Aurelia Florence woke up with a heavy head and unsteady breaths. Her vision was still blurry when she realized she was in the back seat of a moving car. A soft white dress wrapped around her body, complete with delicate lace that looked newly worn.
Beside her, a beautiful girl held her hand tightly.
Ivanna—her older sister—her face filled with worry.
"You're awake…" Ivanna whispered, her voice trembling.
Aurelia wanted to ask something, but before she could say a word, a deep, cold voice from the front seat cut through the air.
"Quiet. We're almost there."
Her father's voice.
Ivanna instantly froze. Her expression carried a thousand words she wanted to explain, yet she chose silence—as if afraid to say the wrong thing.
The car slowed as it passed through a large gate belonging to a powerful family. The guards opened the way without a single question, as if everything had been meticulously planned.
The mansion's courtyard greeted them with breathtaking beauty. The car stopped. Aurelia's father stepped out without looking back or waiting for his daughters.
Ivanna helped Aurelia out of the car.
"Please… don't panic. I can't make Father change his mind," she whispered shakily.
"What's going on, Ivanna?" Aurelia asked softly, her voice trembling.
Ivanna bit her lip, holding back tears.
"Aurelia… we have to pay off a debt. And Father chose this way…"
Aurelia could hardly breathe.
"Chosen… what way?"
Her father stood at the mansion's entrance, his expression unreadable.
"Come in. The Fredericke family is waiting."
Aurelia turned to Ivanna, confusion and fear clouding her face.
"Fredericke…? What for?"
Her father replied without emotion,
"Your future husband."
The grand doors opened. A young man appeared first—handsome, with the innocence of a child lingering in his eyes. The way he stood, the way he watched Aurelia, all of it radiated a naive warmth.
Leo Fredericke.
The man chosen to be her fiancé.
Behind Leo stood a completely different presence—tall, broad-shouldered, his gaze deep and unreadable. No smile. No expression. Just a faint trace of interest from an unknown source.
Jasper Fredericke, the eldest brother.
And the youngest, William, peeked from behind a pillar with curious eyes.
Aurelia stood frozen.
Trapped between a family that had ensnared her…
and a foreign family that would now shape the rest of her life.
No explanation.
No choice.
This is the beginning of Aurelia Florence's story as she steps into a new life.