The night after her meeting with Rafaello, Lovita returned to the modest house she now lived in with her father. Ever since her mother passed away, Lovita's father—Andrew Carter—seemed to have lost his sense of direction. He spent most of his time drinking alcohol and going to casinos to gamble, which caused him to fall into massive debt.
Until one day, Andrew Carter met John Cage, an elderly loan shark who offered him a large sum of money to gamble with, using the small house he shared with Lovita as collateral. And—without Lovita's knowledge—Andrew even used his own daughter as a guarantee for that old loan shark, because he was convinced that this time he would win.
But his prediction was wrong. When he gambled against a gambler who was notorious for always defeating his opponents, Andrew lost all the money he had borrowed from the loan shark. He was confused and at the same time didn't want to "sell" his precious daughter to that old man.
"Dad, i'm home," Lovita said as she opened the door to their simple house, her face looking exhausted.
"Where have you been, Lovita? I was so worried about you."
"I'm fine, Dad. Don't worry… and you don't need to worry about your debt to the loan shark anymore. It's already been paid off."
Andrew's expression immediately froze in shock after hearing her words.
"…What? B-but that wasn't a small amount of money. Where did you get that much money?"
"I… i met my old college friend, Dad. He also offered me a job, and if i agreed to work with him, he would pay off your debt. And i accepted it."
Lovita forced a smile and chose not to tell him the details. She didn't want him to worry even more.
"A job? What kind of job?"
"His personal assistant. I just have to be his personal assistant and also live with him."
"Lovita… I'm sorry. I'm really useless. I keep dragging you into trouble."
"It's all in the past, Dad. I just hope you won't repeat your mistakes again."
"I won't. Thank you, Lovita. I promise i'll never gamble again. And since you'll be leaving this house too, i'm thinking of going abroad. One day, i'll come pick you up when I've become successful."
"Abroad? Where are you going, Dad?"
"To the Ashfall States. I'll go to your uncle. He'll help pay for Dad's plane ticket too."
"Alright. I hope you'll be fine there and keep your promise."
They hugged. All Lovita had to do now was endure and wait for the day her father would come back for her.
"I'll go to sleep now ,Dad. Tomorrow i'll start working." Lovita say with a smile.
"Go to sleep, my daughter. I still needs to pack for the day after tomorrow."
In the morning, Rafaello's right-hand man, Matthew, came to pick Lovita up at her house in a luxury car.
"Good morning, Miss Carter. I'm Matthew. I was instructed by Mr. Rafaello to pick you up."
"Ah… good morning, but may i say goodbye to my father first?"
"Of course, Miss."
"Dad, I'm leaving now. Please be careful… I'm sorry, i can't take you to the airport."
"It's okay, Lovita. Take good care of yourself. I will surely miss you."
"I'll miss you too, Dad."
Lovita burst into tears and hugged her father. Somehow, she felt like it would be a very long time before she could see him again. Matthew only watched the moment in silence. Then Lovita got into the luxury car. The car drove away, heading toward the place where all of this story would begin.
Morning came quickly, the sky over Valcaria city a light gray, as if understanding Lovita's state of mind.
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Lovita arrived at a magnificent building. A luxurious penthouse.
From the outside, the penthouse looked perfect—white walls, warm yellow lights, and the soft scent of lilies. There was an elegant sign in front that read "Sapphire Blue Palace"
But to Lovita, everything felt unfamiliar.
It was too quiet. For some reason, the aura of the place was too intimidating.
"Mr. Rafaello will be here shortly. You can wait here," Matthew said.
They waited for Rafaello's arrival near the car they had arrived in earlier.
A few moments later, a luxurious car arrived at the penthouse, and Rafaello stepped out wearing a black suit, his jaw firm, his eyes sharp, and his handsome face looking cold. He glanced at Lovita briefly. Lovita looked awkward standing next to Rafaello.
"Matthew... you can leave,"
he said to Matthew.
"Yes, sir."
Matthew's car then left the penthouse.
Rafaello looked at Lovita sharply.
"Come with me," he said coldly.
They got into the elevator heading to the 50th floor, Rafaello Ashford's penthouse. Inside the elevator, Lovita's heart was beating faster than usual. This was her first day working for Rafaello— who was no longer the same man from ten years ago. Rafaello Ashford who now held power, with the world in his hands. Time felt like it had stopped. Rafaello remained silent, while Lovita didn't know how she was supposed to act.
Ding!
The elevator stopped on the 50th floor.
Rafaello entered the password to his penthouse door.
Inside the penthouse.
Lovita stood near the window, wearing a white shirt. Clothes that fit her perfectly, and yet somehow made her feel like she was wearing a uniform without a name.
"This view is beautiful, isn't it?"
The voice came from behind her. In the reflection of the glass, Lovita could see Rafaello's silhouette behind her, his suit as black as the dark night.
"Yes," Lovita replied softly. "But it's too high, and for some reason, i feel suffocated."
Rafaello stared at her for a long time. "And that's exactly what i want."
Lovita didn't answer. Rafaello's words hurt her heart.
Lovita just stared into the distance at the Estoria River, sparkling in the sunlight like a sea of jewels.
"So this is where you live?" she finally asked, trying to sound calm.
"You can think of it that way."
Silence returned.
Lovita want to talk and had so many questions she wanted to ask Rafaello, but she doesn't know where to start. It feels like something was stuck in her throat.
Rafaello walked past the long glass table in the middle of the room. His large hand touched the rim of a crystal glass, every movement beautiful, calm, and controlled.
"You'll be working here starting today. If you need anything, you can contact Matthew.
"Can i go home on my days off?" Lovita asked softly.
Rafaello stopped. His gaze slowly shifted to her. "Go home?"
That smile appeared again, colder than the temperature in the penthouse. "You don't read the entire contract, do you?"
"Lovita Carter, you are not allowed to go home. But you can still have days off. And you will stay here until i'm done with you."
Those words were like a cold breeze that pierced her to the bone.
Lovita closed her eyes, holding back the tears that were about to fall.
"What do you really want?" her voice was soft, almost inaudible. "What did i do wrong to make you hate me this much?"
"You're the one who wants me to hate you."
His tone was flat and cold. "And all i want is for you to feel what it's like to have no choice."
Lovita lifted her face.
"You know? I think about this all night, about what i did to you? About what happened to you? But even now, i still not find out the answer."
Rafaello stared at her sharply. Then his eyes looked towards the large window of the luxurious penthouse. "And i feel even more disgusted with you now. You act as if you are innocent."
Silence engulfed them both once more.
The soft ticking of the wall clock sounded contrasting, and at that moment, the rain suddenly came down like the music that accompanying the argument between them.
Lovita spoke again.
"I really don't know what i did. And if i did sin against you, i truly apologize... Rafe."
Rafaello closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "It's too late. And there's one thing you need to know. Pain and love come from the same place. And you... gave me both. Only the pain is more dominant."
He walked toward Lovita. His steps were slow, almost inaudible.
Until finally, Rafaello stood directly behind Leika, the distance between them only a breath away.
"You can look down," he whispered. "From this penthouse, the city looks small, doesn't it? The people down there look like tiny dots that mean nothing at all. And once, among those tiny dots, there was a strange man whom many people didn't want to talk to. He always stared at you from afar, hoping that one day he would be worthy."
Lovita's breath caught in her throat. Her voice was deep, yet it held real pain.
The penthouse windows were fogged up from the rain outside. The air felt cold. As cold as the hearts of the two people inside.
Lovita saw their faces reflected in the glass—two silhouettes standing very close together. Anyone who saw them would think that the moment was very intimate. But the reality was far from it.
"Lovita. I don't know if what i'm doing will heal my wounds or just re-open old ones. And until i find out the answer, you'll stay here."
Rafaello's large hand was already on Lovita's chin. Lovita slowly opened her eyes, her voice trembling.
"Do whatever you want, Rafe. Whatever it is. Besides, i've already signed the contract. There's nothing else i can do, right?"
Rafaello smirked, his expression cold.
"You finally know yourself."
Lovita stared at him, anger, sadness, and exhaustion all mixed together. But then she only whispered, "You've really changed, Rafe."
Something in Rafaello's eyes trembled
A glimpse of the old Rafaello—Rafaello at the past—but he quickly hide it. Rafaello walked away without answering Lovita, leaving behind a masculine scent and a silence as sharp as a knife in the room.
Lovita stood alone, her hands gripping the side of the table in the room. Her head suddenly spun. Her eyes welled up. Her lips trembled. Then she whispered softly.
"Rafe...."