The maid’s grip was harsh as she yanked the fabric of the dress into place, purposely pulling too tight.

"Ouch!" Alina groaned, yanking her arm back with a sharp hiss of pain. She turned on the girl, her face filled with rage. "Don’t you have any manners? You lowly maid! How dare you touch me like that!"

The maid didn’t flinch. She slowly straightened her apron and looked Alina directly in the eye with a cold gaze.

"You’re a maid too, Alina," she said, her voice flat. "Don’t forget your place just because you’re sleeping in a bigger bed tonight."

"You dared to call me a maid?!" Alina’s face turned bright red. She raised her hand, ready to deliver a stinging slap, but she froze. She remembered Dante was just outside. She slowly lowered her hand, her fingers trembling with suppressed fury.

"Wait until I become the mistress of this house," she hissed, leaning into the maid’s face. "You’ll be the first one I throw out into the street. You’ll be begging for scraps by the time I’m done with you."

The other maids in the room exchanged quick, skeptical glances. They had served Lady Viella before, and though she was cold, she had a regal elegance that this girl completely lacked.

They couldn’t wrap their heads around it? was Lord Dante really planning to marry this common girl instead of a true high class lady like Viella?

She’s nothing but a loud-mouthed social climber, one of the maids thought, hiding a sneer. Lady Viella is a thousand times the woman she is.

Without another word, the maid bowed stiffly, her face a mask of false obedience. She stepped forward and finished fastening the dress, applying the makeup. She made Alina look like a doll. Beautiful on the outside, but completely hollow inside.

"You are ready, Miss Alina," the maid said, emphasizing the title with a hint of mockery.

Alina stood up, admiring herself in the mirror. The dress was perfect, the jewelry was expensive, and for a moment, she truly believed she had won.

Dante stood by the door, watching as she stepped out. He scanned her from head to toe, his gaze lingering on the dress. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Alina smirked, feeling a surge of triumph. In her mind, she was the masterpiece. She was certain she looked a thousand times better than that "fake" Viella ever could. She was the one winning the prize, and the reflection in Dante’s eye proved it.

Dante extended his hand toward her. Alina took it happily, leaning into him since the pain in her joint made it nearly impossible to stand alone.

As they walked away, the maid who had helped her silently wiped her hand on her apron with a look of pure disgust, a gesture Alina was too blinded by pride to notice.

As they descended the grand staircase, the mansion was dark.

"Lord Dante, I can’t see anything," Alina whispered, her heart fluttering. "What is the surprise?"

"Just wait a bit..." Dante’s voice was low.

Suddenly, the lights flickered to life. Alina gasped. The room was filled with elegant decorations, and in the center sat a massive, ribbon wrapped gift box. Dante led her to a chair, letting her sit comfortably before he walked over to the box.

He returned a moment later.

"What’s in it?" she asked, her breath hitching.

"Open it and you’ll see," Dante said, standing over her.

Alina tore into the packaging, her eyes widening until they felt like they might pop.

Inside was a breathtaking, custom-made wedding dress. It was the physical manifestation of her wildest dreams. The ultimate proof that all her schemes and struggles to steal him away had worked.

Her eyes sparkled with tears of greed and joy. "For me?"

"Yes..." Dante looked down at her, his expression flat. "Will you marry me?"

To anyone watching this, for them the proposal was cold and hollow. There was no bended knee, no poetic words, and no warmth in his eyes.

But to Alina, those words were the most beautiful music she had ever heard.

"Yes! A thousand times yes!" she cried out, clutching the dress to her chest.

She was so caught up in her "happily ever after" that she completely forgot about the phone, the video from Elias, and the fact that Dante hadn’t mentioned a ring. She was officially the future Mrs. Moretti, and in her mind, the game was over.

Dante helped her up with a gentleness,

"Why not try on the dress now?" he whispered, his voice smooth and devoid of any real affection. "I want to see you in it. I want to see exactly how you look as my bride."

Alina nodded eagerly, her heart racing. Dante helped her back to his room, settling her inside before closing the door and leaving her alone with the gown and a maid.

The second the door close shut, the fake warmth vanished from Dante’s face. His expression shifted into something predatory.

His lead men stepped out from the shadows of the hallway,

"Is everything ready?" Dante asked, his voice a low dangerous growl.

"Yes, Boss. Everything is in place for the final act."

Dante smirked, his fingers twitching with a dark, restless excitement. He wasn’t preparing for a wedding, he was preparing for a funeral.

Inside the room, Alina had managed to slip into the heavy dress with the help of a silent maid.

Once the maid departed, Alina stood before the full length mirror, breathless.

She was so intoxicated by her own reflection that she barely felt the throbbing pain in her leg. She looked like a queen. She looked like the woman who had finally beaten the great Viella.

"I won," she whispered to her reflection. "I actually won."

Suddenly, her phone ringed. She remembered Elias. A surge of confidence washed over her

she wanted to rub her victory in his face. She wanted to show that the actual joker wasn’t her but Himself!

She pulled the phone from under the blanket and opened the message thread. "Wait until you see this, Elias," she muttered, her thumb hovering over the screen.

But her smirk froze. As she watched the video first.

In the video, it was visible how Dante, with a face devoid of any emotion, reached into his suit and pulled out his gun. He didn’t even hesitate. He pointed it directly at Alina’s leg and pulled the trigger. The muzzle flash was the last thing she saw before she fell, her world turning into a blur pain. And while she lay there bleeding, Dante didn’t even look back, he rushed straight to Viella, shielding her with a desperation that was never meant for Alina.

"No... no..." she gasped, her lungs feeling like they were in fire. She kept watching the loop, the image of her own blood splashing on the floor haunting her. "This can’t... no..."

Then, a new notification pinged. Her eyes blurred as she watched the headlines of the total downfall of Elias Noir. Her only backup, her only escape, was being hunted like a dog.

She couldn’t believe her eyes.

Suddenly, the bedroom door creaked open...

Alina turned her head slowly, her entire frame shivering.

Dante stood there. Now that the veil of "love" was ripped away, she realized how truly terrifying he looked.

He stood with cold gloomy eyes as he said softly,

"You already watched the video? You could’ve waited a bit longer. I wanted you to feel like a bride for just a few more minutes."

"This... this is a prank, right? The video is fake... right?" She tried to force a smile, but it looked more like a grimace of pain. She took a staggering step back, her heart pounding.

"Hmm..." Dante reached into his suit and pulled out the same gun. He whispered as he took a slow, heavy step closer, "I wonder... is it?"

Alina’s eyes widened to the point of tearing. It was the same gun. It was the truth. She had been played from the very start.

Dante reached out and snatched her phone.

"Here. Why don’t you call him? Maybe Elias will come save you now."

She stared at him in disbelief, her breath hitching. She yanked the phone back with a desperate snarl and tried to dial, but it was a dead end. The screen showed a "Blocked" status. That bitch had cut her off the moment he lost his power.

"You can’t do this to me, Dante!" she screamed, but her voice came out as a weak wheeze. She felt her body getting heavier, her muscles turning to jelly. "You... what did you do to me!?"

"Oh, is the pill working already? I thought it would take some more time for your heart to slow down..."

Alina’s pupils started shaking with pure horror.

Before she could even attempt to run, her legs gave out completely. She hit the floor with a thud, her body going limp. She tried to crawl, her fingers digging into the expensive carpet, leaving dark streaks of blood as the wound in her leg began to pour out, staining the white lace of the wedding dress a deep red color.

Dante didn’t rush. He followed her step by step, the sound of his shoes echoing in the silent room as she dragged her paralyzed lower body across the floor.

"No... no... please, I love you... please, Dante," she begged, her voice a gurgling whisper. She kept crawling until her strength vanished, her body finally going numb as she lay facing down in her own blood.

Her eyes were trembling, filled with the reflection of Dante’s approaching body.

Dante crouched down beside her, the smell of expensive cologne filling her nose. He reached out with a cold hand and gently closed her eyelids, his thumb lingering on her skin.

"Shhh... rest well, Alina. We still have long way to go... because I am not done with you yet"

_________

"My lady, there’s no reaction from Lord Dante yet," the man reported, his voice low.

Viella stood still, her gaze fixed on the window. "Strange..." she murmured.

This was Dante Moretti. He was not the type of person to stay silent while his empire was being picked apart. He should have been hunting her, or at least burning the city down to find the leak.

However, the man interrupted her thoughts. "It can be said something unusual is happening in his mansion, my lady."

Viella raised her eyebrows, turning slightly. "Explain."

"We don’t have the full report since he has high security," he continued, "but it was seen that a woman in a wedding dress was spotted inside the mansion"

Viella froze. "A wedding dress..."

A memory flashed in her mind. The same wedding dress Dante had personally chosen that day. It had been Alina’s exact measurements.

"So this is where he’s busy..." Viella muttered, her voice dropping a bit. "Enjoying his time with his girl while the world burns outside."

She laughed softly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. No wonder there was no reaction. The Male Lead had finally gotten his Female Lead, after all. Why would he care about a crumbling empire when he had his prize in his gasp?

Suddenly, she felt a sharp unexpected pang in her chest.

She immediately brushed it off, her face hardening. It’s probably just the original owner’s lingering emotions, she told herself.

Not mine. I don’t love him. I never did.

"Whatever. Forget about him," she snapped, her eyes turning back to the book sitting on the desk.

"Destroy every tracker Elias has set for me. Every single one. And did you arrange the transport?"

The man nodded respectfully. "Everything is prepared, my lady."

"Good." Viella’s smirk returned, sharper and more dangerous than before. "We will take off tomorrow night."

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TO BE CONTINUED