Chapter 1 The Fall
Abandoned
"Mom… Dad… please…"
Mikasa knelt before her parents, her fingers clutching the hem of her mother’s dress as if holding on for dear life. Her voice was raw, shaking with desperation.
"Mother, tell Father not to do this!" she pleaded, her tear-filled eyes searching for mercy. "Mom, where will I go?"
But her mother’s expression was as cold as ice.
"We don’t care," she said sharply, yanking her arm away. "You should have thought before doing this."
Mikasa's breath hitched, her mind whirling. Before doing what?
Before she could protest, her father’s voice cut through the air like a blade.
"Just get rid of her. Close the door."
Her mother obeyed without hesitation.
The heavy door slammed shut.
Mikasa staggered back, her hands trembling. No…
"Mom!" she cried, pounding her fists against the door.
"Mom, you know how I'm scared of the dark!"
Silence.
She choked on a sob, her forehead pressing against the cold wooden surface. This couldn’t be happening.
"Please believe me! I didn’t do it!" she screamed.
No answer.
Mikasa knocked again, harder, until her knuckles ached. She wouldn’t give up.
"Mom! Please!"
Nothing.
The night swallowed her cries, and the darkness around her grew heavier.
Then—
A growl.
The sharp bark of a dog pierced through the silence, making her jolt.
Mikasa spun around, her breath shaky. The streets were dark, empty, unfamiliar.
Another bark. Closer.
Fear surged through her veins.
"Mom!" she whimpered, her legs trembling as she took a step back.
But her home, her safe haven, had disappeared into the darkness.
She had nowhere to run.
The barking grew louder.
Mikasa turned and ran.
Her tears blurred her vision, her sobs caught in her throat. The echoes of her parents' rejection mixed with the howling wind, filling her ears, drowning her world in agony.
She stumbled, crashing onto the cold pavement, the impact jarring her bones.
The barking was right behind her now.
She curled into herself, hands over her ears, trying to block out the terrifying sounds.
But nothing could block out the truth.
She was alone.
She clenched her eyes shut and screamed—
"Mother!"
---
A New Beginning?
Mikasa's eyes snapped open.
Her heart pounded violently against her ribs, her breaths coming in ragged gasps.
She wasn’t outside.
She wasn’t in the darkness.
The soft glow of a hotel room surrounded her, the neatly tucked sheets tangled in her grip. Sweat clung to her skin, her breathing heavy.
Just a nightmare.
Except… it wasn’t just a nightmare.
It was a memory.
She pressed a shaky hand against her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.
Every night, it was the same. The past never left her—it clung to her, haunted her, reminded her that the people she once trusted had thrown her away.
She squeezed her eyes shut as a single tear slipped down her cheek.
For the sake of one child, her parents had destroyed another.
Mikasa wiped her tears away quickly. Enough.
She refused to let them break her anymore.
Checking the time on her phone, she took a deep breath. Morning.
Her first day at Easton Group.
The top company in the world.
Her last chance to rebuild herself.
Pushing the blankets aside, she forced herself out of bed, stepping into the bathroom to freshen up. The face staring back at her in the mirror was no longer that of a pleading little girl.
This Mikasa Keller wasn’t weak.
She got dressed, grabbed her bag, and left the hotel room.
This was her new beginning.
Or so she thought.
---
Mikasa stepped into the sleek, mirrored elevator, adjusting the strap of her bag.
She wasn’t alone.
A beautiful woman stood beside her, her hands trembling slightly. Opposite them was a man—a man so strikingly intimidating that the air around him felt heavier.
His presence was suffocating.
Even if Mikasa hadn’t seen his face before, she would have known who he was. The man who controlled an empire. The devil himself.
And yet, the woman beside him wasn’t looking at him with fear.
She was looking at him with love.
"How can you say it was just a one-night stand?" she whispered, her voice breaking.
He didn’t react.
He didn’t even bother looking at her.
"I love you, Ez…"
His jaw tightened.
"Enough," he muttered, his voice devoid of emotion.
But she wasn’t done. She wasn’t ready to let go.
"I really love you… since college," she confessed desperately, her hands clutching at his sleeve.
Hel exhaled slowly.
Then, he turned to her.
His black eyes—cold, merciless—locked onto hers.
"Shh."
He lifted a finger to his lips, a silent command.
Then, with measured steps, he moved toward her.
The woman took a fearful step back, her body trembling.
His voice was quiet—too quiet.
"I said enough."
She flinched, but her lips parted again, her eyes pleading.
"But, I—"
Before she could finish, He grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips.
Mikasa’s blood ran cold.
He leaned in, his voice smooth, almost mocking.
"You say you’ve known me since college?" His grip tightened. "Then you should know me better."
Tears welled in the woman’s eyes as she nodded shakily.
His lips curled. "I got what I wanted. Don’t think so highly of yourself."****"You’re nothing special."
With that, he let go, stepping back.
The woman staggered, her tears finally spilling over.
The elevator dinged.
Without a backward glance, He walked out.
Mikasa stood there, frozen.
Her hands clenched.
She had seen cruelty before, but this?
This was a different level.
Her heart pounded, anger surging through her veins.
As the woman sobbed, Mikasa inhaled sharply and marched out of the elevator.
She spotted He walking toward the lobby, his steps unhurried, his presence powerful.
Her fists clenched tighter.
Before she could stop herself, she reached for his arm.
He stopped.
Slowly, he turned, his dark gaze flickering down to where she had touched him.
He exhaled sharply, clearly irritated.
"Do you wish for death?" he muttered through gritted teeth, his patience clearly thinning.
Mikasa didn’t think.
Didn’t hesitate.
Her palm swung through the air.
SMACK.
The sound echoed through the grand lobby.
His head turned slightly with the impact, his jaw tightening.
Then—**slowly, dangerously—**he turned back to face her.
And Mikasa felt the air shift.
She had just made a mistake.
A very, very big mistake.
