Chapter 1

The sky was overcast, mirroring the somber sea of black-clad mourners gathered below. Cyanelle Louise Natividad stood motionless, her gaze fixed upon the casket where the body of her twin sister, Chloe, lay in eternal rest.

Cyan had only just arrived in the Philippines from New York to attend the funeral. It remained a bitter, surreal pill to swallow—that at only twenty-six years old, her sister’s life had been claimed by leukemia.

"I don't understand why Zach even married that woman, knowing she was ill," a sharp whisper cut through the silence.

"You're right. I feel pity for Zach. He became a widower so young. She contributed nothing to their family and ended up being a burden. Perhaps it’s for the best that she’s gone. She was nothing but a weight on Zach’s shoulders..."

"Tell me about it! But it's the child I pity most. Zendaya is only seven, and now she’s motherless. Who will look after her now?"

Cyan wiped the stray tears from her cheeks as the venomous gossip of her brother-in-law’s relatives reached her ears. It felt as though they were blaming Chloe for her own illness, yet Cyan chose to remain silent rather than defend her sister’s memory.

Beyond her desire to avoid a scene, she was paralyzed by shame. Eight years had passed since she fled the Philippines to escape a marriage that was meant for her. She had chosen a life of independence and freedom, leaving Chloe to be the sacrificial lamb, stepping into her place at the altar at their parents' behest.

Years later, news reached her that Chloe had a daughter and seemed to be living a stable life with her husband, Zach Khaleed Samaniego. But then years later, the phone call came from her father saying her sister was gone.

"Forgive me for never visiting you, Chloe. I hope you find happiness wherever you are now that you couldn't find here," she whispered to the wind, watching as the casket was slowly lowered into the earth.

A sudden, piercing wail dominated the cemetery. Cyan turned to see a young girl trembling with grief. If she wasn't mistaken, that was Chloe’s daughter—Zendaya.

Standing beside the child was a tall, imposing man of undeniable stature—Zach, her sister's husband. He wore dark sunglasses, masking whatever expression his eyes might have held.

As time passed, the crowd thinned until only the immediate family remained. Her parents stayed behind to speak with the elder Samaniego, so Cyan waited off to the side, expecting they would all return to the mansion together.

While standing in the hallway of the mortuary, she saw Chloe’s husband and daughter walking toward her. She studied them closely. She couldn't help but feel that her sister had been fortunate to have such a family.

Chloe had always been simple; all she ever wanted was to graduate, help their parents, and start a family of her own—a stark contrast to Cyan’s own towering ambitions. In a way, her sister had achieved those dreams, though Cyan remained uncertain if Chloe and Zach had ever truly loved one another.

As they drew level with her, Zendaya looked up. The little girl’s eyes widened in shock.

"Mommy," she whispered breathlessly.

Cyan felt a lump form in her throat at the sound of the word. Zach cast a fleeting, cold glance toward her before redirecting his attention to his daughter.

"She’s not your mother, Zendaya," he said, his voice like ice, before walking past her without a second glance.

Cyan watched them go until they vanished from sight. A moment later, she started as her mother, Isabela, placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, let’s go home, Cyan."

Cyan nodded and followed her parents to the car. As she stepped back inside their mansion after all these years, the weight of the past came rushing back.

They had once been a happy family. Both of her parents worked for the real estate empire owned by the Samaniegos. While they weren't extraordinarily wealthy, they lived comfortably. Everything changed when her father, Roberto, lost a staggering amount of money to the Samaniegos.

He had fallen victim to a gambling addiction, and the debt was insurmountable. Their happy home fractured when the elder Don Samaniego demanded a unique form of payment: Cyan was to marry his grandson, Zach, as they could never hope to repay the billions of pesos her father owed.

She knew Zach. They had attended the same university and grew up in the same circles because the Don trusted her father with business matters.

In truth, she had harbored feelings for him once. But his demeanor toward her had always been cold, and her youthful infatuation wasn't enough to make her agree to a forced marriage. She was only eighteen then. She felt too young, terrified of the responsibilities, and possessed dreams she feared would wither if she were tied down so early.

So, she ran. She disappeared for years, leaving her father with no choice but to offer Chloe as a substitute to the Don’s grandson.

"Sit down, Cyan. We have something important to discuss," her father’s voice broke through her reverie.

She cleared her throat. "What is it, Dad?"

Roberto took a deep breath, looking as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Isabela squeezed her husband's hand in support.

"Now that your sister is gone, you can no longer return to New York to continue your modeling career."

Cyan’s head snapped up, her eyes wide. "But Dad..."

"Don Sebastian and I have spoken already. He wants you to take your sister's place. Zendaya needs a mother to care for her, and the Don has chosen you. You will marry Zach."

Cyan stared at Roberto in utter disbelief. Was he serious? Her sister was barely in the ground, and they already wanted her to replace Chloe in Zach and Zendaya’s lives?

"I won't do it, Dad! This is a total disrespect to Chloe’s memory! Her period of mourning hasn't even begun!" she countered firmly.

She almost jumped as her father slammed his hand onto the table in a fit of rage, his eyes flashing. "And what do you want to happen? For your mother and me to end up in prison because we can't pay our debts? You ran away from your responsibility once. We all understood—even your sister—because you were young. But you are a woman now, Cyan. You must face your fate. You are the only one who can save us."

Cyan frowned, confused. "I thought the debt was settled when Chloe married him?"

Her father closed his eyes tightly before speaking again. "As long as Don Sebastian is breathing, we are eternally in his debt. So, whether you like it or not, you will marry Zach and continue the family your sister started!”