The business party was supposed to be a celebration of success. Crystal chandeliers glowed above a hall filled with laughter, clinking glasses, and the low murmur of influential guests discussing deals and fortunes. The man stood quietly near the center of the crowd, dressed as sharply as the others, but there was something unsettling in the stillness of his posture. Before anyone could truly notice him, he suddenly pulled out a small bottle of kerosene and splashed its contents over himself. For a split second, confusion rippled through the roomâuntil the sharp scent of fuel filled the air. Then a spark appeared.
In an instant, flames erupted around him, bright and violent, devouring the calm atmosphere of the elegant gathering. Gasps turned into screams as the fire climbed around his body. Glasses shattered on the marble floor, chairs toppled, and people rushed back in horror. Some guests froze in shock while others shouted desperately for water or fire extinguishers. The music abruptly stopped, leaving only the sound of chaosâpanicked footsteps, cries, and the crackling of fire echoing through the hall.
Security guards and staff rushed forward, trying to smother the flames with coats and tablecloths while someone frantically called for help. The once-glamorous party dissolved into complete disorder. Expensive decorations were knocked aside as people tried to escape the scene, their faces pale with fear. In the midst of the confusion, the grand celebration transformed into a nightmare, leaving the room thick with smoke, terror, and the haunting realization that a moment of unimaginable desperation had shattered the night.
Alec tried to save the man as he rushed towards him but it was too late and people were running here and there in terror.
Next day IN ALEC'S HOME OFFICE
Morning arrived quietly, almost as if the world outside had no idea about the horror that had unfolded the previous night. Pale sunlight slipped through the tall glass windows of the grand hall, illuminating a scene that looked nothing like the elegant celebration it had once been. The marble floor was littered with broken glass, overturned chairs, and scattered decorations. The air still carried a faint, bitter smell of smoke, clinging stubbornly to the curtains and walls.
The once-beautiful party venue now looked exhausted, like a witness that had seen too much. Burn marks stained parts of the floor where the flames had raged, and a few blackened tablecloths lay crumpled nearby. Waiters and staff moved slowly around the hall, their expressions heavy and quiet as they cleaned up the remnants of the chaos. None of them spoke much; the memory of the previous night still hung thick in the air.
Outside the mansion, a few police vehicles and reporters had gathered, their voices hushed but curious. The news had spread quickly, turning the shocking incident into the talk of the morning. Guests who had attended the party woke up in their homes with the same unsettling memory replaying in their mindsâthe sudden flames, the screams, the panic.
Inside the silent mansion, the grandeur of the place felt strangely hollow. What had been meant to be a night of celebration had instead left behind a haunting stillness, as if the building itself was trying to recover from the chaos that had shattered its glittering façade only hours before.
The morning light filtered through the tall windows of his office, casting long pale streaks across the polished wooden floor.Alec sat alone behind his desk, his posture rigid yet composed. The injured arm tightly and securly wrapped in a white aseptic bandage rested on the chair while his fingers of the other handtapped slowly against the table, a habit that surfaced whenever his mind was working faster than his words. His dark eyes were fixed on nothing in particular, but behind that calm exterior, his thoughts were moving with sharp precision.
The events of the previous night replayed in his mind like a carefully examined scene. Every detail mattered to himâthe manâs sudden appearance in the crowd, the bottle in his hand, the exact moment when confusion turned into panic. To everyone else, it had been a shocking act of desperation. But to him, something about it felt wrong, almost too calculated. His jaw tightened slightly as he considered the possibility that it hadnât been just a tragic incident but perhaps a message⊠or even a distraction. One question lingered in his mind.
Who was that man?
Leaning back in his chair, his hand now clicking the pen, his expression growing darker with every passing thought. The chaos, the media attention, the damage to his companyâs reputationânone of it felt accidental. Someone had wanted the party to collapse into disaster. Someone had wanted to shake the foundation of everything he had built.
A slow breath escaped him as his eyes hardened with quiet determination. The room around him was silent, but inside his mind the pieces were already shifting into place. Whoever was behind it had made a dangerous move. And Alec was not the kind of man who ignored a challenge. If someone thought they could create chaos in his world and walk away unnoticed, they had gravely underestimated him.
"How is your hand Alec?" Kathrine asked entering the large heavy gates with a house help who carried a tray with Alec's black coffee.
"It's fine." Alec replied shortly. He was still tensed about what happened earlier and guilty that he couldn't save a life, an innocent person's life.
"In Peter's first factory, a fire broke out when all the stocks and other stuff was still inside. Everyone wanted to save the stuff worth millions so they took the risk but Peter stopped them from doing so. Everyone was surprised and protested but Peter said...." Kathrine told the story to her grandson but was interrupted by Alec.
"Money doesn't hold value but man's life is much more of worth. It was just stuff, it would have destroyed tomorrow maybe." completed Alec reminiscing his grandfather's lessons which his parents failed to give him.
"But today on his birthday one man just put himself on fire. His name, his principles, his teachings, his preachings all seems to get lost." said Kathrine while sobbing, she thought she failed as a human being, failed as wifeto save his preachings.
"No Mimi till I am alive no one is going to forget him and his principles too." Alec vowed which he always intended to fulfill. A promise he made to himself to always protect his family's reputation.
"I don't care about the reason of them doing this heinousact anymore but about our family's name and our grandfather's companyâs name. Family comes first before name in society. It is said that like parents like children, promise me Alec you will never be like them, like your parents and will not guide William, Jonah and Sierra to become like them. Promise me, that you guys will always be together. Promise me Alec, everyone should remember your love for each other. " Kathrine said as fresh tears came running down on her old fine features.
"No Mimi please don't cry. I promise we will not be like our parents and will always stick together. We will never be separated, I promise. " Alec said consoling and embracing his grandmother.
AT GALITZINE MANSION (The Next Morning)
The sun was rising in the morning sky, the birds were chirping all around. A mansion stood in the center of Tribeca neighborhood, New York City which now belong to the rising business group, The Galitzine Industries.
The mansion stood vast and silent beneath the fading evening light, its tall windows glowing softly like watchful eyes in the darkness. Marble corridors stretched endlessly, lined with priceless paintings and antique mirrors that reflected fragments of hurried footsteps. Though the house was filled with people, a strange solitude lingered in the airâeach person moving through the grand halls as if wrapped inside their own private world.
Servants carried trays through the corridors without speaking, their movements practiced and quiet. In distant rooms, the faint sound of a piano drifted through half-closed doors, while somewhere above, the muffled echo of heels against polished floors hinted at lives unfolding behind thick walls. Everyone seemed occupiedâreading, working, whispering on phones, or staring out at the sprawling gardensâyet no one truly noticed the others passing by.
The mansion felt less like a home and more like a maze of untold stories. Behind every ornate door existed a different life, a different secret, carefully hidden beneath elegance and wealth. And if someone stood still long enough in the dim hallway, they might sense itâthe strange feeling that in a house where everyone was busy with their own lives, the walls themselves were quietly watching, remembering far more than anyone realized.
The party was over and the news of the man burning himself alive at the Galitzine inauguration function was all removed from the media. Alvaro and Tam were tensed about the situation of land who they require to expand their business which was stuck due to yesterday's episode. Where as the rest of family was settled in their new Mansion in Manhattan, New York.
Kathrine was elated that she gets to see New York, she was better now after yesterday's accident and was praying to God almighty to not create any more mishaps. While Alvaro's eyes were set on a farmer's land who he wanted at any cost by hook or by crook. He uses twisted sick ways to get what he wants at any cost.
IN ALEC'S ROOM
Alec stood by the large window of his room, the city stretching endlessly beneath him, yet his mind felt trapped in a storm of unanswered questions. Files lay scattered across his desk, security reports, witness statements, and surveillance stillsâeach one examined repeatedly until the pages had begun to crease under his restless hands. Yet every piece of evidence led to the same dead end. The man who had burned himself had left behind nothing⊠no clear motive, no accomplice, no clue.
His jaw tightened as frustration built within him. He ran a hand through his hair before pacing across the room, his footsteps sharp against the floor. For a man who built his reputation on control and precision, this lack of answers felt like an insult. He hated loose ends, and this entire incident was nothing but one giant question mark. The more he searched for a hidden connection, the more the trail dissolved into emptiness.
Stopping abruptly near his desk, he slammed a file shut with a force that echoed through the quiet office. His usually composed expression was now clouded with irritation, his dark eyes burning with restrained anger. It wasnât just the tragedy of the incident that troubled himâit was the unsettling feeling that something was being deliberately hidden from him.
After a moment, he exhaled slowly, forcing his anger back beneath the surface. But the tension in his clenched fists remained. Whoever that man had been, whatever his reasons were, the mystery refused to reveal itself. And the thought that someone might have slipped through his grasp was enough to leave the powerful man sitting in his chair, staring at the empty evidence board with simmering frustration.
Alec stood in front of the large evidence board in his study, his expression dark and restless. Photographs from the party, security stills, witness reports, and timelines were pinned across the board, all connected by thin red strings that were meant to reveal a pattern. Yet the more he stared at it, the more meaningless it looked. Every lead he had chased had vanished into nothing.
With a sharp sigh, he pulled one of the papers off the board and crushed it slightly in his hand before tossing it onto the table. âNothing,â he muttered bitterly. âNot a single piece of evidence.â The frustration in his voice was raw, a rare crack in the otherwise controlled demeanor he carried. For a man known for uncovering every hidden detail in business and life, this silence from the truth felt unbearable.
His brother William leaned against the edge of the desk nearby, watching him with calm patience. Unlike the male leadâs storming anger, he carried a quieter presence. âMaybe there really isnât anything,â his brother said carefully. âMaybe the man was desperate⊠maybe it was just a tragic decision.â
Alec turned sharply toward him, his eyes flashing with disbelief. âNo,â he replied firmly. âPeople donât just walk into a crowded business party and set themselves on fire without a reason.â He ran a hand through his hair again, pacing across the room as the tension inside him refused to settle. âSomeone planned this. Someone wanted that chaos.â
His brother remained silent for a moment before speaking again, his tone thoughtful. âThen whoever it is⊠theyâre smart enough to hide it well.â
The room fell quiet after that. Alec looked back at the desk, his gaze hardening. The absence of evidence only deepened his suspicion. If someone had truly orchestrated the disaster and managed to erase every trace of it, then he wasnât just facing a mysteryâhe was facing an enemy who understood exactly how to stay invisible. And that thought only fueled the fire of frustration burning inside him.
"How is this possible? It is a big news and not published in newspaper or on any website, this seems irrelevant to me. It's like the incident never happened. This much big cover up can only be done by our father's. " William said an unpleasant look on his beautiful face and anger blazing in his green orbs. When he thought that his father Mr. Alvaro Galitzine couldn't stoop any low, something like this happens every time to make William believe otherwise.
"I know it was sad on that person's behalf but if it became the headlines, our family reputation would have been dammed. We need to protect our family name." Alec said trying to make his younger brother understand.
"Alec I can't believe that you are defending our parents." William argued back angryat his brother for taking Mr. Galitzine's side when he is wrong .
"I am just protecting our family name, our lineage and our grandparent's name. Everything is fair in business, people only want success by fair means or foul. There can be problems with such a great business, people will try to harm us, manipulate us, sabotage us." Alec stated his point calmly.
"Sabotage us? Really, are you even listening to yourself. Now for you family reputation matters more than anyone's life. You know like whom you are talking? Like the great Mr. Alvaro Milton Galitzine." William said getting more angry every second. Afterall Alec was like father figure which he never witnessed in his own biological father. William was disappointed when Alec behaved like his father whom he hated the most.
If Alec had the temper of burning fire then William also is like an volcano about to erupt when provoked after all he also has Galtzine blood flowing in his veins. William is usually calm but he when provoked his anger is worst than anyone other.
"I am just talking like a true Galitzine. " Alec defended himself. He had never seen William this angry before.
"Sometimes I wish for you to think more like Alec and less like a Galitzine. "William countered back.
"Nothing is bigger than family name." Alec said in an authoritative voice.
"Not even someone's life?" William said to his brother who seems to lost his mind.
"I didn't say that. I know it was sad but that doesn't mean we loose everything for just an unknown person who was maybe trying to ruin us." Alec replied.
"How can you be so sure that they are trying to sabotage us....?" Will asked him but was interrupted.
"Bros..." came a timid voice of Jonah. Both William and Alec stiffened thinking of the possibility of Jonah having listen to them fighting.
"I want to ask something from you guys and please tell me the truth." Jonah said in a serious tone making their doubts confirm.
"Ok." William said in a careful manner.
"What happened?" Alec said trying maintain his calm and calming his anger.
"Did I gained some weight?" Jonah said suddenly making the brothers take a breather.
"You being with me, I don't even miss my girlfriend." William said pinching Jonah's cheeks.
Alec and William playfully teasing Jonah like they always do. Alec prayed to keep this always and forever. He remembered the promise he made to his grandmother and vowed to keep it intact, to protect his brothers from all the problems.
"Leave it guys, okay today is the cheat day of my diet so what's the plan for today?" asked Jonah getting all excited.
"Not anyone, but I am cooking today." Alec declared making their way to kitchen.
"Lasagna." William said as he loved Alec's cooking.
"And for me?" Jonah questioned.
"Fish and chips your favorite." Alec replied playfully tickling Jonah.
"But how will you make?" William referring to his injured hand.
"Alec Casey Galitzine has solution to all his problems." declared Alec proudly.
"Alec Casey Galitzine can kill a mosquito from one hand." Jonah said announcing to world.
"Alec Casey Galitzine can reload the toothpaste once out of tube." William too joined his little brother.
"Alec Casey Galitzineee.... Bro leave its paining sorry mummy." Jonah shouted in a high pitched voice when Alec held his ear for making fun of him.
AT CAROLYN'S HOUSE
Carolyn's house was small, modest, and quietly tucked at the end of a narrow lane where life moved at a slower pace. The walls were painted in a soft, faded cream color that had begun to peel slightly with time, yet the place carried a warmth that made it feel alive. A tiny courtyard stood in front of the house, filled with a few clay pots where bright marigolds and tulsi plants grew stubbornly under the sun. A simple wooden door, slightly worn but well cared for, marked the entrance to her little world.
Inside, the house was neat and carefully arranged despite its limited space. A small living room welcomed visitors with a modest sofa covered in a clean cotton sheet and a wooden table that held a few neatly stacked books. The curtains were light and simple, allowing the morning sunlight to pour gently into the room, giving it a soft golden glow. The faint aroma of tea leaves and spices often lingered in the air, making the house feel warm and comforting.
The kitchen was barely big enough for two people to stand together, yet it was the heart of the home. Steel utensils were arranged carefully on narrow shelves, and a small stove rested on the counter beside jars filled with rice, lentils, and spices. Every corner reflected the quiet effort of someone who valued order and simplicity.
Her bedroom was the smallest room of all. A simple bed stood against the wall with a neatly folded blanket, while a small study table sat beside the window. On the table were a few notebooks, a pen stand, and a tiny lamp she often used late at night. The window overlooked the quiet lane outside, where the sounds of distant conversations and passing bicycles drifted in.
Though the house lacked luxury or space, it held something far more meaningfulâpeace. It was a humble shelter built on patience and resilience, reflecting the life of the girl who lived there. Every corner carried her quiet strength, making the little house feel like a safe haven in a world far bigger than it.
"Slowly yes very goooo.... no Ian carefully." Carolyn voice rang in the silence of the small home, she is with Ian his little brother who was her life. Ian was trying to walk when he fell down loosing his balance.
"Why you always try to walk without your crutches?" Carolyn asked him dusting away the dust from his clothes.
"You know I don't like when other children tease me being of being a disabled. And moreover it doesn't match my character." Ian replied honestly making Carolyn smile at his positive response. Ian is 6 years old and 18 years younger than Carolyn but both share an inseparable bond. Both love each other as there is no one else to call their own.
After the emotional moment both of them started their journey back to house. Carolyn lives with her younger brother, Ian and her paternal aunt, Martha who in turn hates Carolyn, Carolyn also shares mutual feeling for her.
She saw the people of her neighborhood was giving her unpleased looks. 'Now what did that bitch do', thought Carolyn. When she entered her house she saw female police cops while her aunt staring back at her with an evil smirk on her ugly face.
"This is Carolyn, Ma'am it was about time that I came to know about her evil intentions or she would have kidnapped my nephew. Oh my God, Ian come here my little baby." said Martha with extra sweetness in her voice to gain sympathy from the police cops and the people from her neighborhood.
"What the hell are you saying?" Carolyn said confused with a genuine innocent look on her beautiful face.
"Me? You little crazy lying slut. How can you act so sincere after doing all plotting and everything?" asked Martha trying hard so that cops could believe her which actually worked in Martha's favor too.
"Huh" Carolyn exclaimed still trying to process everything Martha just said.
"You want Ian to be with you when I am his legal guardian." said Martha crying crocodile tears in front of the lady cops.
"Yes I do want Ian's custody but I have no intention to kidnap him." said Carolyn to the ladies dressed in uniforms.
"Did you call me a liar? I am family women. I know my ancestors names and their occupations too and not like you, an orphan who was sold by their own parents. Our family, my brother was the one to adopt you and gave you a name." said Martha getting angry without any reason, she just wants to see Carolyn miserable.
"No she is my sister." said Ian boldly.
"Do you know whom she belongs? Which dirty blood is running in her veins?" Martha asked Ian giving Carolyn a disgusting juding look.
Martha pushes Ian when he came to defend his sister. Carolyn got angry after seeing this so she grabbed Martha's neck tries to choke Martha in front of cops which was again used against her. The head police cop grabbed her hair hard and pushed her against the wall trapping Carolyn with her stick to hold her back before she attacks Martha again.
"You are an angry bird girl." said the lead police cop who still has her stick painfully pressed against Carolyn's hands which are behindher back.
Ian was trying hard to get free from Martha's grip who had an evil smirk plastered and enjoying Carolyn's depressed state.
"Lower down your eyes. I said LOWER DOWN YOUR GAZE RIGHT NOW." The female cop shouted at Carolyn invading Carolyn's personal space.
"You think you will fight for custody and buy your own house? Where will u go? You have great responsibilities, so thank her to at least provide you a home to hide your filthy face slut." Cop said her voice dripping with hatred.
Ian started crying hard now hearing so bad about her sister and Carolyn's heart clenched to see her baby brother so sad. She just kept quite in order to free herself.
"Just leave her ma'am, it's enough that you have given her a warning." Martha said giving Carolyn a winning smile which cops didn't see or ignored intentionally.
"See how great she is and how big her heart is or next time I will lock you up in order to attack somome." remarked the head cop leaving her. Carolyn took large amount of air to calm herself down as fresh tears came running down her face which she wiped in anger.
The Cop leaves the house giving a disgusting look to brother sister duo as Ian came running towards Carolyn and embraced his sister who was still gasping hard for air.
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You hate me don't you I made Carolyn suffer, the two handsome Galitzine brothers fight, Sierra's panic attack and killed a man in the starting seven chapter only, for God's sake. I know I am bad but it's life even the main leads are not perfect but they will improve as the story progresses. They will change for their partners and also help them change.
What was your favorite part?
Did you like the brothers fighting?
Do you like Kathrine's lessons on life?
Does money and reputation matters more than anyone's life?
Do you want Galitzine brothers moments more?
Stay tuned and I will love you if you share like and comment on my story. Many of you didn't like Alec's thinking in this chapter or maybe a few more chapters, but give him a chance, will you? He isn't too bad just a little more arrogant than needed but who doesn't love that attitude and on a handsome billionaire, it's natural....
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