Love that keeps burning

Chapter 1

Behind the dazzling lights of a city that never sleeps, the name Kaanan Kaivan Sangkala Ganendra stood as a legend. He was not only the owner of Sangkala Group, the giant company that controlled almost every sector from property and mining to technology, but he was also known as.

His gaze was cold. His black eyes were like blades that could pierce anyone who dared oppose him. His voice was low and authoritative, making people bow without needing a threat.

And that night, the small world of a girl named Aluna changed forever.

---

Rain poured as Aluna returned home. The metallic smell of blood stabbed her nose the moment the door opened. The living room floor was splattered red. In the center of the room her father lay sprawled, his face bruised, lips split, his body riddled with wounds.

“D-daddy!!” Aluna ran in panic and clutched her father’s body. Her voice choked, her sobs burst out. “Who did this? Why is daddy like this?”

Someone stood in the doorway, his posture straight in a black suit dampened by the rain. A black umbrella shadowed part of his face, but Aluna could see that cold glare cutting through the dark.

Kaanan.

“The person who beat your father was only carrying out orders.”

“Blame him if you want, for owing the wrong people.”

Aluna stared at Kaanan with eyes full of hatred. She already knew the man standing before her. “What did you do to my father, you f*****g bastard?!”

Kaanan stepped inside, took off his black coat, and tossed it onto the sofa with a lazy motion. “Bastard? Maybe. But bastards like me are the ones who kept your father alive until now.”

Aluna fell silent.

“Listen, Aluna.” Kaanan’s voice was heavy and firm. “Your father owes billions to Sangkala Group. A debt he could never possibly repay in his lifetime. I could take this house, sell his organs, or throw him in jail. But I don’t want to do that.”

“I offer a way out. Marry me and become my wife. That way, your father’s debt will be cleared.”

Aluna froze. Those words were like lightning striking in the midst of a storm.

“M-marriage?!” her voice was hoarse. “Are you crazy! I would never marry a man who doesn’t even have a heart like you!”

Kaanan bent his head slightly; the distance between their faces was only an inch. A faint smile appeared on his lips. “You think I need your consent?”

---

The following days became hell for Aluna. Every night, Kaanan’s men visited her home, watching her every move, making sure she didn’t run. Her father grew worse, his body weakened from the beatings and the mental pressure. As for her stepmother — the b***h had vanished into thin air.

Aluna’s stepmother was named Indira. Her father married that woman right after Aluna’s mother died of a heart condition. From the start Aluna never liked her stepmother because she knew the woman had only married her father for money. And sure enough, after her father’s company collapsed and the debts piled up, the woman suddenly disappeared as if swallowed by the earth.

“Luna…” her father’s voice grew hoarse as he lay in bed. “Please… just do what Kaanan wants. I can’t take it anymore. You’re the only one who can save me. If you refuse, he’ll kill me.”

Aluna’s tears broke again. She gripped her father’s hand tightly.

To be honest, Aluna hated her father. Indirectly he was the reason her mother died of a heart attack after discovering his affair with the woman who had become her stepmother. But even so, she couldn’t bear to see him like this. After all, he was the only parent she had left in the world.

“Why, why is daddy asking me for help? Why not your new wife? Why me? I don’t love that b***h, Dad,” Aluna cried out. She was furious — at a time when her father begged her, where had he been when she was left grieving her mother? He had been off enjoying life with his new wife.

“I’m Sorry. Just this once, please. Love won’t keep you alive, Luna. Love can’t pay debts. But your marriage can save your father’s life.”

Those words felt like a sharp blade piercing Aluna’s chest. In the end, the girl had no choice but to give in.

---

The wedding day came quickly — without a lavish party, without a white dress, without flowers, without happy laughter. Only a cold contract signed on white paper before a few lawyers and a notary.

Aluna wore a simple cream dress, her face was pale, eyes swollen. Beside her, Kaanan looked imposingly handsome in an expensive black suit tailored to his broad frame. A satisfied smile stretched across his face as ink marked their signatures.

From that moment on, Aluna was no longer Aluna Winarya. She became Aluna Sangkala, the wife of the cruelest man in the country.

---

The first night was not one of love but of pressure.

Kaanan stood on the balcony of their luxurious room, looking at the city with a glass of wine in hand. Aluna sat on the edge of the bed, trembling, her mind in turmoil.

“Why me?” she whispered, barely audible.

Kaanan turned slowly; his gaze pierced her. “Because I want you. That’s all.”

“But why? Of all women… why me?”

Kaanan stepped closer. He stopped directly in front of her, then bent down so they were level. His large hand gently lifted Aluna’s chin, a contrast to the cold aura he carried.

“Because you’re different. You didn’t look at me with admiration or fear like other women. You looked at me with hatred. That’s entertaining, and I like it.”

Aluna froze. So she was chosen only because he enjoyed watching her suffer, not because of anything else.

“If you expect me to fall in love with you, forget it. I don’t believe in love. I believe in ownership. And now you are mine. Only mine.”

Aluna’s tears fell, unstoppable. She felt like a small bird forced into a gilded cage, beautiful from the outside, but painful inside.

---

Days in that marriage were pure torment. Kaanan treated Aluna like a precious jewel that must always be by his side. He took her to business parties, to boardrooms, to dinners with top-tier tycoons. Everyone admired Aluna’s beauty, but no one knew that behind her forced smile lay a broken heart.

In public, Kaanan acted like the perfect husband. Holding her hand, gazing at her tenderly as if he truly loved her. But behind closed doors, he remained cold, hard, always asserting that Aluna belonged to him, not as a partner, but as his possession.

“Don’t you ever try to run, Aluna,” he said one night, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You know what will happen to your father if you even think about it.”

That threat left Aluna speechless, she was silenced.