Elena Moore stared at the hospital bill, her fingers tightening around the paper.
The amount was impossible.
Her mother lay unconscious behind a glass wall, machines breathing for her, time slipping away with every second Elena wasted standing there.
She had only one option left.
The elevator ride to the top floor of Hale Group felt endless. Each floor that passed reminded her how far she was stepping into a world she didn't belong in.
When the doors opened, silence greeted her.
Luxury. Power. Control.
She knocked once on the black door.
"Enter."
The voice was calm. Cold.
Elena stepped inside.
Victor Hale stood by the window, tall and unmoving, his presence alone enough to make her chest tighten. He didn't turn to look at her immediately.
"You're late," he said.
"I'm sorry—"
"I don't need apologies." He faced her then, sharp eyes scanning her like she was already his. "Sit."
She obeyed.
Victor placed a folder on the desk between them.
"You came because you need money," he said. "I'm offering you a solution."
Elena swallowed. "And the price?"
His lips curved slightly. Not kindness—control.
"Six months," Victor replied. "You live with me. You play the role I assign you. You follow my rules."
Her heart pounded. "After six months?"
"You leave." His gaze darkened. "No questions. No attachments."
She opened the folder.
A contract. Detailed. Suffocating.
"You'll stay by my side," Victor continued. "Public appearances. Private arrangements. No other men."
Her voice trembled. "And what do you get out of this?"
He leaned closer, his presence overwhelming.
"Power," he said quietly. "And the satisfaction of knowing you chose this."
Tears burned her eyes as she thought of her mother.
Elena picked up the pen.
She signed.
Victor closed the folder, a slow smile forming.
"Good," he said. "From tonight onward, you belong here."
Elena stood on unsteady legs, her heart racing—not just with fear, but with something far more dangerous.
Desire.