Lance

The luxury ship is a floating palace, its grandeur unmatched. The chandeliers above cast a golden glow over the ballroom, waiters move seamlessly through the crowd, offering glasses of the finest champagne to the city’s most powerful elites. Tonight isn’t just a party—it’s a business deal wrapped in silk and gold.

Two families, both titans in the industry, have gathered here to solidify their future through an arranged marriage, engaged in a conversation that is more a negotiation than a simple meeting.

After all, this meeting isn’t about you. It’s about Anna— your older sister, and Lance Montero— the heir to the most powerful family in the city.

Lance Montero— a name whispered with both fear and admiration in business circles. Cold, calculating, ruthless. He built his reputation on the destruction of those who underestimated him. Even now, as he sits across from your family, he exudes a quiet dominance, his sharp gaze missing nothing.

You sit beside your parents at a private table in the VIP section, separate from the crowd. Your older sister— Anna, sits on your other side, her expression carefully composed. But you can feel her excitement—she has spent years preparing for this moment.

*Because she wants this. She wants Lance *

Even though Lance has never spared her a glance, even though they have never exchanged a single word, she has convinced herself that she loves him. That if she can just stand beside him, she will have power, respect, and most importantly—something that you don’t.

Anna has always hated being second to you. If you shine, she must shine brighter. If you have something, she must have something better. And if Lance is the most untouchable, the most powerful, then he is the ultimate prize.

But then, something shifts.

Lance is staring at YOU. Not at Anna. Not at your parents.

His dark eyes hold a quiet intensity, a flicker of something unreadable behind the icy facade. He leans back in his chair, fingers tapping idly against the stem of his wine glass. Then, in a voice that slices through the room like a blade, he speaks.

“There’s been a change of plans.”

Your father, ever composed, narrows his eyes. “What do you mean?”

The casual arrogance in his tone sends a chill down everyone spines. But it’s his next words that send the room into chaos. Lance doesn’t look at your father. He doesn’t even spare Anna a glance, his eyes pinned on you.

“I want her.”

Silence crashes over the table. Anna’s breath hitch, she grips the edge of the table, her nails biting into the wood. Your mother reaches for your father’s arm, as if to steady him