Chapter 1

I was drinking with Keith Rivers when he answered a call. Then, he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and led me out of the private room. "I'll introduce you to a patron who's better than me. We'll both stand to gain from this if you can wrap him around your finger."

I raise a plucked eyebrow and smile coquettishly. "Is there any man who's more outstanding than you are?"

My feigned surprise pleased him. He stuffed a card into my hand when we arrived at another private room. "Make whoever is in there happy, and the hundred thousand dollars in this account is yours."

I held the card between my fingers and waved it before him. "Remember to tell me the pin when we come out."

I followed Keith into the private room. My breathing hitched when I laid eyes on Donovan Slater, the man who'd turned my world upside down. He'd made me go from heaven to hell.

Donovan was taken aback for a split second when he saw me. "Clarissa Gray?"

Keith was pleased to see we knew each other. He pushed me to Donovan and gestured for me to sit. "Oh, so you two already know each other! I was thinking of introducing an amazing hostess to you since this is your first time, Mr. Slater."

I poured a glass of wine and held it before Donovan, but he smacked it out of my hand, making it shatter on the floor. One of the glass shards cut my leg, but I didn't even bat an eye.

He glowered at me and snarled, "You're cheap. I can't believe you're working as a hostess here when there are plenty of proper jobs waiting for you out there."

"Is the wine not to your liking, Mr. Slater?" I smiled calmly, not responding to his words. I ignored the dark look on his face. My pride and hatred meant nothing when compared to money.

When Keith saw that things didn't seem to be going well, he hurried forward, wanting to pull me away.

Donovan's eyes gleamed coldly behind his glasses, and there was a hint of suppressed rage in his voice as he growled, "Don't touch her."

Donovan's family and mine went back a long way. His father had committed suicide after his business failed, and his mother had passed away shortly after. His relatives had refused to take him in because they'd thought he was a harbinger of misfortune.

Dad had brought him to our house because of his friendship with his late father. Donovan was handsome but a man of few words. For some reason, I hadn't been able to stop myself from wanting to be the light that would guide him out of darkness.

But no matter what I said or did, he'd acted like he hadn't heard or seen me. It had even gotten to a stage where he would frown in disgust at the sight of me.

For his birthday one year, I'd baked him a cake and brought it to his bedroom. I'd cautiously knocked on the door, but he'd slammed it in my face before I'd even said anything. I'd knocked on it again, and he'd glowered at me and the cake impatiently when opening the door again.

"I checked and found out it's your birthday today, so I decided to celebrate it with you," I'd said.

"Do you know how annoying you are, Clarissa? Can't you carry yourself with more pride and dignity? Stop harassing me!" he'd snapped.

That had taken me aback. I'd bitten my lip and smiled bitterly while saying, "I just wanted you to move past the darkness and be a little happier."

"Do you think you can do that if your parents are the ones who are dead?" he'd roared.

"How can you say something like that?" I'd looked at him in disbelief. Then, I'd thrown the cake at his feet and run off.

Night had already fallen by then, so I hadn't dared to go far. All I'd done was wander around the residential area. I'd turned to head home after walking off my frustration, but two drunkards had stopped me.

"Why do you look so down in the dumps at this hour, you pretty little thing? Are you going through a breakup?"

"Come with us. We guarantee we'll show you a better time than your boyfriend ever could."

I'd fearfully swatted their hands away before they could touch me. They'd leered at me while closing in on me and were about to catch me when I'd heard a roar nearby. "Don't touch her!"

Donovan had come to my rescue with a rock in hand. He and I were about the same age, so his thin frame hadn't stood a chance against two adults. He'd told me to run, but he'd ended up getting pummeled.

Later, someone had called the police, and we'd all been brought to the police station. Mom and Dad had come to pick us up. They'd asked why we were outside at such a late hour. Neither Donovan nor I had given them straight answers.

After that incident, Donovan's attitude toward me had remained cold and distant, but he'd started accepting my kindness. He'd tutored me and silently listened as I chattered. He would even considerately keep me warm when I was on my period.

At school, he'd gone to buy me menstrual pads despite the people around him teasing him, and he'd even made me a hot drink.

I'd thought that was love, so I'd given myself to him the summer after graduating high school. My first time had hurt, and I'd cried for him to stop. He'd ignored me, though.

Donovan had been rough with me and looked at me as if he wanted to swallow me whole. When we were done, all he had said was, "Everyone performs differently during these things. I won't touch you again if you're uncomfortable."

I'd gritted my teeth while shaking my head. "I'll get used to you."

After graduating college, he'd gotten a job at Dad's company, and Dad had trained him with the goal of turning him into his successor.

I'd been caught up in fantasies of our future together when his actions had given me a slap to the face.