Chapter 2

Elena's pov.

The ride home felt longer than usual.

I stared out of the taxi window as the city lights blurred past me, my thoughts were all tangled up in a storm which I couldn't control.

“Just one night.”

Matteo had said it so easily, like it was nothing.

Like he hadn't just asked me to give my body to another man.

My fingers unconsciously twisted the engagement ring on my hand.

The diamond sparkled beneath the passing streetlights.

Three months ago, I had cried when he proposed.

I thought those tears were happiness and now I wasn't sure about what they meant.

My phone buzzed in my lap— it was Matteo calling.

I hesitated before answering.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” he said quickly, his voice lighter and filled with relief. “Are you okay?”

I almost laughed.

Was I okay?

“Why are you asking me that now?” I blurted.

“I know this is hard,” he said. “ But it's just one night, Elena. By tomorrow everything will be different.”

“Tomorrow” I repeated, the word felt like a promise but I didn't trust it.

“When?” I asked quietly.

“Tonight.” 

My stomach dropped as I stared at my phone again before placing it back on my ears.

“Tonight?”

“Yes, Adrian's assistant called me. He wants to meet you at his penthouse.”

Of course he did.

Men like Adrian Laurent didn't wait— instead they commanded.

“What time?” I asked.

“By Eight.”

I glanced at the taxi clock.

7:12 PM

My chest tightened, “That's less than an hour.”

“I know,” Matteo said quickly. “But think about it– by tomorrow morning we'll have the investment.”

There it was again— always selling the dream, the future he always kept dangling in front of me.

“You'll send me the address?” I asked.

“Yes. And Elena…” his voice softened.

“I love you.”

The words felt like a burden hanging heavily in the air.

I gulped in a mouthful of saliva.

“Yeah,” I whispered before ending the call.

*****

Forty minutes later, I was standing in front of the tallest building in the city.

The Laurent Tower, it had its glasses stretched endlessly towards the sky as its Lights glowed like a beam of power.

This was Adrian Laurent's world.

A world completely different from mine.

My reflection stared back at me in the glass doors. I had changed into a simple black dress, nothing flashy and seductive.

It was decent enough— I wasn't exposed.

My hands trembled slightly as I pushed the door open.

The lobby was breathtaking, from the marble floors, to the golden chandeliers. Everything looked so expensive it made my small apartment feel like another universe of its own.

The receptionist looked up as I approached the desk.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes,” I said quietly. “I'm here to see Mr Laurent.”

Her expression immediately shifted— now filled with respect and recognition.

“Your name, please?”

“Elena Rivera.”

She typed something into her computer, then she smiled back, politely.

“Mr Laurent is expecting you. Take the private elevator on the right.”

Of course he was expecting me. I had been scheduled, like a delivery. My stomach twisted.

The elevator doors slid open silently and I walked in.

Inside, everything gleamed with polished steel and soft lights.

I pressed the top floor button.

As the elevator began rising, my heart started pounding harder.

Thirty floors– forty— fifty.

With each passing second, the reality of what I was about to do sank deeper into my bones.

The elevator finally stopped with a soft ding.

The moment the doors opened, I stepped into the penthouse which clearly looked like something out of a luxury magazine.

From the floor to the ceiling, the windows overlooked the city.

The lights below sparkled like thousands of stars.

For a moment there, I completely forgot my purpose of being there.

Then I heard a voice behind me.

“You're right on time.”

My entire body stiffened as I slowly turned around.

I saw him—Adrian Laurent for the first time.

He was standing near the window with a glass of whiskey in his hand.

Tall, broad–shoulders and dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit.

But then again, it wasn't just his clothes that made my breath seize.

It was his eyes, they were sharp, dark and observant. The type that looked like they could read every thought in your mind.

He studied me silently for a moment, before taking a slow sip of his drink.

“So,” he said calmly.

“You are the woman Matteo was willing to trade for ten million dollars.”

The bluntness of his words felt like a slap to my face.

My cheeks burned.

“I wasn't traded,” I said quietly.

Adrian raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“No?” he said, setting his glass down as he walked towards me.

Each step felt slow and deliberate.

Something about the way he moved made the room suddenly feel smaller and dangerous.

“So are you saying.. You came here on your own free will?” He said.

“Yes.”

“Interesting.”

He stopped a few feet away from me.

Up close, his presence felt overwhelming, he smelled faintly of expensive cologne and whisky.

“Tell me something, Elena,” he said.

“How does it feel knowing the man you're about to get married to sold you out for a business deal?”

My chest tightened.

“He didn't sell me.” I blurted.

Adrian tilted his head slightly.

“You are defending him.”

“No– he's just desperate”

“Oh… but desperate men rob banks,” Adrian said coldly.

“They don't auction out their fiancées.”

The words stung more than I expected.

 Because deep down…

A tiny part of me knew he was right.

Adrian's gaze lingered on my face for a moment.

Then he sighed quietly.

“You shouldn't have come tonight.”

My heart skipped a beat.

“What?”

“I said you shouldn't have come.” He said, his voice already sounding cruel 

If anything…

It sounded like disappointment.

“But you did,” he continued. “Which means one of two things.”

“And what's that?”

“You're either incredibly loyal…” he said, taking a step closer.

“Or incredibly naive.”

The air between us suddenly felt electric as my pulse raced.

“I came because I made a promise,” I said.

Adrian smiled, studying me for a long moment.

Then something unexpected happened.

His smile widened, it wasn't a warm smile but it felt dangerous.

“Well,” he said softly.

“This night just became far more interesting.”