Chapter 1

Zara's POV

The smell of  antiseptic hits me the moment I step into Crestfield Medical Center. I wheeled my mom to a close corner outside room 302. As I waited patiently for the doctor. 

“Zara George,” a calm, professional voice called.

I stood instantly. “Yes, Doctor Lawson.”

He gestures for me to follow down the hall. Nurses glide past, and some other patients waited patiently.

Inside the consultation room felt cold. I wasn't prepared for what he was about to say.

“Zara, your mother’s kidneys aren’t responding the way we hoped. Her blood pressure is still high despite the medication. 

We’ll need to start dialysis soon.”

Dialysis.

The word hits like a sword piercing my heart, sharp. Final.

I didn’t flinch. Panic accomplishes nothing. I tucked my braids behind my ear and met his eyes.

“Alright,” I said, “What's the next step?”

Dr. Lawson blinks, surprised by my composure. “Your insurance will cover the first sessions, but you’ll need to prepare for ongoing payments afterward.”

I nodded. Not because I understood what he meant but the realization of what was about to hit me.

Rent was there, Ethan’s tuition as well and now medical expenses and my pay is not enough for one expense let alone all of it.

“Send me the breakdown,” I said.

He scribbles a few notes on his clipboard. 

“We’ll coordinate the first session for tomorrow. Lab work and blood tests will follow weekly. Any missed appointments could have serious consequences.”

I glanced at my mother. Fragile yet strong. Her fingers gripping the wheelchair. She didn't look at me, but I could feel her awareness. I have to be strong.

Outside, my mind already calculates: How do I stretch the little I have across dialysis, rent, tuition, and the bills piling up unseen?

I opened my banking app. Balance blinks back: enough for today. But tomorrow? Next week? I closed it. Survival demands action, not despair.

I opened my work email. Finance. My department. My boss. Next best solution: an advance.

I drafted a message to the finance head hoping they'll grant. I do not beg. I present facts.

Subject: Request for Salary Advance

Good afternoon,

I’m writing to request an early release of my next salary  due to a critical family medical emergency…

I paused. Reread. Hit send. No hesitation. No trembling. Just action.

×××××

Lane & Harrow Global Holdings rises above me, glass and steel reflecting the sun. Employees walked past, I moved among them seamlessly my mind only focused on the salary advance.

By the time I reached my desk, a reply awaits.

 Your request has been forwarded to the Executive Office for review.

Executive Office. CEO. Sebastian Hale. The man that always gets on my nerves.  He never likes anything that I do. I hope he's in a good mood today to give a favourable reply. 

I resumed my tasks trying to get clients update and workflow summaries. 

Hours passed. No reply. Until 3:07 PM.

New Mail: Executive Office.

Pulse spikes.

Ms. Zara,

Mr. Hale can spare five minutes at 4:10 PM. Please be prompt.

Secretary. 

Five minutes. Just five minutes to change everything or ruin the month.

I rose, smooth my blouse, and took the 

elevator to the top floor.

Executive level hits differently. Glass walls, muted tones, whispered authority. No chaos. And soon, confrontation.

The door clicks.

Breath catches.

Sebastian Hale. Young. Dedicated. Annoyingly handsome. His eyes landed on me the moment I stepped in, then moved on.

“I received your email,” he said, tapping his fingers. Piercing gaze, measuring and assessing. “You wanted an advance.”

“Yes,” I said evenly. “Due to a personal emergency. It’s urgent.”

 “Highly irregular. Advances only granted for exceptional circumstances. Why should I consider yours?”

I held his gaze. “I deliver results. As Operations & Strategy Coordinator, my work affects revenue and deadlines. I don’t ask lightly. I ask when it matters.”

He studies me, silence stretching. Then: “No.”

“Why not?” I asked. 

“Policy,” he said. “Two years here. You haven’t reached the threshold. Competent, yes. Circumstances… insufficient.”

“Emergencies don’t check policy, Mr. Hale. Lives don’t.”

His eyes flicker, brief. Then neutral. “Decision final.”

“I see,” I said “Thank you for your time.”

I stood and left his office. I was wrong to believe he would give a favourable reply. What do you expect from someone that has made himself an enemy.

I stepped out into my department, the buzzing open office energy hitting me in a wave. People laughing about things that didn’t concern survival.

I walked straight to my desk.

My monitor lit up as soon as I touched the mouse, the glow catching the faint tremor in my fingers. I curled them into my palm until the shaking stopped.

A message popped up instantly.

Lily:

You okay? You were upstairs forever.

I typed back, later.

Lily meant well. But right now, reality was slamming into me with ruthless clarity.

Mom. Dialysis.

Bills. Rent.

A salary advance that just got denied.

I swallowed hard and opened my workflow dashboard. A long list of deadlines blinked impatiently at me. The universe wasn’t going to pause just because I was in a financial mess.

A notification pinged, another task newly assigned.

I stared at it for a second, bitterness crawled up my throat.

Sebastian had denied me an advance but wont stop piling extra pressure. Typical mean boss.

I clicked open the file anyway.

Before I could start, a shadow fell across my desk.

I didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

“Zara.”

Lily’s voice, breathless, worried.

I raised my eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Her gaze searched my face. “You tell me. You look like you just walked out of a firing squad. Did he, did the CEO reject it?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said. 

“That’s not an answer.”

I sighed and leaned back. “Yes. He said no.”

“You’re joking.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

She clicked her tongue and folded her arms. “The mean king strikes again. Honestly, I don’t know how someone that handsome manages to be that heartless.”

A ghost of a laugh left me. “Focus, Lily.”

“No, seriously, Zara. You work more than half the people here. Smart, dedicated and efficient.” And he couldn’t bend a policy?.

“That’s what he said.”

Lily lowered her voice. “So… what now?”

“I'll figure something out.”

The words came out steady, even though I had no clue.

“You know I can loan you some money,” she whispered.

“You have your own responsibilities. I’m not dragging you into mine.”

She huffed. “I hate this. I hate that you carry everything alone.”

“I don’t have a choice.”

She squeezed once, then stepped back. “I’ll be at my desk. Yell if you need me.”

When she walked away, I stared at my monitor, the world kept moving and so would I.

But as I sat there, rigid and composed, the CEO’s rejection burned hotter than I wanted to admit.

Not because I wanted pity.

Not because I expected him to save me from my financial situation.

But because this was the moment I realized something I hadn’t allowed myself to think.

Sebastian wasn’t just an obstacle.

He was going to be a problem.

A big one.

And whether he wanted it or not, this tension between us had already begun to shift into something sharper… something that felt dangerously like the beginning of war.