Chapter 1
.I returned to the house I had sworn I would never step into again.
“We’ve arrived at the mansion, ma’am”
My butler—Hannes—opened the car door and helped me out with a gentleness, as if I might shatter at the slightest touch.
I rested my hand on his shoulder, letting him guide me inside. The mansion was vast, carrying an old, almost classical air—one that had grown dim and heavy with time. I could no longer remember the path leading here. It had been fifteen years… even though this was the house my parents left behind.
A house that held nothing but a childhood filled with pain and torment.
My name is Aria Quinn—a daughter born blind into a family that rose to wealth through unlawful means.
My father was a kingpin of the underworld. He dealt in narcotics and trafficked dangerous weapons for those who could afford them.
I still remember his hands—large, rough, carrying the lingering scent of smoke—as they rested on my head. He would smile at me, but there was always something broken beneath it.
Then, in a voice I had never heard from him before—fragile, almost weak—he said:
“I do this for the family… for you”
He said he had no choice.
But I never believed him.
Because even a child like me could tell—
a man who hides behind excuses is not strong.
My mother couldn’t bear the pressure and left when I was still a child. I clung to her skirt, crying in the yard, begging her not to go—but she shoved me away without hesitation and walked off.
Even now, fifteen years later, her words still echo in my mind:
“I should never have given birth to you”
I never hated her.
I just… stopped expecting her to come back. I endured the same pain she did.
My father’s blows.
My mother’s screams.
My tears.
All of it intertwined, forming a tragedy that could never be erased.
And now… here I am.
Sitting at the head of the very organization I once despised, overseeing illegal dealings. A role I swore I would never take—yet I accepted it after my father fell to his knees, his voice trembling as he begged:
“I’m sorry, Aria… you know I love you the most.”
I hate him.
And yet… I pity him.
I was so starved of affection that I let those feelings control me.
Every day, I ask myself the same question—why am I still here? Why did I willingly walk into this hell, knowing exactly what it was?
Is there even a sliver of hope waiting for me beyond it… or just another layer of darkness?
I don’t know.
But I have to keep going.
Because if no one stands here, this hell will continue.
The children at the orphanage I once visited…
The abandoned patients left behind in hospital wards…
They are all surviving on money stained with sin—money from this organization.
My hands are already filthy.
I won’t let others become like me,
So I keep moving forward… even if this life feels unbearably heavy.
My thoughts were cut short as we stepped into the living room.
Even though I hadn’t returned in fifteen years, I still had the mansion cleaned every two weeks—for the sake of someone I’ve been keeping here.
Yes, I’ve been supporting a man.
A poor man… someone I keep around just to convince myself that I still have a conscience. That I am, somehow, still a good person.
“Welcome home, Lady Aria Quinn… I’ve been waiting for you for a very long time”
His voice was low, warm, and gentle.
Lucas Moreau
That was his name.
According to Hannes, he was quite handsome—refined, almost scholarly.
This was the first time I had ever met him… even though I had been supporting him for two years.
I wonder… what he’s going to do to satisfy me.
