Anything You Want (English)

Bound by Power

"Crazy how fast things change, huh?" Nancy’s voice cut through the air as she walked toward Drake. He heard her and instinctively turned, eyes locking on hers.

"Nancy," he said, his voice neutral, masking the storm inside him.

She scoffed. "So you do still remember me. We broke up a month ago, and now look at you—married to El Fuego's Little Princess. Guess money really does wonders."

Drake let out a dry chuckle. "Life’s funny like that, isn’t it?" His eyes met hers, sharp. "Almost as funny as how you left the second I lost everything."

The memories hit like a freight train. A single night had flipped his world upside down—his father, gone, the business, ruined. Bankruptcy, betrayal, heartbreak. Nancy hadn’t even hesitated.

"You know that wasn’t my choice," she started, arms crossing defensively. "My family—"

"Your family didn’t want the mess, right?" He cut her off, voice laced with quiet bitterness. "Not just any mess—fraud, debts, the whole ugly package. Guess I wasn’t worth the risk."

Nancy shifted on her feet, avoiding his eyes.

Drake exhaled slowly, his fingers curling into fists. "I really thought you'd be there. We had years together, Nancy. High school, college… I believed in you." A humorless smile tugged at his lips. "Turns out, when the world turns its back on you, love does too."

Silence stretched between them. Nancy looked away.

Drake finally broke the moment, his voice quieter, colder. "Anyway. Hope you're happy."

And with that, he walked away.

He still couldn’t shake off the events of a month ago. In a single night, his entire world collapsed.

His father had taken his own life after his business—something he had painstakingly built from the ground up—went bankrupt. As if that wasn’t enough, his mother had fallen gravely ill from the shock and was rushed to the hospital. Since then, she hadn’t spoken a word, not to him, not even to the doctors caring for her.

Then came Nancy—his fiancée—the person he thought would stand by him. But when she learned about his father’s death, she left. Cold and quick. Her excuse? Her family wanted no involvement in the chaos surrounding his own, especially since this was no ordinary bankruptcy. His father had been accused of fraud, drowning in debt with no way out, pushed to the brink by relentless creditors.

Drake had believed Nancy would fight through this with him. They had been together since high school, their relationship built on years of love and trust. But when everything crumbled, she was the first to walk away.

And so, he was left utterly lost.

The moment his father died, the weight of all his debts fell on his shoulders. The bank took everything—their home, their car, their assets—leaving him with nothing. His mother, already fragile, grew weaker. She remained in the hospital, silent, distant, unreachable. Homeless, Drake had no choice but to rent a tiny, cramped room—a space so small, it made him realize that even their former house servants had lived better than him.

Survival became his only priority. He juggled multiple jobs just to continue his studies. There were countless nights he wanted to give up, but he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he avenged the suffering inflicted on his family.

The desire for revenge burned within him, but there was one glaring problem—he had no idea where to begin. He had no money, no power. And no matter how hard he worked, no part-time job could ever give him the leverage he needed to take down an empire.

If he wanted justice, he needed to enter their world.

And to do that, he had to become someone they couldn’t ignore.

"Drake Anderson?"

The voice stopped him in his tracks as he stepped out of the cemetery, having just buried his father.

He turned toward the man who had spoken, fists clenching the moment he recognized him.

Leandro Montefuego.

Drake didn’t know him personally—but he knew exactly what this man had done to his family.

His father owed him a massive debt. The relentless pressure, the fraud accusations—everything had pushed his father over the edge, leaving him no way out. He lost his business, lost his dignity, and ultimately… took his own life.

And now, his mother—a once-strong woman—lay weak in a hospital bed, barely speaking, barely existing. The shock had shattered her. She had even tried to end her own life.

And here stood the man responsible.

Drake’s blood boiled.

How could he face him like this, as if nothing had happened?

Standing at his father’s grave, Drake had sworn—he wouldn’t stop until he avenged him. Until he cleared his name.

His father had built his company from the ground up. He was no fraud. He never needed corruption to succeed.

And now, standing before him, was the man who had torn it all down.

"Leandro Montefuego," the older man said, extending a hand toward him.

Drake didn’t move.

"I know who you are," he said coldly, glaring at the offered hand but refusing to take it.

A smirk played at Leandro’s lips. "How ironic—you married the granddaughter of the man who caused your father’s death. Can you stomach living with her?"

"Let me worry about that," Drake bit out, turning away.

He was ready to leave when a hand suddenly grasped his arm.

He froze. His gaze snapped to hers.

Then, without a word, he yanked his arm free and stormed off.

Samantha clenched her jaw, biting her lip in frustration as she watched him walk away.

"Can we talk? This is about your father's business. I have an offer you won’t be able to refuse," the old man said.

Drake turned to face him, eyes burning with fury. Wasn’t it enough that my mother and I are suffering? Now he wants to drag me even deeper into debt? Was his father’s life not payment enough?

Hatred roiled inside him, but revenge wasn’t something he could seize blindly. He had nothing—not money, not power. If he wanted justice, he had to play this smart.

Without a word, he followed the old man to a restaurant. The place was eerily empty—no customers, no staff aside from the manager, who had been instructed to lock the doors. Whatever was about to be discussed, it was meant to stay a secret.

Drake wasted no time. "Why do you want to talk to me?" he asked bluntly.

"Let’s get straight to the point," the man said, signaling to someone behind him.

A suited man stepped forward, placing an envelope on the table. The old man took it, pulled out the contents, and laid the documents before Drake.

Drake’s brows furrowed. "What is this?"

"Papers declaring that your father’s business will be placed under your name," the man answered.

Drake’s eyes snapped to him in disbelief. Why?

He wasn’t naïve. Nothing in this world came free—especially not from this man. The company had already been absorbed into El Fuego’s Pride. There had to be a catch.

"What do you want in return?" Drake asked, voice cold. "You wouldn’t just hand this over—not after everything that happened."

The old man chuckled. "Smart boy. My granddaughter made the right choice."

Drake’s jaw tightened. His granddaughter? What was that supposed to mean?

"I’m a businessman. I only deal in transactions." The old man leaned forward, his gaze unwavering. "Your family's company is in ruins. We will restore it—rebuild it from the ground up. And when the dust settles, it will be yours to manage."

A pause.

"But only on one condition."

Silence hung thick between them.

Then, the man spoke again, his words sharp and final.

"You have to marry my granddaughter."

"What?" Drake blurted out in disbelief.

The old man’s assistant stepped forward, handing over another document. Without hesitation, the older man placed it in front of Drake.

The bold, printed words at the top caught his eye immediately.