Chapter 1 : The Gilded Cage
The lights flickering from the towering skyscrapers of Manhattan looked as if a procession of stars had descended upon the earth.
A light, cool night breeze brushed against Rossi Mandis’s face, but even this pleasant weather could not lessen the desolation in her heart. She stood firmly gripping the railing of the balcony of her father’s magnificent penthouse.
The illuminated world outside seemed as beautiful as a dream, but for her, this penthouse was no less than a golden cage—where every wall made her feel the weight of her imprisonment.
Rossi had sunk so deep into the quicksand of her thoughts that she was oblivious to any movement around her. Her delicate hand held a wine glass like a lifeless object.
The red wine in the glass remained still—she hadn’t taken a single sip yet. It seemed as if she had forgotten whether there was even anything in her grip; her entire focus was on the darkness spreading before her, swallowing her freedom.
Suddenly, the heavy door of the penthouse swung open with a violent jolt, its echo piercing through the silence.
Rossi’s heart skipped a beat, and she gasped in shock. Her grip loosened, and the wine glass slipped, crashing onto the marble floor below.
With the sound of a "Shatter!" the glass splintered into thousands of pieces. With trembling breaths, Rossi looked at the shards scattered on the floor—it felt to her as if it wasn't a glass, but her own broken dreams lying scattered there.
Before Rossi could even regain her breath, the "Thud-Thud" of heavy boots began to echo on the marble floor. Every footstep struck Rossi’s heart like a hammer.
She knew whose footsteps these were.
Those distinct, harsh, and arrogant steps—the footsteps of Harrison Mandis. She felt her father’s presence behind her, creating a strange pressure and chill in the air.
Harrison stopped near the sharp fragments of the broken glass. He didn't even deem it necessary to cast a glance at Rossi’s distressed state; his flat gaze was fixed on the expensive crystal scattered on the floor.
"That was a five-thousand-dollar crystal, Rossi," Harrison’s voice held a strange coldness rather than anger, enough to freeze the blood in Rossi’s veins. "In a single moment, you turned it to dust... just like your time."
He suddenly raised his head and looked at Rossi with eyes filled with anger and authority. His tone was now like a low rumble of thunder.
"The guests have gathered downstairs, and here you are, silently celebrating your captivity?"
Rossi cast a desperate look at Harrison. The man standing before her no longer seemed like the father she once knew; he was a cold-hearted stranger.
She gathered her flickering courage, forcibly suppressed the fear within her, and took a step forward.
"You care so much about this broken glass, Dad..." Rossi’s voice was low but carried a deep, painful edge. "But do you have any concern for your daughter’s emotions, which are shattering every day against the walls of this house?"
Rossi’s bitter words, far from affecting Harrison’s heart, didn’t even bring a ripple of regret to his face. He was as oblivious to his daughter’s pain as if she were not a living human, but a lifeless pawn on his chessboard.
A cold, flat smile appeared on Harrison’s lips.
"Emotions... are only a crutch for the weak, Rossi," Harrison took a step forward, his voice carrying the heat of anger and the pride of a powerful man.
"A powerful man never flows with the current of emotions, and the sooner you understand this, the better it will be for you. In the Mandis family, the value of emotions is no more than scrap."
Harrison looked at his watch and then turned toward Rossi, commanding in an extremely harsh tone.
"Leonard Russell is waiting for you downstairs, Rossi. And I don’t want my biggest business partner to be delayed for even a moment because of my daughter. Your reflection should be downstairs in five minutes!"
Saying this, Harrison turned swiftly and left the room. The "Thud-Thud" of his shoes began to fade as it echoed off the walls. Rossi stood there frozen, only one name echoing in her mind—Leonard Russell.
"Rossi!"
At a hushed call, Rossi looked up, startled. Lara had entered the room with silent steps. She was also dressed in an expensive designer gown, but her face lacked the dignified smile that is usually part of such parties.
Lara quickly turned back to close the door and approached Rossi.
"Did you just hear what your Dad said?" Lara’s voice was trembling. "Is Leonard Russell really downstairs?"
Lara grabbed Rossi’s hand so tightly that her nails began to dig into Rossi’s soft skin. Her face had turned pale with fear.
"Rossi, he is no ordinary businessman," Lara said in a suppressed scream, her eyes fixed on the door as if fearing someone might overhear.
"To the whole world, he might be a billionaire tycoon, but behind the silver screen, he is the 'Uncrowned King of the Underworld.' People call him 'The Merciless.'"
Rossi’s breath seemed to catch in her chest. She asked in a faltering voice, "Underworld? Lara, what are you saying? Dad said he is his business partner..."
"That is the deception, Rossi!" Lara grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.
"Leonard Russell is a man who doesn't ask; he takes. It is famous about him that whatever he lays a finger on becomes his... whether it’s a property or a living human. People say there is a stone in place of his heart, and his enmity means only death."
The ground seemed to slip from beneath Rossi’s feet. Her steps faltered, and her senses began to fail her. Before Rossi could fall to the floor, Lara lunged forward to support her and sat her down on a nearby sofa.
Rossi’s mind was going numb, as if someone had poured ice-cold water over her.
"I didn't know at what turn my life would bring me to stand..." Rossi said in a pained voice, a wave of fear appearing in her eyes.
"Will I really become the property of a mafia boss? Will he really buy me from my own father?"
Her questions dissolved into the air like poison. Her pale face was a sign that she was fed up with this golden cage and this conspiratorial life.
But now, instead of the cage door opening, it felt as if it were closing forever.
