Dragon’s Lost Star - FULL | Reelshort
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Short filmTranscript
00:02The Grand Clan Gathering in Palermo.
00:05Thirteen of us stood in a line, waiting to be chosen.
00:09One shard, one knight, one chance.
00:12As Lord Earl's half-blood bastard daughter, I couldn't afford to fail.
00:17Lorenzo Rossi, heir to the Rossi clan, was my childhood friend.
00:21He was the only one who'd agreed to shelter me, and he had promised me the White Dragon Shard.
00:26We'd made the deal just yesterday, three years of cover.
00:29After that, he could love whoever he wanted.
00:31Yesterday, he'd said yes.
00:33Tonight, at the last second, he smiled and placed the shard in the girl's hand beside me.
00:38Mia, the human scholarship student he'd been sponsoring.
00:42Her hands were shaking as she took it.
00:44Let her have this one, Elena.
00:47She's never known happiness. Not once.
00:50Don't worry. As long as I'm here, no one will dare arrange your marriage.
00:53I looked at him. He was already turning away, already placing Mia's hand on his arm.
00:59Mia is elegant.
01:03She is worthy of this honor.
01:06Noble. The word landed like a slap. Whispers rippled through the crowd.
01:11I stood there empty-handed.
01:13Lord Earl's half-blood bastard.
01:16Passed over for a human girl with no clan, no blood, nothing.
01:19When the crowd thinned, Lorenzo appeared at my side, wine glass in hand.
01:25These idiots. I told them to save you at least one shard.
01:29I looked at the man I'd grown up with.
01:31Do you know what tonight means?
01:32The white dragon shard wasn't decoration.
01:35It was a marriage declaration between clans.
01:38A thousand-year-old rite.
01:40Without it, I had nothing.
01:42No shelter, no choice.
01:44No way out of the match Lady Earl had already arranged for me in the Eastern Territory.
01:48Lorenzo was my only option.
01:50No other man here would choose a half-blood bastard.
01:53And he'd just chosen someone else.
01:55Eighteen years.
01:56He didn't answer.
01:57Behind him, Mia was smiling.
01:58The white shard still perfect in her hands.
02:02Guilt flickered across Lorenzo's face.
02:04He sent Mia away.
02:08You're used to these events, Elena.
02:11But Mia isn't.
02:12This is her only moment to shine.
02:14He leaned down, his expression almost boyish.
02:17You can have your way any other day.
02:19Why does it have to be tonight?
02:21I said nothing.
02:22He cleared his throat.
02:25Today's her graduation.
02:28After tonight, I can't sponsor her anymore.
02:31I promised her one unforgettable memory.
02:34Unforgettable for me, too.
02:36But it was already too late.
02:38Lorenzo, do you understand what the gathering means?
02:40Mia came back before I could finish.
02:43Elena.
02:46Did I ruin everything?
02:48Please don't blame Lorenzo.
02:50I was the one who begged him to...
02:53Lorenzo saw her shrinking back.
02:55His expression darkened toward me.
02:57Enough, Elena.
02:59It's just a shard.
03:00I'll get you another one.
03:02He dug into his jacket pocket, pulled out a small red shard.
03:06Pushed it into my hand.
03:07Red suits you better anyway.
03:09A white shard isn't worth making a scene over.
03:11This isn't like you.
03:12The moment the red shard touched my palm, it cracked.
03:15The stone had split clean in two.
03:18Right down the middle.
03:19Just my hand.
03:20Lorenzo didn't notice.
03:21He'd already turned back to Mia.
03:22I closed my fingers around the broken pieces.
03:25The red shard meant someone you didn't claim.
03:28I knew the shard would shatter if one's pure blood refused to admit it.
03:32But I was nothing more than a half-breed.
03:35I didn't know what that meant yet.
03:37Laughter rippled through the room.
03:39A half-blood bootlucker thinking she could marry the Rossi heir?
03:42Didn't you hear him say noble?
03:44In his heart, even a human ranks higher than her.
03:47Lorenzo silenced the woman with one look.
03:49But the words had already landed.
03:54Elena, I'm sorry.
03:56You've always had everything.
03:58I just wanted one night to feel special.
04:01Everything?
04:02You've always had everything.
04:03I just wanted one night to feel special.
04:06The plate slipped from her hand.
04:08Landed on her shoe.
04:10Her eyes filled with tears.
04:13Lorenzo frowned.
04:15It's already done.
04:16Let her enjoy tonight.
04:17Come on.
04:18Let's get you cleaned up.
04:21You can head home if you want.
04:24Home?
04:25I didn't have one.
04:27The moment Lorenzo left my side, someone moved in.
04:30Antonio Ricci.
04:32A reckless heir from a rival clan.
04:34He stepped close and breathed in slowly.
04:38You smell good, Elena Moretti.
04:40Without Lorenzo beside me, I didn't even get basic respect.
04:45Lorenzo told me to bring you a shard.
04:47I didn't bother.
04:48I told you before, stop chasing him and try me instead.
04:52You never listened.
04:53How does it feel now?
04:55Humiliating, isn't it?
04:56I turned.
04:57Stared at this man who barely reached my shoulder.
05:00Lorenzo had handed him that task.
05:02Knowing full well Antonio had been harassing me for months.
05:06My fists tightened.
05:08Another betrayal.
05:09All I'd asked for was three years.
05:11Three years to build enough power to get out from under the Moretti clan's grip.
05:16But Lady Earl was gone.
05:18She wouldn't give me room to breathe.
05:20Elena.
05:21His grip tightened.
05:22Without that pretty face, you'd be nothing.
05:24Just a half blood.
05:26I could do whatever I wanted with.
05:28Lorenzo was back.
05:29He knocked the hand away.
05:30Ricci.
05:32Didn't I warn you?
05:34Don't touch what's mine.
05:37Yours?
05:38You just picked the human girl.
05:40What do you need Elena for?
05:42That's none of your business.
05:44Antonio spat and walked away.
05:46Lorenzo spun me around to face him.
05:49He touched you and you didn't fight back?
05:50I looked at him.
05:51Wasn't this your idea?
05:53Listen, I can protect you at events like this, but that doesn't mean I have to stand next
05:58to you every second, does it?
06:00But you knew what the gathering meant right...
06:02Mia appeared again, bright-eyed, smiling.
06:06Lorenzo, could I get some champagne?
06:08One's cold and stubborn, the other's bright and warm.
06:13Lorenzo's choice was easy.
06:15Of course.
06:16Tonight you're the star, whatever you want.
06:18He glanced back at me.
06:19We'll talk tomorrow.
06:20I'll come by by your place.
06:21Tomorrow?
06:21I smiled coldly.
06:23Tomorrow you'll have to come to the Eastern Territory to find me.
06:28Lorenzo left to greet the other clan heirs.
06:30Mia walked back to me, holding a glass of wine.
06:34The timid scholarship girl was gone.
06:36In her place stood someone who'd tasted power.
06:40You have everything, Elena.
06:43Why do you need to take this one moment from me?
06:45I should never have helped Lorenzo choose her for that scholarship.
06:48You grew up in luxury.
06:51I only wanted one night under Lorenzo's protection.
06:56Luxury?
06:57You think I'm better off than you?
06:59My mother was a human.
07:00She died when I was small.
07:02Lord Earl brought me back to the estate when I was little.
07:05Lady Earl looked at me like she wanted me dead.
07:08My father had women everywhere.
07:10One more bastard daughter didn't matter to him.
07:12Let alone a half-blood daughter.
07:14Impure blood was a sin in itself.
07:16I learned to read people early.
07:18Without this face, I wouldn't have survived.
07:20I was trapped between two sides.
07:22There were other things, too.
07:24Things I'd never been able to explain.
07:26My body had always felt faintly wrong.
07:28Like something inside me was pressed flat.
07:30Held down.
07:31Some mornings I woke up with heat in my hands that faded before I was fully conscious.
07:36Some nights my blood felt like it was moving too fast.
07:39I'd asked Lady Earl about it once when I was small.
07:42She'd given me a small white pill and told me it was vitamins.
07:46I'd taken them every day since without thinking.
07:48I went to Uncle Luca and begged him to train me.
07:51To back me up.
07:52Uncle Luca never smiled.
07:54I had to lock my knees to keep from shaking as I stood in front of him.
07:57Your father has 23 children.
08:00Why would I invest in a half-blood who won't last?
08:03Because I have nothing to lose.
08:05I'll do what they won't.
08:07But the timing wasn't right.
08:09Uncle Luca turned me away, too.
08:11They said Dante Vitale was ruthless.
08:13But anyone who crossed him got crushed without mercy.
08:16The Moretti clan wanted his protection.
08:18But they wouldn't sacrifice a legitimate daughter for it.
08:21So they chose me.
08:24Uncle Luca already knew how the gathering had ended.
08:27He sent one message.
08:28Figure it out yourself.
08:30I was shaking.
08:31Cold all the way through.
08:32I wrapped my arms around myself.
08:35Mia touched my frozen hand like she owned it.
08:38Elena?
08:40Do you think Lorenzo even understands what the gathering means?
08:44I wasn't the type to dwell on emotions.
08:46I needed to find a way to stay.
08:48I found Lorenzo and asked him directly.
08:52Do you know what tonight actually means?
08:55Sure.
08:56It's a matchmaking event.
08:57But it's just formality.
09:00Half these arrangements fall apart anyway.
09:02He knew it?
09:03Don't worry.
09:05I'll talk to the Morettis.
09:06No one's forcing you into marriage.
09:09Then can you get the shard back from Mia?
09:12I'll return it tomorrow.
09:14Lorenzo looked uncomfortable.
09:16That's not good.
09:18It's already hers.
09:19How about I send another one instead?
09:21Don't fight with Mia over this.
09:23That white shard had a rare gold vein running through it.
09:27It couldn't be replicated.
09:28Everything I'd held back all night came out at once.
09:31Lorenzo, you know I was never going to cling to you.
09:35I have someone I care about.
09:37After three years, you'd be free.
09:39So why did you humiliate me tonight?
09:41Someone you care about?
09:42His voice went sharp.
09:44Again with this?
09:45Elena, no one else is going to take you.
09:47You're a Moretti half-blood.
09:49Everyone in Palamo knows you're mine.
09:51My shadow.
09:53My little follower.
09:54It's cut deep.
09:55Being called a shadow.
09:56A follower.
09:57It was the price of surviving inside the Moretti clan.
09:59Hearing it from his mouth made me sick.
10:02I stepped back and bumped into me.
10:06Elena, please don't fight with Lorenzo.
10:08Lorenzo pulled her into his side immediately.
10:11Enough, Elena.
10:12It's one night.
10:14Stop making a scene.
10:15Tomorrow Mia goes back to her life.
10:17But Mia's expression said otherwise.
10:19I walked out of the hall and got into Uncle Luca's car.
10:22He sat in the shadows, dressed in black, expressionless.
10:25Accept your loss.
10:27Tomorrow you leave for the Eastern Territory.
10:30After that, you're on your own.
10:32I'll come back.
10:34His mouth curved slightly.
10:36We'll see.
10:37Back at my estate, Lady Earl glanced at Uncle Luca.
10:40Then at me.
10:41We've raised you for 18 years.
10:44Time to repay that.
10:45You've been chosen.
10:47Tomorrow you leave.
10:48Nothing in this house was mine.
10:50Not even the plane ticket.
10:52I paid for it myself.
10:54Uncle Luca said nothing and walked to his room.
10:56I went to my small bedroom and started packing.
10:58My half-sister Bianca leaned in the doorway, inspecting her nails.
11:02If I were you, I wouldn't have gone to the gathering at all.
11:06Mom told me to keep an eye on you.
11:08Don't take anything valuable.
11:10Not even tonight's gown.
11:12Oh, and Mom said Dante Vitale is already in love with someone else.
11:16Good luck.
11:17Removed every piece of jewelry.
11:18Set it all on the tray.
11:20I took off the gown in front of her.
11:21Then I walked to the bathroom in my slip.
11:25Bianca left.
11:26Bored.
11:27On my phone, Mia had already posted.
11:29A photo.
11:30Glowing.
11:30Lorenzo's arm around her.
11:32He was still wearing the cufflinks I'd given him.
11:34I left everything Lorenzo had ever given me behind.
11:37Before dawn, I was up.
11:38No goodbyes.
11:39I grabbed my backpack and headed to the airport.
11:42Security.
11:43Boarding.
11:43Everything smooth.
11:44As the plane began to taxi, I switched my phone off completely.
11:49Cut every tie to Palermo.
11:51Apologies, passengers.
11:52The Rossi clan has sealed the airways above Palermo.
11:55All flights are returning to the terminal.
11:59I stared out the window as the runway slowed.
12:02It took me a moment to understand what was happening.
12:05The plane stopped.
12:06My phone reconnected.
12:08Messages poured in.
12:09Then a refund notification.
12:11We apologized for the inconvenience.
12:13To compensate, the Rossi clan will reimburse your ticket at ten times the original price.
12:18The complaints died instantly.
12:21Who do you think they're looking for?
12:24This is so dramatic.
12:26Like something out of a film.
12:29I scrolled through my phone.
12:31Exhausted.
12:32Lorenzo had gone to the Moretti estate early that morning looking for me.
12:36When he found I wasn't there, he stormed into my bedroom.
12:39He saw the gown.
12:40The jewelry.
12:41Everything I'd left behind.
12:42But my backpack was gone.
12:44He panicked.
12:46He demanded answers from the Morettis.
12:48That's when he found out I'd already left for the Eastern Territory.
12:51Lorenzo lost it.
12:52Nearly tore the estate apart.
12:54Then he started calling.
12:55But by then I was already on the plane.
12:57When he realized I hadn't taken a single thing he'd ever given me, he snapped.
13:02That's when he sealed the sky.
13:03I grabbed my backpack and stepped off the plane.
13:06Inside the terminal, I stopped.
13:08Go back.
13:09Or keep moving.
13:10It was early.
13:11I was starving.
13:12I found a small cafe and ordered pasta.
13:15Uncle Luca's message came through.
13:17Do you want to come back?
13:18Lorenzo still wants you.
13:20The Moretti clan ran on schemes.
13:22Lorenzo might spoil me, but he'd never lose face for me.
13:25Going back meant more humiliation.
13:27Moving forward.
13:28Maybe something different.
13:31I ate slowly.
13:32Outside the cafe window, dragon guards in black flooded the terminal.
13:36Dozens of them.
13:37Stopping every woman who looked anything like me.
13:39Then Lorenzo came through the doors.
13:41Soaked in sweat.
13:43Phone pressed to his ear.
13:44He walked straight past my table.
13:45He looked wrecked.
13:46Frantic.
13:47Calling my number over and over.
13:49My phone buzzed in my pocket.
13:50I watched him.
13:52When no one answered, he almost smashed the phone against the pillar.
13:55His guards came back empty-handed.
13:57I'd never seen Lorenzo like this.
13:59Completely unraveled.
14:01Where is she?
14:02Keep searching.
14:04Every terminal.
14:05No flight leaves for the Eastern Territory today.
14:08I don't care what it costs.
14:10I checked my phone.
14:11There was a flight to the Central Territories in 20 minutes.
14:13I scrolled through the news while I waited.
14:16Palermo's gossip feeds were already running with it.
14:19The headline, Rossi airs new flame.
14:21But who is he hunting at the airport?
14:23Two women at the table behind me were deep into it.
14:26God, that's so romantic.
14:29If someone grounded the entire sky for me, I'd say yes on the spot.
14:34Her friend was more cynical.
14:36You don't get it.
14:37Last night at the gathering, Lorenzo gave the white shard to some human scholarship girl.
14:41I'm guessing he got played.
14:42Wait.
14:43He didn't pick a clan daughter?
14:45He picked a human?
14:46Then why is he losing his mind today?
14:48I kept my eyes on my coffee.
14:50My guess?
14:52Lorenzo had no idea what the shard ceremony actually meant.
14:55How would you know?
14:56Because I was at the gathering last night.
14:59I went still.
15:00I glanced back.
15:02Didn't recognize her.
15:03Lucky.
15:04So what does the clan girl look like?
15:07Beautiful.
15:08Genuinely stunning.
15:09Then why would Lorenzo give the shard to an outsider?
15:12Who cares?
15:13The other one's just a half-blood anyway.
15:16Not like the rest of us.
15:17I coughed.
15:18Both women turned.
15:19The moment they saw my face, one of them went completely silent.
15:23Pointed.
15:23Couldn't speak.
15:24What?
15:25Do you know her?
15:25The other one stared at me.
15:27She's gorgeous.
15:28Wait.
15:28Are you?
15:29She looked toward the guards still sweeping the terminal.
15:32Eyes wide.
15:35I pressed one finger to my lips.
15:38Both women covered their mouths with both hands.
15:40I picked up my bag and walked away.
15:43Behind me, I heard one of them hiss.
15:45You didn't tell me she looked like that.
15:47You have zero chance now.
15:49Zero.
15:50I reached the gate for the Central Territories.
15:53Another refund notification hit my phone.
15:55The Rossi clan had purchased out every route leaving Palermo.
15:59Not just the Eastern Territory flights.
16:01Everything.
16:02I stood there.
16:03Phone in hand.
16:05Nowhere to go.
16:06Then it rang.
16:07An Eastern Territory number.
16:10Hello?
16:11Dante Vitari.
16:12My arranged husband.
16:14His voice was cool.
16:15Unhurried.
16:16The kind of voice you wanted to keep listening to.
16:18I'm sorry, I...
16:20My people are already at the airport.
16:22They'll bring you to me.
16:23Before I could explain that the entire sky was sealed, I saw it through the terminal window.
16:28A private aircraft on the tarmac.
16:30Sleek.
16:31Unmarked.
16:32Several dragon guards in black stepped off and stood at attention.
16:36Understood.
16:37I said.
16:38I hung up and walked toward the jet.
16:43It had started to drizzle.
16:45The moment I stepped outside, an umbrella appeared over my head.
16:48The man holding it kept his eyes down.
16:51Respectful.
16:53Mrs. Vitari.
16:54We're here to bring you home.
16:55That's when Lorenzo spotted me.
16:58He sprinted across the tarmac.
17:00Grabbed my wrist.
17:02Elena.
17:03Come with me.
17:05Vitale's dragon guards closed in immediately.
17:07Lorenzo's men did the same.
17:09The two groups faced each other.
17:11Nobody moved.
17:12People inside the terminal pressed against the glass.
17:15Phones out.
17:16The man leading Dante's guards was older.
17:19Immaculate suit.
17:20The kind of calm that came from having seen everything twice.
17:23He smiled politely.
17:24His eyes didn't.
17:26Mr. Rossi.
17:27I'm here to escort Mrs. Vitale home.
17:30Please step aside.
17:32She hasn't left Polemo yet.
17:33I'd like to see who has the nerve to take what's mine.
17:37I was tired.
17:38Deeply tired.
17:39I'd tried to tell him.
17:40More than once.
17:41But his attention was always somewhere else.
17:44Always on Mia.
17:45Lorenzo.
17:46You've protected me for years.
17:48I'm grateful.
17:49But this is where it ends.
17:51I don't blame anyone.
17:55Don't blame anyone?
17:56Then come back with me.
17:57I'll marry you.
17:59I'll tell the Morettis myself.
18:01The rain came harder.
18:03Lorenzo's hair was soaked.
18:04His eyes were red.
18:06For just a moment, something flickered at the edge of his irises.
18:09A deep amber.
18:10Gone before I could be sure I'd seen it.
18:12Dragon blood under pressure.
18:13Even the composed ones cracked eventually.
18:15The Vitale butler stepped between us.
18:18Unmoved.
18:19Apologies, Mr. Rossi.
18:21The agreement with the Moretti clan has been finalized.
18:24Mrs. Vitale leaves with us today.
18:27Lorenzo ignored him.
18:28He only looked at me.
18:29Lorenzo.
18:30I told you.
18:31I only ever wanted three years.
18:33I have someone I genuinely care about.
18:36I was never planning to marry you.
18:38This again.
18:39Elena, you've been locked inside the Moretti clan your whole life.
18:43When exactly did you meet someone to love?
18:46I know calling you my shadow upset you.
18:48Stop being stubborn and come back.
18:50We'll talk there.
18:51Okay?
18:52His tone had shifted.
18:53Almost pleading.
18:55I was grateful.
18:56Truly.
18:57He'd kept me safe for years.
18:59But when Lorenzo let go of my hand and gave the Shard to Mia, our paths split.
19:03For good.
19:07Lorenzo.
19:08Mia is your chosen.
19:10All of Palermo witnessed it.
19:12Go be happy with her.
19:15Marry a human girl?
19:16Are you serious?
19:17I'd marry you before I'd ever marry her.
19:20My expression went flat.
19:22Lorenzo had always wanted me around.
19:24He'd never once respected me.
19:26I didn't hesitate this time.
19:28I turned and walked toward the jet with the butler.
19:31Lorenzo stood frozen behind me.
19:33Fists clenched.
19:34Something radiating off him that I didn't look back to read.
19:38Elena.
19:40You leave Palermo and no one protects you anymore.
19:44Think carefully.
19:46Once you're gone, don't come back regretting it.
19:50I didn't answer.
19:51I stepped onto the plane.
19:53The butler had already prepared a change of clothes.
19:55He gestured toward the back of the cabin, voice low.
19:59You can freshen up there, Mrs. Vitari.
20:01Getting caught in the rain, you'll catch cold.
20:04The jet was extraordinary.
20:06Not a rental.
20:07This was the Vitale clan's own aircraft.
20:13The Vitale clan operated on a different level entirely.
20:16Even the Morettis didn't own anything like this.
20:19The plane didn't just have a bathroom.
20:21It had a full bedroom.
20:22The bedding was soft pink.
20:24Definitely not something Dante Vitale had chosen for himself.
20:27I changed in the bathroom, then stopped.
20:31The clothes fit me perfectly.
20:33When I came out, the butler had quietly moved the dragon guards to the rear of the cabin.
20:39Excuse me, does the Lord usually use this plane?
20:42This aircraft was commissioned specifically for you, Mrs. Vitari.
20:45Everything was customized to your preferences.
20:48The Lord selected the bedding personally.
20:51Softest material available.
20:53I didn't know what to say.
20:54Something this considered.
20:56Given to a stranger without a word.
20:58Wasn't he supposed to be in love with someone else?
21:01The flight to the Eastern Territory is long.
21:04You should rest.
21:06The climate there is dry.
21:08We've prepared a humidifier for you.
21:12No one had ever thought about my comfort before.
21:15I'd spent my whole life reading other people's moods.
21:18Adjusting.
21:19Disappearing into whatever shape kept me safe.
21:22This kind of attention made me restless.
21:24The butler noticed and quietly withdrew.
21:26I pulled out a pen and started sketching notes.
21:29My mind was already running through what came next.
21:32What I was walking into.
21:33What I'd need.
21:34The plane landed on a sprawling green estate.
21:37I looked closer.
21:38The Vitale compound.
21:40Vast.
21:40Immaculate.
21:41The main structure was built from dark stone that seemed to hold the light differently from ordinary material.
21:47Warmer.
21:47Even from the steps of the jet I could feel it.
21:50A subtle heat rising from the ground beneath my feet.
21:53Ancient dragon rock.
21:54I'd read about it once.
21:56Quarried only from the oldest dragon territories.
21:59It held warmth for centuries without any source.
22:02I filed the detail away without knowing why it mattered.
22:06Dante Vitale came out to meet me personally.
22:08He was smiling.
22:10Warm.
22:10Nothing like the ruthless lord the rumors described.
22:14He draped a coat over my shoulders before I could speak.
22:18Are you cold?
22:19Something moved in my chest the moment his hand touched my shoulder.
22:23A pull.
22:24Faint but distinct.
22:25Like a thread I hadn't known was there had just been tugged from the other end.
22:29I stepped back.
22:30Put some space between us.
22:32Told myself it was nerves.
22:35Mr. Vitale.
22:36I know you have someone you love.
22:38I know this marriage wasn't your choice.
22:40Don't worry.
22:41I only need three years.
22:42I won't keep you from her.
22:44He frowned.
22:45Looked genuinely puzzled.
22:49Someone I love?
22:52Three years?
22:53Yes.
22:54Three years.
22:55I'll play the role of your wife.
22:57I won't interfere with your private life.
22:59After that, we separate.
23:01I won't take anything from you.
23:02I'll sign whatever you need.
23:04His frown deepened.
23:06He looked sharply at the butler.
23:07Some silent question passing between them.
23:10Then he stepped closer.
23:12Gently pulled me in.
23:13My face went completely red.
23:16Who said anything about keeping things separate?
23:20You're my wife.
23:22He seemed to enjoy the fact that I was flustered.
23:25He lifted my chin.
23:26Leaned in just slightly.
23:28Everything I have is yours.
23:30We went inside.
23:32I still hadn't recovered.
23:34Wasn't this man supposed to be cold?
23:36Ruthless?
23:37The interior of the Vitale compound was all sharp lines and clean edges.
23:42Dark stone.
23:43Minimal furniture.
23:44But there were soft touches throughout.
23:46Warm fabrics.
23:47Carefully chosen color.
23:49Things that had clearly been added recently.
23:54Good taste.
23:55Nothing clashing.
23:56The additions made the space feel less severe.
23:59More like somewhere a person could actually breathe.
24:02I sat on the couch.
24:03I handed him a folded piece of paper.
24:06This is my plan.
24:10I'd like to borrow some money.
24:12I'll pay it back in installments.
24:14He took it.
24:15Scanned it.
24:16You need money?
24:17It was humiliating.
24:18Arriving with nothing.
24:20Lord Earl's half-blood daughter showing up with a backpack and no dowry.
24:24No offering.
24:25Nothing of value.
24:26For the Vitales, this had to look like an insult.
24:28I'd done my research before landing.
24:31The Vitale clan didn't need alliances.
24:33Didn't need anyone's backing.
24:35They stood alone at the top of the Eastern Territory.
24:38People came from across the continent just to ask them for favors.
24:42I still didn't understand why they'd agreed to this match with the Morettis.
24:46I pressed my lips together.
24:47Yes.
24:48I don't have money right now.
24:50But I have a way to pay you back.
24:52I promise.
24:53He didn't question it.
24:54His hand closed over mine instead.
24:57Warm against my cold fingers.
24:58He rubbed them slowly.
25:03My face flushed again.
25:05His mood seemed to improve.
25:10Why do you need money?
25:11I looked up.
25:12Suddenly aware, maybe as Mrs. Vitale, I wasn't supposed to have financial control.
25:17Maybe I was expected to live on an allowance.
25:20To ask permission.
25:22Mr. Vitale, I don't want to be trapped by the Moretti clan anymore.
25:26And I'm not going to sit here and ask for handouts.
25:28I want my own income.
25:30My own footing.
25:32And if possible, I want to take back what's mine from the Morettis.
25:36He looked surprised.
25:37Like he hadn't expected me to say it that plainly.
25:40Then he reached over and ruffled my hair.
25:43Everything the Vitalists have is yours.
25:46Before I could process that, he nodded to the butler.
25:50The butler produced a black card.
25:52This is my account.
25:53Spend whatever you need.
25:54The room Dante gave me was the finest in the entire compound.
25:59Morning light came through the windows at the perfect angle.
26:02The decor was soft.
26:03Feminine.
26:04Like something out of a story I'd never thought would include me.
26:07That night, I lay down expecting to stare at the ceiling for hours.
26:11Instead, I was asleep within minutes.
26:14Deep.
26:15Still.
26:16Dreamless.
26:17I told myself it was exhaustion from the journey.
26:20I didn't consider the warmth rising steadily from the ancient stone beneath the floors.
26:25Didn't consider that the Vitale compound had been built on the oldest dragon rock in the Eastern
26:30Territory.
26:31That the heat it held had a particular quality.
26:34One that ancient texts described as resonant with dormant dragon blood.
26:38I didn't know any of that then.
26:40I just slept.
26:43For the first time in years, I woke up rested.
26:46A message from Uncle Luca.
26:50Lorenzo is furious.
26:51Why didn't you go back with him?
26:53Uncle Luca was the only person in the Moretti clan who'd ever looked out for me.
26:57But his protection always came at a price.
27:00I typed back.
27:02Uncle, I'm a person.
27:03Not something you can call back whenever it's convenient.
27:07His reply was immediate.
27:09Cold.
27:09Really?
27:10I thought you'd already turned yourself into a weapon.
27:13Three years passed.
27:15I borrowed 100,000 from the Vitales.
27:17I did everything a lord's wife was supposed to do.
27:20Attended galas with Dante.
27:22Smiled for the right people.
27:23Let the right people court my favor.
27:25I played the part.
27:27The beautiful, composed Lady Vitale.
27:29Dante spoiled me without restraint.
27:31But I never lost sight of why I was there.
27:34Behind the smiles, I was working.
27:36That 100,000 became leverage.
27:39Quietly.
27:39Carefully.
27:40Somewhere in the second year, I stopped taking the white pills.
27:43It wasn't a decision exactly.
27:45I'd run out during a trip and hadn't replaced them.
27:48A week passed.
27:49Then another.
27:50I kept waiting to feel worse.
27:52Instead, I felt more.
27:54Heat in my hands when I was angry.
27:56A sharpness behind my eyes when I was focused.
27:59Small things.
28:00Easy to dismiss.
28:00I told myself it was confidence.
28:03That I was simply becoming someone harder to intimidate.
28:06I didn't connect it to the pills.
28:08I didn't connect it to anything yet.
28:12I dismantled Moretti operations piece by piece.
28:16Pulled their best dragon guards and wing commanders into my own network.
28:20Lord Sergio finally had to look at what he'd built.
28:22His 23 children.
28:24Useless everyone.
28:26The second generation panicked.
28:28Afraid the clan's collapse would hit their share of the territories, they started selling off assets.
28:32I bought them all.
28:34One by one.
28:34The gambling operations.
28:36The shipping routes.
28:37The legitimate fronts they'd spent years building.
28:40I took the businesses that were bleeding and made them profitable.
28:43Expanded the territories they'd abandoned.
28:46By the time Lord Sergio understood what was happening, I controlled more of the clan's income than he did.
28:52The other Moretti heirs couldn't touch me anymore.
28:54During the negotiations for the last of the shipping routes, something happened that I couldn't explain.
29:00The Moretti representative had tried to walk out.
29:02I'd reached out to stop him, and the glass of water on the table between us had cracked.
29:07Clean through.
29:08No one had touched it.
29:10The representative had gone pale.
29:12He signed everything.
29:13I stood in the corridor afterward and looked at my hand.
29:17It felt warm.
29:18The same warmth I'd been ignoring for months.
29:21I thought about the pills.
29:22I thought about the pills.
29:2418 years of white capsules.
29:26Lady Earl had called them vitamins.
29:28She'd never explained what they were for.
29:31Never let me miss a dose.
29:32I'd stopped taking them 14 months ago.
29:35Since then, the heat in my hands.
29:37The sharpness behind my eyes.
29:39The glass that cracked without being touched.
29:42I wasn't imagining it.
29:43Something was different.
29:44Something was changing.
29:45I didn't know what.
29:46It was past ten when I got home that night.
29:49Dante was in the living room, sitting in the warm light, waiting.
29:53My chest tightened.
29:54I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
29:58I held on for a moment.
30:00Then I let go and stepped back, composed again.
30:03Why so late?
30:04Are you tired?
30:05I had soup made.
30:07The words I'd been preparing stuck in my throat.
30:10He took my hand and led me to the table.
30:12Watched me eat.
30:15When are you going to let yourself lean on me?
30:19You don't have to run yourself into the ground like this.
30:21The warmth of it hit me somewhere I wasn't ready for.
30:24I looked at him in the low light.
30:26Felt something pull tight in my chest.
30:28The three years are up.
30:30It's time for me to go back.
30:32To finish what I started with the Morettis.
30:34Dante had always known I hadn't let go of my plans.
30:37He didn't look surprised.
30:39You don't like the Morettis.
30:41From what I know, only Luca was ever decent to you.
30:44And Lorenzo, he came to the Eastern Territory several times looking for you.
30:49You never saw him.
30:50I hadn't known he'd been aware of that.
30:52That he'd said nothing.
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