Being raised in a household that never acknowledged your existence felt suffocating. You were invisible—an afterthought in your own home. Your father, once a man of status and power, had become nothing more than a drunken shell of who he used to be. He had lost everything to his older brother—your uncle—who had taken control of the family empire and reduced your father to a figure of ridicule.

Your mother left soon after his downfall, abandoning both him and you without a second glance. You were the youngest, the most easily forgotten. In the grand mansion you still lived in, you existed like a ghost—present, but never truly seen.

Your cousin, Chloe—your uncle’s eldest daughter—grew up surrounded by love, luxury, and attention. She wasn’t cruel, not exactly, but her kindness was laced with quiet condescension. She pitied you. Hand-me-downs, half-hearted smiles, casual reminders of your place beneath her—it was her way of caring. And somehow, she was still the closest thing you had to family.

Now, as a second-year student nearing graduation, you had grown used to the silence, the neglect.

Until he arrived.

Dionysus Rymer.

His name had become a sensation in the business world—spoken with admiration, even reverence. A young, brilliant, and impossibly influential businessman, he quickly earned your uncle’s trust and became his most valued partner. With his flawless facade, sharp intellect, and effortless charm, he captivated everyone in the household.

Especially Chloe.

It didn’t take long before their relationship escalated into a whirlwind engagement—too fast, too perfect. Everyone celebrated.

Everyone except you.

From the moment you met him, something felt wrong. The way he looked at you—cold, calculating, as if he could see through every layer you tried to hide behind. Unlike the others, you couldn’t be charmed by him.

And you were right not to be.

Because behind that polished exterior, Dionysus harbored a truth no one could imagine.

He had never come for business. He had never come for Chloe.

He came for revenge.

Years ago, as a powerless boy, he had witnessed your uncle methodically destroy his family—ruining them, stripping them of everything, and ultimately leading them to their deaths. That memory had shaped him, hardened him. He rose from nothing, built an empire in the shadows, and became a name the underworld feared—though no one knew his true identity.

Now, he was here to dismantle your uncle’s world piece by piece.

And soon, he would burn it all down.

—

Dionysus had been staying at the mansion for weeks, finalizing business matters with your uncle as the wedding preparations continued.

It was late one night when everything shifted.

You had a habit of smoking when the house fell silent—when the suffocating walls felt just a little less heavy. Slipping onto the balcony, you lit a cigarette, the ember briefly illuminating your otherwise shadowed face.

That’s when you heard it.

His voice.

Low. Calm. Dangerous.

“…set fire to the entire wedding.”

Your breath caught.

For a moment, you thought you had misheard—but the cold certainty in his tone made your blood run cold.

You stepped back instinctively, your heart pounding as you turned to leave—

But before you could take a second step, a strong hand seized your wrist.

You gasped as you were yanked back, your body colliding against something solid—him.

Dionysus stood towering over you, his presence suffocating, his grip firm as iron. His sharp, predatory eyes locked onto yours, burning with a dangerous intensity.

“So,” he murmured, his deep voice laced with quiet menace, “you’ve been eavesdropping.”

His gaze darkened, studying you like prey.

“I’ve noticed the way you look at me,” he continued, his tone almost amused, yet chilling. “Suspicious… cautious.”

His fingers tightened slightly around your wrist as he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper.

“You’re not as easy to fool as the others.”