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Chapter 3

MAYA

I stayed on my knees, but my back was straight and my chin lifted as I looked directly at Lorenzo Rossi, not even trying to hide the fact that I wasn’t scared of him.

Fear in a place like this was a weakness, and weakness got you crushed faster than anything, so if they expected me to shake and beg, they were already wasting their time.

“So…” I said slowly, my voice calm even though everything inside me felt raw,

“What crime could a ghost like me possibly commit in the mighty Rossi empire?” I asked, tilting my head a little. “Or maybe you grabbed the wrong girl. I’m the invisible nerd who codes shit in the corner, remember? The one nobody notices unless the Wi-Fi breaks.”

For a brief second, just one second, I saw it as surprise flicker across Lorenzo’s face.

Then it was gone.

He leaned back slightly and sighed like I was a troublesome child. “Why did you injure your sister so badly?”

I blinked.

Then I turned my head slowly to look at Lucy.

The bandage on her face, the way she was there, looking fragile and suddenly… I almost laughed cause I knew this scene

She'd actually pullef this innocent act many times to gain sympathy and get me punished.

“Seriously? Your act keeps getting better” I said, then looked at her properly.“Tell me, Lucy, did the cake ruin your big modeling dreams? Poor thing.”

My mom flew at me before I could say anything else. Her hand cracked across my face three times, hard.

I tasted blood in my mouth and I sighed and wiped my lip with the back of my hand and I just exhaled slowly like it was nothing, like I was tired of reacting to something that had become normal.

“How dare you!” my mother snapped, her voice sharp with anger. “Do you even know how important her face is to her career?! And you still dared to...”

“Enough.”

Matteo Rossi stepped forward, grabbing her arm and pulling her back before she could hit me again. “She will face family discipline. Stop this.”

My mother shook him off angrily, still glaring at me like I was something disgusting. “You’ve always been a problem… always!”

I didn’t even look at her.

I was tired already.

Tired of the shouting, the blame, the same story repeating itself over and over again like I was born just to be the villain in her life.

So I lifted my head and looked at Lorenzo again.

“I’m not explaining anything anymore,” I said simply, my voice steady. “Give me the family punishment. I’ll take it.”

There were a few murmurs in the hall, but I ignored them and continued.

“But after that… I want to leave.”

The words came out clean and very clear.

“I don’t want to stay in this family anymore.”

The words barely left my mouth before Luca jumped in. “Impossible,” he said quickly.

At the same time, Lucy started fake-crying right away, pressing her face into his shoulder like she was in so much pain.

From the corner of my eyes, i saw Luca held her gently and patted her back.

Pretentious bitch but honestly… I didn’t care anymore.

Let them have each other.

I just wanted out.

I was leaving today. I stayed calm and took the blame on purpose. I didn’t want anyone knowing about my secret relationship with Luca until I was safely gone. If I want to, I would expose both of them, but freedom came first.

My mother scoffed loudly. “Go to hell for all I care. Ungrateful thing.”

I ignored her again and focused on Lorenzo. “Grant my request. I’ll take whatever punishment you want for supposedly damaging her face, and then I’ll leave. Simple.”

He stared at me for a few seconds and then he let out a low amused chuckle as he said

“That’s not possible.”

Something inside me snapped slightly.

“Why?” I shot back immediately, my voice sharper now as I struggled against the guards holding me down. “Why can’t I leave?”

His eyes turned cold.

“Mind your tone.”

The air around him shifted, heavy and dangerous, but I didn’t look away.

“You are a member of the Rossi family,” he continued calmly. “And the only thing that ends that… is death.”

For a moment, I just stared at him my mind screaming loudly but then instead of letting the panic explode outward, I swallowed it and then I let out a dry empty laugh,

“A member?” I repeated, my voice rising slightly. “I’m literally a ghost here. No one wants me around. No one cares if I exist. So why exactly do I have to stay?”

He tilted his head slightly, watching me like I was something interesting.

“What about your boyfriend?” he asked casually. “My son.”

My breath hitched just slightly but it was enough.

Whispers broke out immediately across the hall, low and shocked, and my eyes widened before I quickly looked away, my heart starting to beat faster than I liked.

He knows, of course he knows, he's a damn mafia boss for a reason m

Lorenzo chuckled softly. “Did you really think I wouldn’t know?”

I said nothing, i didn’t bother to confirm or deny it

He continued anyway, saying a few things about Luca’s attachment to me, about how obvious it had been, like it was some joke he had been watching unfold.

I clenched my jaw trying to control my emotions.

“No,” I said finally, my voice colder now. “There’s nothing between us anymore.”

I turned my head slightly, my eyes finally landing on Luca.

“And even if there was… I don’t share.”

My gaze shifted to Lucy.

“He cheated on me. With my own blood sister.”

The hall went quiet again and this time, I didn’t stop.

I was done protecting anyone when they all literally want to devour me.

“I walked in on it,” I continued, my voice steady but sharp. “Him tied to the bed like some toy, and her on top of him like she owned him. Real cute scene. You should’ve seen it.”

A few people shifted uncomfortably.

Some gasped softly but no one spoke.

I let out a small, humorless laugh. “So yeah… amazing love story. Brother and sister bonding activities.”

Murmurs spread through the hall, but no one spoke loud. I looked at Luca and Lucy.

They didn’t even look scared and they just stared back. Most of the family didn’t seem shocked either. Even my mom just rolled her eyes and called me a jealous little thing.

Luca’s brother Michael chuckled and leaned toward Luca. “Fucking two sisters? How thrilling, big brother.”

I looked around the hall slowly, my eyes moving from one face to another, and it hit me hard how no one was taking me seriously, like everything I just said meant nothing, like I was just making noise for no reason.

Some of them looked bored, some looked amused, and a few didn’t even bother hiding the fact that they didn’t care, and that alone made something in my chest tighten, but I forced myself to stay calm and steady, because breaking down here would only make it worse.

So I straightened a little, even on my knees, and lifted my head as I spoke again, my voice firm this time even though my heart was beating fast

.“I cannot be in this family anymore. I wanted to leave before but it wasn’t allowed, but now I’m asking everyone to support my decision. Let me go.”

Lorenzo didn’t even look surprised, he looked at me for a long momenet and said “When I say you cannot go anywhere, you cannot, Maya.”

Angry and frustrated, I asked again, “Why?”

He relaxed back in his big chair and said simply, “Because once you leave here, the Rossi family will lose its major brain.”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

For a second, I didn’t understand.

I blinked, confused, my brows pulling together as I stared at him. “What does that even mean?”

He looked at me like he had been waiting for this moment,

“I know,” he said simply, “every project Luca has ever submitted… was yours.”

The hall reacted immediately as gasps and whispers filled the room

People turning to look at me like they were seeing me for the first time but I didn’t look at them.

Because something cold had started spreading inside me.

“All those systems, those developments,” he continued, calm and sure, “they pushed this family forward faster than ever. So tell me… would I be a fool to let you leave after that?”

My chest tightened.

So this was it.

This was why.

It was never about family or anything else but just value.

Now they knew what I was worth… and that meant I wasn’t leaving.

Fear crept in slowly, the kind I didn’t want to feel and hated, but I couldn’t stop it because this wasn’t something I could code my way out od or fix with logic or skill.

I swallowed, forcing myself to stay steady, even as my eyes started to sting.

“I don’t have a future here,” I said, quieter now but still clear. “This place was never mine, I stayed because I thought I had something here, but I don’t, not anymore, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life being used like this. I just want to live… normally, even if it’s boring, even if it’s small, I just want something that’s mine.”

My voice wavered slightly at the end, and I hated that, I hated that they could see even a little bit of how I felt, but I couldn’t help it because the fear was getting stronger, pressing against my chest and making it hard to breathe.

Lorenzo suddenly chuckle and the sound made my stomach twist.

“My dear,” he said, “your future is here, with the Rossi family, you should know that.”

I shook my head immediately, my hands clenching slightly.

“No,” I said, my voice rising again. “I’m not staying.”

“You will marry Luca.”he announced then something snap in me completely.

“I will not,” I shot back without thinking, anger rushing in fast and hot, pushing the fear aside for a moment.

“I’m not marrying a man who cheats on me and sleeps with my sister, and let’s be honest, those two are clearly in love, so why don’t you just let them have each other?”

My eyes flicked to Luca and he was still watching me silently and that silence… it hurt more than anything he could have said.

Lorenzo sighed lightly, like he had expected that.

“That’s fine,” he said. “Luca is no longer available.”

Then he turned his head slightly.

“Michael. Carl. Stand.”

Both of them stood up immediately, calm, composed, like this was normal to them, like being called like that didn’t mean anything serious.

I frowned slightly, confusion creeping back in.

What was he planning?

Then Lorenzo looked at me again with that demonic smile and ordered,

“Choose one.”

My heart skipped.

“What?”

“I said, choose one of my two sons. You will be married in two days.”

I nearly passed out from the mix of fear and anger that hit me all at once. My head spun and my mouth went dry.

This couldn’t be happening. I stared at him, unable to speak, while the whole hall waited for my answer.