TROYAfter Marianne rudely asked me to leave her house, I got upset, packed my bags, and left. However, after driving a short distance from her house, I stopped. I tried to make sense of her actions, but nothing came to mind. I believed something I had done must have upset her. But couldn't she just tell me what it was? I went over everything we did that day and furrowed my brows when I remembered Sharon, the escort. When I had first seen her, my eyes had stayed glued to her because she reminded me of the first time I met Aislinn on a runway. Her beautiful and sexy legs had been the first thing that caught my attention, and a while after that, I fell head over heels in love with her. Thinking about it, I recalled that Marianne had offered to pay Sharon so she could serve me for a night. At the time, I had taken it as a joke, but what if Marianne got upset and kicked me out because I had been staring? Picking up my phone, I decided to call her and ask if she was upset because
TROYAs I knelt on the floor, groaning in anger, the harsh sound of liquid spilling jolted me from my thoughts. I looked up and saw fuel steadily leaking from the damaged trucks. A cold shiver ran down my spine, and a sense of imminent danger washed over me. Rising to my feet, I took one last glance around. I knew it was only a matter of time before the ambulances, fire trucks, and police would arrive, their sirens blaring through the stillness of the night. The last thing I wanted was to get caught in that mess. I needed to vanish before they flooded the scene with flashing lights and endless questions. Perhaps because it was on the outskirts, no crowds gathered to gawk at the accident. The isolation was unnerving, amplifying the eerie silence. Just as I began to walk away, a realization hit me like a punch to the gut. There was no blood. My steps faltered. My breath caught in my throat. My eyes widened in shock as I turned back to take a closer look at Marianne's car, scrutinizin
TROY I left the station a few minutes later, got into my car, and quickly drove away, my eyes constantly checking the rearview mirror. Once I was convinced that no one was tailing us, I pulled over at a quiet, secluded spot and had Marianne return to the passenger seat. "Are you okay?" I asked, breaking the heavy silence after driving for what felt like an eternity. She sighed, her voice weary. "I've been better. Honestly, I’m surprised you followed me. I thought you left." I nodded, keeping my gaze on the road. "Yeah, I was leaving when I realized I’d forgotten something. On my way back to get it, I saw you leaving the house. I tried calling, but you wouldn't answer, so I followed you." She gave a small nod. "I see. Sorry about that. I must've been too panicked to even notice the call. I lost my phone in the crash, but it's not a big deal." I glanced at her, concern etched across my face. "But how did you survive the crash?" I asked, curiosity and worry lacing my tone. S
MARIANNE After Troy left, I closed my eyes and pushed my lower body forward, sinking deeper into the couch. My mind wandered, heavy with regret. I had wanted to ask him to stay, but the words stuck in my throat. I was terrified that if he stayed, I wouldn’t have the strength to hold myself back if he made advances toward me again. I exhaled slowly, letting my eyes fall shut, but the peace I sought was fleeting. One of the most harrowing moments of my life crashed into my thoughts; I was gripping the steering wheel, glancing frantically at the rearview mirror, then at the road ahead, fully aware that my death was inevitable. Two monstrous trucks bore down on me from both sides, their headlights flashing like the eyes of predators ready to strike, threatening to crush me between them. The space around me felt suffocating, the roar of their engines drowning out my racing thoughts. At the last possible moment, I realized I had already stopped my car and unbuckled my seatbelt, and th
TROY Marianne went silent, her eyes clouded with complicated emotions. I could see the internal battle raging within her, but I waited, giving her the space to speak. Almost an eternity later, she finally admitted, "Yes, I am falling in love with you, Troy. But I don't want to. I know without a doubt that you are close to me now because of this face. The real Aislinn is the person you love, and when my revenge—and yours—is over, we will part ways. I'll eventually change my face to what it once looked like and return to my reality." She hesitated, her voice softening. "Troy, I've had my fair share of marriage. Never again. I don’t want to fall in love, get married, or be with another man in any intimate sense. I don't want to get hurt once again and you, Troy....you make it very hard. All I care about right now is my revenge, but your constant flirting and teasing is making me distracted—and worse, attracted to you. It’s stirring feelings in me that I never realized existed. Fe
TROY "What are you doing here, Mom?" I asked incredulously, standing at the door with a deep frown. "You left me no choice," she replied, her voice steady but filled with the weight of expectation. I sighed, stepping aside to let her in. "Say what you need to say and then leave," I told her, making no effort to offer her a seat. She gave a bitter smile. "Wow, Troy. Your mother travels at night, shows up at your house, and this is the reception she gets? All because of that woman, isn't it? I know she's in there." "You should know by now that emotional blackmail doesn’t work on me," I replied, my tone dripping with irritation. "Remember this, Mom: for as long as you oppose the woman who means the world to me, expect nothing good from me." She sighed, frustrated. "Fine. I came here today to prove to you that the woman lying in your bedroom right now is not good for you. I know it upsets you to hear this, but you're my son, and it's my responsibility to protect you." "You kn
SHARON LAST NIGHT I stood outside the door of Tony Vane’s house, waiting for him. Aislinn had assured me he would arrive with his vegetable of a wife, but at this point, that seemed unlikely. I had been standing there for almost two hours without any sign of him, and it was getting pretty late. Getting into the estate had already been hard enough; the idea of going through that stress again was unappealing. I was dressed decently, wearing a long blue dress that covered my knees. It was important to look the part, so Tony would buy my act. With my hair tied back and no makeup or jewelry on, I looked innocent, like an unsuspecting beauty. Too bad all that effort seemed to be going to waste. I took out my phone and dialed Aislinn’s number, intending to inform her that our plan had flopped. She had assured me Tony would show up, so the failure was on her. Her number was unreachable. I cursed under my breath. If it weren’t for the fact that she was paying so well, I wouldn’t let her
SHARON As we reached the staircase leading to the rooms above, I turned to Tony and suggested, “Sir, I think it would be best if you moved her room downstairs. Considering her condition, life would be much easier for her if she didn’t have to go up and down the stairs so often.” Tony paused to consider my words, then nodded in agreement. "You're right," he said. "Wait here, I'll quickly bring down her bags." I stood downstairs, offering a reassuring smile to Britney, telling her softly that everything would be fine. I had to be extra careful with my behavior because Aislinn had warned me that the living room was monitored by cameras. A few minutes later, Tony returned, carrying two large suitcases. “These are the things I could get for now,” he said, handing them to me. “If you need anything else of hers, you can go upstairs and get it. Also, her doctor’s checkup is every Friday. Remind me in case I get too busy and forget. I’m counting on you to look after her, okay?” I n
Freya quickly made a phone call, and as she had promised, Alva was offered a job and asked to report for work the very next day. "I still can’t believe it—I actually got a job! Thank you so much, Freya," Alva said, her face lighting up with excitement. "You’re welcome," Freya replied, smiling. "And the good thing is, this place pays weekly, so you won’t have to wait too long to get your money." "That’s great, but it doesn’t matter much to me," Alva said. "I’m not planning to spend the money—I’ll save every bit of it." When Alva arrived at the supermarket, she was amazed at how luxurious it was. "Freya’s boyfriend must be incredibly wealthy," she thought. "If he can bring her to such a high-end place, he must have more money than I imagined." As she reported for her first day, Alva realized that a different manager was on seat and the latter stared at her with an air of disdain. Alva tried to brush off the unease she felt, smiling politely. She regretted not wearing one o
Freya smiled warmly at Alva and said, "Come on, have you forgotten how you’ve been cooped up at home all this time? Ever since you lost your Granny, you haven’t really been yourself. How could I have introduced you to him then?" Alva nodded slowly, her eyes thoughtful. "You’re right. But now, I really want to meet him, okay?" Freya grinned. "Okay. He’s really busy, but I’ll talk to him. Of course, he’ll make time to meet my best friend." As they sat in the cab heading back home, Freya turned to Alva, her face lighting up. "You know, Lance promised to buy me a car soon." Alva’s eyes widened in surprise. "Really? That’s amazing!" Freya nodded, clearly excited. "Yeah, he said it could be any day now. I can’t wait!" "You’re so lucky," Alva said, a hint of awe in her voice. Freya beamed. "I feel like all my dreams are finally coming true. Oh, and guess what? Lance also said he wants to send me to college. What do you think? We could go together—he’ll take care of everything
After Pete left her alone in the room, Alva struggled against the ropes binding her hands, twisting and pulling with all her strength. The coarse material bit into her skin, leaving red marks, but she couldn’t free herself. Tears welled up in her eyes, frustration and anger bubbling inside her. The door creaked open, and Pete entered, accompanied by a group of maids. Alva’s heart sank as she watched him approach with an infuriatingly smug expression. He walked over and untied her hands. “Here you go,” he said, gesturing to the maids. “These are the women who will be at your beck and call.” Alva glanced at the group of over twelve maids and rolled her eyes. "As if I need all this fuss," she thought bitterly. “And,” Pete continued, “there are also ten bodyguards assigned to you. They’ll keep an eye on you, so don’t try anything funny. You wouldn’t want to get hurt, would you?” He turned to one of the maids and ordered, “Make sure she eats. She looks too pale—it’s making me lose my
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Alva remained at home, crying harder than she ever had in her entire life. Her Granny had been her entire world—the only person she truly considered family, the only one who had ever shown her unconditional love. Her mother and brother? They couldn’t have cared less about her, and she knew it deep in her soul. While Alva grieved, her best friend Freya was out shopping, spending the money from Jonas’s card. Freya bought everything her heart desired—clothes, furniture, and even a house. Each time Freya spent the money, Jonas received an alert. Every time his phone buzzed, he shook his head, muttering to himself. "I’ll wait and see what she does when the money runs out." Freya purchased a new house for her parents and even bought herself a smaller, beautiful home. Despite her spending spree, Freya made time to check on Alva. She called, visited, and tried to comfort her grieving friend. But Freya never told Alva the truth about the card.
After hiding the card, Freya returned to the room and knocked softly on the door. Alva, who had just finished drying herself and putting on the dress Freya had brought, opened the door. Her eyes were still red and swollen from crying. Freya stepped inside, trying to keep her expression calm. "What happened?" Alva asked, her voice shaky. "Did you return the card?" Freya nodded quickly, forcing a reassuring smile. "Yes, I gave it to the staff at the counter. They said they’ll contact him immediately." "Good," Alva muttered, her fists clenching at her sides. "He can take his dirty money and go to hell." Freya reached out and touched her arm gently. "Come on, let’s get out of here." Just as they turned toward the door, it suddenly burst open, and Diego stormed in, his face twisted with anger. "Well, well, well. Look who we have here," Diego sneered, his eyes narrowing at Alva. "You call me names, act like you’re chaste, and then run straight into another man’s bed. You’re no
Alva reached for Jonas once again, her hands going around his neck as she tried to kiss him. Pushing her hands away, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her toward the bed. "Enough with the act," he said sharply. "I’m not falling for it." When she fell on the bed, Alva rubbed her hands around her body seductively, as she felt the heat course through her body. She could not recognize the man standing in front of her, and at this point, it didn't matter to her. Diego had slipped a potent Aphrodisiac pill into the wine she drank, knowing she would lose control of herself. He had believed she would willingly give herself to him once the drug took effect, but unfortunately for him, he could not go into Jonas' room as he feared that the latter could get upset and destroy him. He had seen Jonas take Alva into his room and shut his door, and at this time, he stood outside Jonas' room, his fists balled as anger and frustration bubbled inside him. Knowing how much wealth and
After drinking from the glass Diego gave her, Alva felt her stomach twist, but she tried to ignore it. She turned to leave, eager to get away from him. But Diego’s voice stopped her. "Hold on. Aren’t you going to stay and listen to me make the call? Sit down and wait. I promised I’d call your mom." Alva shook her head. "It’s okay. I trust you’ll do it." Diego’s eyes darkened. "If you walk out of that door, I’ll change my mind." Her heart sank. She had no choice. With a reluctant nod, she returned to the chair, her hands gripping the edge of the table. Diego, meanwhile, took his sweet time operating his phone, smirking every now and then as if enjoying her discomfort. "Um, anytime now," Alva muttered impatiently. "I need to get back to my Granny at the hospital." Diego pretended to act surprised. "Oh, right, my bad. Let me call your mom now." He dialed the number and put the phone on speaker, glancing at Alva as her head dipped slightly. She blinked hard, feeling dizzier
"Alright, fine! Just leave her here for now. The day isn’t over yet. I’ll get the money before the day ends, I promise!" Alva pleaded, her voice trembling with desperation. The nurse shook her head firmly. "I’m sorry, but we can’t keep her here. We have to move her to the public ward. The bill from last night hasn’t been paid, and today’s charges were due this morning. Once you pay everything and show us the receipt, we’ll bring her back to the private ward." Alva’s heart sank. "How much could it possibly be? Isn’t it just a few dollars?" The nurse gave a bitter laugh. "A few dollars? No, your grandmother owes almost a hundred thousand dollars." Alva froze, her voice rising in disbelief. "That’s impossible! That’s a lie!" The nurse’s expression remained calm, almost pitying. "You can check with the accounts department if you don’t believe me." "But how did the bill get so high? How can it cost that much?" The nurse sighed. "Her surgery was never paid for. Your mom, or wh
EARLIER IN THE DAY After saying goodbye to her friend Freya, Alva returned home. As she walked through the door, she immediately noticed her mom waiting in the living room. Her brother, Spear, was nowhere in sight, but there was someone else sitting on the worn-out couch—a man whose presence made her stomach churn. Alva froze for a moment. She recognized him. His name was Diego, a notorious figure in the city. He was involved in shady businesses and also managed several bars. Just seeing him in her house sent a wave of unease through her. “Mom, what’s going on?” Alva asked cautiously, walking to her mother’s side. Her mom smiled, her expression unsettlingly warm. “Sit down, my dear.” Alva hesitated. That smile wasn’t normal—it was too forced, too sweet. She knew her mom didn’t really like her. Ever since Alva could remember, she had been treated like an outsider. Being adopted only made things worse. The only people who had ever truly loved her were her father and grandmothe