Elara Romano was the only heir of Italy's renowned luxury fashion and textile empire — Romano Luxe Group.
She was destined to become its future owner, a girl born into wealth that most children could only dream of.
Elara had everything — money, comfort, privilege.
Everything… except the love of both parents.
Her father, Romano Romano, and her mother, Elina Romano, divorced when Elara was only five years old. Custody went to her father. Romano was always busy building his empire, so consumed by earning money that he often forgot he had a daughter waiting for him at home. Yet in his heart, he believed he was doing it all for her — to give her a perfect life.
"Love demands sacrifice — even if that sacrifice costs you your own people."
Despite his absence, Elara remained deeply attached to her father. Even when he didn't come home, he stayed connected to her in his own distant way.
When Elara turned twelve and entered seventh grade, she was surrounded by many friends — but none of them were truly loyal. They stayed because of her wealth, her name, her status. Still, Elara accepted it. At least she wasn't alone.
At the same school studied a boy named Adrian Costa — handsome, intelligent, and effortlessly charming. Everyone wanted to talk to him. Always beside him was Luca Moretti, like a shadow that never left. Their bond was built on loyalty and unspoken love. Luca was Adrian's cousin.
Adrian had lost his parents in childhood and lived with his grandmother. Luca stayed with them too, because his own father was an alcoholic who pressured him to work at a restaurant, leaving Luca unable to focus on his studies.
One afternoon, after basketball practice, Adrian and Luca were walking back when Adrian noticed a little girl crying near the school entrance. She looked at least five years younger than them.
"Hey kid," Luca teased, laughing,
"Did you lose your lollipop?" 🍭
"Stop it, Luca," Adrian said firmly.
He crouched in front of her. "Hey… are you okay?"
The girl slowly lifted her face. Her blue eyes shimmered with tears, her cheeks red from crying.
"It hurts…" she whispered.
"What hurts?" Adrian asked.
"My tooth broke…"
As she spoke, blood slipped from her lips.
Adrian immediately stopped smiling. He gently held her hand and took her to the medical room, calling the nurse. After applying antiseptic, he knelt in front of her and said softly,
"Take care of yourself. And don't cry over small things. Always look for a solution — life has much more waiting for you."
He placed a gentle hand on her head, smiled, and left.
But even after Adrian walked away, Elara kept watching him — a soft smile forming on her lips.
It was the first time she understood what a gentle touch felt like.
She smiled all day without reason.
That night, his voice, his kindness, his words replayed endlessly in her mind.
That was the day Elara Romano got her first crush.
The next morning, she got ready for school and sat in the car, her eyes searching the gates — hoping, just hoping…
to see him again.