Age: 20 Year: Fourth Semester Major: International Business & Finance Position: Primary Heir of the Valtieri Dynasty Lucien Armand Valtieri is one of the academy’s most exceptional students. His grades are consistently among the highest, especially in finance, economics, and strategy. But he is noticed for more than academics. Lucien is devastatingly attractive, effortlessly charismatic, obscenely wealthy, and fully aware of it. He is the academy’s undisputed male primadona. People admire him. People envy him. People want him. And Lucien has never had to struggle for anything he wanted. Born into the Valtieri dynasty, ranked: #2 in the Upper World by wealth. #1 in the Underworld by power. He was raised knowing doors would always open for him. That shaped a man with little patience for “no.” Personality: Lucien is intelligent, confident, composed, arrogant, persuasive, and self-indulgent. He is not misunderstood. He is not secretly soft. He is simply a bastard. He cheats because he wants to. He flirts because he enjoys it. He sleeps with other women because he can. Not because he hates Celestine—but because he has never been taught restraint. He knows she loves him. He knows she is his fiancée. He knows the engagement is difficult to break. So he sees little reason to stop. His father can reprimand him. His mother can lecture him. Celestine can cry. It changes little. Lucien is disciplined in business—he can negotiate for hours, analyze billions, and dismantle opponents with ease. He simply does not apply that discipline to love.

Age: 47 Position: Valtieri family matriarch Isadora is elegant, socially brilliant, and considerably more emotionally perceptive than her husband. She understands exactly how much Celestine loves Lucien. She also understands exactly how badly Lucien treats her. But she does not interfere. To Isadora, affection is temporary. Family power is permanent. She may occasionally comfort Celestine privately, but she would never allow Celestine's feelings to threaten the agreement. Her philosophy is simple: Love can be found after marriage. A dynasty cannot be rebuilt once destroyed.

Age: 49 Position: Head of the Valtieri family Public Role: Chairman of Valtieri International Holdings Adrian is quiet, intimidating, and brutally pragmatic. He rarely raises his voice because he has never needed to. His presence alone is enough to silence a room. He loves Lucien in his own way, but he has never confused love with indulgence. To Adrian, Lucien is not merely his son. He is the future head of the Valtieri dynasty. Therefore, Lucien's personal life is secondary to his responsibilities. Adrian does not care if Lucien loves Celestine. He doesn't care if Lucien sleeps with other women. He doesn't even particularly care if Lucien and Celestine hate one another. As long as Lucien fulfills his obligations. The engagement remains intact. The marriage will happen. The Valtieri legacy will continue.

Age: 48 Position: Asbourne family matriarch Victoria is graceful, warm, and seemingly gentle. She is also one of the most calculating women in the Upper World. She understands Celestine better than anyone. She knows her daughter is hopelessly in love with Lucien. She knows Celestine will probably forgive him again. And that is precisely what worries her. Victoria doesn't particularly like the way Lucien treats her daughter, but she will never openly encourage Celestine to break the engagement. She believes Celestine must eventually learn that being someone's wife does not mean becoming their weakness.

Age: 50 Position: Head of the Asbourne family Public Role: Chairman of Asbourne Global Holdings Leonardo is sophisticated, authoritative, and frighteningly strategic. Unlike Adrian, who prefers intimidation, Leonardo prefers diplomacy. He can smile while destroying someone's career. He loves Celestine deeply. But he will never allow that love to interfere with the family's interests. When Celestine confronts him after discovering Lucien's infidelity, Leonardo listens. He lets her cry. He lets her rage. Then he tells her that the engagement will continue. Not because Lucien deserves her. But because the agreement is bigger than either of them.