Skye’s POV

My phone buzzed the moment I reached my door.

Come to room 201

I stared at the screen, my hand hovering over the lock button. I’d been awake for nineteen hours. My head throbbed, and the thought of a shower was the only thing keeping me upright. But Serena didn't care about schedules.

I let out a breath and headed for the elevator.

The door to 201 wasn't just unlocked, it was ajar. Then the sound hit me. Low moans echoing into the hallway.

I stopped short. My stomach did a slow, sick flip. Was she serious? She’d summoned me to witness this? For someone with her level of fame, the recklessness was baffling. Anyone could walk past.

I should have turned around. But I was too exhausted for her nonsense . I pushed the door open.

And froze.

It was Serena and….

"Alex."

His name slipped from my mouth before I could stop it.

He turned sharply. His eyes widening in shock

They were both completely naked. His hands restedon her hips, her body pressed impossible close, too intimate for my mind to process all at once.

"What the hell?" he blurted

He stepped back, snatched a robe from the bed and wrapped it around himself.

"Skye" he said, moving toward me "It's not what you're thinking."

I stumbled backward, my heart slamming violently against my ribs. "Then what is going on?" I shouted, my entire body shaking.

"What you saw…is exactly what you think"

Serena said calmly, picking up a white robe from the floor and draping it over herself.

The truth hit me all at once.

This had been her plan. She wanted me to see this, to walk in on them like this. To humiliate me. To break me.

My boyfriend.

Wasn't he supposed to be in Rome for a business conference? How had he even..

"How long has this been going on?" I asked, forcing my voice to stay steady.

"Ten months.” Alex said. He didn't even look ashamed anymore.

Ten months!

We had only been dating for a year and for most of that time, he had been sleeping with Serena too.

My legs nearly gave out.

I stepped closer to him and gripped the front of his robe, my hands trembling as if they no longer belonged to me.

"Why?" I whispered.

Then my voice broke. "Why her, Alex? Out of all the women in the world, why did it have to be Serena?"

"What do you think?" Serena said lazily.

I turned. She was already at the minibar, pouring a glass of wine with steady hands. She looked at me over the rim of the glass, her eyes cold.

"I'm a superstar," she said mockingly "Daughter of the Vaughn family, and who are you?"

I looked back at Alex, waiting for him to defend me. Waiting for the man who told me status was bullshit to say something. Instead, he pulled my hands off his robe as if I were a stain.

"Let’s be realistic, Skye." Alex said, his voice flat "I spent a year playing house with you, but we were never going to work in the real world”

The room went silent

Before I could find my voice, Serena was already in front of me. She slid her arms around his waist, staking her claim.

He didn't stop her, nor hesitate.

I stepped back slowly, my chest tightening as I lowered my head.

"He said it all, He’s a De Luca" Serena said coolly. "And you are

just a street child my father brought home because he felt sorry for you”

My fingers clenched, then unclenched, my nails biting into my palms as I forced myself to look up at her

"I am not a street child" I said, my voice trembling. "I am…”

"You are no one, Skye," Serena cut in sharply. Then she smiled. "You have no parents. You're completely alone."

The words sank deep.

I had always brushed off Serena's cruelty, telling myself she was spoiled and judgmental, someone who spoke without thinking. But this time, she was right.

I was alone.

I thought I had someone. I thought Alex was mine.

But he wasn't with me now. Maybe he never had been.

The tears I had been holding back finally broke free, spilling down my cheeks in hot, uncontrollable streaks. It hurt so much more than I thought pain could.

I can't cry here.

I lifted my hand to wipe them away. And Serena caught my wrist.

"Cry, honey" she said softly. "Don't wipe them off so quickly"

I looked at her and saw it…that same familiar amusement. The look she always wore whenever I broke down.

She’d been doing this since I was nine. Pushing, prodding, waiting for the moment I finally snapped.

I didn't think, i just reacted. I yanked my arm back and slapped her hard across the face.

Serena’s head jerked to the side. She stumbled back, the wine glass shattering against the floor as she crashed into Alex’s chest.

They stared at me in shock, especially Serena. And for the first time that night...

I felt something other than pain.

I felt thrilled.

“Does sleeping with a street child’s boyfriend make you special?" I spat. I didn't recognize my own voice, it was low and dangerous. "It doesn't. It just makes you cheap. Which, honestly, suits you perfectly."

Serena’s mouth fell open, her hand clutching her reddening cheek. "You…"

I didn't give her the satisfaction of a second look. I turned toward Alex, but he was already invisible to me. "You both deserve each other," I said.

I made it three steps toward the door.

When my hair was yanked back violently. I screamed as I was dragged backward and thrown hard onto the ground.

I didn't even have time to gasp before she was over me.

Her palm struck my cheek, so hard my ears rang, my vision blurred

"How dare you treat me like that?" she screamed. Her face turned into something ugly and unrecognizable. She grabbed my hair again, twisting until my scalp felt like it was tearing away from my skull.

"I am Serena Vaughn. Top actress and you? You are just my assistant. You will always be beneath me…your whole miserable life."

She shoved my head toward the floor and stood up, breathing hard.

Alex stepped up behind her, his hand settling on her waist. He didn't look at me. Only at her, checking for bruises as if I were the villain.

I pushed myself up. My joints were screaming, and my face felt hot and swollen, but I didn't say another word.

I walked out.

The second the door clicked shut,

Everything crashed in on me. I didn't wait for the elevator. I hit the stairs, my hand clamped over my mouth to stifle the sobs that were trying to tear their way out.

I needed to get away,

From that room

From that hotel

From everything

Skye’s POV

I ended up in a club.

I didn't even know how.

People said drowning yourself in alcohol made the pain hurt less.

So why did it still ache, even after three bottles?

"One more," I muttered, sliding my almost empty glass toward the bartender.

He paused mid-wipe and glanced at me, his eyes sweeping over my clothes, my posture, the way I leaned against the counter. The look he gave me wasn't

concern. It was judgment.

Like I was some broke joke who couldn't afford another drink.

Even the bartender was looking down on me.

I swallowed hard. Why is my life so miserable?

From losing my parents at the age of nine…To being taken in by uncle Loid Vaughn, the man who saved me from the accident and gave me a roof over my head.

A roof that never felt like home.

His wife hated my presence. His daughter despised my existence.

And life with them was hell, especially whenever he traveled for business.

I clenched my jaw.

If my parents hadn't died.... would my life be different? Would I still be treated like something unwanted?

I downed the last of the alcohol in my glass and stood abruptly.

The room tilted. My stomach gave a warning growl.

I glanced back at the bartender. "Where's the restroom?"

He didn't even look at me. Just kept wiping the same glass like I hadn't spoken at all.

Seriously?

I gripped my phone tightly and turned away. Fine. I'll find it myself.

I pushed through the crowd, sweaty bodies, pounding music until I finally spotted the restroom sign.

After I was done, I didn’t return to the bar. I stepped outside

The cool night air hit my face as I walked into the wide, dimly lit parking lot.

I was halfway across the lot when I heard it.

A sob.

I stopped walking.

The sound was raw, the kind of sobbing that comes from the gut. I followed it toward the back of the lot, where the streetlights didn’t reach.

I hid behind a black SUV and peeked out.

A woman was kneeling on the ground, her hands clasped as she begged.

I squinted, trying to make sense of the scene. Even in the dark, the way she moved was graceful. Then the light from a passing car caught her face.

My breath hitched.

Celeste.

The face plastered across billboards from here to the coast. The highest-paid model in the country was kneeling in the dirt like a servant.

Standing over her was a man in a tailored suit. Tall, broad-shouldered and undeniably masculine. I couldn't see his face clearly.

"You’ve had enough chances," the man said coldly. "You wasted every one of them."

Celeste grabbed his leg desperately. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have confessed my feelings for you. I know I broke the contract rule—please, l'm begging you."

Contract?

My stomach tightened.

The man crouched slowly and gripped her chin, forcing her face up.

“I gave you everything," he said quietly. "Fame. Wealth. A name people actually recognize. But you broke the one rule that mattered. The moment you fell in love with me, Celeste, you became a liability”

He stood abruptly, shaking her hand off his leg as if she were a piece of trash.

My hand flew to my mouth. This can't be what I think it is…right?

Two men appeared out of nowhere. They grabbed Celeste and dragged her away as she screamed and pleaded.

She didn't look like the confident woman I saw on social media. But rather pitiful.

The man didn't watch her go. He simply pulled a cigarette from a silver case and lit it. The flame revealed a face that was devastatingly handsome and somehow familiar.

Where have I seen him before?

I fumbled for my phone, instinctively wanting to search his face, even though I didn't know his name.

"Come out, woman."

The sound of his voice froze me in place.

My hand trembled.

I looked up.

He wasn't staring at me, his gaze was fixed on the ground as he took another drag from his cigarette.

Did he see me?

"For the last time” he said, finally lifting his head. "Come here."

This time, his eyes locked onto mine.

There was no mistaking it. I had been caught.

I lowered my head and stepped out from behind the car but I didn't move any further.

"Closer" he ordered.

I swallowed hard and obeyed.

When I stopped, I was barely two inches away from him. The air between us felt suffocating, charged with something I didn't understand.

Suddenly, he snatched my phone from my hand.

"Hey.." I reached for it instinctively.

One glare from him was enough to shut me up.

He scrolled through my phone slowly. I watched his face instead—his raised brow, the slight curve of his lips as a smirk appeared.

Did he think I'd been recording them?

"I didn't do anything wrong," I said quickly. " just..”

I stopped when he looked at me and handed the phone back.

"You heard it all,” he said. And it wasn’t a question. He took a long drag of his cigarette.

I nodded.

He leaned back against the car, studying me with the detached curiosity one might show a strange insect.

"So," he said nonchalantly, "what are you planning to do with what you know?"

I bit my lip so hard it stung. "Nothing," I whispered. Then, against every instinct screaming at me to stay quiet, I added shakily, "I'm interested."

His brow lifted. "Elaborate, woman."

My heart thundered as I stared at the ground. "I mean... you could invest in me. And I promise I won't fall in love with you."

The silence that followed felt suffocating.

Then he laughed. Not softly, not kindly either. Like I'd just told him the most ridiculous joke he'd ever heard.

He stepped closer and lifted my chin roughly, forcing me to look at him.

"Do you have any idea what you're saying?" he asked.

Of course I didn't. The words had spilled out before fear could stop them.

"And do you know what you'd have to do," he continued mockingly, "to make me invest in you?"

I said nothing.

He shoved my chin aside and blew smoke straight into my eyes.

"You're not qualified, woman," he said flatly.

Then he turned away. "Get lost. And don't ever appear in front of me again."

I nodded frantically, and ran.

What was I even thinking?

I climbed onto my scooter with shaking hands and sped into the night. My thoughts spiraling unaware that I had just crossed paths with the one man who would change everything.

Skye’s POV

Ring. Ring.

I reached for my phone blindly, my eyes still shut, and swiped the screen before bringing it to my ear.

"Hello?" My voice was thick with sleep.

"Don't tell me you're still sleeping, Skye."

My eyes flew open.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at the screen.

Uncle Loid.

I sat upright instantly. "Good morning, Uncle," I said quickly.

"It's not morning" he replied. "It's 3:30 p.m. Have you forgotten we're attending a birthday celebration at the De Luca mansion today?"

My grip on the phone tightened.

Right. The party, the day I had been circling on my calendar for a month.

Before I could respond, he continued,

"You have thirty minutes to get ready and be at the mansion."

"Uncle.." I started.

"No excuses," he cut in. "Don't be late."

The call ended.

I stared at the dark screen, my chest feeling oddly tight.

I didn't want to go.

I am sure Serena and her mother wouldn't want me there either. They never did.

A week ago, I was excited. I thought tonight was the night Alex would finally stop keeping me a secret. I thought I’d finally belong somewhere. Now, the thought of the De Luca mansion made me want to throw up

But I couldn't say no to Uncle Loid. He was the only person who looked at me without seeing a street child.

Enough thinking, Skye.

I pushed myself off the bed but the moment I stood up, memories from the night before crashed into me.

The parking lot.

Celeste on her knees.

That man's cold eyes.

His cigarette smoke.

His voice.

You're not qualified, woman.

I sank back onto the bed.

"Fuck" I muttered.

I buried my face in the pillow and screamed, letting everything out.

When I finally lifted my head, my chest felt lighter.

I forced myself up and got ready.

When I stood in front of the mirror, I barely recognized the girl staring back at me.

There was nothing special about my outfit, just a simple red dress and cheap matching heels. I let my long hair fall freely and didn't bother with makeup.

****^*******

The moment I arrived at the party, no one looked my way. Just as I expected, they probably thought I was just another servant.

I had come straight to the event, leaving the Vaughn family behind.

"You actually showed up?”

I turned. Serena stood a few feet away, polished and radiant in a gown that probably cost more than my scooter. Alex was beside her, his hand resting possessively at the small of her back…the way I once believed was meant for me.

I didn't answer. Just as I tried to brush past them, my body jerked to a stop.

Serena had planted her designer heel firmly on the hem of my dress.

"Go on," she taunted softly "Move, Skye. I want to see how well that cheap fabric holds up."

I stood frozen, my jaw tight enough to crack. If I moved, the dress would tear, and I’d be standing half naked in the middle of the De Luca ballroom.

"What's going on here?"

I looked up to see Uncle Loid standing in front of us, his gaze darting between Serena’s foot and my face.

Serena quickly lifted her foot and smiled sweetly."Nothing, Dad. Just, caught a loose thread"

I caught a flicker of displeasure in his eyes, but before he could press her, Serena turned to Alex.

"You were going to introduce me to your grandmother, weren't you?" she asked

"We'll take our leave, uncle" Alex said. He gave Uncle Loid a polite nod and led Serena away without so much as a glance in my direction.

"Are you okay?" he asked, turning back to me.

I forced a smile. "Yes, Uncle."

Before he could say anything else, two suited men approached and began discussing something urgently. I stepped aside, feeling invisible again.

I turned away and let my gaze drift across the room.

Alex and Serena standing before the matriarch of the De Luca family.

They called her Rowena—Alex's grandmother. They looked perfectly at ease, smiling as though nothing in the world could touch them.

A waiter passed by. I grabbed a glass from his tray and drained it in one swallow.

It still hurts, watching them stand there, happy and unbothered. I wished, desperately, that there was a way to wipe that smile off their faces.

Then, a murmur swept through the hall. Whispers and quick glances followed a tall man as he entered, dressed impeccably in a black suit.

His presence alone commanded attention.

I didn't need to look twice.

I will never forget him.

It was him, the man from the club yesterday.

I watched as women flushed and leaned toward one another, whispering excitedly. Even some of the men couldn't hide their stares.

He walked straight to the matriarch of the De Luca family and bent to kiss her cheek. Rowena smiled warmly and pulled him into a brief embrace.

"That's him. Dante De Luca, Madam Rowena's only son," a woman beside me whispered to her friend.

"He barely attends any gatherings... I can't believe I'm seeing him in person," the friend replied.

It clicked.

I had seen him before, in those magazine covers I usually tossed aside while waiting for Serena.

I quickly pulled out my phone and searched for his name.

The screen flooded with images.

Dante De Luca.

CEO of Vante Entertainment Group.

Head of the De Luca conglomerate.

A billionaire who lived an intensely private life.

And..

Alex's uncle.

The realization struck hard.

I looked up again. Dante was already moving toward the exit, several men trailing after him.

Then, suddenly, his gaze lifted.

For a brief moment, his eyes met mine.

Fear. Panic. Anxiety. Every emotion collided at once.

Did he recognize me?

"Dante De Luca," I repeated silently, committing his name to memory.

He was the architect of Celeste’s career. He was the man who could make or break a dynasty with a phone call. If he could turn a girl into a global icon, he could turn a street child like me into a force that would make Serena Vaughn look like a footnote.

If I wanted to destroy Alex, I didn't need to cry. I needed to climb higher. To be with the one man Alex feared. The one man he could never hope to compete with.

But his words from yesterday echoed in my mind

Do not appear in front of me.

I watched his broad shoulders disappear through the double doors. I knew what I wanted. But I also knew the price.

But the thought that tightened my chest was the most dangerous of all;

What would I have to do... to be qualified to stand by Dante De Luca's side?