The world saw Vincent Blackwood and Anastasia Vasiliev as two unparalleled rulers, the monarchs of their respective empires. They stood at the peak of wealth, power, and influence—Vincent, the young king who had conquered his family, and Anastasia, the untouchable queen of the most dominant empire on Earth.
To the outside world, they were enemies locked in an eternal battle. The upper circles gossiped about their rivalry, the way they both competed for control, how Vincent had made his family twice as powerful within two years, and how Anastasia remained the only person in the world who could ever surpass him.
But they knew the truth.
Vincent was not her enemy. He was hers. Entirely, completely, and without question.
And Anastasia? She was his queen—the only force in existence capable of breaking him, the only one who could bring him to his knees.
The world thought they were rivals. In reality, they were partners in the shadows, moving in perfect harmony, ruling together while the world remained blind to the truth.
Vincent had spent years solidifying his position, taking control of the Blackwood empire from his father and older brother. He had turned the second-richest family into an unshakable force, nearly on par with Anastasia's empire—but never surpassing it. Not because he couldn't, but because he never even tried.
There was only one ruler in this world, and that was her.
He didn't need to be stronger than her. He didn't want to.
Vincent had long accepted his fate—he would always lose to Anastasia. He had already lost to her from the very beginning.
But losing to her? It didn't feel like a loss at all.
It felt like devotion.
It felt like love.
Vincent did not want to conquer Anastasia. He only wanted to belong to her.
They say that the one who falls in love first loses, but Vincent had no problem with that. If loving her meant losing, then he was happy to lose for the rest of his life.