e slipped through the silent corridors, each step echoing on the cold marble beneath her feet. The house was imposing, majestic, but a feeling of cold and lone

lex enigma, a man whose every word was carefully chosen, every gestur

d taken its toll. Three years was a long time. But now, in this mansion, she began to feel the grip of truth tightening aroun

ard voices. Maximilian and his mother-in-law, the woman who seemed to carry palpable animosity towards her

ost threatening. "This marriage to that girl...Elena...she's nothing mo

s. It's a game, and in this game you have to know how to manipulate the pieces. Elena is necessary fo

u really think that this girl, this Elena, could bring you som

hat's what she and everyone else believes. But there are much more compl

s Maximilian talking about? Why did her stepmother seem so determined to destroy her, a mere

ys been there, behind the shenanigans, in

zle that seemed more and more disconcerting. She would have to face reality: all this, this marriage,

sisted that she attend an intimate dinner with him and some family members. Elena had prepared herself mentally to deal with whatever might arise th

g than his silhouette, an elegant man but whose imposing aura disrupted the calm atmosphere of the room. Elena slow

on here," he said, his voice deep and calm. "And what

eplied, her voice laced with defiance, even as her heart pounded. "I know my half-s

ughts. "She played a role, it's true. But you are wrong to think that everything is that sim

meaning. Elena did not need to ask the

at my mother and mother-in-law discovered far too late. » Maximilien paused before continuing, his voice beco

er had any legitimacy. He had been just a pawn in the family game. A pawn that his half-sister had manipulated

to hold back. "It's me, Elena," he said, his words heavy with meaning. "I am the true heir

o everything she thought she knew. Fortune, business, power... All of this belonged to

olve me in all this? » she

quation. You are the missing piece. What about this wedding? This is an opportunity for you to choose

tood up, almost like a predator preparing to retreat. "You'll have to choo

th suspicion. After all, the truth, as hard-hitting as it was, had already planted

ien and her, was nothing more than a formality, a simple step in a much more com