Chapter 1

Cynthia's POV

I need eighty thousand dollars.

The number made it impossible for me to swallow. It was the price of my heart, my soul.

"On your knees. Beg for it."

Suddenly the voice brought me out of my thoughts.

My head snapped up from the file the moment that sharp, authoritative male voice cut through the café and reached my cabin. It sounded familiar.

Too painfully familiar.

I immediately left my seat and ran out to find the staff huddled in a circle while the customers were watching everything in shock and surprise, whispering among themselves. I was relieved to see profits finally showing up, only for it to be short-lived.

“You don’t know who you’ve messed with,” he snarled. “I’ll ruin you beyond recognition. Now call your boss.”

My ears turned red and hot as I heard that voice after years. My heart started pounding in my chest, praying he is not the one I am thinking of.

But my fate laughed at me when the staff stepped aside and revealed the man who had made my heart beat earlier too, but in a different way.

Lucien Vaughn, dressing in all black – shirt, pants, shoes, coat, tie, every single thing. Fury was radiating off his frame like a storm.

His sharp green eyes moved down my body, freezing me for a second. And then a small smirk broke on his lips. It was so small no one else could see it, but I did. I had seen it from close.

Very close.

But after all these years, what is he doing here? And why is he here?

"So she is your boss?" He smirked, pocketing one hand. "What can I expect from the staff if the owner is like this?"

My eyes narrowed at him. I was about to give it back when Lily came to me.

"Mam, I swear it was not my fault." She was trembling as she explained everything. "His man intentionally touched my hand, which made me slip the coffee and ruin his pants. I didn’t mean it. It was purely a mistake."

"A mistake?" Lucien’s voice was lethal. "You call sabotaging a million-dollar negotiation a 'mistake'?"

Lily swallowed and scrunched into me more. His eyes were bloodshot red, his fists tightly clenched at his sides as he suppressed himself from lashing out. She was just an eighteen-year-old girl working hard to pay her college fees and her mother’s medical bills.

"Sir," I cleared my throat, bringing his attention back to me, "we are sorry for what happened..."

"You should be sorry!" He spat through his clenched teeth, "But not on her behalf."

I could see a burning inferno in his eyes, ready to turn me into ashes. For a moment, I was taken aback, but then I straightened my back and squared my shoulders to meet him head-on.

"I don't forgive easily now."

The entire café sucked in a breath. My confidence wavered for a second as I let out a shaky breath. Lily held onto me tightly as if her life depended on me.

His head snapped to Lily, who flinched back.

"Go on your knees and beg forgiveness if you don't want to..."

"Enough!" My voice cut through the surroundings, taking everyone by surprise, including Lucien.

His ego is wounded.

“She won’t do a damn thing,” I said, stepping in front of Lily. “She isn’t at fault. Now you may leave.”

Gasps.

I heard gasps of surprise not only from the staff but from the customers too. Everyone knows who he is but no one knows him better than me.

He may hold power and money, but he cannot humiliate a girl like this just because she is an ordinary person. Just to save myself from this mess, I cannot let anyone else suffer in his hands.

This is not, Cynthia Vale.

He inhaled a sharp breath as he looked around at the audience. His face twisted with rage. Goosebumps rose all over my skin when he took a step toward me.

"You know with whom you are messing?" he asked.

"A person who cannot take 'no' for an answer"

'Because of your fragile ego.'

I wanted to say the last line aloud, but decided to keep it to myself for now. I folded my arms to my chest and looked straight into his eyes with equal intensity.

His eyes moved down at me for a second before coming back to my face. He feeds on the helplessness of others and I don't want him to show any.

His jaw was tightly clenched as he rotated his neck anticlockwise, indicating he was two seconds away from snapping. It is something he used to do to suppress his anger. He felt humiliated. My heart skipped a beat.

"It was my fault to let you go in the past," he mumbled under his breath for only me to hear. "But this time you will pay," he spat

With that, he turned on his heels and walked out, leaving his warning and deep silence hanging in the air.

"Thank you so much, ma'am, and I am sorry," Lily mumbled.

I just nodded.

“Everyone, back to work.”

I clapped thrice, and all of them left for their work. My eyes widened when my gaze flicked to the clock.

Damn.

I am late. It's already 15 minutes past the time.

I quickly picked up my keys, raced to the car, slid inside, and drove at high speed. I didn’t have any other thoughts in my head except reaching the school as soon as possible.

My eyes searched only for her when I reached there. My feet carried me to the spot where I picked her up every day.

My heartbeat shot up when I couldn’t find her there.

Where is she?

"Aurora," I called for her, looking around. "Aurora!"

This time louder.

"David!" I ran to her friend, who was eating ice cream with his father. "Do you know where Aurora is?"

"She said bye and left for home," he mumbled in broken words.

Home?

"Who took her?" I asked him.

But the little boy was too busy with his ice cream while my heart was ready to burst out of my chest.

"Please, David. Tell me who took Aurora."

"A man," he licked his ice cream, "He was wearing black."

Black?

Suddenly, it felt like all the energy had left my body. My palm pressed against my forehead as I felt slightly dizzy. I blinked multiple times and tried to breathe.

I don't have words to describe what Aurora is for me. I would die if something...

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder, followed by a deep, masculine voice.

"Are you looking for her?"