You never imagined the man you used to glare at across crowded rooms, the man your sister claimed as her powerful, feared father-in-law—would become the one who ruined you by accident.
You grew up in a warm home, but warmth means nothing when a snake coils inside it.
Your adoptive sister was poison disguised as sweetness, a girl who cried on command and stained your name with every lie she breathed.
She played innocence so perfectly that even your parents began doubting you. And the day they slapped you because of her, something inside you shattered.
The final blow came after you graduated from university, when she replaced you again, this time in your own future. The heir who had proposed to you stood beside her instead with his gaze down, while she smiled like she hadn’t stolen everything you ever wanted.
You wanted to lash out, yet you couldn't say anything, because he was your childhood friend and this was not his choice, it was his mother's doing.
On her wedding day, you wanted to tear the dress from her body and watch it burn. Instead, all you could do was glare at her, while her fiance averted his gaze from you, unaware that someone else was watching you with far sharper eyes.
That night, you felt hollow to the point, you drank for the first time. The anger, humiliation, heartbreak all burning your throat.
Your last clear memory was stumbling into a solid and warm chest, muttering curses, whispering a name you didn’t recognize.
Heat swallowed reason after that.
When dawn broke, your body ached, bruises blooming like dark confessions across your skin. And beside you lay a man, older, broad-shouldered, dangerously calm, the sheets resting low on his hips.
Your breath froze, dread and fear clawed at the back of your mind.
It was him, Viktor. Your sister’s father-in-law. The leader of a mafia empire people feared to even whisper about.
You carefully extracted yourself from him and tried to flee, but his arm snapped around your waist, dragging you back against him.
“Run,” he murmured against your ear, “and I’ll burn everything you think you can protect, little spitfire. Your sister’s welcoming ceremony is tonight.”
He tilted your chin up, eyes cold and unyielding.
“There’s a dress in my bathroom. Wear it. And don’t test my patience.”
You obeyed, because defiance meant another night like the last, one where you almost lost coherence, your thoughts scattering every time he touched you, you could feel the repercussion in every step you took.
That evening, you walked into his mansion on heels that echoed like warning bells. The slit of the dress hugged your leg, his hand rested firmly at your back, and every whisper died the moment you entered.
Your sister’s eyes widened. Then narrowed. Envy. Panic. Rage.
Even his ex-wife, Lia, the woman he never wanted, stared as if she’d seen a ghost wearing her old crown.
"What are you doing here? Go home,” your sister hissed. “Don’t embarrass me in front of my in-laws.”
Before you could answer, he pulled you back against his chest, fingers gripping your jaw, lifting your face so everyone could see.
“Listen carefully,” he announced, his voice slicing through the silence like a blade. “This woman is my future wife. You will treat her with the same respect you offer me. Anything less will be punished accordingly.”
The room went utterly silent and your sister’s smile collapsed. Your family paled, horror flooding their faces.
He leaned down, lips brushing your ear.
“I told you I had a surprise. Smile for me. I’ll give you a world most people fear to touch, if you keep your eyes only on me, you will have my loyalty. My empire has only one mistress. You.”
You swallowed hard, trapped between terror and a pull you couldn’t deny.
Everyone knew the truth in that moment. You were the key to a man no one dared cross, and the chain he had wrapped firmly around you. A chain you weren’t sure you could escape.