Chapter 1

• 【Alana’s POV】
• “You look a bit tired, dear.”
• My fiancé Leo’s voice rang in my ears, carrying a hint of fake concern.
• I leaned against his shoulder, my voice as light as a feather. “Too many people. I’m going to the terrace for some fresh air.”
• He immediately let go of my hand, clearly eager for me to stay away.
• Tonight is my engagement banquet. Inside a luxury hotel in Manhattan, the old-money heirs of Wall Street and high-end socialites have gathered to toast the heir of the Moretti family.
• Only I know the truth behind this glamorous façade: Leo Moretti, my fiancé, is gay.
• His father, Dante Moretti, nearly forty, is the true king in this dark forest. The Moretti family holds real power in New York.
• On the surface, they own major companies in shipping, real estate, and finance. They’re frequently featured in financial magazines and engage in charity work.
• But behind the scenes, they deal in smuggling, underground gambling, loan sharking, and arms trafficking.
• The family rules are strict—and betrayal means death.
• Dante is ruthless. When he was young, he introduced modern corporate management methods into the century-old criminal organization, with each district run by its own manager.
• Though the elders may offer opinions, the final decision-maker is always Dante. He stands at the top.
• Leaning against the stone railing, I gazed out at the estate’s scattered lights, lost in memories.
• Ten years ago, my parents led the Vasiliev Brotherhood in Toronto, Canada.
• One night, they were assassinated. Before their deaths, our butler White took me through a secret passage. I never got to say goodbye. We fled to New York with only the cash hidden in our home.
• I went from being Alana Vasiliev—the princess of the dark forest—to an orphan.
• Five years ago, White developed cancer. Before he died, he revealed that the man who took over my father’s position—Semir—had once been a member of the Moretti family.
• So, did Semir kill my parents for power? Or was he sent by someone to eliminate them?
• White gave me three letters. The first contained a bank account Semir could never trace. He made me swear to wait until I graduated college to begin my revenge. The other two letters could only be opened in moments of crisis.
• I never forgot White’s words. I used the money to study while secretly hiring private investigators to gather information about the Moretti family.
• Finally, last year, I found an opportunity to get close to them.
• Leo Moretti was looking for a girlfriend—with only one requirement: good looks.
• Confident in my appearance, I easily seduced him. But he never touched me—no hugs, no kisses, no intimacy. I began to doubt myself.
• A familiar, oppressive male voice came from the shadows at the far end of the terrace.
• “…Don’t worry, baby. Once I inherit my father’s assets, the first thing I’ll do is kick that stupid woman out.”
• Another voice—petulant, jealous—replied, “Ugh, how much longer? I don’t want to see you pretending in front of her anymore.”
• “Soon. My father is getting old; he needs me. That stupid woman is just a ticket for him to believe in me. He can’t even dream that what I really want is you.”
• Leo’s voice again.
• “Take it easy, baby. That woman… does she really think I love her? She’s just a tool.”
• So, he couldn't hold back anymore?
• I had endured for ten years.
• I never suspected he was gay until a private detective sent me photos and videos of him frequenting gay bars behind Dante’s back, sleeping with men.
• Everyone in our social circle knew his “unspoken secret.” Only I was played like a fool.
• But now… who was playing who was uncertain.
• One thing was certain: he had no idea I knew.
• I returned to the bar, flicking a tiny capsule from a hidden pocket inside my skirt into the palm of my hand.
• Colorless and tasteless—it amplified a person’s deepest desires a hundredfold and left no trace.
• “A whiskey. On the rocks.”
• As the bartender turned to get ice, I slipped the capsule into the amber liquid, eyes locked on Dante.
• He sat alone on a sofa in the corner, a cigar between his fingers. Smoke blurred his cold, angular features.
• Always dressed in a tailored black suit, his powerful frame and broad shoulders radiated invisible pressure.
• But what truly intimidated were his icy blue eyes. Where his gaze landed, the air seemed to freeze.
• Time hadn’t marked him much. He didn’t need to speak. Just standing there, he commanded the room.
• Over the years, I had uncovered only a fraction of the dark empire Semir had expanded from Toronto to New York. Leo knew even less.
• It seemed Dante didn’t trust his heir either.
• So… what if I gave birth to an heir that he trusted and approved of?