavy suit jacket, Damian walked into the grand marble bathroom. He stepped under the steaming water, letting the heat wash away the exhaustion of the flight.

Minutes later, the bathroom door slid open. Damian stepped out, a single pristine white towel wrapped around his lean waist, clinging to his sculpted hips. Droplets of hot water glistened against his bronzed skin, tracing the lines of his defined physique and the powerful breadth of his chest. Thick, dark wet hair fell messily over his forehead, softening his rugged features just enough to make him look utterly striking.Walking over to the bedside stand, he picked up his encrypted smartphone. He tapped a command to his assistant, Leo, and instantly received Arthur Hayes' private number.

Tracing the numbers with a wicked smirk, Damian dialed. The phone rang three times before Arthur answered.

Instantly, Damian’s demeanor shifted. The dominant aura vanished, replaced by the perfectly acted voice of a broken, desperate man who had lost everything. He knew the Hayes family had already swallowed the fake news of his bankruptcy."Mr. Hayes," Damian spoke into the receiver, his voice laced with a carefully manufactured layer of humility. "I will be arriving tomorrow to pick up Chloe. I know my family has fallen on hard times... but I promise you, even if I am completely broke, I will do everything in my power to take care of her."

On the other end of the line, Arthur’s face twisted in silent disgust at the "penniless loser" speaking to him, but his heart soared with greed.Damian leaned back against the silk pillows, his voice dipping with false submission. "If Chloe finds that she cannot bear a life of poverty with me after our one-year engagement, I will willingly dissolve the marriage contract. I will even provide her with a handsome financial compensation for her wasted time."

Hearing this, Arthur was absolutely overjoyed. Even if Damian was ruined, the legally binding corporate project that Damian’s powerful grandfather had already transferred to the Hayes family was worth billions. They were already rich from the deal, and now their daughter could dump the guy in a year and get paid for it! Arthur eagerly agreed to everything, hanging up the phone with a triumphant laugh.

In the penthouse suite, Damian tossed the phone onto the velvet mattress. The submissive act vanished instantly. His lips curled into a terrifying, dangerous smirk. He couldn't wait to see how long it would take for the hypocritical Hayes family to reveal their true, ugly faces. Turning off the lights, the hidden billionaire closed his eyes and drifted into a calm sleep.

Back at the Hayes estate, Arthur immediately relayed the conversation to Victoria. The matriarch practically squealed with delight. "Even if Chloe leaves that pathetic boy, she'll get a massive payout! We win either way!" She scoffed, adjusting her expensive diamond earrings. "Though I doubt a bankrupt man has much to offer, his grandfather's legal project is already ours. We don't need Damian for anything."While her parents gloated over their greed, Chloe was spending her final night in the city at an exclusive, underground VIP nightclub. Dressed in a tight, glittering dress, she moved like a snake under the flashing neon lights, drinking champagne, smoking, and dancing wildly to the beat with her friends.

Later that night, she checked into a luxury suite with her boyfriend, Marcus, dismissing her engagement completely as they kissed and fucked until the early hours of the morning. Chloe had absolutely no intention of being faithful to a bankrupt fiancé.

Deep in the servants' quarters, Aria was up late under her father's strict orders, carefully packing both her own and her sister’s massive trunks.As she folded Chloe's designer gowns, a few of the older mansion maids quietly slipped into her small room. Tears welled in their eyes as they looked at the thin, fragile girl.

"Take care of yourself out there, little Aria," one whispered, pressing a small container of home-cooked food into her hands. "Remember to eat well. Don't let them break you.""Thank you for everything," Aria murmured, her voice soft and full of genuine gratitude. They were the only family she had ever truly known here.

Once they left, Aria packed her own meager belongings into a single, small tattered bag. She had no designer clothes or expensive jewelry. Inside the bag went only three things: a framed photograph of her mother, Evelyn, a small urn containing her ashes, and a few basic sets of underwear the kind servants had bought for her over the years.

She walked over to Chloe’s bedroom to finish packing her sister's luxury luggage. Suddenly, the door creaked open. Victoria stood in the doorway, her cold, heavily made-up eyes tracking Aria's every single movement like a hawk, making sure the "trash" didn't take a single piece of Chloe's wealth. Once Aria finished, she quietly bowed and returned to her cold bed to sleep.

Early the next morning, before the sun had even cleared the horizon, Aria quietly slipped out of the mansion. Using the tiny bit of money she had secretly saved from the servants' tips over the years, she boarded a morning taxi.Her first stop was the serene, overgrown cemetery on the outskirts of the city. Kneeling before her mother’s humble headstone, Aria gently touched the cold marble. "I'm leaving today, Mommy," she whispered, a stray tear escaping her eye. "They are sending me to Country C. Please... watch over me."

After bidding her final farewell to Evelyn, Aria took the taxi to Grandma Lucy’s old neighborhood. Her heart pounded with a desperate craving for comfort.When she knocked on the door, it was opened by Grandma Lucy's grown son, David, and his wife, Sarah. They stared at the beautiful but hauntingly thin and unhealthy young woman standing on their porch. Once Aria softly explained who she was, Sarah’s eyes filled with immediate pity."Oh, sweetheart, come inside quickly," Sarah urged, pulling her into the warmth of the living room and immediately handing her a glass of fresh water.

Aria took a sip, her eyes scanning the room. "Where is Grandma Lucy? I came to see her before my flight."

A heavy, grieving silence fell over the room. David took Aria's trembling hand gently. "Aria... Mom passed away. It's been two years now."The news broke the last barrier around Aria’s heart. The walls she had built up to endure twelve years of brutal abuse at the Hayes mansion crumbled entirely. Aria collapsed into Sarah’s arms, bursting into violent, gut-wrenching sobs. She cried for her mother, she cried for Grandma Lucy, and she cried for every single hardship she had ever taken in silence. Sarah held her tightly, rocking her as the poor girl wept out a decade of accumulated agony.

After a long time, the crying stopped. Sarah gently wiped Aria’s face and set a warm, steaming plate of food in front of her. Aria ate with quiet tears still glittering in her eyes."I have to go to Country C today," Aria explained softly after finishing her meal. "My step-sister is getting engaged to a bankrupt man, and they are forcing me to go along. I wanted to see Grandma Lucy one last time... but it's okay. She's with my mom now."David’s eyes grew incredibly fierce with emotion. "Aria, listen to me. Before my mother passed, she talked about you constantly. She always said she could feel it in her bones that you were suffering over there. She called you her quiet, sensible little girl."

David stood up, walked over to a secure drawer, and pulled out a thick, sealed envelope. He placed it firmly into Aria’s small hands."Before she closed her eyes for the last time, she made us promise," David said, his voice thick with emotion. "She said if you ever came back, we had to give this to you. It's ten thousand dollars. She saved it, dollar by dollar, for years, just for your future."

Aria gasped, instantly pushing the envelope back. "No, please! I can't take this. This is your family's savings—"

"This was our mother's dying wish, Aria," David interrupted firmly, refusing to take it back. "Even if you hadn't come today, we were planning to search the city to find you and hand this over. If you don't take it, her soul won't rest in peace."

With a heavy, deeply moved heart, Aria slowly clutched the envelope against her chest. It was the first time in twelve years she felt truly protected.

David and Sarah walked her out to the edge of the street, waving farewell as Aria stepped into the taxi, leaving the ghosts of her past behind as she headed toward the airport—completely unaware of the undercover devil waiting for her on the other side of the ocean.