Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: The Fall of the Lion

Eliesse’s POV

The entire atmosphere froze as Zavier Castellano emerged from the shadows of the hotel’s long hallway. Every step of his expensive shoes against the thick carpet was completely silent, yet every movement carried an overwhelming sense of power. If Romano possessed a dangerously attractive face framed by rough stubble, Zavier was the very definition of a man whose eyes you wouldn’t dare meet without feeling your entire body tremble. To me, it was like looking at the king of the jungle himself. He didn’t look like a monster. In fact, he was incredibly handsome.

“F-Father…” Romano stammered again, his face completely drained of color.

His right hand, the same one that had grabbed my arm so painfully just moments ago, slowly dropped to his side. It was trembling, seemingly unsure of where to rest.

Zavier didn’t answer. He simply stopped a few feet away from us, standing tall as he calmly adjusted the cuffs of his flawless charcoal suit. However, his cold, dark eyes remained fixed on his son. I could almost feel the invisible wall standing between them, a barrier built from fear, authority, and absolute submission.

“I asked you a question, Romano,” Zavier’s voice was smooth, deep, and soft.

He didn’t need to shout to make his authority known. In fact, he was even more frightening when he remained silent and composed.

“Is that how I raised you to treat a lady?”

“N-No, Father… I—I didn’t know,” Romano quickly replied, taking a step backward as his broad shoulders suddenly slumped.

The drop-dead gorgeous campus heartthrob who had looked so commanding earlier was now nothing more than a terrified boy standing before his father.

“I didn’t mean to—”

“You didn’t know?” Zavier interrupted smoothly, taking one sharp step forward.

In a swift and completely unexpected movement, before Romano could even finish his sentence, Zavier raised his hand and delivered a powerful slap across his son’s right cheek.

I gasped, immediately covering my mouth.

The sound of Zavier’s palm striking Romano’s face echoed throughout the empty hotel hallway. The impact was so forceful that Romano’s head snapped to the left, his dark bangs falling over his eyes. The strength of the blow sent him dropping onto one knee, his hand immediately flying to his injured cheek, which was already turning red.

I instinctively stepped backward, stunned by what I had just witnessed. I never expected Zavier to strike his own son in the middle of a public hotel hallway.

“Dad…” Romano said, his voice cracking from both physical pain and humiliation. He looked up, his breathing uneven, his dark eyes filled with disbelief. “You… you slapped me? Because of her?”

“Because of her?” Zavier looked down at him, his expression completely indifferent, as though he had merely swatted away an irritating fly.

He slowly reached into his suit pocket, pulled out a silk handkerchief, and casually wiped his palm, as if touching Romano had somehow made his hand dirty.

“She is not just anyone, Romano. Have you forgotten the announcement I made a month ago?”

Romano furrowed his brows while remaining on one knee. He slowly looked up at his father, confusion written all over his face.

“The announcement? You mean… the contract marriage? The one with the old—”

He suddenly stopped speaking.

It was as though a missing piece of a complicated puzzle had finally fallen into place inside his head. Romano slowly shifted his gaze from his father toward me. His eyes, which had been filled with mocking malice just moments ago, widened with overwhelming shock and fear.

His lips parted slightly, but no words came out for several seconds.

“No…” Romano whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. “No, that’s impossible. You… she’s getting married to… to you?”

“Yes, Romano,” Zavier replied, his voice colder than ice. “Anneliesse Sarmiento is my fiancée. She is the woman who will soon carry the Castellano name as my wife. Which means the woman you just disrespected, the woman you held so aggressively, is your future stepmother.”

Words couldn’t describe how completely dumbfounded the once-arrogant Romano looked.

Every word that came out of Zavier’s mouth felt like a sharp arrow piercing through his son’s pride and dignity. I could clearly see Romano’s jaw tightening as he stared at me. His expression was now a mixture of emotions: shock, humiliation, disgust, and above all, overwhelming fear. He had assumed that I had simply found some wealthy old sugar daddy to hide my shame. Never, not even in his worst nightmares, had he imagined that the very man who owned this entire city, the father he feared so much, was the man everyone had been talking about.

“But, D-Dad—”

“I told you to leave,” Zavier interrupted. “Get out of my sight before I lose my patience completely.”

Romano looked at his father, knowing that any further argument would mean his complete destruction. He finally realized that he had no chance of winning against him. He glanced at me one last time, his eyes filled with a mixture of burning hatred and defeat, before quickly turning around. He nearly stumbled over his own feet in his desperate attempt to get away from his father.

When Romano finally disappeared from our sight, the deafening silence returned to the hallway.

I was left alone with this man.

I stood there, clenching my fists at the sides of my gown, my breathing slightly uneven. I swallowed hard. I had just witnessed how he punished his own son, and in a way, I should have been satisfied because I had finally seen the man who ruined my life brought to his knees. I should have felt some sense of revenge after watching Romano kneel before his father in fear, but I wasn’t happy.

I looked at Zavier Castellano, and all I felt was a cold, unsettling uneasiness.

This man wasn’t a hero who had arrived to rescue a helpless woman. He was a monster who had simply disciplined his cub for touching what belonged to him.

And that property was me.

Zavier slowly turned toward me. He slipped his handkerchief back into his suit pocket and examined me from head to toe. His gaze was scrutinizing, as though he were inspecting his expensive possession for any damage or imperfections.

“Are you hurt, Anneliesse?” he asked, his voice returning to its usual formal and cold tone.

“I’m fine, Mr. Castellano,” I replied, doing my best to maintain the distance and formality between us.

I didn’t call him my fiancé, and I certainly didn’t address him by his first name.

“Good,” he said, taking a step toward me. “My men reported that you wished to attend this event. I allowed it because I expected you to behave like a proper Castellano fiancée. I did not expect you to sneak out into hallways with my son.”

His accusation immediately made my blood boil. I looked up and met his dark eyes with a glare.

“I did not sneak out with him. He cornered me inside the ballroom, and when I chose to walk away, he followed me here and grabbed my arm. You can ask your security if you don’t believe me.”

Zavier’s lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. It wasn’t a smile of kindness, but one of amusement.

“I know. My men already told me everything before I walked in. I am simply testing your composure, Anneliesse.”

“Testing me?” I asked, my voice rising slightly. “For what? Is this whole arrangement just a game to you?”

“Everything in my life is business, Anneliesse. And right now, you are a very important part of that business,” he replied, taking another step closer until he was near enough for me to catch his breath.

“You signed the documents Marcelo brought you. You accepted the title. That means you are no longer just a victim of a campus scandal. You represent me now.”

“I only signed those papers to protect my parents,” I answered firmly. “Don’t think I’m doing this because I like you or because I’m thrilled to be associated with your family. I hate your son, and honestly, I don’t trust you either.”

“I don’t need your trust, and I certainly don’t need your affection,” Zavier replied smoothly, completely unaffected by my harsh words.

He reached out his hand, and for a moment, I wanted to move away. However, I forced myself to remain still. He gently touched the fabric of my gown near my shoulder, fixing a small crease. His fingers were warm, but his touch felt like iron.

“What I need from you is your cooperation. You will smile when I tell you to smile, and you will stand by my side whenever I require your presence. In exchange, your parents will continue to live their peaceful lives, and your name will remain untouched.”

I found myself holding my breath as I stared at him.

Zavier had been abroad for an entire month, and during that time, I had managed to experience a little peace and comfort inside his mansion. However, now that he was standing right in front of me, I finally realized that the real game was only beginning. His return was proof that the forced protection I had been enjoying was nothing more than an enormous contract with an equally enormous price.

“Why are you doing this, Mr. Castellano?” I finally asked the question that had been haunting me for an entire month. “If all you wanted was to punish Romano or clean up my family’s reputation, there were plenty of other ways to do it. You could have paid me, or perhaps sent me abroad quietly. Why do you have to use your own name? Why make me your fiancée?”

Zavier stared at me for a long moment. His eyes resembled a deep well whose bottom no one could ever see.

He lowered his hand from my shoulder and turned around, gazing down the empty hallway.

“Because the dynamics of this city are changing, Anneliesse,” he said, his voice cold and analytical. “My political enemies are watching my every move. They thought Romano’s scandal would give them enough ammunition to destroy my public reputation before the next elections. By making you my fiancée, I turned a chaotic scandal into a story of protection and power. I showed them that no one can touch what belongs to me. You are the perfect shield, and at the same time, the perfect lesson for my son.”

He turned toward me again, his expression serious.

“You wanted to survive, didn’t you? This is how you survive in my world. You become the predator’s mate so the other beasts won’t dare to bite you.”

I swallowed hard as the realization washed over me like a cold wave.

This wasn’t just about me, my parents, or Romano. This was a much bigger game involving power and politics among the upper echelons of society, and I was the chosen pawn Zavier intended to use to win it.

“Now,” Zavier said, extending his arm toward me and inviting me to take it, “the event inside is coming to an end. It is time for us to leave. The media is waiting outside the hotel, and they need to see the happy couple.”

I stared at his extended arm.

Every part of my body wanted to run away, to follow Romano’s example and hurry out of this hotel. I wanted my old life back. I wanted my simple family and my ordinary classes, but I knew there was nothing left for me to return to. The moment I signed that agreement a month ago, I had permanently closed the door to my past.

I took a deep breath, gathered my courage, and slowly slipped my hand around his arm. I held on to him, feeling the solid muscle beneath his expensive suit.

I lifted my chin despite every instinct telling me otherwise.

“Good girl,” Zavier whispered, his voice dangerously close to my ear as we began walking together toward the exit. “Let’s go home, mistress.”

As we walked toward the hotel’s entrance, I could feel something changing inside me. I wasn’t happy to see this man again, but I knew that starting tonight, I would have to become stronger.

If he intended to use me as his shield, then I would use his name to make sure no one would ever dare step on me again, especially when it came to my parents.