Chapter 5

Wren's POV

The words echoed in my head, and all I could do was stare at him like a deer in headlights. This had to be some stupid joke.

“Five million dollars, Wren.” He said it in such a calm, conventional tone, but it still hit my chest like a bullet.

My knees almost gave out right there in our cramped living room. The number was so absurd, so impossibly huge, that for several long seconds my brain refused to process it.

Unable to process thoughts, I simply stared at him. Callum looked nothing like the kind of man who should be standing in our shitty apartment with peeling wallpaper and second-hand furniture.

He was way taller than me about six feet three in a black suit that was obviously custom-made. His dark hair was styled with ruthless precision not one strand out of place.

Power and wealth radiated from him like heat from an open flame and I looked away hoping to catch my breath.

Why would Mom ever borrow from someone like him? He didn’t look like a regular banker. From the way he looked, I could tell he was the type to break legs when his deadline wasn't met if not worse.

But for some reason, something about him tugged at the edges of my memory. Those eyes and the way his voice filled my senses felt way too familiar.

I could feel the bottom of my tummy heat up despite how hard my heart was beating. Just as I was about to beg for more time doubt slowly crept in and I paused.

“I—I don’t understand,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “She wouldn’t… Mom wouldn’t take that kind of money. There has to be a mistake.”

Callum stared at me for a second and then his lips stretched into a cold and humourless smile. He walked closer, and without thinking I moved away until my ass hit the edge of the couch.

I thought of pushing him away or giving him a kick in the groin but the men behind him were more than enough warning to kill that crazy thought.

“There’s no mistake,” he said softly. “Your mother came to me for help. I offered and now she's trying to scam me."

The way his eyes trailed over my body enraged me and it took everything in me to hold back my tongue. It was obvious he was enjoying my discomfort.

“I’ll pay it back,” I blurted desperately, the words tumbling out before I could think. “I swear. I’ll get jobs; multiple jobs. I’ll work double shifts, triple if I have to. I’ll sell everything. Just… please. Give me time.”

My eyes met his and I tried to keep calm but it felt harder than anything I had ever done. I kept seeing the men behind him dragging me out and breaking bones until Mom came back.

My thighs still ached faintly from last night, a brutal reminder of how easily a man could overpower me and I took in a shaky breath.

Callum watched me with something close to amusement flickering across his sculpted face. He tilted his head, studying me like I was an interesting new toy.

“You don’t need to work, Wren.” The way he said my name sent an unwelcome shiver down my spine. His voice felt intimate, like we were the only two people in the room.

He reached out and caught my chin again, firm fingers tilting my face up to his. I felt a spark immediately when his hand touched me and my heart rate only increased.

“What… what else could I possibly do?” I asked, hating how small and breathless I sounded. I tried to focus on him but my mind wouldn't stop thinking about every humiliating idea.

“I can clean. Cook. Run errands. Anything. Just name it. Please.” His dark blue eyes darkened further, pupils expanding as they dropped to my mouth for a brief second.

My stomach flipped violently due to terror and probably something hotter and far more dangerous. “We can work something out,” he murmured, his words dripping with strange intent.

My skin prickled. I knew exactly what kind of “arrangement” a man like him had in mind. My body remembered even if my mind was still foggy.

The thought of being under him again, of letting him use me to settle a debt… heat flooded my cheeks even as fresh fear spiked through me.

“No,” I said quickly, pulling away from his grip though every instinct screamed that was a bad idea. “This is my mother’s debt, not mine. You knew she was going to run...you obviously have ways of finding people. Go after her. Leave me out of this.”

For a moment, silence stretched between us. Then Callum laughed a rich, low sound that should not have sent warmth curling through my belly. He nodded once to the biggest of the three men.

The largest of them, he looked at least six feet seven and was built like a large refrigerator with hands that could crush someone's skull. My heart seized as he stepped forward and I stumbled back, raising my hands instinctively.

“Please don’t—!” But the giant simply reached inside his jacket and pulled out a sleek black tablet. He gave me a small smirk tapped the screen and angled it towards me.

The video showed Lizzie sleeping in her hospital bed with monitors beeping softly beside her. The camera angle suggested it had been taken from just outside her room. Way too close for my liking.

“No,” I choked out, my body shaking with fear. “No, please. She’s sick....she’s been sick since we were kids. She’s the only family I have left. You can't drag her into this."

Tears spilt down my cheeks and my hands shook so badly I had to clench them into fists.

The guilt I always carried for the fact that I was healthy while she wasted away crashed over me tenfold. I couldn’t let them hurt her. I wouldn’t.

Callum’s expression remained cool, unmoved. “Begging doesn’t erase five million dollars, sweetheart."

The nickname slipped out so casually it sent a shiver down my spine. "I'll do anything I muttered, forcing the lump in my throat down.

“Anything you want. Just leave Lizzie alone. Please.” He studied me for a long, heavy moment, those dark blue eyes tracing over my tear-streaked face.

Nodding, he reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a crisp white business card.

“Call me when you’re ready to discuss terms,” he muttered placing it in my hand and I stared at him then at it.

It was thick, expensive paper. Just his name Callum Vale and a phone number embossed in silver. Nothing else.

Without another word, he turned and strode toward the door, his men falling in behind him like shadows. The mountain closed the door quietly behind them.

The second I heard their footsteps fade down the hallway, I bolted the lock with shaking hands and sank to the floor, back against the door.

My whole body trembled and for several minutes I just sat there, trying to breathe through the panic. Then I lunged for my phone failing the first person I could think of.

“Anna,” I gasped, voice cracking. “Something’s happened. I need you. Please.”