Chapter 1

Elena's POV

I had the worst imaginable 21st birthday.

It's the day I finally became old enough to drink, and I should have been celebrating with my boyfriend, maybe even losing my virginity to him.

But instead, I witnessed a murder in a bar and was sold off by my own father to the man who pulled the trigger.

~Flashback. 24 hours ago.~

My secret boyfriend, Jake, told me he'd borrow his uncle's villa to throw me a birthday party. He said he planned to finally introduce me to his friends tonight as his official girlfriend.

I was over the moon when I heard that.

Jake was the hottest star at college and the nephew of Noah Marlowe, the richest man in the state. Plus, rumor had it that he would someday inherit his uncle's multibillion-dollar fortune.

So, of course, every man wants to be like him, and every woman wants to be with him,

That's why I never understood why someone like him, born into wealth and privilege, would be interested in someone like me.

He's on the top of the food chain, while I... I'm just a server at a coffee shop.

I used to study jewelry design at the same university as Jake, but I had to drop out when my father went bankrupt from gambling and drugs. Meanwhile, my mom got sick from the stress, and I had to take several part-time jobs to cover her medical bills.

Between shifts, I barely had time to date. But Jake never seemed to mind. He'd even suggest we study together in the library's private rooms.

I helped him revise his designs, sometimes sketching my own just for fun.

Maybe those weren't real dates, but those quiet moments were the closest thing I had to peace. A taste of the life I'd dreamed of when I first started college.

Being with Jake, his kisses, his warmth, felt like the only light in my otherwise grey, exhausting world.

After work, I went home and changed into the only floral dress I owned. I hummed to myself as I drove my fifteen-year-old pickup truck.

At 7 PM, I reached the Marlowe Hills, the state's most exclusive neighborhood.

I stepped into the silver heels I'd spent an hour picking out at a charity store and texted Jake:

Elena: Hey, sweet boy. I'm at the gate.

Elena: This villa's huge. Can I drive in?

Jake: Hey, babe, my uncle doesn't allow outside cars inside.

Jake: Walk to the main house. Ten feet right of the black trash bin, come in through the back kitchen door.

Jake had once bragged about how scary his insanely rich uncle was. I figured all billionaires had their quirks.

I got out of the truck and walked into the absurdly massive estate.

Under the full moonlight, I teetered in unfamiliar heels down a stone path, past a garden twice the size of my apartment. By the time I reached the main house, my heels were already cutting into my skin.

I found the black trash bin Jake mentioned and pushed open the kitchen door, my heart fluttering with anticipation.

The moment I stepped inside, a bucket fell and crashed at my feet.

Dirty water splashed up, soaking my golden brown hair, pale face, and light blue floral dress in disgusting brown sludge.

Laughter exploded around me from both sides of the door.

But I heard Jake's laugh first.

Wiping the smelly water off my face, I looked up, shocked, to see him doubled over with laughter in the middle of a crowd.

Jake raised his head. His chocolate-brown eyes gleamed with mockery.

He had his arm around some blonde girl who was recording me on her phone.

I recognised her instantly - Caroline, the head cheerleader and my former best friend. She wasted no time turning her back on me once she found out I'd dropped out to take care of my sick mother a year ago.

With a sickly sweet voice, she pointed at me and said, "Told you, Jake. I said that coffee-serving loser would totally fall for it. She'd always been a nerd at school. Pretty good pre-party entertainment, huh?"

"What is this? Jake? Caroline?" I stood frozen, the sound of the bucket clanging on the tile still echoing in the air.

My hands clenched at my sides as I locked eyes with them, my blood pounding.

Jake scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. "What, were you really expecting me to introduce you as my girlfriend? You're so naive. I only kept you around to help me finish my designs and graduate."

Caroline stepped closer, slinging an arm over Jake's shoulder and kissing his cheek. She grinned at me like I was dirt.

"She actually thought you liked her? This boring little virgin?"

Jake turned to kiss Caroline back and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"You're my real love, baby. She doesn't even know how to kiss."

Caroline licked her lips and threw me a smug glance. "Not like my tongue, right?"

Jake made a gagging face. "Ugh, don't even compare. She wouldn't even go down on me in the library."

Their words sliced through me like knives.

My heart felt like it was bleeding. My stomach twisted. But I refused to break down, not here, not in front of them.

Jake's friends circled around me.

One of them sneered, "That cheep dress makes you look like a hooker."

Another laughed. "How much do you charge for a night?"

Jake grinned. "A cup of coffee was all it took. I bought her one and boom, date secured."

"How's her kissing?" one guy asked.

"Absolutely awful. I bet she must be the worst virgin ever!" Jake snorted.

Rage surged through me. I stormed into the kitchen, grabbed a pizza box from the counter, snatched a soda can, and hurled them straight at Jake and Caroline.

Pizza and soda flew everywhere. I went berserk, throwing whatever I could get my hands on.

Screams erupted. The kitchen turned into chaos.

The same people who laughed at me were now ducking, trying to dodge flying food.

Caroline's new dress was soaked in soda. Cheese from the pizza clung to her golden curls.

She screeched, clutching her hair. "Jake! Look what this psycho did! You just bought me this dress!"

Jake shouted, "Elena, stop! This is my uncle's house! He's coming back any minute. Are you insane?!"

Insane? Yeah, I was. And I wasn't done.

I spotted a fancy-looking bottle of wine at the back of the counter.

I grabbed it and smashed it at Caroline's feet.

The scent of expensive alcohol mixed with dried rose petals filled the room.

Jake's face turned ghostly pale as he saw the shattered glass.

"You just destroyed a bottle of Romanée Conti! Do you even know what that costs? That was Uncle's favorite! It's worth $150,000!"

He began pacing as if the world were ending. "I'm dead. He's going to kill me. Literally kill me!"

My rage finally began to cool.

If I were lucky, maybe his uncle would shoot him.

Clenching my fists, I shouted, "Jake Marlowe, you're a f***ing piece of trash!"

Then, I grabbed the bucket from the floor and hurled it at him before storming out, soaked, humiliated, but still standing.

Behind me, Jake and Caroline's screams echoed.

I didn't look back.

I yanked off my heels and walked barefoot back to my pickup.

There was only one thing I could think of to kill the fire in my chest,

Alcohol.

Fueled by fury, I drove through the neighborhood until I found the only bar nearby, Grave Pub.

The name wasn't exactly comforting.

It stood alone on the side of the road. The parking lot was empty and looked more like a haunted house than a bar.

But I didn't care. I just needed something strong enough to make me forget Jake and everything he'd done.

Even if the bar was haunted or built on a graveyard, I was going in.

Inside, the place was empty.

The stench was nauseating, a mix of cigarettes, alcohol, chemicals, and something that smelled like blood.

I probably just walked into a busted drug den.

Didn't matter. I just needed a drink.

I stumbled behind the counter, grabbed the first bottle I saw, and chugged.

The liquor scorched my throat and numbed my pain.

Then I heard it.

Two gunshots outside the bar.

Was that real?

Or had the booze already messed with my brain?

Maybe the cops were chasing some criminal nearby.

If so, could they do me a favor and arrest a man named Jake Marlowe?

Still holding the vodka bottle, I got up and staggered through the kitchen toward the back door.

I pushed it open and stepped outside, but my steps halted at what I saw.