Chapter 1

Aurea’s POV

"Just give in to me, Aurea. Stop pretending you’re too good for this," he said, his voice dripping with an oily confidence that made my skin crawl.

Before I could even process his movement, my back hit the cold, solid mahogany wood of the office door with a heavy, echoing thud. My breath completely left my lungs in a sharp gasp as a dull pain tore straight through my spine. Mr. Vance, my boss and the wealthy owner of the high-end boutique where I worked, stepped deep into my personal space, completely trapping me.

The suffocating, heavy scent of his expensive designer cologne mixed with the sharp, sour stench of stale whiskey filled the air between us, imaking my stomach turn violently. He slammed his right hand against the wood right beside my head, the impact rattling the door frame and effectively pinning me between his towering body and the only exit.

"Mr. Vance, please," I whispered, my voice trembling uncontrollably as my hands pressed flat against his firm chest in a desperate attempt to create some distance.

Even though he was undeniably handsome, wealthy, and possessed everything a woman could ever ask for on paper, I didn't want him. Not like this.

"Let me go," I pleaded, trying to keep my breathing steady. "I just came in to hand you the end-of-month count report."

"You're smarter than this, Aurea," he sneered, leaning his face down until his disgusting, alcohol-laced breath brushed against my ear. His free hand came down to firmly grip my waist, his fingers digging into my flesh to lock me in place. "Look at you. You live in a crumbling, pathetic apartment, you can barely afford a decent meal, and you're working yourself to the bone here for pennies."

He pushed his body even tighter against mine, crushing me against the door until I could feel the hard lines of his frame.

"I can change all of that for you," he whispered, his tone shifting into a sickeningly sweet murmur. "Give in to me, become mine, and I will provide everything for you. You’ll never have to worry about money, dear."

He finished his sentence by leaning in, his teeth lightly biting my sensitive earlobe.

A toxic mixture of deep humiliation and disgust burned through my veins like wildfire. He thought because I was an orphan with no family name, no high status, and absolutely no protection in this corrupt city, he could simply buy my dignity.

"I said, no," I grit out through clenched teeth, the tears of fear in my eyes suddenly turning into a fierce, blinding spark of absolute fury.

Vance’s eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as his grip on my waist became painfully tight. 

"Don't play difficult with me—"

Before he could finish his pathetic sentence, I brought my knee up with every single ounce of strength I had left in my entire body, driving it straight between his legs.

Mr. Vance let out a choked, strangled gasp, his arrogant expression shattering instantly as his face turned a deep shade of crimson. His iron grip vanished from my waist as he collapsed heavily to his knees, clutching his manhood and groaning in absolute agony on the expensive rug.

I stared down at him in horror for a split second, my chest heaving as I gasped for air. Knowing he was much stronger than me and would kill me if he got back on his knees, I spun around. My hands shook violently, as I fumbled frantically with the deadbolt behind my back. Finally, the lock clicked open. I threw the door wide and sprinted out into the main showroom.

"You're fired!" Vance roared behind me, his voice strained, high-pitched, and twisted with pure venom as I fled. "Do you hear me, you worthless piece of shit? You're finished in this city!"

I didn't look back. I sprinted through the glittering showroom, bursting past a group of wealthy, whispering customers who stared at me in shock. I pushed through the heavy glass doors and out into the crowded city streets.

Right on cue, the dark, bruised afternoon sky finally opened up. A torrential downpour of freezing rain began pouring over me, instantly soaking my uniform and washing away the hot tears streaming down my face. I walked down the sidewalk alone, shivering, my shoes squelching with water as the neon lights of the wealthy district blurred around me.

By the time I reached my tiny apartment building on the edge of the slums, my lungs were screaming for air. I practically threw myself inside my apartment, slammed the heavy door shut, and slid down against it. I buried my face in my knees as the dam finally broke. A loud, broken sob tore from my throat, echoing in the empty, quiet space.

Vance wasn't lying. I was completely, utterly ruined.

In a city run by the ruthless wealthy and the hopelessly corrupt, a powerless, nameless girl like me had absolutely no voice. Without this job, I couldn't pay my landlord by the end of the week. I would be thrown onto the freezing, dangerous streets, entirely helpless. My lifelong dream of saving enough money to hire an investigator and finally find my biological mother was completely shattered.

I sat there on the cold floor and cried until my throat was raw and my eyes burned like fire. The crushing weight of the world pressing down on my chest was so heavy that I felt the ground would just open up and swallow me whole. Vance had always been creepy, always sliding inappropriate comments into our conversation, but he had never tried anything physical with me before today. And now, because I fought back, I had nothing.

"No."

The word left my lips as a sharp, sudden whisper. I snapped my eyes open, fiercely wiping the tears away with the backs of my trembling hands. I refused to let him win. I stood up on shaky legs and walked over to my small, scratched nightstand.

Opening the top drawer, I reached past the unpaid utilities bills and pulled out a sleek, black velvet card that my friend Nina had given me weeks ago, just in case I ever changed my mind about my career.

The Rossi Estate.

 It was a live-in maid position that paid an absolute fortune—more money in a single month than I could make in five years working at Vance's boutique. But the money came with a dark, terrifying price. There were horrifying rumors whispered in the shadows of the city about that estate. People whispered that the empire was run by untouchable, dangerous billionaire twins, and that anyone who ever crossed them or looked at them wrong disappeared off the face of the earth without a trace.

My heart hammered against my ribs, but my gaze remained fixed on the elegant black card. I had no options left. I desperately needed money, and a place to live. My landlord was already threatening eviction since I had struggled to pay the bills ever since my sweet foster mother had passed away.

Taking a deep, steadying breath to force the tremor out of my voice, I picked up my old, cracked phone and dialed the number on the card.

Nina picked up in a few rings. "Hii... Rea," she said, her voice sounding a bit tired over the line. When I didn't immediately respond, she softly continued, "How's work today?"

"Nina..." I swallowed hard, my hand clenching the fabric of my trousers. "Can I still come work at your brothers' mansion?" I asked in a small, anxious voice.

"Of course, girl! It's always open for you," Nina replied, her tone instantly brightening with genuine excitement. " A car will pick you up tomorrow morning for the interview. I won’t be around the estate tomorrow, is that okay?"

"Of course," I said, relief and terror hit me at the same time. 

"Great! See you soon, Rea," she said cheerfully.

"Thank you, Nina," I whispered.

I hung up the phone, the screen fading to black. I stood frozen in the center of my small room for a long moment, looking down at my hands. My timeline had just shrunk to less than twelve hours. 

A chill crawled down my spine.

Yet as I looked around my tiny apartment, I realized something terrifying.

The Rossi twins weren't the thing I should be afraid of, I had already run out of choices.