Gunshots. Loud. Sharp. Closer than they should be.

My heart slammed against my ribs as I turned from the restroom entrance, my breath hitching when I saw a small figure wandering outside. A little girl, her dark curls bouncing as she looked around, her big eyes wide with fear.

I didn’t think—I just moved.

“Come here, quick!” I whispered urgently, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into my arms. She whimpered but didn’t fight me. She was trembling.

I pressed my lips on her forehead. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She clung to me, her tiny fingers curling into the fabric of my blouse. My chest ached. My daughter would have been her age now. If only—

A loud crash snapped me back. I crouched lower, scanning the restaurant’s main area. People were on the ground, some crying, some frozen in terror. And then, I saw him.

A man with a gun. His eyes locked on us. “Stop!” His voice was sharp, cutting through the air like a knife.

I swallowed hard and shifted the girl behind me.

“Please,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “She’s just a child.”

His hand tightened around the gun. “I said—” Bang!

Pain exploded in my arm. White-hot, burning. My knees buckled, but I forced myself to stay up. The little girl screamed, her hands clutching at me as I pulled her with me.

We needed to hide. Now. My vision blurred as I stumbled toward the janitor’s closet, kicking the door open and pulling us inside. The second I shut it, I pressed my forehead against the wood, panting. The little girl sobbed against my chest.

“Shh, sweetheart. We’re okay,” I whispered, even as my own body trembled.

But we weren’t okay. I was bleeding. The bullet had gone clean through my arm, and my dress was soaked. I clenched my teeth against the dizziness creeping in.

I came here to meet an investor. That was all. I was supposed to sit down, smile, and help Carter and my father secure a deal. Instead, I was trapped in a janitor’s closet, shot, and praying I wouldn’t die.

But was it worth it? The child whimpered again. I tightened my arms around her.

“Someone will save us,” I murmured, more for myself than her. “I promise.”

Then—more gunshots. Right outside the door.

I tensed, pressing my hand over the little girl’s mouth to keep her quiet. My breath came out ragged. I couldn’t pass out. Not yet. Not until she was safe. Until I knew that she would be in the arms of someone she knew. I barely registered the voice calling a name.

Then, suddenly, the little girl wriggled free. Her hands touched my cheeks, her voice high with relief.

“Aunty! We’re safe!” I wanted to ask how. Who was here? But the world tilted, and then—darkness.

---

Five Years Ago

I held my stomach, my fingers smoothing over the curve of my belly.

“She’ll be beautiful,” I whispered, my heart swelling with love.

I didn’t know who the father was. I just woke up in a bed and in the hotel where Carter told me to go. My body aching and my private part hurting. I knew what happened but I I dismissed it instead. It didn’t matter. I had made my choice.

Even when the whispers followed me. Even when people stared.

I had endured it all because Carter had asked me to.

“Serena, I’m sorry. I needed help and it gave me an opportunity, forgive me, please.,” he had said, his voice sounded very guilty, his eyes desperate. “Also, please don’t tell your sister about it, Okay? You’ll do that for me, don’t you?”

I nodded. Because I loved him. I know I sounded stupid for just accepting it, but a woman in love can do stupid decisions. Even when I shouldn’t. But then, everything shattered.

I had been shopping for baby clothes, running my fingers over the softest onesies, imagining my little girl wearing them. Then, a hard shove. My feet left the ground.

For a split second, I saw her. Salvina. She smiled as if she’d won over something. Then, pain. Darkness.

When I woke up, my hands flew to my belly. Flat. Empty. The nurse’s voice was gentle, but her words were knives.

“You had a premature birth. The baby… she didn’t make it.”

No. I shook my head, my vision blurring. “No, she’s not— She’s not gone.”

But she was.

---

My eyelids fluttered open, heavy as if weighed down by stones. My body ached, a dull throb in my arm, but it was nothing compared to the crushing pain in my chest.

“You’re awake.”The voice was low. Cold.

I turned my head, my breath catching when I saw him.

Aaron Alabaster.

The most powerful man in the city. And he was watching me with eyes like steel.

My eyes fluttered open to the blinding white of a hospital room. A dull, throbbing pain pulsed in my arm, and for a moment, I could barely remember why I was here.

Then, a deep voice pulled me back to reality. “You’re awake.”

My breath hitched as I turned my head.

Aaron Alabaster.

The powerful, untouchable billionaire. I had seen his face in newspapers, on TV, but never like this. Never sitting just a few feet away from me, watching me with dark, unreadable eyes.

I swallowed hard, pushing past the haze in my mind. “What… What are you doing here? Where am I?”

Aaron leaned forward, his gaze sharp, as if he were studying me—assessing whether I was a threat.

“You’re in the hospital.” His voice was calm, controlled. “What’s the last thing you remember? Do you remember what happened last night?”

I tried to think. The restaurant. The restroom. Then—My breath caught.

“The girl!” I shot up, pain searing through my arm. My heart pounded. “Where is she? The little girl I was with—”

Aaron’s expression didn’t change. “Do you know the child?”

I shook my head. “No. I just— I saw her outside the restroom. She was alone, scared. So, I pulled her to safety. That poor girl experienced something bad outside, I’m so confused as to why she’s alone.”

There was a pause. Then, his next words made me freeze.

“Do you regret saving her?”

I stared at him. “What?”

“You almost got killed protecting her,” he said, his tone even. “Was it worth it?”

I clenched my jaw, my pulse racing. Was he seriously asking me that? Did he expect me to say yes, that I regretted saving an innocent child?

My hands curled into fists. “Every child’s life is precious. Even that little girl.” My voice was sharp. “How dare you ask me that?”

Aaron’s jaw tightened.

The man standing beside him, a bodyguard or a secretary, maybe, cleared his throat. “That’s not what he meant,” he said. “The boss wants to know why you didn’t abandon the child to save yourself.”

I let out a slow breath, my body tense. “I’m not the kind of person who would do that. To save myself while I let the child alone in that situation, do not sit with me.” I said simply.

Aaron watched me for a long moment, then nodded, as if he had confirmed something for himself.

“I see,” he said. “In that case, I owe you.”

I blinked. “You owe me?W-what do you mean about that?”

Aaron leaned back slightly. “I owe for saving my daughter.”

I froze. Was the girl… his daughter?

My lips parted, but no words came out.

Aaron’s gaze darkened. “You didn’t know, did you?”

Slowly, I shook my head. A billionaire’s daughter. The child I had nearly died protecting… belonged to him. I did hear that Aaron Alabaster has a daughter but of course, I thought that might be some rumors just to make Aaron’s image go down. But still, his company makes the most profit and is powerful.

I turned my head, staring out the window where the sun hung high in the sky. Everything felt surreal. Just last night, I was fighting for her life, now it’s a new day as if what happened last night didn’t happen. Then my eyes widened. Carter and father are waiting for me.

I exhaled, forcing my voice to stay steady. “I need to go now.” I removed the blanket and sat on the edge of the bed.

The man beside Aaron frowned and Aaron just frowned. “You still need rest. You took a bullet and lost a lot of blood.”

I gave him a small smile. “Someone’s waiting for me at home and probably needs me.” of course to confirm if things go well. Typical and always the same thing that happened. There is nothing new. But sometimes, I wish that… They will care for me even just for a little bit.

Neither of them stopped me as I stood, ignoring the dull ache in my body and left the room. Then eventually left the hospital. Somewhere inside the hospital, Aaron Alabaster’s daughter was safe.

A Few Moments Later, tiny footsteps echoed in the hospital corridor. The little girl’s eyes lit up as she rushed into the room. But when she didn’t see me, her smiling face and the light in her eyes immediately left as. The prior excitement left her body as soon as she didn’t see me.

“Where’s the pretty Aunty?” she asked, her voice full of excitement.

The man beside Aaron glanced at his boss, then looked down at the girl.

“She left.”

Her small face fell.

“Oh…” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Aaron watched his daughter quietly, something unreadable in his expression.

---

When I got home , the moment I stepped through the door, Carter was there. His sharp gaze flicked over me, taking in my pale face, the bandages wrapped around my arm.

His brows furrowed. “What happened to you?”

I barely had the energy to answer that.

But before I could, he asked, “Did you seal the deal with the investor?”

I stared at him. A part of me wanted to laugh. Another part of me broke. I had almost died. And the first thing he asked about… was the deal?

I swallowed the lump in my throat. And then, I answered. “No.”

His eyes glared at me and slapped my face. Oh damn, it started again.

A sharp sting spread across my cheek as my head snapped to the side. I sucked in a breath, my palm pressing against my burning skin. Carter had hit me before, but it never stopped feeling like a slap to my soul.

“Useless,” he spat.

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to meet his cold gaze. My voice was steady, but my insides shook.

“I almost died last night.” I lifted my chin. “Did you even know that? The restaurant I was supposed to meet the investor at was attacked. Gang members, gunmen—I don’t even know who they were. But people died, Carter.”

He rolled his eyes. “And yet, here you are. Not dead. So does it even matter?”

I stiffened. My nails dug into my palms as something inside me cracked. My life. It meant nothing to him.

I ran a hand through my hair, frustration clawing at my chest. “This was the last time. I’m not doing it again. No more meetings. No more investors.” My voice wavered, but I forced the words out. “It’s like you and Father are selling me to them. Some have even tried taking me to bed.”

Carter’s face remained unreadable.

I swallowed hard and continued, “But I’ve been so lucky that no one has ever succeeded. Thank God.” My lips twisted. “Yet, you and Father still blame me when things don’t go your way.”

Carter’s gaze darkened. “Why are you being so stubborn?” His tone was sharp, irritated. “Why can’t you just help the family?”

My blood boiled. “I have helped!” I snapped. “Over and over! But last night—Carter, I almost lost my life, Carter! My life!”

He scoffed, crossing his arms. “But you didn’t. So what’s the big deal?”

My hands trembled. “It is a big deal!” My voice cracked. “It’s my life we’re talking about!”

For a brief moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something in his eyes. But then he snorted.

“You’re being dramatic.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Why did I ever fall in love with this man and do whatever he wanted me to do? It was their doing that I got pregnant with someone I didn’t know. I woke up, body battered and aching but they just told me that they were sorry and didn’t mean it to happen? I’m so stupid I just forgive them for doing that to me. As if they didn’t even care.

Of course. No one ever cared how I felt.

Before I could respond, Salvina entered the room, holding her six-year-old son, Noah. Her eyes flicked between Carter and me. “What’s going on?”

Carter scoffed. “Talk to your sister. She’s throwing a tantrum, again” He walked out, leaving me standing there, my heart pounding with anger and pain.

Salvina sighed like I was an inconvenience, then stepped closer, placing Noah in my arms.

I blinked. “Why are you giving him to me?”

“Noah was asking for his nanny,” she said with a smirk.

I pressed my lips together. “I’m not a nanny, Salvina. Not his nanny, I’m his aunt.”

She laughed, a cruel edge to her voice. “At least you’re useful for something.”

Noah tugged at my sleeve, his small face scrunching in a pout. “Stop bullying my mommy!” His tiny hand slapped my wounded arm.

Pain shot through me. I hissed, gently setting him down.

“I wasn’t bullying her, Noah,” I explained it to him gently but he wasn’t listening.

At that moment, our mother, Rowena, entered the room. The warmth in her eyes was reserved only for Noah and Salvina.

“Noah! Come here, sweetheart,” she cooed. Noah ran into her arms.

“Grandma, Serena was bullying Mommy.”

Rowena’s eyes snapped to me, cold and filled with disgust. She walked towards me and then—another slap.

My head turned with the force of it. My breath hitched. Both of my cheeks stung now, my skin burning from the impact. But also a part of me collapsed into tiny pieces.

“How dare you hurt my daughter?” she hissed.

I stared at her, my heart shattering into pieces.

“I—” My voice was weak. Wasn’t I her daughter too?

Rowena’s lips curled in disdain. “If you keep being jealous and cruel to your Salvina, you should just leave this place! This house!”

Her next words drove a dagger into my chest.

“You’re the most useless and disgusting child I ever bore.”

I staggered back, feeling like the floor had disappeared beneath me. She turned away, facing Salvina and Noah with warmth and love, the kind I never received.

And then I saw it. Salvina’s smirk. She knew. She had always known. And she reveled in it. I had no place here. I turned on my heel, my vision blurring. I needed to leave. Forever.

Then, my phone rang. I wiped my tears, clearing my throat before answering.

“Serena,” my father’s voice came through, sharp and impatient.

I swallowed. “Yes?”

“Go to Aaron Alabaster’s company. Now.”

I froze. To Aaron Alabaster’s company?

The billionaire. The man whose daughter I had saved.

What did he want with me?