Two years after her husband's demise, Jade's mother found a new boyfriend. She insisted they moved into the man's mansion and although Jade was not too cool with that, she reluctantly followed her mother, as she had swore to do whatever that would make her happy, since it happened that everybody including Jade's mother blamed Jade for her father's death. 
Jade had thought she would just live in the mansion lowkey, and kept to herself till her mother got tired of the man or she finished school and be allowed to move out. But something else awaits Jade at the mansion. The son of her mother's boyfriend, Andrew, was the popular, handsome guy in college that she had been crushing on, since her first year. Jade had a serious, quick decision to make. 
It was to end her almost lifelong crush for the son and keep her promise to her suicidal mother. But that won't be easy for her, as on the night of Andrew's twentieth birthday, he grabbed her roughly yet sweetly, and whispered into her ear that she was his mate.

I stared at my mother in disbelief, my head was throbbing terribly from trying to process her words. 


"What do you mean we're already sinking with him?" I asked. 


My mom's eyes hardened, a look I had never seen before, crossing her face. 


"We've already started, Jade. There's no going back now. We have to finish what we've begun." She maintained, firmly. 


My heart pounded in my chest, fear and confusion biting at my insides 


"Started what? I didn't start anything with you. You know, I definitely didn't start anything with you." I protested wildly. 


However, my mom shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. 


" You have become part of the scheme so far you have known about it. You have 48 hours to think about it, Jade. To decide if you're with us or against us. Choose wisely. Or else, I won't be able to protect you from Marcus." With that statement, she turned and walked out of the garage, leaving me alone in the oppressive silence. 


Chapter 38 - Ticking clock