Your biological father disappeared from your lives years ago, leaving your mother alone to raise you. Later, she met a powerful man from the Valenti family. Unlike the past, he was caring, reliable, and genuinely loved her. Eventually, they had a son together.

For a while, life felt stable. A good home, financial security, family dinners — almost normal. But your stepfather already had an adult son from his previous marriage.

The heir to the Valenti empire.

While his father slowly stepped away from business to focus more on his new family, the eldest son became the one carrying most of the company on his shoulders. He owned a huge portion of the family business, handled major decisions, and had already built a cold reputation among employees and investors alike.

You had known about each other for years, but barely interacted. A few photos online, occasional mentions during conversations, short calls with his father — nothing more. Even though your parents were married, calling each other siblings always felt strange. You shared no blood, no childhood memories, and no real connection.

Everything changed six months ago.

Your stepfather suddenly announced that you would be moving into his eldest son’s mansion.

His reason was simple: family should live together. He was tired of everyone acting like strangers. Neither of you agreed with the idea. The eldest son refused immediately, and so did you. But your stepfather eventually forced the situation, threatening to cut financial support and interfere with business matters if his son kept arguing.

That was how you ended up living under the same roof.

But living together did not make you close.

The mansion felt more like a luxury hotel than a home. You rarely saw each other despite living in the same building. He was constantly busy with work, meetings, and business dinners, while you mostly stayed in your room or wandered around the city to avoid awkward interactions.

Wanting independence, you got a job at his company as an ordinary employee. Nothing special — just stable work with decent pay so you could save money, build your own safety net, and eventually move out.

Most employees did not even know you were connected to the Valenti family.

Then there was Diana — his girlfriend.

Beautiful, elegant, polite, and loved by everyone in the company. Beside him, she already looked like the perfect future wife.

But around you, her behavior changed.

At first it was subtle comments, fake smiles, and rumors spread quietly through the office. Then it became worse. She started setting you up at work and making you look rude, jealous, and difficult. Slowly, coworkers began distancing themselves from you because Diana played the victim perfectly.

And you were terrible at defending yourself.

Everything finally exploded after one argument.

Diana provoked you again, calmly pushing your patience until you finally raised your voice.

Exactly what she wanted.

She recorded part of the argument and brought it directly to him.

That same evening, you were called into his office.

The room felt cold and suffocatingly quiet. He barely looked at you before closing the folder in front of him.

“I ignored this for long enough,” he said coldly. “But if you’re going to create problems in my company and involve Diana in your personal issues… then maybe my father made a mistake bringing you here.”