In the private lounge of the club, Matheo sat with his closest circle—Elias, his right-hand man and best friend; Lorenzo, forever hungry for gossip; Emilian, calm but sharp; and Jillian, who never let go of his wine glass.
Elias leaned forward, mischief dancing in his eyes.
"Have you guys heard?"
"Heard what?" Lorenzo, Emilian, and Jillian asked in unison.
"Elias." Matheo's glare was sharp enough to cut. "Shut up."
That only made Lorenzo grin wider, leaning in.
"Heard what? Don't keep us starving. What's the great god hiding this time?"
Elias smirked, savoring the moment.
"Well… it's about our future sister-in-law. You know—the one big bro here never had the guts to ask out."
"Ohhh," Lorenzo laughed. "You mean the same girl who asked Diego out publicly? That was wild."
The four of them burst into laughter, glasses clinking together.
"Shut your mouths," Matheo said, voice low and dangerous. "I'm your boss. Remember that."
"Nah," Elias chuckled, ignoring him. "Right now, you're just my best friend. And best friends spill secrets."
"So what's this about?" Jillian asked casually, swirling his wine.
Elias slapped the table, grinning. "She came running to big boss here for help. Guess the terms he gave her?" He let the suspense hang thick in the room.
"Spill already!" Lorenzo snapped, his patience thinning.
Elias leaned back, smug. "Marriage. He told her the only way he'd help… is if she married him."
The room went still.
Then Lorenzo let out a low whistle. "Wow. Didn't expect you to go that low." He clapped Matheo's shoulder in mock pity. "The great Matheo Gonzalez—playing dirty."
Matheo's eyes turned icy, his glare slicing through the air. Lorenzo froze, then slowly raised his hands in surrender, though a smirk tugged at his lips.
"Relax," he muttered.
"So… are we planning a wedding?" Emilian asked dryly.
"That's the best part—she didn't accept," Elias said, amused.
"She didn't reject either," Matheo countered smoothly.
"Damn," Lorenzo mocked. "The great Matheo Gonzalez… rejected. Who would've thought?"
Matheo rose to his feet, his tone like steel.
"Forget your bonus this month."
He held Elias in a hard stare before walking out of the private room.
At the Valentino mansion, I walked down the grand hall. Every step felt like walking through memories I wasn't ready to face.
"Miss Aurora," a voice called warmly.
I turned, instantly softening. Uncle Ben—the butler who had practically raised me.
"Uncle Ben," I said, smiling as I hugged him.
"Good to see you home, Miss Aurora. The house has missed your presence greatly."
"I doubt that," I muttered.
"The family is already seated for dinner," he said gently.
"Thanks."
"Nice to see you again, Miss Aurora," he added with a bow before disappearing into the kitchen.
I stopped before the double doors to the dining room, my heart pounding. The moment I pushed them open, the noise inside cut short. Laughter, clinking glasses, casual chatter—gone.
Every pair of eyes turned to me.
I froze at the threshold, suddenly unsure whether to walk in or turn back.
Then my eldest brother, Gabriel, broke the silence, his deep voice carrying a mix of warmth and teasing authority.
"Little sis… is that how you're going to greet your big brother? Come on, you haven't seen me in over a year."
I walked closer to the table. Luca, my younger brother, quickly pulled out the chair beside him.
"You can sit here, sis."
I ruffled his hair playfully. "You've grown into a fine young man."
"Stop it, sis. I'm not a baby anymore."
"Sure you're not," I teased, smiling faintly as I took my seat. But it felt like sitting on pins and needles.
My father turned to Gabriel, deliberately ignoring me.
"I can't stop hearing praise from the board members at the Tarragona branch."
Gabriel smirked. "Yeah, yeah. I learned from the best, you know."
They both chuckled.
Then Gabriel added, "But I'm not the only one shaking the business world. I keep seeing little sis on the news. I hear you're about to take on a rather promising project."
Hearing my name pulled me from my food. I looked up at him, surprised.
"Yeah, it's—"
But before I could finish, my father cut in sharply.
"That's if she can even bring up the capital."
"I believe she can," Gabriel said firmly. "I trust my little sister's ability."
My father let out a cold laugh. "And where do you expect her to get the money from?" He didn't even bother to look at me.
I couldn't stay silent anymore.
"That's my business. I started the company, and I'll run it."
"More like run it into the ground." His eyes finally landed on me for the first time that evening. "And don't think you'll get a loan from the family bank."
"You say that like it's your bank," I snapped. "It's my mother's family's bank. I actually have blood ties to them. And no—I don't expect anything from you."
His face hardened. "Is that how I raised you?"
"No," I fired back. "Because you never raised me. You were too busy with your perfect sons."
"Enough, both of you," my mother finally spoke, her voice strained. "Can we just have one peaceful family dinner? We haven't sat together like this in years, and the first thing you want to do is fight?"
"Your precious daughter started it," my father snapped.
"Really?" My voice cracked, anger mixing with hurt. "It's always me, isn't it? The daughter who's not good enough. The one who can't live up to your expectations. But you know what?" I stood, shoving my chair back. "I don't care about your expectations anymore."
"Where are you going, you ungrateful thing?"
"Somewhere far away from you."
"If you walk out that door today, don't bother coming back!"
"Fine." My voice was steady, though my chest burned. "It was never my home in the first place. No memories to lock away, no pictures of me in this house. Nothing."
And with that, I walked away without looking back—ignoring my father's shouts and my mother's desperate call of my name.