Chapter 3: The Daughter Left Behind
1187 Words
Star’s POV
The house had never felt this big before.
Or this empty.
I stood in the middle of the living room, staring at the chair where my father used to sit every evening.
For years, this house had been filled with his voice.
His laughter.
His footsteps.
Now…
Nothing.
Only silence.
I hated silence.
Because silence gave my mind room to remember.
The way his hand shook when he touched mine.
The fear in his eyes.
The last words he forced himself to say.
The Salvatores.
I closed my eyes.
A painful breath escaped my lips.
Why?
Why would my father spend his last moments warning me about people I barely knew?
The Salvatores were just a powerful family.
At least, that was what I thought.
But the look on my father’s face told me they were something more.
Something dangerous.
Three days had passed since the masquerade.
Three days since my entire world changed.
People came and went.
Flowers arrived.
Messages of condolences filled my phone.
But none of it mattered.
Because none of those people were my father.
Everyone kept telling me how respected Marcellus was.
How powerful he had been.
How many people knew his name.
But nobody told me how to live without him.
Nobody told me what I was supposed to do when the only person who had always protected me was gone.
I walked into his study.
I had avoided this room since his death.
It felt wrong to enter.
Like I was invading a place that still belonged to him.
His scent was still there.
His books were still arranged neatly.
His desk still had unfinished documents on it.
I touched the edge of his chair.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
My voice broke.
“Why did you hide everything from me?”
No answer came.
Only silence.
The first knock came early in the morning.
I expected it to be one of my father’s old employees.
Maybe a lawyer.
Maybe someone coming to help.
I was wrong.
When I opened the door, three men stood outside.
They weren’t dressed like businessmen.
They looked like trouble.
“Can I help you?”
The tallest man looked around the house before looking back at me.
“You’re Star Marcellus?”
My stomach tightened.
“Yes.”
“We’re here concerning your father’s outstanding debts.”
I frowned.
“Debts?”
The man gave a humorless smile.
“Your father didn’t tell you?”
The way he said it made my chest tighten.
“Tell me what?”
He stepped forward.
“Your father owed money.”
I stared at him.
“That’s impossible.”
My father had always been careful.
He had never allowed me to worry about finances.
He had always told me everything was handled.
“You don’t know everything about your father.”
Those words hurt more than I expected.
Because maybe he was right.
Maybe I only knew the version of Marcellus he wanted me to know.
“What do you want?”
The man looked around.
“We’re taking what belongs to us.”
My heart dropped.
“What?”
“The house.”
I froze.
“The cars. The assets. Anything that can cover what he owes.”
“No.”
The word left my mouth immediately.
“No, you can’t.”
The man looked at me without emotion.
“Your father’s name won’t protect you anymore.”
That sentence destroyed something inside me.
Because my father’s name had always been my shield.
And now…
It meant nothing.
The next few hours felt unreal.
People entered my home and removed pieces of my life.
The car my father bought me.
The furniture he personally chose.
The things that carried memories.
I stood there helplessly.
Watching strangers take everything.
But the worst part wasn’t losing the house.
It was realizing my father had left behind a problem he never told me about.
A problem now sitting on my shoulders.
That night, I sat on the floor of my empty room.
My suitcase from my holiday was still in the corner.
The same suitcase I carried home when my father welcomed me with a smile.
It felt like another lifetime.
I picked up my phone.
There were so many contacts.
But none I could call.
Friends?
They wouldn’t understand.
Family?
There was no one.
My father was my family.
A tear rolled down my cheek.
“I need you.”
The words came out quietly.
For the first time in my life…
I felt completely alone.
Days passed.
The calls became worse.
The threats became louder.
The people who once respected my father now treated me like a debt they wanted collected.
I tried everything.
I called lawyers.
I searched for ways to make money.
I begged for time.
Nobody cared.
They only saw one thing.
A debt.
Not a grieving daughter.
Not a human being.
A debt.
Then came the night everything changed.
I was sitting in the living room when I heard a loud bang.
The front door opened.
Not knocked.
Opened.
My body froze.
Four men entered.
My heart started racing.
“Who are you?”
Nobody answered.
One of them grabbed my arm.
I pulled away.
“Let go of me!”
“You’re coming with us.”
Fear rushed through me.
“Where?”
The man’s expression remained cold.
“You’ll find out.”
I fought.
I screamed.
But nobody came.
Because there was nobody left to come.
My father was gone.
And the world had already decided I was alone.
The journey felt endless.
The city lights disappeared.
The place they brought me to was nothing like the home I knew.
It was a motel.
Old.
Quiet.
Hidden.
A place where people disappeared.
They pushed me inside.
And that was when I saw her.
A woman sitting behind a desk.
She looked calm.
Almost elegant.
But there was something cruel in her eyes.
“Star Marcellus.”
She said my name like she already owned it.
I stepped back.
“Who are you?”
The woman smiled.
“My name is Ma Loyce.”
She leaned back.
“Your father left behind a very expensive mistake.”
My hands clenched.
“What does that mean?”
Her smile disappeared.
“It means your debt belongs to me now.”
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
“What are you saying?”
Ma Loyce looked at me.
And in that moment…
I understood.
I wasn’t brought here to negotiate.
I wasn’t brought here for help.
I was brought here because someone had decided my life had a price.
“You’ll work until your father’s debt is paid.”
My voice shook.
“Doing what?”
Ma Loyce’s smile returned.
“Whatever I tell you.”
That night, I lay on a bed in a strange room.
Not knowing that my old life was gone forever.
Not knowing that tomorrow would break me even more.
And not knowing that somewhere in the city…
A man named Lucian Salvatore was searching for answers that would lead him straight to me.
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