Property of Billionaire D.E.N

The pounding on the door shook the walls, each thud louder than the last. Six-year-old Ina clutched her father's sleeve, her small fingers trembling as she pressed herself against him. The man outside barked again, his voice rough and impatient. “Come out, Mr. Beauchamp, or we’ll break this door down. I'm sure you don’t want that!”Another furious knock. Then, slower. ”Okay, I’m going to count to 10. If you don’t come out, I’m breaking in.” Ina’s breath hitched. Her father knelt in front of her, his hands steady on her shoulders despite the fear in his eyes.“One...two...three.”Her father quickly lifted her and hid her in the wardrobe, burying her under a pile of clothes. The fabric smelled like old wool and cedar, scratchy against her cheeks. “My dear Ina,” he whispered, voice tight. “Don’t come out unless I tell you to. Promise me.”Tears spilled down her face. “Daddy, you're scaring me.”“I promise, Daddy.” She swallowed hard.With a deep sigh, he closed the wardrobe door, leaving her in darkness.Outside, the counting continued. “Eight...nine…”Her father opened the door, his voice firm and clear as he stood in front of the man.“I’m here, what do you want?”Through a tiny gap in the wardrobe door, Ina watched. A towering figure loomed in the doorway, silhouetted against the hall lights.“We need to talk, Mr. Beauchamp.”Ina held her breath, her heart pounding in her ears.A black car rolled up to stop, sleek and silent like a predator. The door opened, and out stepped an elderly man in a tailored suit, his polished shoes crunching on the cracked pavement.Behind him, a boy no older than 12 years old followed, his face pale, his hands clenched into fists. The old man's nose wrinkled as he approached Ina's father, who stood frozen in the doorway. “Pathetic,” he sneered, “this place reeks of poverty.”A sharp nod to his men, and in an instant rough hands seized Mr. Beauchamp, forcingHim to his knees, dust clung to his pants as he struggled.“Roger,” the old man called. “Bring the pistol.”A glint of metal passed between them. Then slowly, the old man placed the pistol intothe young boy's trembling hands“Look at him, son,” he murmured, his voice thick with venom. “This is the man who killed your mother, my wife.”The boy's breath hitched, and he tightened his fingers around the handle of the gun.“If he had not crossed in front of her...if he had not shown up out of nowhere...if he had not forced her to swerve…” The old man's voice cracked. “She would still be alive today.”Mr. Beauchamp’s voice was raw and dry. “Please, son, I didn’t mean to; it was a mistake.”pull the trigger Elias, the old man whispered.The boy's tears fell now, hot and furious. “Is that how she felt? he whispered. When you "took her from me."a beat of silence Then...Boom. Boom. Boom.Ina’s father's lifeless body crumpled. Three shots. three echoes ringing in the air.A whimper escaped her lips before she could swallow it.The old man did not hear. But the boy did.His head snapped towards the closet. There, through the hole, he saw the amber eyes.wide with terror, glistening with tears.For a heartbeat, they just stared at each other. His face twisted not in rage, but in something worse...pity.Then she woke up, sweat beads on her face, gasping for air, the same nightmare. Fifteen years later, she still couldn’t escape it, the events of that night that changed her life forever and marked a scar on her once peaceful life. She gets ready. Suddenly, a notification pops up on her phone. ENTRANCE QUALIFICATION RESULT OF KINGSTON UNIVERSITY IS OUT.She rushes out and calls a cab to her best friend's house. Madison, ever since she was moved from adoption homes to various foster homes, she and Maddie had been inseparable, like sisters. She arrives at Maddie's home contemplating the result.“Girl, just check it, you are the most brilliant person I have seen, and you worked so hard for this, considering the fact you basically struggled between working various shifts to keep yourself afloat and preparing for the KU entrance exam.”She sits down with Ina and continues.“And if you pass, we’re going to Dubai to celebrate and pop champagne, and if you fail, we’re still celebrating, because girl, you deserve a celebration.”“Thanks, Maddie; what would I ever do without you?”“Hmm, I don’t know...probably die in despair and desolation.”Ina then puts in her login details, and then her scores pop out.Ina Marie Beauchamp: 98/100, Congratulations, Miss... You will be messaged by the school's admission board once your admission has been granted. Ina screams with joy."Maddie, we did it; I'm so happy."“We’re going to Dubai to party,” the girls start chanting with excitement. Later that afternoon, Ina leaves Maddie's house to visit her late dad.The cemetery was quiet, the afternoon sun casting shadows over the rows of headstones. Ina knelt before her father's grave, her fingers brushing over the name.James Fredrick Beauchamp, she drops some violets, her dad’s favorite.Guess what, Daddy, “I did it,” “I passed the entrance exam.” I’m going to be a lawyer, and I’m definitely going to make sure that the poor and innocent never face any form of injustice…and I will find your murderer."A gust of wind carried her words away, but the weight in her chest lightened, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she stood up, brushing dirt from her skirt.She hears one of the violets she dropped being crushed as she turned away.Ina's head snapped to see a tall, imposing boy standing at her side, his well-polished leather planted carelessly on one of the violets she had grown for her dad. Move," Ina hissed, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. Dante turned, his polished shoe grinding the violet into the dirt carelessly."You crushed them!" Tears blurred her vision, not of sadness, but of fury. "My father's..."Name your price." His voice was bored, dismissive.Before he could finish, her palm cracked against his cheek. "Rot in hell, with your damn money.” “Money can't buy everything, and I pray someone treats your disgusting mentality.” She spun away, his grip suddenly iron on her wrist.He yanked her back, fingers digging into her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I won't let you walk away next time.”She ripped free. “I'm shaking in my boots,” she scoffed, the heat of his touch branding her skin as she walked away, pushing past him. Behind her, she heard him murmur, "...amber eyes...just like hers.”The cemetery air clung to Dante’s suit like a second skin, thick with the scent of rain and decay. He knelt before his mother’s grave, fingers tracing the engraved name: Rena Nikolai."Later again, he muttered, smirking. "You always hated lateness; maybe that's why I couldn't save you."He picks up the crushed violet, pocketing it in his black trousers. Dante’s phone vibrates. He answered without looking."Speak."The voice on the line spoke: "I have found a lead on the girl you’re looking for. There's good news and bad news.”