Chapter 003

ELIANA ROSE

“You're gonna have to tell her, and the earlier you do that, the better for her,” Roxy suggested, taking a sip from her glass.

“My father told me she shouldn't know, Roxy. I know my mother. She's fragile, and she won't be able to handle it, especially now that we've made up this story.” Ellie explained that it had been Mrs. Margate's idea, who was a close friend of her mother. But now, the burden was becoming too much for Ellie, and it was making her sad all the time.

“All we can do now is keep up the story until… until… I don't know, Roxy.” She rubbed her face in frustration before checking her phone for the time. There were only ten minutes left of her lunch break before she had to head back to work.

“Now Mom expects Dad to send some money for better treatment, Roxy… and that's why I called you.”

Her brows furrowed as she looked at Ellie in confusion. “You want me to lend you some money?” she asked, slowly taking another sip of her drink.

“No… not exactly. I was thinking… I was thinking maybe I could work where you work.”

Roxy immediately shot the drink from her mouth in shock.

“I am really sorry. This drink tastes really bad,” she apologized as she took a wiper from her bag and began cleaning Ellie's face. “I didn't get you… the first time.” She lied.

“I was wondering if I could work where you work since they have good pay,” Ellie repeated.

The memory of Ellie’s father catching Roxy by the roadside late one night, dressed as a prostitute, suddenly flashed through her mind. He had been furious, but because he knew how close she was to Ellie, he had made her promise that she would never involve Ellie in that kind of life.

“I don't actually work at a place. I just offer services and get paid,” she said, not exactly lying, but not telling Ellie the whole truth either.

“That's even more perfect.” Ellie's eyes lit up with excitement.

“I can offer a lot of services. I clean, I paint, I braid hair, and many others. Those are things my mother taught me.” She smiled, watching the excitement on Ellie's face.

Ellie still had no idea what kind of service Roxy was actually offering to earn so much money. She was far too innocent to even consider that there might be another meaning behind Roxy's words.

“Oh… I forgot you're a master at everything.” Roxy forced a smile. “But, Ellie, you're only nineteen, and I'm twenty-one. They don't accept people under the age of twenty. You have to reach a certain level of maturity in some aspects before you're eligible.”

Roxy's voice sounded less confident toward the end, and Ellie immediately noticed.

“What do I feel like you're hiding something?” Ellie asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Roxy's mind raced as she nervously tried to come up with a convincing lie, but before she could say anything, Ellie suddenly burst into laughter.

“You should see your face!” Ellie laughed, shaking her head. “You look like you're the one in trouble.”

Roxy stared at her for a moment before letting out a relieved laugh of her own. “You're unbelievable.”

“I knew you were hiding something,” Ellie teased, still laughing.

“Maybe I am.” Roxy picked up her glass again, trying to hide the nervousness that still lingered in her expression. “But don't worry about it. I'll do a search and see if I can find some available jobs that would suit you. Something with good pay.”

Ellie's smile returned immediately. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Thank you, Roxy.” Ellie glanced at her phone, and her smile slowly faded when she saw the time. “Oh my goodness! My break is almost over.”

She quickly stood up, grabbed her bag, and hugged Roxy. “I have to go.”

“Go before your boss kills you,” Roxy teased.

Ellie laughed and hurried away, returning to work just as the ten minutes remaining on her lunch break finally elapsed.

༻ ─·─·─·─·─ ༺

KALON SALVATORE

Walking down the quiet hallway with his hands buried in his pockets, a strange sound immediately caught Kalon's attention. It was 2:00 a.m., and everyone in this part of the mansion should have been asleep. Where the hell was that sound coming from?

He stopped and waited, listening carefully for another sound, and it came again, clearer this time.

A low moan.

Kalon's head slowly turned toward K.J.'s bedroom. The sound was coming from there.

Mara had her back pressed hard against the wall beside the boy's bed. Her legs were wrapped around Raphael's waist as he pushed into her with deep, punishing thrusts. She had put Kalon Junior to sleep an hour earlier, turned off the lights, and settled into the chair beside the bed. She never heard the door open. She only felt Raphael's hands on her the moment he slipped inside the room.

“Oh… right there…” she gasped, her nails digging into his shoulders. Raphael growled against her neck. He spun her around, bending her forward against the wall so he could take her from behind. His hand clamped over her mouth to muffle the sounds, but the wet slap of skin still filled the dark room.

Mara's eyes fluttered open, lost in the heat and sweat. Through the haze, she caught a tall silhouette standing in the doorway.

Her body tensed.

“Raphael…” she whispered urgently. “Who's that?”

“Fuck that,” he muttered, thrusting harder, lost in her. “I want you.”

“Look,” she hissed, pushing at his chest.

He finally turned, and the moment his eyes adjusted enough to make out the figure in the doorway, the blood drained from his face. He yanked himself free of Mara and stumbled backward, nearly tripping over his own discarded clothes.

Kalon reached inside and flipped the light switch. Harsh white light flooded the room.

Raphael stood completely naked, his cock still hard and glistening. Mara scrambled to cover herself with her arms, her face burning with pure terror.

Kalon's cold gray eyes moved over them both with undisguised disgust.

“Get out of this house,” he said flatly. “And never come back. The next time I see you, I'll make sure you're Jasper's meal.”

What made Kelon more annoyed was the fact that Raphael was married and had a son at home.

Raphael didn't argue or bother to apologize. They had all gotten used to the fact that Kalon never accepted apologies. He snatched his clothes from the floor with shaking hands. Mara did the same, yanking her dress over her head without bothering to fully fasten it. Neither of them looked at Kalon as they hurried past him and disappeared down the hallway, leaving the door open.

Kalon stepped inside and looked at the bed.

His five-year-old adopted son slept peacefully on his side, one small hand tucked under his cheek, completely unaware of the filth that had just taken place only a few feet from him. Kalon's jaw tightened.

This was not Kalon's biological son. He had taken the boy from Rival Park's mansion after killing his father and everyone else who stood in his way. The boy had been only three years old at the time, yet unlike every other child Kalon had ever encountered, he hadn't been afraid of him.

That was what caught Kalon's attention.

While other children screamed and cried at the mere sight of him, the little boy had simply stared into his cold gray eyes without fear. Something about that fearless gaze had fascinated Kalon, and instead of leaving him behind, he had taken the boy with him.

Kalon had decided to raise him as his own, not because he suddenly wanted to be a father, but because he saw something in the boy that he wanted in his successor. One day, Kalon Junior would inherit his empire, his wealth, his power, and everything he had built.

The boy had no idea what kind of future Kalon had planned for him.

Kalon looked at the sleeping child for another moment before turning away. He pulled his phone from his pocket and walked out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

A few moments later, Donel's phone rang, pulling his attention away from the maid currently on her knees with his cock buried deep in her mouth.

He glanced at the screen.

Boss Kalon.

His eyes widened. “It's the boss,” he warned under his breath.

The maid immediately pulled off him with a wet sound, wiping her lips as she scrambled to her feet and stepped back against the wall, suddenly very still.

Donel answered on the second ring with a fake sleepy voice. “Boss.”

Kalon's cold voice came through without greeting. “I need a new nanny for K.J. Effective immediately.”

Donel's grip on the phone tightened. “What happened?”

“Raphael and the current one were fucking in my son's room while the boy was asleep.” He paused. “She's gone. So is he. Make sure the next person you hire goes through a full background check. Family, previous employers, every fucking detail. If another piece of trash ends up alone with my son because of your carelessness, you'll be the one answering for it. Personally.”

“Yes, Boss. Understood.”

Kalon's tone remained flat. “And Donel… say hi to Lena for me.”

Donel's free hand started to shake. His eyes flicked toward the maid still standing silently against the wall. She was Lena, and he hadn't said her name.

He never said her name.

“I… will, Boss.”

The line went dead as Donel slowly lowered the phone.

“Raphael,” he muttered under his breath, “is one son of a bitch."