Chapter 1

That night, I was about to freeze to death on the street when a down-on-his-luck boy took off his jacket and tossed it to me.

To survive, I latched onto him and refused to let go.

It wasn't until much later that I found out he was once the only heir to Soverille's richest family.

His parents were murdered, his family's empire snatched away, and he, once the city's golden prince, was dragged down to rock bottom.

For revenge, he traded away both his body and soul, no matter the cost.

Later, he became a ruthless legend in business, a reaper everyone feared. Every bad guy paid the price.

But on a quiet afternoon, he plunged a knife into his own chest.

All he left me were two sentences.

He said, "The world is a cold place, but I gave you every bit of warmth I had. I hope you can still find it in your heart to love this world."

*****

He killed the one I loved most.

And yet, he still wanted me to go on loving this world.

He even arranged everything for after he was gone, so I wouldn't have to lift a finger.

I stood in front of his grave, looking at that familiar face in the picture, my heart feeling like it was being ripped apart.

They told me he drove the knife in so deep that he made sure there was no chance of survival.

We'd promised each other we'd move on and live a better life.

But in the end, he was never able to let go.

That rainy night, he brought himself into a wealthy patron's bed on his fifteenth birthday. Maybe that was the moment he stopped wanting to live.

The rain began to fall in a gentle drizzle, and Elliot Grant appeared, holding an umbrella over my head.

Elliot was Mason Grant's cousin.

Mason had taken revenge on every villain, even his own uncle, but he never hurt Elliot, the cousin who'd once cared about him as a child.

Yet in the end, it was Elliot who delivered the final, fatal blow.

I didn't turn around. I just hugged my coat closer and, keeping my voice steady, asked, "I want to know what you said to him that day."

Mason's assistant told me Mason had met with Elliot two days before the incident.

After that, he wasn't himself anymore.

Elliot stared at the tombstone, a sinister smile curling on his lips.

He said, "I told him, back when he was at his lowest, every so-called patron willing to help? My dad and I picked them out ourselves."

"All those dirty deals he thought were just him selling himself for money and survival? That was just a twisted present we planned for him.

"Cornering him, then giving him hope just to humiliate him, that was the real entertainment."

I couldn't help but laugh.

I laughed until tears rolled down my cheeks.

I shot back, "You took everything from him. You trapped him in the slums, left him starving and freezing, and forced him to fight stray dogs for scraps to survive.

"Even that wasn't enough for you. You had to shatter his dignity, too.

"Just because his dad inherited the family business, and he was talented since he was a kid?"

Elliot's smile faded, and he said softly, "In this world, just having anything is already a sin.

"We're both part of the Grant family, but Grandpa named his father Richard‌, who was meant to be destined for riches and success.

"My dad was named Joe, who was meant to be average and obedient.

"When it came to our generation, Grandpa still wanted Mason to shine, to have a brilliant life. As for me, he just wanted me to play it safe.

"Ever since we were kids, wherever Mason was, all eyes were on him.

"I wanted him to live low, to be humiliated at every turn.

"All those power players and high-society ladies in Soverille? A bunch of them were Mason's so-called benefactors...

"Every cent he got from those people, every project he thought he'd scored, those were just traps we set, making sure his fall would be even more brutal..."

Elliot laughed with wicked delight.

I shook my head. "That's not all. Mason could've killed you for all that, but he'd never give up on life."

Mason promised he'd walk up on stage and hand me flowers at my graduation. He'd never go back on his word.

Mason never broke his word.

Elliot smirked, a mocking glint in his eyes. "You really are clever, baby girl.

"I told him I've got dirt, pictures of him with every patron he ever had. One leak, and your whole future goes up in smoke.

"He loved you so much. No way he'd ever let you get burned because of him..."

I pressed my hand against the sharp pain in my chest.

A scandal would stick with one for life, but when he was gone, all debts were settled. People would only remember how much he suffered while he was alive.

After a long moment, I wiped the tears from my face with my hand.

I looked at him and asked, "What do you really want?"

Elliot fixed his gaze on me, focused and full of emotion. "I want you."

I stared at him in disbelief. "You really stabbed him in the heart over something so trivial?

"Do you even realize how much hell he's been through all these years?"

I grabbed his collar, tears blurring my vision. "If you want my life, if you want me, you can have it all. But why couldn't you give him a chance to live?

"Do you have any idea what Mason means to me?"