PROLOGUE II

Aizen's Perspective

Life is like a game. Well, in some aspects, at least. Some people are born with luck and others have to make their own. Like a game, success often hinges on playing one's cards right and making calculated moves. Some players are honorable, and some would do whatever it takes to win. But unlike a game, there are no do-overs in life. Once it's game over, it's game over for good. Death is final. So, I play my cards right in order to succeed. 

The name Aizen Nara carries a legacy of power and prestige, a burden inherited from a lineage steeped in wealth and influence. My birth was the product of an illicit affair between my mother, Olive, and my father, Takeshi Nara, a man entrenched in the dangerous world of crime and wealth. I wasn't naive to the circumstances of my birth. I was well aware of my father's reputation and the perilous nature of his existence. So, I was raised by my grandmother with the knowledge that one day, I would be summoned by my father to claim my rightful place in the Nara dynasty. 

It wasn't until high school that my father finally acknowledged my existence, summoning me to Japan to commence my education and initiation into the intricacies of the Nara family. Driven by an unyielding ambition to prove myself worthy of the Nara name, I excelled in my studies and immersed myself in my father's world of business and crime.

I've worked so hard to get to where I'm at, but my father remained fixated on securing the future of the family through strategic alliances. Marriage became a condition for my inheritance, a means to ensure the continuity of the Nara dynasty. But for me, romance was a notion relegated to the realm of business, a means to an end rather than a pursuit of the heart. 

So I left to figure out my thoughts. And then, by chance, I encountered Desiree Götz, a woman from my past whose memory had long been buried beneath the weight of duty and obligation. In her, I saw a reflection of the innocence and naivety I had long since abandoned, a reminder of the fleeting desires of my youth. For a decade, I haven't thought or heard of her. Never in my life did I think I'd ever see her again. 

Recognizing her potential, I made her an offer she couldn't refuse—a marriage of convenience, devoid of emotion or attachment. Five years, I proposed, enough time to satisfy my father's demands and secure my place as the head of the Nara empire. With contracts signed and vows exchanged, we embarked on a charade of romance, a facade intended to deceive the world. 

And so I watched as Desiree walked down the aisle, her beauty veiled beneath delicate lace, I couldn't help but marvel at the intricacies of fate. With a kiss, we sealed our union, ushering in a new chapter in both our lives. Brielle Desiree Nara, now my wife, a role I never imagined playing in my youth.