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00:00In college, I was the fattest girl on campus. I was also the richest.
00:05Roman DeLocco was the poorest boy in our class.
00:09Visibly broke. Visibly beautiful.
00:12I wanted him, so I made him an offer.
00:15If Roman became my boyfriend, I would pay for his grandfather's surgery.
00:20He said yes.
00:24For four years, the entire campus laughed at him.
00:29They called him my pet, my sugar baby, the pretty scholarship boy who let a fat iris buy him.
00:35Then my family lost everything.
00:39Let's break up.
00:43When I said goodbye, he was cold.
00:46Not a single word to make me stay.
00:53Five years.
00:55Fake names, new cities, kitchen jobs, warehouse jobs, anything that paid cash.
01:00The girl who once weighed 210 pounds dropped 70 of them.
01:03And Roman had become the youngest Don this city had ever seen.
01:06The straight-A student everyone expected to cure cancer or win a prize had become...
01:11Die shit!
01:12The man even the police were afraid to name.
01:14I never thought I'd see him again.
01:16Least of all like this.
01:17New girl, fruit platter to the VIP room.
01:20Eight men in suits around a table.
01:22Cigar smoke.
01:23And Roman at the head of it.
01:25Broader.
01:26Harder.
01:28Nothing left of the boy I knew except the face.
01:30My heart nearly stopped.
01:34If he recognized me, what would a man like this do to the woman who had ruined him?
01:38But I'd lost 70 pounds and every trace of who I used to be.
01:41I set the platter down.
01:43Head low.
01:44Hands steady.
01:45I turned to leave.
01:46The pomegranate.
01:47Seed it.
01:49That voice was nothing I recognized.
01:52Deeper.
01:52Colder.
01:54But my body knew it before my mind did.
02:02Turned my back to him and picked up the pomegranate.
02:04Split it open.
02:05Started picking the seeds out one by one.
02:07My hands were shaking.
02:09I squeezed the fruit harder to keep them still.
02:11A long time ago, Roman used to do this for me.
02:14Campus dining hall.
02:15He'd split a pomegranate in half and pick out every seed with those long, careful fingers.
02:20Red juice staining his hands while I talked too loud about nothing.
02:24You look like you just murdered someone.
02:25Back then I thought it meant he loved me.
02:28Later I realized he did everything I asked because he couldn't afford to say no.
02:32Behind me, the men were drinking.
02:34Voices loose.
02:35Someone brought up old stories.
02:36I heard that Don had a girlfriend back in college.
02:38My fingers slipped.
02:39A seed bounced off the plate.
02:41Roman said nothing.
02:42Four years, right?
02:43Must have been something serious.
02:45Then a woman's voice.
02:46Smooth.
02:47Amused.
02:48Serious isn't the word I'd use.
02:50Stella Fontaine.
02:51Model.
02:52Old money family.
02:53Always at Roman's side.
02:56We went to the same school.
02:58She was the prettiest girl in our year.
03:01That girl was...
03:03How do I put this?
03:04Not exactly someone you'd picture Roman with.
03:07Stella laughed softly.
03:09She had to pay him to stay.
03:11Literally.
03:11It's a miracle Roman doesn't hate her.
03:13The table laughed.
03:15My hand clenched around the pomegranate.
03:18Seeds burst under my grip.
03:20Red juice ran down my fingers.
03:22Across the white plate.
03:23Onto the tablecloth.
03:24What the hell?
03:25She ruined the entire platter.
03:26I'm sorry.
03:27I'll get a fresh one.
03:28I grabbed the plate and turned for the door.
03:30Stop.
03:32Roman's voice.
03:33One word.
03:35The whole room went quiet.
03:36Turn around.
03:49Turn around.
03:50My body turned to stone.
03:52One second.
03:53Two.
03:54But if I turned around, he'd see my face.
03:56And it would all be over.
03:57Are you death?
03:58The dawn told you to turn around.
04:00Do it.
04:00Stella's voice cut across the room.
04:02I turned.
04:04Slowly.
04:06Stella's eyes swept over me.
04:07Her brow creased.
04:09You look a little like...
04:10The club manager rushed in.
04:12Dong DeLuca, I'm so sorry.
04:13She's new.
04:13Still training.
04:14I'll deal with this immediately.
04:15He grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the door.
04:17Move.
04:17Now.
04:22I stumbled out of the VIP room on legs that barely held me.
04:25Listen to me.
04:26The man at the head of that table controls half the city.
04:29You do not make him ask twice.
04:31You do not spill anything.
04:33You do not even look at him wrong.
04:35I understand.
04:36I'm sorry.
04:37That room is off limits for you from now on.
04:39Don't go near it again.
04:47I pressed my back against the wall and stared at my hands.
04:51Pomegranate juice was drying between my fingers.
04:53Dark red.
04:54Almost black.
04:55If there's anyone on this planet who has already made Roman DeLuca ask twice, it's me.
04:58I made him say yes to a girl he never chose.
05:01I made him endure four years of humiliation and silence.
05:04The club manager told me not to get on his bad side.
05:07I've been on his bad side since the day I bought him.
05:15Freshman year.
05:16September.
05:17Roman DeLuca was standing at the edge of the orientation crowd in a hoodie so faded it was nearly see
05:22-throughed.
05:23Visibly broke.
05:24Visibly beautiful.
05:25I was in a red dress that cost $4,000.
05:28210 pounds, heels that made the floor shake and a voice loud enough to carry across the courtyard.
05:33I liked his voice.
05:34Low, cool, precise.
05:37I liked that he never showed off or pretended to be someone he wasn't.
05:41One week later, I cornered him after class.
05:44Blocked his path, arms wide open.
05:47Roman DeLuca, I like you.
05:49Go out with me.
05:51I'm rich so we can split my allowance.
05:52Or I'll pay for kiss.
05:53Your call.
05:54Obviously.
05:55No.
05:55He ducked under my arm and walked away.
05:57But I'd never lost at anything in my life.
06:00The more he refused, the harder I pushed.
06:03Until his grandfather collapsed.
06:05I see you.
06:07A bill bigger than anything Roman would ever earn.
06:09I paid it without blinking.
06:11Roman finally gave in.
06:13I can't pay you back.
06:15I don't want you to.
06:16Then what do you want?
06:17I greened.
06:18You know what I want?
06:20Yes.
06:21He lowered his head and said yes.
06:23I thought I'd saved him.
06:25It took me years to understand that I got him, but I also broke him.
06:28After we got together, Roman still worked every job he could find.
06:30He barely touched my money.
06:31But the rumors got worse.
06:33People said he'd sold himself.
06:35The nicknames got uglier.
06:36The looks got meaner.
06:38I squeezed his hand and told him,
06:39Ignore them.
06:40They're just jealous.
06:42I never once climbed down from my ivory tower to see that Roman was fighting alone.
06:47Senior year, my family went bankrupt.
06:52I didn't tell him.
06:56I just called him out and said,
06:57Let's break up.
06:59Why?
07:00I'm bored.
07:04Okay.
07:06And that was it.
07:07I told myself he was probably relieved.
07:09Finally free.
07:11I snapped my SIM card,
07:13deleted every account,
07:15and disappeared.
07:17Five years later,
07:18I'd lost so much weight that even the debt chugglers barely recognized me.
07:22Three months ago,
07:23I came back.
07:25I never imagined he'd end up in this world.
07:27He used to carry spiders outside instead of killing them.
07:30And now he was a blood-slipped Don.
07:32And Stella Fontaine was a better match for him than I ever was.
07:35I pressed my hand against my chest and swallowed the ache.
07:41Closing time,
07:422 a.m.
07:43I was the last one out.
07:452 an ant.
07:45The other staff had already gone.
07:47Lights off,
07:48elevator shut down.
07:48I jabbed the button over and over,
07:50hoping it would come back to life.
07:51Call the night guard.
07:52Roman's voice,
07:54right behind me.
07:59Call the night guard.
08:01Every nerve in my body caught fire.
08:03I kept my back to him and dialed the night guard.
08:05The elevator hummed back to life.
08:07We stepped in.
08:08Small space,
08:09too small.
08:10I pressed myself against the far wall,
08:12eyes on the floor.
08:13You're the last one out every night?
08:14Someone has to.
08:15This neighborhood isn't safe for a woman alone at 2 a.m.
08:18I live close.
08:20He glanced at his watch.
08:21Stella's probably getting impatient.
08:23She hates waiting.
08:24Very clingy,
08:24very needy.
08:26He said it casually.
08:27The way a man mentions his girlfriend to a stranger.
08:29I stiffened.
08:30My eyes dropped to the floor.
08:32What about you?
08:34No one picking you up this late?
08:36The elevator opened.
08:37I bolted.
08:38Three steps.
08:39Five.
08:39The front door was right there.
08:41Running again?
08:41Roman's voice broke behind me.
08:42Where are you going to go this time, Vivian?
08:44I stopped breathing.
08:45The calm was gone.
08:46Every word was ice and fury.
08:4770 pounds lighter,
08:48different hair,
08:48different everything,
08:49and he's still me.
08:50Disappearing,
08:51going silent,
08:51pretending I don't exist.
08:53Is that fun for you?
08:58I stood frozes,
09:00my back still to him.
09:01How did he know?
09:02Was it in the VIP room the whole time?
09:04His footsteps came closer,
09:05slow,
09:06deliberate.
09:06Phone disconnected,
09:08every account deleted,
09:09even your professors didn't know where you went.
09:11I slowly turned around,
09:12met his eyes for the first time in five years.
09:15The faded shirts were gone.
09:16Dark tattoos crawled up his forearms.
09:18You must have found out.
09:20My family went bankrupt.
09:21My father drowned in debt.
09:23We're still paying it off.
09:24Why didn't you tell me?
09:26I had no answer.
09:27Too proud?
09:29The girl who bought me couldn't stand being the one who was broke?
09:31No, I...
09:33The sound of heels cut through the night air.
09:35Stella walked over,
09:36coat draped over her shoulders.
09:37Her eyes swept past me at first,
09:39then snopped back.
09:40Wait.
09:40Her voice changed.
09:41Is that you?
09:42The girl in the VIP room?
09:44Recognition hit her all at once.
09:45Oh my god, Vivian?
09:46She stared at me,
09:47up and down,
09:48taking in the weight I'd lost,
09:50the sharper jaw,
09:51the collarbone that didn't used to show.
09:52Something shifted behind her eyes.
09:54I can't believe it.
09:56Five years, not a word,
09:57and look at you.
09:58You've changed so much.
09:59You look...
10:00different.
10:01Are you doing okay, Vivian?
10:03You used to throw money around like it was nothing.
10:06Take this.
10:07No need to pay it back.
10:08We're old friends.
10:11Five years ago,
10:12she couldn't have afforded to buy me a drink.
10:14Now she was offering me charity
10:16while hanging off the man I used to own.
10:19Thank you,
10:20but I don't need it.
10:22I'm getting married soon.
10:24You should both come.
10:26Roman went completely still.
10:33The next morning,
10:34the other cleaners started talking about him.
10:36You know, the Don wasn't always like this, right?
10:40My cousin works the docks.
10:42He said DeLuca was just some college kid.
10:44Straight-A student.
10:45Could have gone anywhere.
10:47So what happened?
10:48Girl disappeared on him.
10:49He went looking for her.
10:51Legal channels, police, private investigators.
10:53Nothing worked.
10:54So he started trading favors
10:56with people you don't trade favors with.
10:58What kind of favors?
10:59The kind that come with a body count.
11:01First he ran their numbers,
11:02then their intel,
11:03then one night somebody needed a problem solved,
11:06and DeLuca solved it.
11:07After that, there was no getting out.
11:11All that for a woman?
11:13The Mersadi boss saw what he could do
11:15and pulled him closer.
11:17Three years later,
11:18DeLuca was sitting in the old man's chair.
11:20Did he ever find her?
11:22No one knows.
11:25He walked into the darkness
11:26because I disappeared into it first.
11:36Then he saw me.
11:38Same cold, dark stare.
11:41I grabbed my bag and walked past him.
11:42Where are you going?
11:44My shift's over.
11:45I have another job.
11:46Another job?
11:47What job?
11:48Delivery.
11:50He stared at me like he couldn't believe
11:51what he was hearing.
11:58In college,
11:59Roman biked deliveries every night after class.
12:01He ate whatever he could grab between runs.
12:03I once found him on a curb eating a cold burrito.
12:06How can you eat that?
12:07That's disgusting.
12:09Does it matter?
12:11I dragged him to a steakhouse,
12:13150 a plate.
12:15Outside, he stood there for a long time,
12:17then quietly took off his delivery vest
12:19before going in.
12:22I never understood his face that night.
12:25Five years of poverty taught me.
12:27Tonight, the rain was worse than usual.
12:29Three orders in,
12:30my tire hit a wet curb.
12:34I called the customer.
12:35I'm sorry, there was an accident.
12:3740 minutes late?
12:37You're fucking useless.
12:38I want a refund.
12:41I knelt in the rain,
12:43picking up a stranger's dinner
12:44with bleeding hands.
12:46A hand reached down
12:47and pulled my bike upright.
12:49Roman pulled my bike upright,
12:50soaking wet,
12:52no umbrella.
12:53I hid my hands behind my back.
12:57Let me see.
12:58His voice was raw.
12:59I need to finish my route.
13:00Get in the car, I'm driving you.
13:05The next customer opened the door,
13:07ready to scream.
13:09Then he saw Roman standing behind me.
13:11His face turned frightened.
13:13He grabbed the bag
13:14and shut the door without a word.
13:16Roman looked at me.
13:17You're done for tonight.
13:18I can't stop.
13:19I haven't made enough tonight.
13:20His phone came out.
13:21One call,
13:22three words I couldn't hear.
13:24My phone pinked.
13:26A new order,
13:26assigned directly to me.
13:28The payout was more than
13:29my entire night's innings.
13:30I just bought your night.
13:33Get in the car, Vivian.
13:45Roman drove me to his place.
13:47I stopped at the door.
13:49Wouldn't step inside.
13:51Stella's going to lose it.
13:54You're soaking wet and bleeding
13:55and you're worried about Stella?
13:57My palms were raw.
13:58My clothes drenched.
13:59Look around, Vivian.
14:01Does this place look like
14:01a woman's ever been here?
14:02It didn't.
14:03Cold floors, bare walls,
14:04a place built for sleeping,
14:05nothing more.
14:06You two don't live together?
14:07I was never with her.
14:10He tossed a folded contract
14:12onto the couch.
14:13Six months ago,
14:14she came to me with a deal.
14:16Powerful men in her industry
14:17kept pushing her into corners.
14:18She needed a name
14:19scary enough to make them stop
14:20and I needed rival families
14:22to stop sending women
14:22to my bed as bargaining chips.
14:25Roman took my hand
14:26and cleaned the wounds.
14:27The hallway closet
14:29was slightly open.
14:30Inside were designer dresses,
14:31tags still on,
14:32all in my old size.
14:34He'd been buying clothes
14:35for a girl who weighed
14:36210 pounds,
14:37the girl he still remembered.
14:45Why are you so thin?
14:47Turns out bankruptcy
14:48is the best diet plan.
14:51He held my hands,
14:52covered in cuts and chalices.
14:55I asked around today,
14:56your co-workers at the club.
14:59You lied.
15:01To my face.
15:02I didn't lie.
15:03Then show me a photo.
15:05You and this man.
15:07We haven't taken any.
15:10The girl who used
15:11to photograph everything?
15:13No photos with the man
15:14you're supposedly marrying?
15:16You're right.
15:17I'll take one next time
15:18and send it to you.
15:20He almost laughed.
15:23Then he leaned forward,
15:25one hand braced on the couch
15:26beside my hip.
15:27I couldn't move.
15:29I bought your night.
15:31You know what that means?
15:42Let me go, Roman.
15:44I'll pay you back for tonight.
15:46I really am getting married.
15:49His hand slid down my arm
15:51and stopped at my wrist.
15:53Getting married?
15:55But still wearing this?
15:57A thin chain circled my wrist,
15:59tarnished almost black with age.
16:02Roman gave it to me
16:03on my 20th birthday.
16:04That week,
16:05he worked every delivery shift
16:06he could get.
16:07On my birthday,
16:08my parents threw a party
16:09at a restaurant
16:10I can't afford
16:10to walk past anymore.
16:12I told Roman,
16:13but he didn't come.
16:14I waited all night.
16:16Finally, a text.
16:18I'm outside.
16:19He stood in the parking lot,
16:20still in his delivery vest,
16:21rain-soaked,
16:22mud on his shoes.
16:23Give him some weight!
16:24I didn't understand then.
16:25I only complained
16:26that he was late.
16:27A cheap silver bracelet,
16:28nothing special.
16:29But for a boy
16:30working doubles all week
16:31to afford it,
16:32it was everything.
16:33I put it on
16:34and never took it off.
16:38Vivi!
16:39My parents called me
16:40back inside.
16:41They didn't like Roman,
16:43thought he wasn't good enough.
16:46When I turned back,
16:47he was gone.
16:49Disappeared into the rain
16:50like he'd never been there.
16:56Looking back now,
16:58at least when he was 19,
16:59Roman loved me.
17:00Right?
17:01Was this love
17:02or revenge?
17:04My eyes blurred.
17:09Roman froze.
17:10He'd never known
17:11what to do when I cried.
17:13Some things don't change.
17:14Stop.
17:15Don't cry.
17:16I was just...
17:17I didn't mean it.
17:18I went too far.
17:21Today's your birthday.
17:23What?
17:23I had forgotten
17:24my own birthday.
17:26Roman brought out a box.
17:27I got you a new one.
17:29Inside was a white gold bracelet.
17:31Delicate.
17:31Beautiful.
17:32The kind the old Vivian
17:33would have worn
17:34without thinking.
17:34He reached for my wrist
17:35to swap them.
17:36Vivian, can we...
17:41The buzzer rang.
17:43Roman opened the door.
17:46Vivian here.
17:47I'm picking her up.
17:48Who are you?
17:49Her fiancΓ©.
17:50She didn't mention me?
17:51Roman turned to look at me.
17:53The new bracelet
17:54slipped from his fingers
17:55and hit the floor.
18:01I left with Marcus.
18:02He chain-smoked
18:03with the doors locked,
18:04knowing it made me sick.
18:05I coughed.
18:06I'd known Marcus Conti
18:07before my family fell apart.
18:08His family ran the south side.
18:09Our fathers did business together.
18:10He'd been at our dinner table before,
18:12always too loud,
18:13always staring too long.
18:14A week ago,
18:15he showed up at my door.
18:16Marry me.
18:17Your father's debt
18:18disappears overnight.
18:19Why would you do that?
18:20Your father's owed my family for years.
18:21Marrying you settles the books.
18:23And if it makes DeLuca
18:24watch his little dishwasher
18:25become a canto wide,
18:26even better.
18:27Two birds,
18:28one ring.
18:30Tonight,
18:30I only needed an excuse
18:32to leave Roman's apartment.
18:36I don't know how Marcus found the address.
18:38Why did you show up
18:39pretending to be my fiancΓ©?
18:41What's the difference?
18:42It'll be true soon enough.
18:44I haven't said yes.
18:46You don't have a choice, Vivian.
18:48Your father owes people
18:48who break legs for a living.
18:50I bought the debt last month.
18:51Every cent.
18:52The collectors,
18:53the interests,
18:54the threats,
18:55it all runs through me now.
19:04Marcus laughed through the smoke.
19:06Your college boyfriend?
19:08Don DeLuca?
19:09He's a killer, Vivian.
19:12You think a man like that
19:13does anything out of kindness?
19:14You humiliated him for four years.
19:17He's collecting.
19:18He's not in love with you.
19:19Everything is my business now.
19:21That's none of your business.
19:21I own your family's debt.
19:23That makes you mine.
19:24I'm not yours.
19:25I wasn't then,
19:26and I won't be now.
19:28I opened the door.
19:30He let me go.
19:32Think about your mother, Vivian.
19:34How long before the people
19:35I bought that debt from
19:36decide I'm not collecting fast enough?
19:38I stood on the sidewalk,
19:39shaking,
19:40that smug, entitled grin.
19:42The people who mocked Roman in college
19:44looked exactly like that,
19:45smiling down at someone
19:46they thought was beneath them.
19:48Was that how Roman saw me too?
19:50Is that what I looked like to him?
19:52All those years ago?
20:02Word got around that I was back.
20:04My old roommate Wendy
20:05found me through a mutual friend.
20:07She was getting married
20:07and asked me to be her bridesmaid.
20:09We'd promised freshman year
20:10that whoever married last
20:11would be the other's bridesmaid.
20:13The wedding was full of college faces
20:15I hadn't seen in five years.
20:17Vivian?
20:17Is that you?
20:18Everyone did a double take.
20:19Oh my god, you're so thin.
20:20I almost didn't recognize you.
20:22What happened?
20:22I smiled and said nothing.
20:24Five years of poverty happened.
20:26But nobody wants to hear that at a wedding.
20:31Before the ceremony,
20:33Wendy took my hands.
20:34Her eyes went to my collarbones,
20:36my wrists.
20:39You've changed so much.
20:41Still me, Wendy.
20:42I always thought you'd be the first of us
20:44to get married.
20:44Then who'd be your bridesmaid?
20:46Don't joke.
20:47Five years.
20:49Not a word.
20:50I thought you were dead.
20:51I'd never been hit that hard, Wendy.
20:52One day I had everything.
20:53The next it was all gone.
20:54I couldn't face anyone.
20:55Not even pity.
20:56Wendy went quiet.
20:57Roman lost his mind looking for you.
20:59I froze.
21:00What?
21:07He tried everything.
21:10Professors.
21:11The dean.
21:13Missing person reports that went nowhere
21:14because your family changed names and disappeared.
21:17He went to your parents' house, Viv.
21:19You know how scared he was of your father.
21:21But he went.
21:23Knocked for 20 minutes.
21:24Nobody was there.
21:25You were all gone.
21:27Someone from our class saw him sitting on your front steps,
21:30head in his hands,
21:31crying like he couldn't stop.
21:33He heard you might be down south.
21:34Spent his last savings chasing you city to city.
21:37We moved constantly.
21:39Fake names.
21:40New city every few weeks.
21:43Debt collectors never stopped.
21:44He ran out of money,
21:46came back,
21:47and that's when he started selling his soul
21:49to people who could find you.
21:50By the time he did,
21:51he'd already killed for them.
21:53There was no way out.
21:55Everything he is now, Viv,
21:57it's because you disappeared.
22:00I had been so sure he didn't care.
22:04Before graduation,
22:05I'd overheard him talking to his roommate.
22:07So what's the plan?
22:08Marry Vivian?
22:09No.
22:11Then my family collapsed,
22:12and I took it as proof.
22:13He didn't love me,
22:14so I said I was bored,
22:15and he didn't ask me to stay.
22:17But he tore his life apart looking for me.
22:19When the clean world couldn't help him find me,
22:21he walked into the dirty one.
22:23The tattoos,
22:24the blood,
22:25the empire,
22:26all because I vanished.
22:33Wendy was pulled away for the bouquet toss.
22:36I didn't even try to catch it.
22:38The flowers flew over the crowd
22:40and landed in the hands of the last person
22:42anyone expected to see there.
22:45Roman stood at the edge of the room,
22:47dark coat,
22:48two men behind him
22:49who were clearly not here for cake.
22:54He looked at the bouquet
22:55like he wasn't sure how it got there.
22:58Then he walked toward me.
23:01The room erupted.
23:02Even Wendy was screaming.
23:04Roman held the bouquet out to me.
23:06I didn't take it.
23:07Roman,
23:08you know I have a fiancΓ©,
23:09even though it was a lie.
23:11I don't believe your taste got that bad.
23:12Believe what you want.
23:13Fine.
23:14Let's say he's real.
23:15Roman leaned in so only I could hear.
23:16Then leave him.
23:17Come back to me.
23:18For a second,
23:19I almost said yes.
23:20After the ceremony,
23:21old Klaus Mies pulled me into
23:22round after round of drinks.
23:23I hadn't been drunk in five years.
23:25I couldn't afford to be.
23:31I forgot that.
23:33By midnight,
23:34I was sitting in a quiet stairwell,
23:36shoes off,
23:37mascara down my face.
23:38Roman found me there.
23:40Why are you here?
23:41I looked up
23:43and broke.
23:44Roman, I'm so tired.
23:46I cried into his shoulder
23:47the whole way down.
23:49Three jobs,
23:50every single day.
23:51When does it stop?
23:52A customer threw food at me last week
23:54and strawberries that don't come
23:56in the discount bin.
23:57Five years of swallowing everything
23:59and the alcohol repped it all out of me.
24:03He drove me back to his place.
24:05I remember apartment lights,
24:07his arms,
24:07the couch,
24:08then his voice,
24:09low and rough.
24:10What does Marcus Conti have that I don't?
24:12He pays my debt.
24:13I can do that.
24:14Better than him.
24:15Faster.
24:16I know what you like.
24:17I know how to make you happy.
24:19After that, nothing.
24:20Morning sunlight everywhere.
24:22I woke in Roman DeLuca's bed,
24:23wearing nothing.
24:30For five seconds,
24:31I forgot how to breathe.
24:32I grabbed the sheet and sat up.
24:35You're awake.
24:36Why am I naked?
24:37His ears went red.
24:38A don, a killer,
24:39a man who made the city kneel
24:40and his ears went red.
24:41You threw up on your clothes.
24:42I changed you into a shirt.
24:44You took it off yourself
24:44because you said it smelled like blood money.
24:47On the dining table,
24:48breakfast covered every inch of space.
24:50Steak,
24:51fresh pasta,
24:52strawberries that didn't come from a discount big,
24:54and a plate of pomegranate seeds,
24:55each one carefully picked out by hand.
24:59Roman set the coffee down.
25:00I called the club.
25:02You're off today.
25:03You called my boss?
25:04I am your boss.
25:07Eat.
25:12I've had Marcus Conti's movements tracked
25:14since the night he showed up at my door.
25:15His family's operation,
25:16supply lines,
25:17debts,
25:18your father's name in his books.
25:19I've had it all mapped for weeks.
25:20Why are you telling me this?
25:22Because by the end of the month,
25:23Marcus Conti won't be a problem for you anymore.
25:30Because by the end of the month,
25:31Marcus Conti won't be a problem for you anymore.
25:34The way he said it,
25:35calm,
25:36efficient,
25:37the same voice he probably used.
25:38I don't need you to fix my life, Roman.
25:40I'm not fixing your life.
25:41I'm removing a threat.
25:42A threat to who?
25:43Me?
25:45Or your territory?
25:48I grabbed my bag and left
25:49before the pomegranate seeds
25:50could make me stupid again.
25:53On the subway,
25:54my phone buzzed.
25:54A message from Stella.
25:55Don't fool yourself, sweetie.
25:57He's not saving you.
25:58He's closing a file.
25:59He solves problems and moves on.
26:01Once you're handled,
26:01you'll never hear from him again.
26:03Then Stella sent a video.
26:04A dark room.
26:05Smoke.
26:06Roman leaned back in a chair,
26:07cigarette between his fingers.
26:08Years of hassle.
26:09Finally done with it.
26:10About time, boss.
26:11Must feel good to let that shit go.
26:12Roman didn't smile.
26:13Just took another drag.
26:14The video cut off.
26:15A notification slid across my screen.
26:18Outstanding balance.
26:19Zero dollars.
26:21Paid in full.
26:22Payer.
26:22Roman DeLucco.
26:24Everything snapped into place.
26:25The debt.
26:25I called the club,
26:26the pomegranate seeds at breakfast.
26:27He wasn't let me.
26:28None of it was love.
26:29It was keen up.
26:29The way Adan handles unfinished business.
26:31I texted him.
26:32Who told you to pay off my family's debt?
26:34It's done.
26:35You're free now.
26:36I didn't ask to be freed.
26:37Who gave you the right?
26:38Vivian, it's just money.
26:40Just money?
26:42The exact thing I used to say to him.
26:44I'll pay back every cent.
26:46I blocked him.
26:47I blocked him, quit the club, and stayed home for two days.
26:50On the third morning, Wendy called.
26:52What did you do to Roman?
26:54Nothing.
26:54I stopped talking to him.
26:55Well, Roman nearly killed Machinus Conti.
26:59What happened at a sit-down between families?
27:04Marcus had been drinking.
27:05More than usual.
27:07Angrier than usual.
27:08Over the past week, his world had quietly collapsed.
27:10Supply routes cut.
27:11Allies flipped.
27:12Deals went cold overnight.
27:13Everyone knew who was behind it.
27:15No one said the name.
27:16Vivian Brooks?
27:17Used to be the fattest girl on campus, throwing daddy's money around like confetti.
27:21Now she's skin and bones.
27:22DeLucco thinks he can bleed me dry over that.
27:25Once I squeeze the last drop out of her family's connections, I'll sell her off.
27:28She's lost all that weight anyway.
27:29Finally worth looking at.
27:31Roman sat at the far end of the table.
27:36He stood.
27:39Walked over and broke Marcus's jaw with the first hit.
27:41Three of Marcus's men pulled guns.
27:44Roman's people already had theirs out.
27:45A bullet grazed Roman's shoulder until Marcus stopped moving and the floor was slick with blood.
27:50Then Roman straightened his coat.
27:51He hit Marcus again and again.
27:53Territories are now under DeLuca management.
27:55Anyone still doing business with him by morning is doing business against me.
27:58He keeps his name.
27:59That's all he keeps.
28:00I went to the club.
28:02Stella waited outside his office.
28:04You've got some nerve showing up here.
28:07Where is he?
28:08Roman could have been anything.
28:09A scientist?
28:10A professor?
28:12Something clean.
28:13Instead he threw it all away looking for you.
28:15His hands are covered in blood because of you.
28:19And what gives you the right to say any of this to me?
28:24Stella froze.
28:25You two are just a business deal.
28:27So why are you acting like his wife?
28:28Her composure cracked.
28:30Fear flickered in her eyes.
28:31I know it's just a contract.
28:33But I love him, Vivian.
28:35I've loved him for years.
28:36You've been gone for five years.
28:37Just stay gone.
28:38Leave him to me.
28:39You love him?
28:40Yes.
28:40I didn't expect that.
28:42Because weren't you the one who started those rumors about Roman in college?
28:45Stella froze again.
28:46Panic flashing across her face.
28:54I disappeared, Stella.
28:56I didn't lose my memory.
28:58After Roman and I got together, you cornered me in the bathroom.
29:01Remember what you said?
29:03You said, Vivian, how much did you pay to keep Roman?
29:06I don't remember that.
29:07After that, people started calling him the fat girl's toy.
29:09Then her pet.
29:10Then worse.
29:11No.
29:11You're lying.
29:12I wonder what Roman would do if he found out it was you all along.
29:15Vivian, you're the one making things up.
29:17Should I call a few old classmates to confirm?
29:24Please, Vivian.
29:25I'll give you whatever you want.
29:27Just don't bring this up again.
29:28Don't tell Roman.
29:29I was young and stupid.
29:30I hurt him, but I love him now.
29:32I can make it right.
29:33You still think you only hurt him?
29:36You hurt me too, Stella.
29:38Then I'll apologize.
29:39Please, just don't tell Roman.
29:40Don't ruin what he thinks of me.
29:45He'd been there long enough.
29:54Contract is over.
29:55Roman.
29:56You came to me because powerful men used their positions to corner you.
29:59Then you used mine to corner Vivian.
30:02Get out.
30:03Stella backed away, gaze unfocused, hands shaking, unable to look back.
30:07That was the last I ever heard of her.
30:10Are you okay?
30:12Will this cause problems?
30:13Marcus's family?
30:15I can handle it.
30:16Marcus is still in the ICU.
30:18Good.
30:19I hope he never walks out.
30:21Roman grinned.
30:22There she is.
30:24What?
30:24That.
30:25That's the Vivian I remember.
30:27How long has it been since you said something like that?
30:30We sat in his office.
30:31I unwrapped his gauze and cleaned his knuckles.
30:36Bickering like we were 20 again, like the last five years had never happened.
30:46Then the dam broke and I started crying.
30:48Wait for me, okay?
30:49I'll pay you back every cent.
30:51The Don who'd put Marcus Kanto in the hospital 12 hours ago had no idea what to do with a
30:55crying woman.
30:56Pay me back?
30:56What are you talking about?
30:57And why did you block me?
30:58I shouldn't have paid your debt without asking, but you can't just shut me out.
31:01You called me a burden, a problem to clean up.
31:03How was I supposed to face you after that?
31:05A burden?
31:05Who told you that?
31:06Stella, I stopped.
31:08Wait.
31:09Finally done with it.
31:11But the video was real.
31:12I saw it myself.
31:13I pulled up Stella's messages and showed him.
31:15That wasn't about you.
31:16That video was about a shipment stuck in customs.
31:18Stella was there.
31:19She filmed it and cut it to make you think I was talking about you.
31:21But how did she know you were paying off my debt?
31:23I asked her for advice.
31:24She'd handled debt buyouts before for her family's business.
31:27Let's get everything out tonight.
31:28I have a lot of questions.
31:29Ask.
31:30Why did you leave me?
31:31My family had nothing left.
31:33I was a burden.
31:34Leaving seemed like the right thing to do.
31:36Not because you were bored?
31:44I froze.
31:45Then I remembered.
31:46Bored was the reason I gave him five years ago.
31:48One word.
31:49And he'd walked away without looking back.
31:50I thought you saw me as a toy.
31:51His voice was low.
31:52Not the voice of Adan.
31:54The voice of the boy in the faded shirt.
31:55Four years of playing with me.
31:57Then your family went broke.
31:58I couldn't help and you threw me away.
32:00How could he think that?
32:01I opened my mouth till he cut me off.
32:02Even if that's true, it doesn't matter.
32:04He dropped to one knee in front of me and took my hands.
32:07He looked up at me like a man offering everything he had, terrified it wasn't enough.
32:11Even if I'm just a toy to you, I want to stay.
32:14His gaze was soft, just like it used to be.
32:16I sat with his words for a long time before I could speak.
32:19You're wrong.
32:20What?
32:21It was a lie, Roman.
32:22I never thought of you as a toy.
32:23I was serious about us.
32:25Every single day.
32:26Then why did you say you were bored?
32:27Before graduation, I heard you talking to your roommate.
32:30He asked if you'd marry me.
32:31You said no.
32:31Roman stared at me.
32:33A strained half-laugh escaped him.
32:34I meant I couldn't afford to.
32:36Not that I didn't want to.
32:37I'd already been looking at rings.
32:39I just couldn't buy one.
32:40We went through it all.
32:41Moment by moment.
32:42Misunderstanding by misunderstanding.
32:44And every single one came from the same place.
32:46The gap between us had been too wide.
32:48He thought I helped him for fun.
32:50A rich girl's entertainment.
32:51I thought he stayed with me out of obligation.
32:53A debt he couldn't refuse.
32:55Neither of us believed the other was really in love.
32:57Vivian, why would you rather take Marcus Conta's help than mine?
33:00Because I love you.
33:00And I didn't want us to become that kind of relationship.
33:02I stopped.
33:03I finally understood.
33:04That's exactly how I felt back then.
33:06Wait, when I first told you I liked you, did you already?
33:08Yes, Vivian.
33:09I liked you first.
33:10Before you ever said a word to me.
33:19The first day of In Irritation.
33:21You were in that red dress, handing water bottles to freshmen who looked lost.
33:25You didn't even know their names.
33:26Everyone saw the fat girl with too much money.
33:29I saw the only person who didn't care what anyone thought.
33:31He fell for me first.
33:33But I beat him to it, and I did it the worst way possible.
33:36I offered him the one thing he couldn't refuse.
33:38After that, every time he said he loved me, no one believed him.
33:44Not the campus.
33:45Not me.
33:47Eventually, not even him.
33:49Roman opened a pomegranate and started picking out the seeds.
33:51One by one.
33:52The way he always used to.
33:54You know why I always did this for you?
33:55Because I was too lazy?
33:57Persefride ate pomegranate seeds in the underworld.
33:59After that, she could never fully leave.
34:02His fingers were stained red.
34:03Every time I peeled one for you, I was hoping you'd stay.
34:06Tears welled in my eyes.
34:08But Stella said you hated me.
34:09That's on me.
34:10I should have shut her down.
34:12He pushed the bowl toward me.
34:14I thought you really didn't want me anymore.
34:16Every time I saw a pomegranate, I'd think, why couldn't I keep her?
34:20Was I too weak?
34:21Not enough?
34:22He looked at his stained fingers.
34:23So I climbed higher, made everyone afraid of me.
34:26But without you, what was any of it for?
34:28My tears fell before I could stop them.
34:29I took his face in my hands and kissed him.
34:32He went still, came around me, tight, desperate, like he'd been holding his breath for five years.
34:35In that moment, I finally knew, across all the blood and distance, the boy I loved had been walking towards
34:41me the whole time.