P R O L O G U E

INTRODUCTION

Anneliesse’s POV

I kept my head down, my tears falling endlessly onto my lap as I sat in front of my parents. The silence inside our living room felt heavier than any punishment I could ever receive, and every passing second only made it harder for me to breathe. I could feel their eyes on me, waiting for an explanation, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at either of them.

We had just returned from the university, where we had been summoned to the Guidance Counselor’s office because of the scandal that had completely destroyed my reputation.

“Tell us what happened, Eliesse,” my mother said, her voice trembling.

Mama Marissa was looking at me, and I couldn’t bear to see the pain in her eyes. She looked like she was trying so hard to hold back her tears, desperately waiting for me to say something that would make all of this less terrible. She was a lawyer, a strong, respected, and composed woman who had spent most of her life dealing with difficult cases and people. She was someone who never easily lost her composure, even when facing the most intimidating individuals in a courtroom. But right now, she wasn’t a lawyer. She was simply my mother, a woman who was scared and hurting because her daughter was suffering.

I couldn’t look at her. I couldn’t look at Papa either. Both of them were standing in front of me, waiting for an explanation I was too ashamed to give. Papa was standing a little farther away, near the window, with his arms crossed over his chest. Although he wasn’t saying anything, I knew he was listening carefully to every word Mama and I exchanged.

One week.

It had been one whole week since my life had turned into a nightmare. One week since that cursed video spread across the university like wildfire, reaching people I didn’t even know and turning me into the subject of everyone’s conversation.

One week of whispers.

One week of judgmental stares.

One week of cruel laughter every time I walked through the hallways.

One week of desperately wishing I could disappear.

That video showed me wearing nothing but my bra and panties, holding adult toys like some kind of shameless woman who had willingly decided to expose herself to the entire university. The people who watched it didn’t care about the truth. They didn’t care about what had happened before the recording or why I had been in that situation in the first place. All they saw was what was presented to them, and that was enough for them to judge me.

Some even shared screenshots and made disgusting comments about my body. Others laughed whenever I passed by, while some deliberately opened the video on their phones just to humiliate me further.

I wanted to disappear every single day.

And the worst part? It wasn’t even supposed to happen.

It was a stupid mistake, a carefully arranged trap, and a humiliation planned by the cruelest person I had ever trusted—Romano Castellano.

Even thinking about his name made my chest burn with anger and shame. I hated him. I hated the way he had made me believe that I could trust him, only to use that trust against me when he realized he couldn’t have what he wanted.

“I’m sorry, Mama… Papa.” That was all I managed to say before I broke down again. “I failed you… I’m so sorry…”

My voice cracked so badly that I barely recognized it. I pressed my lips together, desperately trying to stop myself from crying, but the tears kept falling. I felt so ashamed of myself, as though I had committed something unforgivable.

It wasn’t only because of the video. It was because I had dragged the good name of the Sarmiento family into this mess.

Mama and Papa were both respected lawyers. Their names were known throughout the university, and people admired them for their professionalism, intelligence, and integrity. They had spent years building their reputations, earning the respect of their colleagues and everyone around them. Yet here I was, their daughter, becoming the center of the dirtiest scandal on campus.

I couldn’t help feeling that I had ruined everything they had worked so hard to build.

The irony was even crueler because I wasn’t their biological daughter. I had been adopted by them when I was still young. My biological father was killed when I was still a baby, and my aunt had arranged for me to be adopted by the Sarmientos because she believed they could give me a better life and they did.

They gave me everything I could ever ask for. They gave me a home, a family, love, and a future I might never have experienced otherwise. They spoiled me, protected me, and treated me as their own child. Never, not even once, had they made me feel that I was different or that I didn’t belong to them.

They never reminded me that I was adopted whenever I made a mistake. They never made me feel that I owed them anything for taking me into their family. I grew up believing that I was just as much their daughter as any child born from their blood.

That was why this hurt even more.

I had stained their name. I had disappointed the only people who had ever truly loved me without asking for anything in return.

Papa crossed his arms, but I could see the pain behind his stern expression. He had always been the calmer one between them, someone who preferred listening before making a decision. However, I knew that beneath his composed appearance was a father who wanted to protect his daughter from anyone who dared to hurt her.

“Eliesse,” he said softly, his voice far removed from the intimidating tone he used when interrogating a criminal in the courtroom. “We need to know the truth, anak, so we can figure out what needs to be done.”

I bit my lower lip so hard that it started to hurt.

The Guidance Counselor had said the same thing earlier. She had asked me to explain everything first before showing the video to my parents. Thank God they still hadn’t seen it. I didn’t think I could survive watching their faces while that video played in front of them. I couldn’t imagine the disappointment, the anger, or the heartbreak that might appear in their eyes.

I clenched my fists on my lap, trying to gather enough courage to speak.

This was Romano’s fault.

That arrogant, spoiled, disgusting man.

Romano Castellano, the campus heartthrob, the rich heir, and the son of the most feared man in the city.

Everyone loved him. Everyone wanted his attention, and everyone seemed willing to overlook his terrible behavior simply because he was handsome, wealthy, and came from one of the most powerful families in the country.

Even the university authorities treated him differently. His mistakes were easily dismissed, his complaints were immediately addressed, and the people around him seemed afraid of doing anything that might offend him.

He and his stupid gang treated women like entertainment. They would approach girls, make ridiculous bets about who could get them to fall in love, and laugh whenever someone became the victim of their games. They humiliated people for fun, knowing that their money and family connections would protect them from the consequences.

And I became their favorite target because I refused him.

I rejected Romano when he thought every girl should fall at his feet. I wasn’t interested in his money, his expensive gifts, or his ridiculous attempts to impress me. I had made it clear that I wanted nothing to do with him, but apparently, that was something his pride couldn’t accept.

I should have known he wouldn’t let that humiliation pass.

It started with harmless teasing. Then came the rumors, the embarrassing photographs, and the threats. Every time I tried to ignore them, they found another way to make my life miserable. I thought they would eventually get tired of bothering me, especially when I refused to give them the reaction they wanted.

But I was wrong.

They had planned everything carefully, and I had foolishly trusted the wrong person. I never imagined that Romano would go as far as destroying my reputation just because I rejected him.

I inhaled shakily and opened my mouth, but the words seemed to disappear before I could even form a proper sentence.

What was the point of telling them?

There was nothing we could do against the Castellano family. They were practically untouchable. They were the ones who made the rules in this city, and their influence extended far beyond its borders. They owned companies worth billions, controlled several major businesses, and maintained connections with politicians, government officials, and influential personalities.

People often talked about their family being involved in the mafia. At first, I thought those stories were nothing more than exaggerated rumors, the kind of tales people invented whenever they saw someone becoming too powerful. But as I grew older, I realized that there was something terrifyingly real behind those stories.

Most people knew the truth. They simply pretended not to.

The Castellanos weren’t ordinary wealthy businessmen. Their power wasn’t limited to their businesses or their political connections. There were things happening behind closed doors that nobody dared to investigate, and people who had attempted to challenge them often ended up regretting it.

They practically owned this entire city.

So what would happen if my parents decided to fight them? What if they filed a case against Romano? What if they tried to expose what he had done?

Would the university even support me? Would the authorities listen to our complaints? And more importantly, how could I be certain that my parents would remain safe?

I couldn’t risk their lives just because I wanted justice.

But they were my parents, and they deserved to know the truth. I couldn’t continue hiding everything from them, especially when they were already suffering because of what had happened to me.

“S-Si Romano… he—”

I had barely managed to say his name when Mama’s eyes widened. She immediately understood who I was talking about, and I saw her expression change. Her lips parted slightly, as though she wanted to ask something but couldn’t find the right words.

“He…”

I swallowed hard, trying to force myself to continue.

Before I could finish, the loud screeching of tires echoed from outside.

We all froze.

The sound was too sudden and aggressive, as though someone had deliberately slammed the brakes of an expensive vehicle right in front of our house. It was followed by the sound of another car stopping behind it.

Papa immediately turned toward the window and walked closer. He carefully pulled the curtain aside, looking outside to see who had arrived.

I watched him from my seat, wondering who could possibly be visiting us at this hour. But the moment I saw his entire body go rigid, an unfamiliar feeling of dread crept into my chest.

His eyes widened after a moment.

For the first time in my life, I saw fear on my father’s face.

“Papa?”

He didn’t answer immediately. He continued staring outside, his fingers gripping the curtain as though he had just witnessed something he never expected to see.

I slowly stood up, my heart beginning to pound against my chest.

“What is it, Papa?” Mama asked, taking a step toward him.

Papa slowly turned to look at us. His expression had changed completely, and even his usual composure seemed to have disappeared.

His voice came out almost like a whisper.

“It’s… Zavier Castellano…”

My blood turned cold.

Romano’s father.

Everyone in this city knew that name. Even those who had never met him knew exactly who he was. Zavier Castellano was a business tycoon, a respected philanthropist, and one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the country. His face frequently appeared in newspapers and business magazines, usually accompanied by photographs of him attending charity galas, corporate events, and gatherings with powerful political figures.

He was the kind of man people admired from a distance.

But behind closed doors, he was far more dangerous than the newspapers would ever admit.

People didn’t call him a criminal. They didn’t need to. They simply lowered their voices whenever they spoke his name, because fear had no need for proof.

He was a man who could destroy someone’s entire life without raising his voice. His influence reached places ordinary people could never access, and even those who considered themselves powerful knew better than to cross him and now, he was outside our house.

Why?

What could possibly bring a man like him to our doorstep?

Mama immediately stood up, her expression turning serious.

“What is he doing here?”

Papa looked back outside, his face becoming even more unreadable. I noticed that he seemed to be struggling to find the right words, which only made the growing fear inside me worse.

“He… he is walking towards our door.”

My breathing stopped.

No.

It couldn’t be.

Why would Zavier Castellano come here? Did he know what his son had done to me? Had Romano told him about the scandal? Or was he here because he had discovered that I was about to expose his son?

My fingers began trembling, and I instinctively took a step backward.

Mama looked at Papa before turning her attention to me. I could see the questions in her eyes, but I couldn’t answer any of them. My mind was already racing through every possible reason for his unexpected visit.

Then came the sound of footsteps approaching our front door. As though the man outside already knew that nobody inside this house would dare refuse him entry.

I stared at the door, unable to move.

A moment later, the doorbell rang.

And just like that, I realized that the nightmare I had been trying to escape for an entire week might have only just begun.