C9 Cost of love

Vivian Dary stepped into her billion-dollar mansion, her heels striking the marble with a hollow echo that filled the silence. The foyer gleamed under the soft golden lighting…every corner pristine, every chandelier dripping with crystal perfection. Yet beneath all that beauty, the air felt still, suffocating. The kind of silence that mocked, not soothed.

She paused, staring into the vast emptiness of her home.

“Is this freedom… or loneliness?” she whispered, her voice trembling just enough to betray the ache in her chest.

Her father used to say that silence was a luxury…proof of wealth, class, and control. But tonight, it felt like punishment. A reminder that peace could exist without happiness.

She kicked off her heels, the sharp clack replaced by the soft pad of her bare feet. Her reflection glimmered faintly on the marble, a woman dressed in satin and gold jewelry, hair perfectly styled, face untouched by tears…but empty inside. She had it all, didn’t she? Beauty. Fame. A sprawling mansion. Sixty million dollars in her account. And Victor..the man she’d chosen over her family.

So why did her chest feel hollow, as though someone had carved out her heart and left only echoes of what used to be love?

She let out a shaky breath and collapsed onto the velvet couch in her grand living room. Its fabric hugged her like a lover, but it didn’t comfort her. She buried her face in her hands, trying to silence the whirlwind of thoughts threatening to drown her.

“It’s fine, Vivian,” she muttered to herself. “You just left. You’ll be fine. You’ll build your own life. You’ll start again. That’s what people do.”

But she didn’t believe it. Not really.

Her fingers trembled as she brushed away invisible tears. For years, she had been told what to wear, who to date, who to become. Now she was free, but the freedom came wrapped in emptiness. Freedom was supposed to taste sweet, yet it burned like acid in her throat.

Dragging herself toward the kitchen, she hoped a glass of water would help steady her heartbeat. But when she opened the refrigerator, her heart sank deeper. The shelves were bare…no food, no bottled water, nothing but air. Even the cupboards looked deserted, save for a dusty bottle of wine and a few neglected glasses.

“Oh, great,” she murmured bitterly. “I escaped a mansion full of people to starve in one that’s empty.”

She grabbed her phone, scrolling through her favorite delivery app, ordering the basics by habit…groceries, snacks, coffee, candles, toiletries. Small comforts to make the emptiness less brutal. Her thumb hit the “checkout” button.

Nothing happened.

She frowned. Tapped again.

Transaction failed … Insufficient funds.

“What?” Her voice cracked. She refreshed the page, tried again, and then hurriedly opened her bank app.

Account balance: $0.00

Her breath caught in her throat.

“No… no, no, no, that’s not possible.”

Her pulse quickened as she checked again, her vision blurring. Sixty million dollars..gone. Every cent.

Then she realized that she transferred everything to victor’s account

“Shit!” she gasped, gripping her phone. Panic surged through her veins. She quickly dialed Victor, the one person who could fix anything. The line rang once, twice…then went straight to voicemail.

She tried again. No answer.

Again. Still nothing.

⸻

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit luxury hotel suite across town, the air was thick with smoke, perfume, and the lingering scent of sin.

Bianca straddled Victor, her dark curls spilling over his chest, her skin slick with sweat. Their breaths mingled, heavy and uneven. The sound of their bodies colliding drowned out everything else.

When it was over, she collapsed onto him with a satisfied sigh. “You know,” she murmured, tracing lazy circles on his chest, “we have sixty million dollars sitting in the account. We could disappear tonight. Start over somewhere far away…just you and me.”

Victor smirked, his hand resting behind his head. “You’re too impatient, baby. I’m working smart. Trust me.”

Bianca lifted her head, her eyes narrowing. “Smart? You mean using her money to build our future while she thinks you love her?” She laughed, low and sharp. “You really are cold, Victor.”

He chuckled. “Cold? No. Strategic. You think I enjoy pretending with Vivian? I don’t. But the Dary family’s wealth? That’s a ticket out of mediocrity. You and I…” he brushed her lips with his thumb “….we’re going to live like royalty when this is all over.”

She frowned slightly. “You promise you won’t fall for her?”

He smiled, leaning in close. “Vivian’s just a source of income, baby. You’re the one I want.”

And as he kissed her, across the room, Vivian’s name flashed repeatedly on his vibrating phone…calls he ignored without a second thought.

⸻

At dawn, the shrill ring of a doorbell pierced the silence of Vivian’s mansion. She groaned, rolling over in bed, disoriented. “Who rings a doorbell at six in the morning?”

Then she remembered..this wasn’t her father’s house anymore. There were no guards, no maids, no security cameras. Just her.

She stumbled toward the door, irritation lacing her movements. Only three people knew where she lived…Victor, her best friend, Cecilia and her parents . None of them would show up this early.

But when she opened the door, her stomach dropped.

Standing before her was the same woman who had escorted her home from Dubai…Cecilia. Behind her stood six guards in black suits, expressionless and towering.

Vivian’s pulse spiked. “Miss? What’s going on?”

The Miss’ expression was unreadable. “Good morning, Miss Dary. I was instructed to escort you off this property.”

Vivian’s brow furrowed. “Excuse me? Escort me? This is my house.”

“I’m afraid it isn’t anymore.”

Vivian laughed, the sound brittle and sharp. “You’ve got to be kidding. My name is on the deed.”

“Your father has exercised full control of the assets under the family trust,” She replied calmly. “This property, the cars, and all associated accounts have been revoked effective immediately.”

Vivian’s body went cold. “He…he can’t just…”

“He can,” Cecilia said simply. “And he did.”

Vivian’s voice rose, trembling. “You can’t come in here and take my life from me! This is illegal!”

Two guards pushed past her, moving methodically. One began changing the locks, another gathering her suitcases. Panic clawed its way up her throat.

“Stop! Don’t touch my things!” she screamed, grabbing one of the guards by the arm. He didn’t even flinch.

“I’m sorry, Miss Dary,” Cecilia said softly. “You were warned.”

Vivian’s eyes filled with tears. “He said it…he said he’d take everything…but I thought…” Her voice broke. “He’s my father.”

The woman avoided her gaze. “He told me to remind you of his words.”

The memory cut through her like glass.

“That’s it, Vivian. Either you listen to us…or I’ll take back everything I’ve ever given you.”

She thought it was a bluff. He always threatened, never acted. But this time… he had meant it.

Vivian’s breath came out shaky, uneven. “Please… don’t do this. I’ll fix things. I’ll talk to him.”

“The car keys, Miss Dary,” She asked said gently.

Vivian shook her head violently. “No. You’re not taking my car. You’re not taking anything!”

The assistant gave a small nod to the guards. “Tow the vehicle.”

Vivian’s scream ripped through the quiet morning. “NO! YOU CAN’T TAKE THAT! IT’S MINE! PLEASE!”

She broke free for a second, sprinting toward the driveway barefoot, her silk nightgown billowing around her. But the guards caught her before she reached the car. She thrashed, kicked, clawed…but it was useless. The sleek black car she’d called her freedom was hooked to a tow truck and pulled away.

Her sobs echoed through the street, raw and desperate.

Minutes later, it was all gone…her home, her car, her security. The guards left without a word, leaving her with a single suitcase on the curb.

Vivian sank to her knees, her body trembling uncontrollably. Her breath came in shallow gasps as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Her father had disowned her. Victor wasn’t answering. And the woman who stood before her, once her father’s trusted employee, couldn’t even look her in the eye.

“Why?” Vivian choked out, her voice cracking. “How could he do this? I’m his daughter.”

The assistant lips pressed into a thin line. “Sometimes love takes hard forms, Miss Dary.”

Vivian stared at her, fury overtaking grief. “No, No. This isn’t love. This is cruelty!” Her voice shook with rage. “This is your fault! You wanted this, didn’t you? You stood there and let them destroy me!”

The assistant’s expression didn’t change. “I only follow orders.”

“Orders?” Vivian spat, standing shakily. “You ruined my life with a signature and a word, and you call it orders? You could have stopped this! You could have helped me!”

But she didn’t answer. She only turned and walked away, her heels clicking steadily until the sound faded into the distance.

Vivian collapsed back to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest as the first rays of morning light spilled across the driveway. Her tears stained the pavement. The house that had once been hers stood silent behind her, locked and unreachable….like her old life.

Her father had taken her fortune.

Victor had taken her heart.

And both had left her with nothing.

The realization hit her all at once, shattering what little strength she had left.

“Where are you Victor?, Victor,” she whispered to the wind. “I trust and believe in you …you more than anyone.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

For the first time in her life, Vivian Dary…the billionaire’s daughter, the perfect heiress, the woman who had everything…was utterly, devastatingly alone.