The days following Vincent's conversation with Lucian were some of the hardest he'd ever faced. The weight of the decision he had made, coupled with the secrecy that surrounded his relationship with Anastasia, was suffocating. His every action, every word, had to be calculated, measured against the risk of exposure. His once carefree life as an idol and actor had been replaced with the crushing responsibility of family legacy and the need to protect the one person he loved more than anything.
Every time he saw Anastasia, it was like being torn between two worlds—one that he had to fulfill out of duty, and another where he could be himself, where he could be Vincent without the weight of family expectations and obligations. But the world they lived in didn't allow for such freedoms. They weren't ordinary people. They were heirs to two of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the world. Their destinies were shaped long before they were born, and every choice they made was watched, scrutinized, and weighed by countless eyes.
Vincent had never felt more isolated in his life. His rise to fame, which had been meteoric and filled with the adoration of millions, now seemed hollow in the face of his true calling: to be the heir of his own family's vast empire. He was torn. He wanted to be by Anastasia's side, to tell the world that they were together, but that dream was a distant, almost unreachable goal. Their love had to be kept in the shadows, locked away behind walls of deception.
Anastasia, ever poised and regal, carried herself like the queen she was destined to become. To the outside world, she was perfect—flawless in every way. But Vincent could see the cracks in her façade, the vulnerability she masked with every graceful step she took. She hated the secrecy, hated the way she had to pretend like their relationship was nothing more than a fleeting friendship. But just as Vincent was bound to his family's expectations, so too was she. The Vasiliev family had made it clear that there could be no distractions for her, no romantic entanglements that could jeopardize her place in the world. They needed a queen who would rule with intellect, power, and strategy, not one who would be swept away by love.
Every stolen glance, every whispered word, felt like a moment of rebellion, a brief escape from the harsh reality that awaited them when they parted ways. But the distance between them was more than physical—it was the barrier of family legacies, political maneuvering, and the power dynamics that controlled their lives. They could never be seen together publicly, never allowed to share their feelings openly. The very idea of it was dangerous. Dangerous not just for them, but for their families as well.
Vincent often lay awake at night, thinking of all the ways they could be together. He dreamed of a life where he was free to love Anastasia without fear, a life where they could walk hand in hand in the light of day. But with every passing day, that dream seemed more and more impossible. Their families were too powerful, too controlling, and no matter how much they wanted it, the reality was that they would always be trapped by their birthright.