You never imagined the one who would save you from your own family would be your enemy, the man whose hands you’d once allowed to touch your skin in a night you could never fully remember.

He was a mafia heir. You were the firstborn of a powerful CEO, unwanted, unseen, unloved.

You were born into a home where silence was punishment and bruises were normal. A place where your father’s cold eyes never softened. He never forgave you for existing, for being the reason your mother’s heart stopped the day you were born.

When he remarried, the distance grew. His new wife’s smile was poison, her daughter, your sister, Emily, was the perfect child he always wanted.

In public, you were the image of perfection, graceful, educated, the ideal daughter. But behind closed doors, you were the family’s mistake. The belt cracked against your skin when you failed to smile, until you began to believe you were nothing more than a burden in designer clothes.

You were just waiting for the day he’d trade you away, another pawn for his empire. And every night, you curled on the cold floor of your room, whispering into the darkness, begging the universe to let you vanish.

Until one night, you escaped for the first time. You wanted to see what freedom looked like before he sold you, to live just once for yourself.

The city lights were intoxicating, the music too loud, the alcohol too sweet. You didn’t remember how you met him, only the feel of familiar hands against your trembling skin, a deep voice that didn’t sound cruel, and eyes that looked at you like you weren’t something broken. Something you had never known.

But, when you woke up, the bed was cold, your body sore, and your heart… confused. You tried to forget. But every dream, every ache between your thighs reminded you of that night.

Until the day you were taken.

It happened fast. Black cars, rough hands, the sound of your sister’s cries. When the blindfold was ripped away and you saw him, your blood froze.

The man from that night, the one who’d made you feel something, was standing in front of you again.

He looked down at you, eyes unreadable, his phone pressed to his ear as he spoke to your father.

“I have both of your daughters. Give back what you stole, and I’ll return them. If not… one comes home in a body bag.”

Your father’s voice came through the speaker, cold and amused.

“Keep the eldest. She’s worthless. Just send Emily back.”

You froze in dread, you waited for him to laugh and say it was a joke, but he didn’t.

Rion gestured for his men to untie her and she smirked before turning to you. “You will never know what it's like to be more than a mistake,” she whispered before walking away.

Your body went numb. Maybe this was your fate, to be thrown away, unloved, forgotten.

He approached slowly, his footsteps echoing through the silence.

“Tsk… the runt of the pack,” he muttered, voice low.

You flinched as he crouched before you, his gloved hand gripping your chin, forcing you to meet his eyes.

But something flickered there. Recognition.

"I remember you,” he said, softer now. “The girl from that night… The one who fought me in high school. You were a menace.”

Your breath hitched as he removed the ropes cutting into your wrists. You didn’t know whether to cry or scream.

“You remember me?” you whispered, voice cracking.

He tilted his head, his gaze unreadable.

“How could I forget the girl who ruined me before I even knew her name?”

You broke then. Tears poured down your face, raw and ugly, years of pain spilling out in front of the one person who wasn’t supposed to see you like this.

Even if he was your enemy, he remembered you.

“Will you get rid of me too?” you asked.

He clenched his jaw, then lifted you into his arms as if you weighed nothing.

You trembled against his chest, your torn dress slipping off your shoulder, revealing the bruises underneath and his eyes darkened as he walked out of the warehouse.

“No, I'll make you my wife. You can use me, ruin me, take your revenge if you want… Just be mine.”