Chapter 3

After finishing her meal, Reina decided to visit her favorite place in Madrid—a centuries-old basilica known all over Spain. There was something comforting about the silence and history that surrounded the church. She walked toward it calmly, her steps light and steady. Gabriel’s bodyguards followed from a distance, just the way she preferred it.

She didn’t like attracting too much attention. Having a group of bodyguards trailing behind her made it obvious she was someone important. She wanted peace—anonymity, even for a little while.

In her hand, she held the leash of a small fluffy dog—one of Gabriel’s gifts to her. A Pomeranian named Coco, who had grown close to her heart. Based on its ID and health card, Coco was still in his first year of life. A ball of warmth in Reina’s sometimes cold world.

“How beautiful the sunset is. It’s perfect, Coco,” she said softly as they walked.

Along the way, she saw a beggar sitting on the sidewalk. His clothes were worn, his hands trembling as he held out a cup. Pity filled Reina’s chest. Without hesitation, she opened her purse and handed the man a small bundle of bills.

“Gracias! Gracias!” he said repeatedly, voice cracking with gratitude.

Reina smiled politely and continued on her way, Coco walking obediently beside her.

Eventually, she reached a fountain and sat down, dipping her left hand into the cool water. The golden light of the setting sun reflected across the surface like a moving painting.

Even with all she had—luxury, wealth, comfort—something in her heart felt incomplete. Peace still eluded her.

A guard approached her. “My queen, we need to leave now.”

“No… Just a little longer. We haven’t even been here half an hour,” Reina protested, frowning.

“I understand, but we can’t risk staying. There are eyes watching.” The guard nodded subtly toward the people nearby—some of whom seemed to be observing them a little too closely.

To Reina, they looked like ordinary citizens. But to her guards, everything had meaning. Everyone was a potential threat.

“Alright,” she finally said with a sigh, standing slowly. She wanted to stay longer, but her freedom—like everything else—was borrowed.

They had just reached the edge of the highway, preparing to cross, when a van suddenly screeched to a halt in front of them.

“Ahhh! Help me!” Reina screamed as masked men grabbed her.

Gunfire erupted behind her—her guards returning fire. But the vehicle was gone in seconds, moving as fast as a bullet train. Reina caught a glimpse of her abductors: men in black suits, wearing sunglasses, their movements precise and rehearsed. They looked like they had done this before.

“Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?” she yelled, struggling and kicking.

The suited men said nothing. Their silence was chilling. Judging by their appearance—pale skin, sharp features—they seemed foreign. Russians, maybe?

“Hey! Are you deaf? Why did you abduct me!” she shouted again, but their blank expressions didn’t change.

Tears blurred her vision as she looked back. Her guards were chasing them, but the distance was growing fast. When they entered a tunnel, the figures of the pursuing vehicles shrank… then vanished.

Now Reina had nothing but herself. No strength left. Her arms trembled. Her voice shook. These men, armed to the teeth, could end her life at any moment.

“Please… let me live. I’m begging you,” she cried, lips trembling.

They said nothing.

Eventually, the van stopped at a shipyard. Reina’s eyes widened in terror. Were they taking her overseas? A large ship loomed ahead, and everything inside her screamed to run.

But she couldn’t.

She was lifted like a sack of grain, slung over the shoulder of one of the men. “Ugh! Let me go!” she shouted, hitting his back with her fists.

Her vision blurred again, tears falling freely. “Please…” she whimpered.

When they boarded the ship and entered a luxurious suite, Reina was carefully set down on a plush sofa. The room was like a five-star hotel—nothing like the dark scene outside.

One of the men said something in a language Reina didn’t understand. Russian? She was too shaken to care. She tried to stand but stumbled.

Then she heard a voice.

A man’s voice—deep and calm.

“Welcome,” he said, still facing away, holding a wine glass.

“W-Who are you?!” Her voice cracked.

“Guess who,” the man replied, chuckling.

Reina’s heart pounded. Her head spun.

“Who… are… you…” she whispered.

Slowly, the man turned around—and her breath caught in her throat.

“Surprise,” he said with a smile.

“Papa!” she cried, running to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Tears streamed down her face. “This isn’t funny, Papa! It’s not a good joke!”

“I know, hija. I just did what I had to. I know you’ve been bored in Madrid. So I’m bringing you home—to the Philippines,” he said gently, brushing her hair back.

Axell Vancelord Almighty—Reina’s biological father. A man feared and respected. The notorious mafia lord of Bogotá, Colombia. The only heir of Collins Industries.

“Your Papa Hiron told me you were restless,” Axell explained. “You miss home. You want to live freely. I know the Robertsons are controlling. I know Gabriel’s been intense—especially now that he’s managing Las Casas and tying our family’s business to his.”

“Papa…” Reina looked up at him, her voice small. “Is there any way we can live normal lives? My life… can it be normal? Can I just be Reina?”

Axell looked at her, eyes softening. He placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

“There is one way to change everything,” he said.

“What is it?”

“You need to disappear,” he whispered, offering a bittersweet smile.

Reina stared at him, frozen. “Disappear?” she echoed, as if the word alone could pull her apart.

“Yes,” he replied. “Reina Vancelord must vanish… so a new version of you can be born. Someone who is free, someone untouchable. No longer Gabriel’s puppet. No longer under their control.”

Her heartbeat thudded in her ears. Was he serious? Could she really abandon everything she knew—her name, her love, her old life?

“But Papa… I don’t know who I am without all of it,” she said weakly, her voice cracking.

“You’ll find her, hija,” he said, touching her cheek gently. “Because deep inside, there’s a fire that none of them could ever extinguish.”

Outside the yacht’s window, the sun dipped below the horizon. The ocean swallowed the light, and darkness settled in.

So did Reina’s decision.

For the first time in years, she didn’t feel like a prisoner.

She felt… reborn.