The rain never stopped that morning.
It swept across the courtyard in silver sheets, rolling down the tall windows of the Van Deric compound like a reminder that even the sky knew how to bow.
Inside, Verdric stood silent at the head of the table, hands clasped loosely behind his back. His lieutenants lined the room, creating a quiet that pressed against the walls.
The Verlixaz family arrived late—dressed in wealth, dripping privilege, their footsteps echoing with empty confidence. Their smiles were polite, but Verdric saw the desperation underneath.
He expected theatrics.
He didn't expect him.
The boy trailing behind them looked like he'd been dropped into the wrong world. His suit didn't fit. His shoes were cheap. His posture too tense, too nervous, too… honest to belong among the Verlixaz.
Verdric's gaze pinned him instantly.
Slender frame.
Messy hair damp from the rain.
Eyes lowering every time someone looked his way.
A lie wearing a borrowed suit.
"Here is our youngest son," the Verlixaz patriarch announced.
The boy flinched.
Verdric stepped forward slowly, the air tightening.
"Come here," he said.
The boy obeyed, head bowed, shoulders trembling. Verdric lifted his chin with two fingers and felt the boy freeze beneath the touch.
Up close, Verdric saw it clearly:
Poverty.
Fear.
Resignation.
This boy was no Verlixaz.
He released him with a quiet, "I see."
The meeting ended shortly after.
The moment the doors shut behind their guests, Verdric spoke without turning:
"Find out who he is."
He didn't know why the deception irritated him more than usual.
Or why the boy's trembling lingered in his thoughts longer than it should.
But Verdric Van Deric never dismissed things that stirred the air around him.
Danny stood under the flickering streetlamp, soaked through, praying the lies he told earlier wouldn't destroy him.
He never asked to impersonate anyone.He just needed the money.Leo's hospital bills weren't slowing down.
When the sleek car pulled up beside him, Danny instinctively stepped back.
The window rolled down.A man in a suit stared out.
"Get in," he said.
Danny froze."I—I don't—"
"Mr. Van Deric asked for you."
Danny's stomach twisted.
Verdric Van Deric.The man who saw through him instantly.
Danny didn't want to go.But desperation pushed him into the back seat.
The car drove in silence through darkened streets, winding into an underground facility. Danny was led into a cold room—bright lights, metal table, security cameras.
They questioned him.
Not violently.Not cruelly.
Just precise, methodical, stripping him bare with words alone.
"What is your name?""Where do you work?""How much debt?""Why impersonate the Verlixaz heir?""What is your brother's condition?"
Danny answered until his throat burned.
When it was over, one guard handed him a towel, another pushed a bottle of water into his hand.
Then—they blindfolded him, drove him back, and left him at the curb outside his tiny apartment.
"You'll hear from him soon," a voice said before the door slammed.
Danny stood there drenched, shaking.
He knew Verdric wasn't finished with him.
He just didn't know how close fate already was.
The apartment door stuck again. Danny shouldered it open and stumbled inside, dropping the soaked towel.
His small room felt even smaller tonight.
The cheap bulb flickered overhead.The ceiling dripped from the earlier storm.Everything smelled of damp wood and exhaustion.
Danny sat on the bed and hid his face in his hands.
"What have I done…?"
His phone buzzed.
UNKNOWN:Open the door.
Danny froze.
Another buzz.
Now.
His heart leapt into his throat.
He cracked the door open—
And Verdric Van Deric stood on the other side.Tall.Drenched.Expression unreadable.Presence overwhelming.
Danny gasped.
"Let me in," Verdric said.
Danny's body moved before thought caught up.
Verdric entered the tiny room, filling it completely just by being there.
"You lied to me," Verdric said quietly.
Danny's knees nearly buckled. "I know. I-I'm sorry. They made me do it. My brother is in the hospital and they promised—"
Verdric lifted a hand, stopping him.
"I know everything."
Danny's breath hitched.
Verdric took a step toward him.Not threatening.Just… closer.
"Your name. Your debt. Your brother's condition. Your jobs."He paused."You work yourself to the bone trying to keep him alive."
Danny bit his lip hard to keep from crying.
Verdric's gaze softened—just barely.
"I can pay his bills. Move him to a better hospital."
Danny stared, stunned. "Why… would you do that for me?"
Verdric leaned one hand beside Danny's head on the wall, caging him in—not to intimidate, but because he clearly didn't know how else to stand.
"Marry me," Verdric said softly."Three years. Live with me. Be by my side."
Danny's breath broke.
"Wh—why?"
"Because you don't want anything from me."Verdric's voice dropped to a murmur."And I have spent years surrounded by people who do."
Danny's heart ached.
He closed his eyes and whispered—
"…I accept."
Verdric stepped back slowly, as if satisfied.
"Pack your things."
Danny looked around his tiny apartment.
He didn't own much.
But he packed all of it anyway.
He followed Verdric out into the rain, unaware he was leaving one life behind forever.