The cold night air nipped at Amara’s skin as she stood amidst the wreckage of her belongings. The world around her had collapsed yet again, and the sharp sting of betrayal and despair weighed heavy on her chest. Her fingers trembled as she tried to gather some of her clothes from the ground, but her limbs felt weak, drained from the battle she had just fought.“Amara?”A voice. A familiar voice.She turned sharply, her tear-stained face catching the dim glow of the streetlight. A woman stood a few steps away, concern etched on her delicate features. Leah.“Leah?” Amara’s voice cracked, raw from unshed sobs.Leah rushed toward her, her eyes darting from the scattered belongings to Amara’s shaken frame. “What happened?”A sob escaped Amara’s lips, and she shook her head. “They threw me out… I have nowhere to go.”Leah’s face tightened with anger as she turned to the landlord. “How could you do this to her?”“She hasn’t paid rent. It’s as simple as that,” the landlord said coldly, crossi
Amara’s steps were hesitant as she followed Edith through the dimly lit hallways of Rafael’s mansion. The woman’s heels clicked softly against the marble floor, the only sound accompanying them. Amara hugged herself, feeling the weight of exhaustion settling into her bones. Everything about this place reeked of power, of control—of him.Edith led her to a large wooden door and pushed it open without a word. Inside was a room that was too grand to be a guest room, yet too impersonal to belong to anyone.“This will be yours for the time being,” Edith said, stepping aside.Amara hesitated before walking inside. The room was decorated in rich, dark tones, with a four-poster bed dominating the space. Heavy curtains covered the windows, allowing only a sliver of moonlight to creep in. A wardrobe stood on the far side, its doors slightly ajar, revealing an array of clothes far too luxurious for her liking.Edith moved to the bed and placed a neatly folded outfit on top. “Change into this. I’
Amara’s fingers trembled as she held the papers, her eyes scanning the words that blurred together in her shock. Her breath hitched as she tried to focus, tried to comprehend the weight of what lay before her.Case of Mr. and Mrs. Lenz– to be closed permanently.Her heart stopped.The paper slipped from her grasp, fluttering to the polished floor like a fallen leaf. A deafening silence followed, one where she could hear nothing but the furious pounding of her own pulse.She could not breathe.Her parents’ case—her life’s purpose, her reason for clawing her way through hell—he wanted it erased. Wiped away with a single stroke of a pen, as if it had never existed.Slowly, she lifted her gaze to Rafael, her body trembling from something far more potent than the cold she had endured outside.“You… you want me to close the case?” Her voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper, but the fury behind it burned like fire.Rafael leaned back into his chair, his expression unreadable, though there
The rain did not cease. It poured relentlessly, drowning the streets in its merciless embrace. The city, unbothered, continued its routine, the lives within it untouched by the girl standing alone in the storm.Amara had been waiting for hours.Her body trembled, her soaked dress clinging to her skin like a second layer of punishment. The cold had seeped into her bones, her fingers numb, her legs barely holding her upright. The occasional passing car splashed water onto the pavement, and people glanced at her—some with curiosity, some with indifference, but none with concern.She had expected this. Expected to be tested. Rafael was not the type of man who made things easy for anyone, least of all someone like her.Yet, standing there, waiting, was unlike anything she had endured before. The hunger clawed at her stomach, the exhaustion from an entire day of struggle now weighing down on her limbs. Her teeth chattered, her vision blurred with the mixture of rain and unshed tears. Her pr
The morning greeted Amara with the same emptiness that had consumed her the night before. The weight of the accusations, the betrayal, the utter helplessness pressed against her chest like an unbearable force. Her eyes were swollen, lips dry from the endless crying, but her mind had stopped processing pain—it had become numb, mechanical, focused only on one thing: survival.She hadn’t eaten, hadn’t slept, and yet, she forced herself out of bed. The city outside was just waking up, indifferent to her suffering. The sky was an unrelenting gray, heavy with an impending storm.Amara walked through the streets, her feet dragging, body trembling from exhaustion, but she had no choice. She visited every place she had ever worked, knocking on doors, pleading for her wages—anything to hold her over for even a few days. But one by one, they refused her. Some with pity in their eyes, others with disdain. The rumors had already spread, her name tainted before she even had a chance to defend herse
The morning sun hung low, casting its golden glow over the vast estate. The world seemed to hum under Rafael’s dominion, a kingdom of power sculpted by his own hands. He had woken before dawn, as always, his mind already preoccupied with the arrangements for the grand party the next evening. His influence was at its peak, his reach stretching beyond borders. Tomorrow would be another reminder to the world that Rafael was untouchable.Dressed in a crisp, tailored black shirt, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, he moved through his study, signing documents handed to him by his assistant. His fingers, calloused yet refined, traced the edges of the papers—a contract here, a property deal there, silent testaments to his control. Every signature sealed another claim, another step in his ceaseless conquest.“Everything is ready,” his assistant confirmed, handing him the final document.Rafael nodded once, his lips curving slightly. A sharp satisfaction filled his chest. He thrived in this, i