Dumped by My Ex, Now the Mafia Boss Owns Me

THIRD PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW

"I don't want you anymore, Grasya. I don't love you. I feel nothing for you. Even if you dropped to your knees right here in front of me, it wouldn't mean a thing."

Grace Love "Grasya" Manafa stood frozen in the middle of the grand living room of the Morenzo mansion. The floor seemed to dissolve beneath her feet, dragging her down into an endless abyss. Hot tears blurred her vision as she stared at the man who had once been her entire world.

"Sev..."

Severen Morenzo. Her first and only love. The boy she had dreamed of marrying, of growing old with. Her childhood best friend.

He exhaled sharply, irritation flashing across his face, then turned away. She lunged forward, her cold fingers wrapping desperately around his wrist. He spun back toward her.

"Let go of me," he said, his voice low but sharp as a blade, dripping with disgust.

"Have I... have I done something you don't like?" Her voice cracked, her heart twisting painfully.

His expression remained ice-cold. "I just don't like you anymore. You didn't do anything. My feelings simply changed."

Her chest tightened until she could barely breathe. "But you told me not to fall for anyone else. You said I should wait for you... You said you wanted to marry me."

Severen let out a harsh laugh. "Is that idea still stuck in your head? That I'd actually marry you? So you could escape your pathetic little life and live off my money?"

Her eyes widened in horror. She shook her head frantically as the tears finally spilled over.

"You smell like an opportunist," he sneered.

Severen came from one of the wealthiest families in the region. His was a picture-perfect household. Grasya, on the other hand, was the daughter of the Morenzo family driver. She had no mother, no siblings-just her father. Her parents had separated when she was young. Local gossip said her mother had left her poor father for a rich, married man with a string of mistresses. She caught a disease from him and eventually died.

Because of her mother's reputation, no one wanted anything to do with Grasya. Except for the son of her father's employers.

Severen.

They had grown up together in Santa Catalina, a quiet town far from the city. They had played along the rice paddies, their laughter carried on the fresh breeze, the open sky witness to their innocent smiles.

From childhood, he had always been there for her-her protector, her constant companion. Whenever their eyes met, they both saw the same spark of love shining back.

She had been so sure he felt the same.

She had even written him ninety-nine letters.

In the ninety-ninth one, she had poured out her entire heart, confessing her love without hesitation. He had accepted it and responded in kind. She had been eighteen then, and he twenty-one-three years older. He had promised that when she came of age, he would formally ask her to be his wife.

"Grasya, when you turn twenty-one, please be my wife." His voice had been full of sincerity. "Don't fall in love with anyone else. You're mine for life. Your heart belongs to me alone. Don't ever give it to another man."

Tears had welled in her eyes. Her heart had pounded with overwhelming joy. She had covered her mouth, nodding eagerly. "When I'm twenty-one, I'll marry you with all my heart," she had promised.

He had pulled out a small box. "Here are all the letters you gave me. I'm keeping the ninety-ninth one. You keep the rest. I'll take them all back from you on our wedding day."

"I'll treasure every single letter, Señorito!"

"Sev. Please, call me Sev."

"Sev..."

"You're going to be my wife, okay?"

She had nodded, glowing with happiness.

For a while, everything had been perfect. He told her every day how he couldn't wait for her to become his wife in every sense of the word.

Then he had to leave for Manila.

"I'll come back, Grasya. Finish your studies. When I return, we'll get married," he had told her.

"I'll wait for you. Just three more years and I'll be twenty-one."

"Yes, three years. Just three more years. Wait for me. And don't you dare look at any other man."

He left Santa Catalina and became the Deputy Director of Morenzo CoreTech, the family company. He was next in line to become CEO when his father retired. His name started appearing in financial newspapers and on television whenever business news was on.

Severen became someone important. People admired him.

Grasya had been so proud of everything he achieved. She prayed for his continued success every single day.

During those three years, she had thought about visiting him in Manila several times, but he always refused. He was too busy, he said. His father didn't want his attention divided. Eventually, the calls stopped. He stopped reaching out. Still, she clung to his promise. She kept her love for him safe in her heart and waited quietly.

But the man who returned to Santa Catalina felt like a stranger.

The gentle warmth in his eyes when he looked at her was gone. The sweet smile he used to reserve only for her had vanished. His voice had grown heavy and rough, nothing like the light, tender tone she remembered.

She forced herself to meet his gaze. "I-I'm not an opportunist."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're not? Then why does it feel like you're only after my money?"

Her hands clenched into fists. "That's not true!"

"What's going on here?" A familiar voice cut through the tension. It was Severen's mother, Señora Renata. She marched over, grabbed Grasya by the arm, and slapped her hard across the face.

Grasya gasped, pressing a hand to her stinging cheek as fresh tears fell. "Señora..."

"How dare you behave like this in front of your master? How uneducated! How vulgar!" The woman shoved her away from her son.

A bitter taste filled Grasya's mouth. She wasn't uneducated. She wasn't vulgar.

Señora Renata glared at her. "What are you even doing inside the house? As far as I know, only your father works for the Morenzo family. You have no right to come in here without permission. You're not a guest. You're not important. You're nothing but a gold-digging peasant!"

The words crushed Grasya's chest and burned her throat. She glanced at Severen, hoping for something-anything-but he only shrugged, completely indifferent. That hurt worse than the slap.

His parents had always opposed their relationship. Severen had stood firm before, refusing to listen to them. But now, she could feel she no longer held any weight in his heart.

"Sev-" she tried again.

"Idiot!" Señora Renata's eyes flashed with fury.

"Where do you get the nerve to call my son by his name?" Señor Silvio's booming voice filled the room. "Who do you think you are? Do you really believe you're on the same level as us?"

She had always known the truth. Her hands trembled. Every beat of her heart brought fresh pain.

"Call the guards and throw this girl out!" Señora Renata shouted. "What a delusional fool! A little attention from my son and you start dreaming! What kind of brain do you have? A tiny fish brain!"

Biya-a small, insignificant fish. That's exactly how they saw her.

Grasya looked at her childhood love. His lips stayed pressed together. He made no move to defend her against his parents' cruel words.

Minutes later, the guards arrived. Their hands clamped around her arms like iron vices. She cried out in pain as they squeezed tight enough to bruise bone.

As they dragged her out of the grand house, her eyes remained locked on Severen. He stared back with blank, emotionless eyes. Cold. Uncaring.

"Sev..."

He simply shook his head and turned away.

Saying her heart was broken didn't even begin to cover it.

The guards shoved her roughly through the gate. She stumbled and fell hard onto the stony ground, scraping her palms and knees.

The heavy metal gate slammed shut behind her with a resounding clang. She kept her head down, tears streaming onto the dirt. One after another.

Thunder rumbled overhead. She flinched at the sound but didn't move. Her hands clutched the hem of her now-dirty dress.

Lightning flashed again, and the sky opened up. Rain poured down, mixing with her tears. She was soaked in seconds. Her teeth clenched tightly. The pain in her chest felt like a knife twisting deeper and deeper.

She was still kneeling there when she heard the low rumble of an approaching car. She lifted her head. The headlights blinded her for a moment. When her vision cleared, she realized this was no ordinary vehicle. It was a sleek, black luxury car-powerful, rare, the kind only the elite could afford.

It wasn't familiar. It definitely didn't belong to the Morenzos.

Her tear-streaked eyes stayed fixed on the car as the rear window slowly rolled down.

The face that appeared was cold yet burned with intensity. Sharp, chiseled cheekbones. A strong, defined jaw. A straight, refined nose. Bold, perfectly arched brows. Hair as dark as obsidian. And eyes the lightest shade of hazel green-like sunlight filtering through leaves. Behind them lurked a hidden fire that scorched her, consumed her, devoured her whole. His intense gaze held her captive, full of mystery and raw power.

For several long seconds, the world fell silent. An invisible force bound her in place. She couldn't look away. She couldn't even breathe.

His face showed no emotion, but those eyes never left her. They held her until the car finally moved past. The window slid shut once more.

Only then did she realize she had been holding her breath.

She didn't know who he was-this man with the unforgettable, commanding face.

But his image was already burned into her mind. Intimidating. Knee-weakening.

"W-who was that?" she whispered into the empty rain.