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💞HOT SHORT 💞 Dragons Lost Star
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Short filmTranscript
00:00The Grand Clan Gathering in Palermo.
00:03Thirteen of us stood in a line, waiting to be chosen.
00:06One shard, one knight, one chance.
00:10As Lord Earl's half-blood bastard daughter, I couldn't afford to fail.
00:14Lorenzo Rossi, heir to the Rossi clan, was my childhood friend.
00:18He was the only one who'd agreed to shelter me, and he had promised me the White Dragon Shard.
00:23We'd made the deal just yesterday.
00:25Three years of cover.
00:26After that, he could love whoever he wanted.
00:28Yesterday, he'd said yes.
00:30Tonight, at the last second, he smiled and placed the shard in the girl's hand beside me.
00:36Mia, the human scholarship student he'd been sponsoring.
00:39Her hands were shaking as she took it.
00:41Let her have this one, Elena.
00:44She's never known happiness. Not once.
00:47Don't worry. As long as I'm here, no one will dare arrange your marriage.
00:51I looked at him. He was already turning away.
00:54Already placing Mia's hand on his arm.
00:56Mia is elegant.
01:01She is worthy of this honor.
01:03Noble.
01:04The word landed like a slap.
01:06Whispers rippled through the crowd.
01:08I stood there empty-handed.
01:11Lord Earl's half-blood bastard.
01:13Passed over for a human girl with no clan, no blood, nothing.
01:17When the crowd thinned, Lorenzo appeared at my side. Wine glass in hand.
01:22These idiots. I told them to save you at least one shard.
01:26I looked at the man I'd grown up with.
01:28Do you know what tonight means?
01:30The white dragon shard wasn't decoration.
01:32It was a marriage declaration between clans.
01:35A thousand-year-old right.
01:37Without it, I had nothing.
01:39No shelter, no choice.
01:41No way out of the match Lady Earl had already arranged for me in the Eastern Territory.
01:46Lorenzo was my only option.
01:47No other man here would choose a half-blood bastard.
01:50And he'd just chosen someone else.
01:52Eighteen years.
01:53He didn't answer.
01:54Behind him, Mia was smiling.
01:55The white shard still perfect in her hands.
01:59Guilt flickered across Lorenzo's face.
02:02He sent Mia away.
02:06You're used to these events, Elena.
02:08But Mia isn't.
02:09This is her only moment to shine.
02:12He leaned down.
02:13His expression almost boyish.
02:15You can have your way any other day.
02:16Why does it have to be tonight?
02:18I said nothing.
02:19He cleared his throat.
02:23Today's her graduation.
02:25After tonight, I can't sponsor her anymore.
02:28I promised her one unforgettable memory.
02:32Unforgettable for me too.
02:33But it was already too late.
02:35Lorenzo, do you understand what the gathering means?
02:37Mia came back before I could finish.
02:40Elena.
02:43Did I ruin everything?
02:45Please don't blame Lorenzo.
02:47I was the one who begged him to...
02:50Lorenzo saw her shrinking back.
02:52His expression darkened.
02:55Enough, Elena.
02:56It's just a shard.
02:58I'll get you another one.
02:59He dug into his jacket pocket.
03:01Pulled out a small red shard.
03:03Pushed it into my hand.
03:05Red suits you better anyway.
03:06A white shard isn't worth making a scene over.
03:09This isn't like you.
03:10The moment the red shard touched my palm, it cracked.
03:13The stone had split clean in two.
03:15Right down the middle.
03:16Just my hand.
03:17Lorenzo didn't notice.
03:18He'd already turned back to Mia.
03:20I closed my fingers around the broken pieces.
03:23The red shard meant someone you didn't claim.
03:25I knew the shard would shatter if one's pure blood refused to admit it.
03:29But I was nothing more than a half-breed.
03:32I didn't know what that meant yet.
03:34Laughter rippled through the room.
03:36A half-blood bootlucker thinking she could marry the Rossi heir?
03:40Didn't you hear him say noble?
03:41In his heart, even a human ranks higher than her.
03:45Lorenzo silenced the woman with one look.
03:47But the words had already landed.
03:52Elena, I'm sorry.
03:53You've always had everything.
03:55I just wanted one night to feel special.
03:58Everything?
03:59You've always had everything.
04:01I just wanted one night to feel special.
04:03The plate slipped from her hand.
04:05Landed on her shoe.
04:07Her eyes filled with tears.
04:11Lorenzo frowned.
04:12It's already done.
04:14Let her enjoy tonight.
04:15Come on.
04:16Let's get you cleaned up.
04:18You can head home if you want.
04:22Home?
04:23I didn't have one.
04:24The moment Lorenzo left my side, someone moved in.
04:28Antonio Ricci.
04:29A reckless heir from a rival clan.
04:31He stepped close and breathed in slowly.
04:35You smell good, Elena Moretti.
04:38Without Lorenzo beside me, I didn't even get basic respect.
04:42Lorenzo told me to bring you a shard.
04:44I didn't bother.
04:45I told you before.
04:47Stop chasing him and try me instead.
04:49You never listened.
04:51How does it feel now?
04:52Humiliating, isn't it?
04:53I turned, stared at this man who barely reached my shoulder.
04:58Lorenzo had handed him that task.
05:00Knowing full well Antonio had been harassing me for months.
05:03My fists tightened.
05:05Another betrayal.
05:07All I'd asked for was three years.
05:09Three years to build enough power to get out from under the Moretti clan's grip.
05:13But Lady Earl had me gone.
05:15She wouldn't give me room to breathe.
05:17Elena.
05:18His grip tightened.
05:19Without that pretty face, you'd be nothing.
05:22Just a half blood I could do whatever I wanted with.
05:25Lorenzo was back.
05:26He knocked the hand away.
05:28Ricci.
05:29Didn't I warn you?
05:32Don't touch what's mine.
05:34Yours?
05:35You just picked the human girl.
05:37What do you need Elena for?
05:40That's none of your business.
05:41Antonio spat and walked away.
05:44Lorenzo spun me around to face him.
05:46He touched you and you didn't fight back?
05:48I looked at him.
05:48Wasn't this your idea?
05:50Listen.
05:51I can protect you at events like this.
05:53But that doesn't mean I have to stand next to you every second, does it?
05:57But you knew what the gathering meant right.
05:59Mia appeared again.
06:01Bright-eyed.
06:02Smiling.
06:03Lorenzo, could I get some champagne?
06:06One's cold and stubborn.
06:08The other's bright and warm.
06:10Lorenzo's choice was easy.
06:12Of course.
06:13Tonight you're the star.
06:14Whatever you want.
06:15He glanced back at me.
06:16We'll talk tomorrow.
06:17I'll come by by your place.
06:18Tomorrow?
06:19I smiled coldly.
06:21Tomorrow you'll have to come to the Eastern Territory to find me.
06:25Lorenzo left to greet the other clan heirs.
06:28Mia walked back to me holding a glass of wine.
06:31The timid scholarship girl was gone.
06:34In her place stood someone who'd tasted power.
06:38You have everything, Elena.
06:40Why do you need to take this one moment from me?
06:42I should never have helped Lorenzo choose her for that scholarship.
06:46You grew up in luxury.
06:48I only wanted one night under Lorenzo's protection.
06:53Luxury?
06:55You think I'm better off than you?
06:57My mother was a human.
06:58She died when I was small.
07:00Lord Earl brought me back to the estate when I was little.
07:03Lady Earl looked at me like she wanted me dead.
07:05My father had women everywhere.
07:07One more bastard daughter didn't matter to him.
07:10Let alone a half-blood daughter.
07:11Impure blood was a sin in itself.
07:13I learned to read people early.
07:15Without this face, I wouldn't have survived.
07:17I was trapped between two sides.
07:19There were other things, too.
07:21Things I'd never been able to explain.
07:23My body had always felt faintly wrong.
07:25Like something inside me was pressed flat.
07:28Held down.
07:29Some mornings I woke up with heat in my hands that faded before I was fully conscious.
07:33Some nights my blood felt like it was moving too fast.
07:37I'd asked Lady Earl about it once when I was small.
07:39She'd given me a small white pill and told me it was vitamins.
07:43I'd taken them every day since without thinking.
07:46I went to Uncle Luca and begged him to train me.
07:48To back me up, Uncle Luca never smiled.
07:51I had to lock my knees to keep from shaking as I stood in front of him.
07:55Your father has 23 children.
07:57Why would I invest in a half-blood who won't last?
08:00Because I have nothing to lose.
08:03I'll do what they won't.
08:04But the timing wasn't right.
08:06Uncle Luca turned me away, too.
08:08They said Dante Vitale was ruthless.
08:10But anyone who crossed him got crushed without mercy.
08:13The Moretti clan wanted his protection.
08:15But they wouldn't sacrifice a legitimate daughter for it.
08:18So they chose me.
08:21Uncle Luca already knew how the gathering had ended.
08:24He sent one message.
08:25Figure it out yourself.
08:27I was shaking.
08:28Cold all the way through.
08:29I wrapped my arms around myself.
08:32Mia touched my frozen hand like she owned it.
08:36Elena?
08:38Do you think Lorenzo even understands what the gathering means?
08:41I wasn't the type to dwell on emotions.
08:43I needed to find a way to stay.
08:45I found Lorenzo and asked him directly.
08:49Do you know what tonight actually means?
08:52Sure.
08:53It's a matchmaking event.
08:55But it's just formality.
08:57Half these arrangements fall apart anyway.
08:59He knew it?
09:01Don't worry.
09:02I'll talk to them already.
09:04No one's forcing you into marriage.
09:06Then can you get the shard back from Mia?
09:09I'll return it tomorrow.
09:11Lorenzo looked uncomfortable.
09:13That's not good.
09:15It's already hers.
09:17How about I send another one instead?
09:19Don't fight with Mia over this.
09:21That white shard had a rare gold thing running through it.
09:24It couldn't be replicated.
09:26Everything I'd held back all night came out at once.
09:29Lorenzo.
09:30You know I was never going to cling to you.
09:32I have someone I care about.
09:34After three years, you'd be free.
09:36So why did you humiliate me tonight?
09:38Someone you care about?
09:40His voice went sharp.
09:41Again with this?
09:42Elena, no one else is going to take you.
09:44You're a Moretti half-blood.
09:46Everyone in Palamo knows you're mine.
09:49My shadow.
09:50My little follower.
09:51It's cut deep.
09:52Being called a shadow.
09:54A follower.
09:54It was the price of surviving inside the Moretti clan.
09:57Hearing it from his mouth made me sick.
10:00I stepped back and bumped into me.
10:03Elena, please don't fight with Lorenzo.
10:06Lorenzo pulled her into his side immediately.
10:08Enough, Elena.
10:09It's one night.
10:11Stop making a scene.
10:13Tomorrow Mia goes back to her life.
10:15But Mia's expression said otherwise.
10:16I walked out of the hall and got into Uncle Luca's car.
10:20He sat in the shadows, dressed in black, expressionless.
10:23Accept your loss.
10:25Tomorrow you leave for the Eastern Territory.
10:27After that, you're on your own.
10:29I'll come back.
10:31His mouth curved slightly.
10:33We'll see.
10:35Back at the estate, Lady Earl glanced at Uncle Luca.
10:38Then at me.
10:39We've raised you for 18 years.
10:41Time to repay that.
10:42You've been chosen.
10:44Tomorrow, you leave.
10:46Nothing in this house was mine.
10:47Not even the plane ticket.
10:49I paid for it myself.
10:51Uncle Luca said nothing and walked to his room.
10:53I went to my small bedroom and started packing.
10:56My half-sister Bianca leaned in the doorway, inspecting her nails.
11:00If I were you, I wouldn't have gone to the gathering at all.
11:03Mom told me to keep an eye on you.
11:06Don't take anything valuable.
11:08Not even tonight's gown.
11:10Oh, and Mom said Dante Vitale is already in love with someone else.
11:13Good luck.
11:14Removed every piece of jewelry.
11:16Set it all on the tray.
11:17I took off the gown in front of her.
11:19Then I walked to the bathroom in my slip.
11:22Bianca left.
11:23Bored.
11:24On my phone, Mia had already posted.
11:26A photo.
11:27Glowing.
11:28Lorenzo's arm around her.
11:29He was still wearing the cufflinks I'd given him.
11:31I left everything Lorenzo had ever given me behind.
11:34Before dawn, I was up.
11:36No goodbyes.
11:37I grabbed my backpack and headed to the airport.
11:39Security.
11:40Boarding.
11:41Everything smooth.
11:42As the plane began to taxi, I switched my phone off completely.
11:46Cut every tie to Palermo.
11:48Apologies, passengers.
11:50The Rossi clan has sealed the airways above Palermo.
11:52All flights are returning to the terminal.
11:56I stared out the window as the runway slowed.
11:59It took me a moment to understand what was happening.
12:02The plane stopped.
12:04My phone reconnected.
12:05Messages poured in.
12:06Then a refund notification.
12:08We apologize for the inconvenience.
12:11To compensate, the Rossi clan will reimburse your ticket at ten times the original price.
12:16The complaints died instantly.
12:18Who do you think they're looking for?
12:21This is so dramatic.
12:24Like something out of a film.
12:26I scrolled through my phone.
12:29Exhausted.
12:29Lorenzo had gone to the Moretti estate early that morning looking for me.
12:33When he found I wasn't there, he stormed into my bedroom.
12:36He saw the gown.
12:37The jewelry.
12:38Everything I'd left behind.
12:40But my backpack was gone.
12:42He panicked.
12:43He demanded answers from the Morettis.
12:45That's when he found out I'd already left for the Eastern Territory.
12:48Lorenzo lost it.
12:50Nearly tore the estate apart.
12:51Then he started calling.
12:53But by then I was already on the plane.
12:54When he realized I hadn't taken a single thing he'd ever given me, he snapped.
12:59That's when he sealed the sky.
13:01I grabbed my backpack and stepped off the plane.
13:04Inside the terminal, I stopped.
13:06Go back.
13:06Or keep moving.
13:07It was early.
13:08I was starving.
13:09I found a small cafe and ordered pasta.
13:12Uncle Luca's message came through.
13:14Do you want to come back?
13:15Lorenzo still wants you.
13:17The Moretti clan ran on schemes.
13:19Lorenzo might spoil me, but he'd never lose face for me.
13:22Going back meant more humiliation.
13:24Moving forward.
13:25Maybe something different.
13:28I ate slowly.
13:30Outside the cafe window, dragon guards in black flooded the terminal.
13:33Dozens of them.
13:34Stopping every woman who looked anything like me.
13:37Then Lorenzo came through the doors.
13:39Soaked in sweat.
13:40Phone pressed to his ear.
13:41He walked straight past my table.
13:43He looked wrecked.
13:44Frantic.
13:44Calling my number over and over.
13:46My phone buzzed in my pocket.
13:48I watched him.
13:49When no one answered, he almost smashed the phone against the pillar.
13:52His guards came back empty-handed.
13:55I'd never seen Lorenzo like this.
13:57Completely unraveled.
13:58Where is she?
13:59Keep searching.
14:01Every terminal.
14:03No flight leaves for the Eastern Territory today.
14:05I don't care what it costs.
14:07I checked my phone.
14:08There was a flight to the Central Territories in 20 minutes.
14:11I scrolled through the news while I waited.
14:14Palermo's gossip feeds were already running with it.
14:16The headline, Rossi airs new flame.
14:19But who is he hunting at the airport?
14:20Two women at the table behind me were deep into it.
14:24God, that's so romantic.
14:26If someone grounded the entire sky for me, I'd say yes on the spot.
14:32Her friend was more cynical.
14:34You don't get it.
14:35Last night at the gathering, Lorenzo gave the white shard to some human scholarship girl.
14:38I'm guessing he got played.
14:40Wait.
14:40He didn't pick a clan daughter?
14:42He picked a human?
14:44Then why is he losing his mind today?
14:46I kept my eyes on my coffee.
14:48My guess?
14:49Lorenzo had no idea what the shard ceremony actually meant.
14:52How would you know?
14:53Because I was at the gathering last night.
14:56I went still.
14:57I glanced back.
14:59Didn't recognize her.
15:01Lucky.
15:01So what does the clan girl look like?
15:04Beautiful.
15:05Genuinely stunning.
15:07Then why would Lorenzo give the shard to an outsider?
15:10Who cares?
15:11The other one's just a half-blood anyway.
15:13Not like the rest of us.
15:14I coughed.
15:15Both women turned.
15:16The moment they saw my face, one of them went completely silent.
15:20Pointed.
15:20Couldn't speak.
15:21What?
15:22Do you know her?
15:23The other one stared at me.
15:24She's gorgeous.
15:25Wait.
15:26Are you?
15:27She looked toward the guard still sweeping the terminal.
15:30Eyes wide.
15:33I pressed one finger to my lips.
15:35Both women covered their mouths with both hands.
15:38I picked up my bag and walked away.
15:40Behind me, I heard one of them hiss.
15:43You didn't tell me she looked like that.
15:45You have zero chance now.
15:47Zero.
15:48I reached the gate for the Central Territories.
15:50Another refund notification hit my phone.
15:53The Rossi clan had purchased out every route leaving Palermo.
15:56Not just the Eastern Territory flights.
15:59Everything.
15:59I stood there.
16:00Phone in hand.
16:02Nowhere to go.
16:03Then it rang.
16:04An Eastern Territory number.
16:06Hello?
16:08Dante Vitari.
16:10My arranged husband.
16:11His voice was cool.
16:12Unhurried.
16:13The kind of voice you wanted to keep listening to.
16:16I'm sorry, I...
16:17My people are already at the airport.
16:19They'll bring you to me.
16:20Before I could explain that the entire sky was sealed, I saw it through the terminal window.
16:26A private aircraft on the tarmac.
16:28Sleek.
16:28Unmarked.
16:29Several dragon guards in black stepped off and stood at attention.
16:33Understood.
16:34Good, I said.
16:35I hung up and walked toward the jet.
16:40It had started to drizzle.
16:42The moment I stepped outside, an umbrella appeared over my head.
16:46The man holding it kept his eyes down.
16:49Respectful.
16:50Mrs. Vitari, we're here to bring you home.
16:53That's when Lorenzo spotted me.
16:55He sprinted across the tarmac.
16:57Grabbed my wrist.
16:59Elena.
17:00Come with me.
17:01Vitale's dragon guards closed in immediately.
17:05Lorenzo's men did the same.
17:06The two groups faced each other.
17:08Nobody moved.
17:10People inside the terminal pressed against the glass.
17:12Phones out.
17:13The man leading Dante's guards was older.
17:16Immaculate suit.
17:17The kind of calm that came from having seen everything twice.
17:20He smiled politely.
17:21His eyes didn't.
17:23Mr. Rossi, I'm here to escort Mrs. Vitale home.
17:27Please step aside.
17:28She hasn't left Polemo yet.
17:31I'd like to see who has the nerve to take what's mine.
17:34I was tired.
17:35Deeply tired.
17:36I'd tried to tell him.
17:37More than once.
17:39But his attention was always somewhere else.
17:41Always on Mia.
17:42Lorenzo.
17:43You've protected me for years.
17:45I'm grateful.
17:46But this is where it ends.
17:48I don't blame anyone.
17:52Don't blame anyone?
17:53Then come back with me.
17:55I'll marry you.
17:56I'll tell the Morettis myself.
17:58The rain came harder.
18:00Lorenzo's hair was soaked.
18:02His eyes were red.
18:03For just a moment, something flickered at the edge of his irises.
18:06A deep amber.
18:07Gone before I could be sure I'd seen it.
18:09Dragon blood under pressure.
18:11Even the composed ones cracked eventually.
18:13The Vitale butlers stepped between us.
18:15Unmoved.
18:17Apologies, Mr. Rossi.
18:18The agreement with the Moretti clan has been finalized.
18:22Mrs. Vitale leaves with us today.
18:24Lorenzo ignored him.
18:25He only looked at me.
18:27Lorenzo.
18:28I told you.
18:29I only ever wanted three years.
18:31I have someone I genuinely care about.
18:33I was never planning to marry you.
18:35This again.
18:37Elena, you've been locked inside the Moretti clan your whole life.
18:40When exactly did you meet someone to love?
18:43I know calling you my shadow upset you.
18:46Stop being stubborn and come back.
18:47We'll talk there.
18:48Okay?
18:49His tone had shifted.
18:51Almost pleading.
18:52I was grateful.
18:53Truly.
18:54He'd kept me safe for years.
18:56But when Lorenzo let go of my hand and gave the shard to Mia,
18:59our paths split.
19:01For good.
19:04Lorenzo.
19:05Mia is your chosen.
19:07All of Palermo witnessed it.
19:09Go be happy with her.
19:12Marry a human girl?
19:13Are you serious?
19:14I'd marry you before I'd ever marry her.
19:17My expression went flat.
19:19Lorenzo had always wanted me around.
19:21He'd never once respected me.
19:23I didn't hesitate this time.
19:25I turned and walked toward the jet with the butler.
19:28Lorenzo stood frozen behind me.
19:30Fists clenched.
19:32Something radiating off him that I didn't look back to read.
19:36Elena.
19:37You leave Palermo and no one protects you anymore.
19:42Think carefully.
19:43Once you're gone, don't come back regretting it.
19:47I didn't answer.
19:48I stepped onto the plane.
19:50The butler had already prepared a change of clothes.
19:53He gestured toward the back of the cabin, voice low.
19:56You can freshen up there, Mrs. Vitari.
19:59Getting caught in the rain, you'll catch cold.
20:02The jet was extraordinary.
20:04Not a rental.
20:05This was the Vitale clan's own aircraft.
20:10The Vitale clan operated on a different level entirely.
20:14Even the Morettis didn't own anything like this.
20:16The plane didn't just have a bathroom.
20:18It had a full bedroom.
20:20The bedding was soft pink.
20:22Definitely not something Dante Vitale had chosen for himself.
20:25I changed in the bathroom.
20:27Then stopped.
20:28The clothes fit me perfectly.
20:30When I came out, the butler had quietly moved the dragon guards to the rear of the cabin.
20:36Excuse me, does the Lord usually use this plane?
20:39This aircraft was commissioned specifically for you, Mrs. Vitari.
20:43Everything was customized to your preferences.
20:46The Lord selected the bedding personally.
20:48Softest material available.
20:50I didn't know what to say.
20:52Something this considered.
20:53Given to a stranger without a word.
20:55Wasn't he supposed to be in love with someone else?
20:59The flight to the Eastern Territory is long.
21:02You should rest.
21:03The climate there is dry.
21:05We've prepared a humidifier for you.
21:10No one had ever thought about my comfort before.
21:12I'd spent my whole life reading other people's moods.
21:15Adjusting.
21:16Disappearing into whatever shape kept me safe.
21:19This kind of attention made me restless.
21:21The butler noticed and quietly withdrew.
21:23I pulled out a pen and started sketching notes.
21:26My mind was already running through what came next.
21:29What I was walking into.
21:30What I'd need.
21:32The plane landed on a sprawling green estate.
21:34I looked closer.
21:36The Vitale compound.
21:37Vast.
21:38Immaculate.
21:38The main structure was built from dark stone that seemed to hold the light differently from ordinary material.
21:44Warmer.
21:45Even from the steps of the jet I could feel it.
21:47A subtle heat rising from the ground beneath my feet.
21:50Ancient dragon rock.
21:52I'd read about it once.
21:53Quarried only from the oldest dragon territories.
21:56It held warmth for centuries without any source.
21:59I filed the detail away without knowing why it mattered.
22:02Dante Vitale came out to meet me personally.
22:06He was smiling.
22:07Warm.
22:08Nothing like the ruthless lord the rumors described.
22:11He draped a coat over my shoulders before I could speak.
22:15Are you cold?
22:16Something moved in my chest the moment his hand touched my shoulder.
22:20A pull.
22:21Faint but distinct.
22:23Like a thread I hadn't known was there had just been tugged from the other end.
22:26I stepped back.
22:28Put some space between us.
22:30Told myself it was nerves.
22:32Mr. Vitale.
22:33I know you have someone you love.
22:35I know this marriage wasn't your choice.
22:37Don't worry.
22:38I only need three years.
22:39I won't keep you from her.
22:41He frowned.
22:42Looked genuinely puzzled.
22:47Someone I love?
22:49Three years?
22:51Yes.
22:51Three years.
22:52I'll play the role of your wife.
22:54I won't interfere with your private life.
22:56After that, we separate.
22:58I won't take anything from you.
23:00I'll sign whatever you need.
23:01His frown deepened.
23:03He looked sharply at the butler.
23:05Some silent question passing between them.
23:07Then he stepped closer.
23:09Gently pulled me in.
23:11My face went completely red.
23:13Who said anything about keeping things separate?
23:18You're my wife.
23:19He seemed to enjoy the fact that I was flustered.
23:22He lifted my chin.
23:24Leaned in just slightly.
23:25Everything I have is yours.
23:28We went inside.
23:29I still hadn't recovered.
23:31Wasn't this man supposed to be cold?
23:34Ruthless?
23:34The interior of the Vitale compound was all sharp lines and clean edges.
23:39Dark stone, minimal furniture, but there were soft touches throughout.
23:44Warm fabrics, carefully chosen color.
23:47Things that had clearly been added recently.
23:51Good taste.
23:52Nothing clashing.
23:54The additions made the space feel less severe.
23:56More like somewhere a person could actually breathe.
23:59I sat on the couch.
24:01I handed him a folded piece of paper.
24:03This is my plan.
24:07I'd like to borrow some money.
24:10I'll pay it back in installments.
24:11He took it.
24:12Scanned it.
24:13You need money?
24:14It was humiliating.
24:15Arriving with nothing.
24:17Lord Earl's half-blood daughter showing up with a backpack and no dowry.
24:21No offering.
24:22Nothing of value.
24:23For the Vitales, this had to look like an insult.
24:26I'd done my research before landing.
24:28The Vitale clan didn't need alliances.
24:30Didn't need anyone's backing.
24:32They stood alone at the top of the Eastern Territory.
24:35People came from across the continent just to ask them for favors.
24:39I still didn't understand why they'd agreed to this match with the Morettis.
24:43I pressed my lips together.
24:44Yes.
24:45I don't have money right now.
24:47But I have a way to pay you back.
24:49I promise.
24:50He didn't question it.
24:52His hand closed over mine instead.
24:54Warm against my cold fingers.
24:56He rubbed them slowly.
25:01My face flushed again.
25:02His mood seemed to improve.
25:07Why do you need money?
25:09I looked up.
25:10Suddenly aware, maybe as Mrs. Vitale, I wasn't supposed to have financial control.
25:15Maybe I was expected to live on an allowance.
25:17To ask permission.
25:19Mr. Vitale, I don't want to be trapped by the Moretti clan anymore.
25:23And I'm not going to sit here and ask for handouts.
25:26I want my own income.
25:28My own footing.
25:29And if possible, I want to take back what's mine from the Morettis.
25:33He looked surprised.
25:35Like he hadn't expected me to say it that plainly.
25:38Then he reached over and ruffled my hair.
25:40Everything the Vitalists have is yours.
25:44Before I could process that, he nodded to the butler.
25:47The butler produced a black card.
25:49This is my account.
25:51Spend whatever you need.
25:52The room Dante gave me was the finest in the entire compound.
25:56Morning light came through the windows at the perfect angle.
25:59The decor was soft.
26:01Feminine.
26:01Like something out of a story I'd never thought would include me.
26:05That night, I lay down expecting to stare at the ceiling for hours.
26:09Instead, I was asleep within minutes.
26:11Deep.
26:12Still.
26:13Dreamless.
26:14I told myself it was exhaustion from the journey.
26:17I didn't consider the warmth rising steadily from the ancient stone beneath the floors.
26:23Didn't consider that the Vitale compound had been built on the oldest dragon rock in the
26:27Eastern Territory.
26:28That the heat it held had a particular quality.
26:31One that ancient texts described as resonant with dormant dragon blood.
26:36I didn't know any of that then.
26:37I just slept.
26:40For the first time in years, I woke up rested.
26:43A message from Uncle Luca.
26:47Lorenzo is furious.
26:49Why didn't you go back with him?
26:51Uncle Luca was the only person in the Moretti clan who'd ever looked out for me.
26:55But his protection always came at a price.
26:57I typed back.
26:59Uncle, I'm a person.
27:01Not something you can call back whenever it's convenient.
27:04His reply was immediate.
27:06Cold.
27:07Really?
27:07I thought you'd already turned yourself into a weapon.
27:11Three years passed.
27:12I borrowed 100,000 from the Vitales.
27:15I did everything a lord's wife was supposed to do.
27:17Attended galas with Dante.
27:19Smiled for the right people.
27:21Let the right people court my favor.
27:23I played the part.
27:24The beautiful, composed Lady Vitale.
27:27Dante spoiled me without restraint.
27:29But I never lost sight of why I was there.
27:31Behind the smiles, I was working.
27:33That 100,000 became leverage.
27:36Quietly.
27:37Carefully.
27:37Somewhere in the second year, I stopped taking the white pills.
27:40It wasn't a decision exactly.
27:42I'd run out during a trip and hadn't replaced them.
27:45A week passed.
27:46Then another.
27:47I kept waiting to feel worse.
27:49Instead, I felt more.
27:51Heat in my hands when I was angry.
27:53A sharpness behind my eyes when I was focused.
27:56Small things.
27:57Easy to dismiss.
27:58I told myself it was confidence.
28:00I was simply becoming someone harder to intimidate.
28:03I didn't connect it to the pills.
28:06I didn't connect it to the pills.
28:07I didn't connect it to anything yet.
28:09I dismantled Moretti operations piece by piece.
28:13Pulled their best dragon guards and wing commanders into my own network.
28:17Lord Sergio finally had to look at what he'd built.
28:20His 23 children.
28:22Useless everyone.
28:23The second generation panicked.
28:25Afraid the clan's collapse would hit their share of the territories, they started selling
28:29off assets.
28:30I bought them all.
28:31One by one.
28:32The gambling operations.
28:34The shipping routes.
28:35The legitimate fronts they'd spent years building.
28:37I took the businesses that were bleeding and made them profitable.
28:41Expanded the territories they'd abandoned.
28:43By the time Lord Sergio understood what was happening, I controlled more of the clan's
28:48income than he did.
28:49The other Moretti heirs couldn't touch me anymore.
28:52During the negotiations for the last of the shipping routes, something happened that I couldn't
28:56explain.
28:57The Moretti representative had tried to walk out.
29:00I'd reached out to stop him, and the glass of water on the table between us had cracked.
29:04Clean through.
29:06No one had touched it.
29:07The representative had gone pale.
29:09He signed everything.
29:11I stood in the corridor afterward and looked at my hand.
29:14It felt warm.
29:15The same warmth I'd been ignoring for months.
29:18I thought about the pills.
29:20I thought about the pills.
29:2218 years of white capsules.
29:24Lady Earl had called them vitamins.
29:26She'd never explained what they were for.
29:28Never let me miss a dose.
29:30I'd stopped taking them 14 months ago.
29:32Since then, the heat in my hands.
29:34The sharpness behind my eyes.
29:36The glass that cracked without being touched.
29:39I wasn't imagining it.
29:41Something was different.
29:42Something was changing.
29:43I didn't know what.
29:44It was past 10 when I got home that night.
29:46Dante was in the living room.
29:48Sitting in the warm light.
29:50Waiting.
29:50My chest tightened.
29:51I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
29:56I held on for a moment.
29:57Then I let go and stepped back.
29:59Composed again.
30:00Why so late?
30:01Are you tired?
30:03I had soup made.
30:04The words I'd been preparing stuck in my throat.
30:07He took my hand and led me to the table.
30:10Watched me eat.
30:13When are you going to let yourself lean on me?
30:16You don't have to run yourself into the ground like this.
30:19The warmth of it hit me somewhere I wasn't ready for.
30:21I looked at him in the low light.
30:23Felt something pull tight in my chest.
30:25The three years are up.
30:28It's time for me to go back.
30:29To finish what I started with the Morettis.
30:31Dante had always known I hadn't let go of my plans.
30:35He didn't look surprised.
30:36You don't like the Morettis.
30:38From what I know, only Luca was ever decent to you.
30:42And Lorenzo, he came to the Eastern Territory several times looking for you.
30:46You never saw him.
30:47I hadn't known he'd been aware of that.
30:49That he'd said nothing.
30:52He's coming to the Eastern Territory now, once more.
30:53Every time he added one.
30:53He came to the Eastern Territory.
30:53He's coming to the Eastern Territory.
30:53With those who человек and Lueta consistently SAID!
30:54His name is Samuel Lowe.
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