Chapter 2

Rora POV.

It felt like I am seeing wrong earlier, so I put my my eyes down and lifted it slowly again. Very slowly.

Because I was afraid.

The shoes in front of me were polished black. Clean. Expensive. The kind of shoes that never stepped into dust unless they owned the road itself. My heart skipped painfully when my gaze traveled upward. long legs, tailored trousers, a straight posture that felt like pressure in the air.

Then Liam spoke.

“U. Uncle Ethan.”

That was when my world stopped.

Uncle? Could this true or I'm the one hearing the wrong thing?

My breath caught in my throat. The word echoed in my head like a gunshot.

Uncle… Ethan?

I looked properly this time.

His face was calm. Too calm. Sharp features carved like they were never meant to smile easily. He looked young. far younger than Liam and one could think Liam was his elder brother not knowing he was Liam’s uncle. His eyes were dark, cold, and deep, like still water that hid danger underneath.

This was the man.

The man I had stumbled into. The man I thought I had silenced with a little money. The man whose touch I had tried to forget the moment I ran away. But I could still remember everything bang vividly.

My knees dug into the hard floor, but the pain didn’t compare to the shock tearing through my chest.

So this was Ethan Walker.

The richest of them all.

Liam’s posture was completely different now. The same man who had forced me to kneel was suddenly stiff, cautious. His shoulders were tense. His voice lacked confidence.

Fear sat clearly on his face.

I swallowed.

What have I done…?

Liam cleared his throat nervously. “Uncle, I’m sorry you had to see this. This woman was causing trouble in the company.”

Woman.

Not even my name.

“She barged in here making noise,” he continued quickly. “Her family went bankrupt. Owes one billion dollars. She was disturbing the staff, so I decided to teach her a lesson.”

Teach me a lesson.

My fingers curled tightly against the floor.

Malice stepped forward then, her heels clicking softly, her smile sharp and pleased. “Exactly, Uncle Ethan. She has no shame. After her family fell apart, she still thinks she can walk into a company like this and demand a job.”

Her eyes dropped to me, full of mockery. “After all, she spent last night drinking and sleeping with a man.”

The words hit me like a slap.

My head snapped up. “Malice!”

How did she know?

My blood ran cold.

I saw it then. The certainty in her eyes. The satisfaction. The cruelty.

She knew because she planned it

She drugged me.

My chest tightened painfully. “You knew…” I whispered, my voice shaking. “You knew what you did to me.”

Ethan Walker let out a low chuckle.

It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t amused. It was calm and terrifying. I knew he is going to punish me and looking down at him with my cash notes from last night.

The entire lobby froze.

He looked at Malice, his eyes unreadable. “Interesting,” he said slowly. “How do you know what she did last night?”

Malice didn’t hesitate. “Because I saw her,” she replied smoothly. “I caught her sneaking away from the engagement party late at night. Running like she had done something shameful.”

Lies.

My whole body trembled. “That’s not true!” I cried. “I was drugged. I didn’t know what I was doing. I...”

"Shut up Rora, how can you be druggedon your engagement night?" Liam interrupt with a disgusting gaze. "Uncle, this is that shameless woman that wanted to get engaged to me, imagine her sleeping with another man! So disgusting"

"That's not true" I wanted to explain but Liam shut me up again.

He yell. "Shut your mouth, you..."

“Enough.” Ethan’s voice came out. Just One word.

That was all Ethan said.

But my voice died instantly.

He turned his gaze to me then. Fully. Properly.

I felt naked under it.

He reached out and grabbed my arm.

I flinched.

Not because it hurt, but because my body remembered him before my mind could stop it.

Without effort, he pulled me up from the floor.

I stood there, shaky, embarrassed, humiliated beyond words. I couldn’t meet his eyes. I couldn’t even breathe properly.

“What position were you applying for?” he asked calmly.

His tone was professional. Cold. Like nothing had happened between us.

My lips parted. My voice came out small. “A..An administrative position… Sir. That would be okay with my qualification.”

Malice burst into laughter. “An administrative job?” she mocked. “Please. Who would employ a bankrupt daughter like her? She should be grateful we even let her kneel.”

Ethan’s eyes flicked briefly toward her.

Just briefly.

That was enough.

“What if I said I will, what are you going to do about it? Will you stop me?” he said.

The room went silent.

Malice froze. Liam’s eyes widened.

“I will employ her,” Ethan repeated. “Starting today. She will be my secretary.”

My head snapped up.

What?

Secretary?

Liam panicked. “Uncle, that’s not necessary..”

“Security,” Ethan said calmly.

Two guards appeared instantly.

“Escort them out,” he ordered. “And make sure they don’t step into this company again without my permission.”

Malice screamed. “You can’t do this! She’s a liar! She’s a disgrace!”

Liam tried to protest. “Uncle, she’s using her pity look to deceive you! She is evil..”

Ethan didn’t look at them again.

He reached for my hand.

His palm was warm. Steady.

The chaos behind us faded as he led me away.

I didn’t know how my legs carried me. I didn’t know how I followed him. All I knew was that every step felt unreal.

Inside his office, the door closed quietly.

Silence.

I stood there, clutching my bag, my heart racing wildly.

“I’m sorry,” I blurted out, bowing quickly. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I swear I didn’t plan any of this.”

My face burned.

The memory of me leaving money on that table replayed in my mind.

I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.

I couldn’t lift my head.

I expected anger. Questions. Cold accusations.

Instead, he handed me a file.

“Go through this,” he said. “There’s a meeting coming up in two weeks time. You will give your report. I will be needing your work, starting that day”

That was all.

No mention of last night. No judgment. No emotion.

Just work.

My heart swelled so suddenly I almost cried.

“Yes, Sir,” I said quickly, bowing again. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

I left the office with light steps.

For the first time since my world collapsed, I felt hope.

Real hope.

And with that hope burning in my chest, I headed straight to the prison.

To see my father. Finally, I can pay off our debt slowly and get him out of prison.