Elena's POV
"Tell me you're kidding," I said with a dry laugh, but Minnie's grim face told me she wasn't.
I blinked hard, then pulled the door open wider.
Minnie walked in, making her way slowly to the couch.
I checked the hallway to confirm she'd come alone before locking up.
"When did this... begin?" I asked quietly.
"I can't say exactly," Minnie confessed, her voice barely audible. "But it's been going on for some time."
I nodded, searching for my next question while dodging the obvious one.
"How did it happen?"
Minnie drummed her fingers against her leg. "I got involved with Sebastian Underwood—"
"Who's he?" I cut her off.
"They call him the Underlord. He controls everything... the money." Her cheeks flushed as she explained. "My father owed him, and then... I inherited that debt."
I sank onto the couch, my gut twisting into knots.
A family curse. I knew how much Minnie despised handling her father's debt—how had she ended up with her own?
