CHAPTER THREE: COLLISION COURSE

RAELYNN

I didn’t stop walking until my legs burned.

I didn’t bother looking back. Not once. Not even when the elevator doors closed, not when I passed through the marble lobby of Ashford Companies, not even when I stepped outside and felt the chilly breeze hit my face.

I kept walking because I knew if I wasted any more minutes I would break down on the busy road of Downtown LA.

By the time I reached the bus station, my hands were trembling so badly I had to shove them deep into the pockets of my jacket just to keep them steady. Around me, people moved with purpose, students waiting to catch their rides, office workers drinking their coffees while scrolling through their phones.

The noise of chattering voices and distant announcements filled my ears, but I barely noticed. All I could feel was the emptiness in my stomach, the way my heart hammered like I had so much to say but had forced myself to keep it buried deep within my heart, and the strange, sinking weight that my world had just been tilted off its axis somewhere high above, in a glass-walled office fifteen floors up.

The name LUCIO ASHFORD kept ringing in my head.

Finally my bus came, and I stepped in. When the bus moved, I finally caved. Exhaling long shaky breaths, I pressed my head to the window and let the tears fall free. The city blurred past while my thoughts kept spinning faster.

I shouldn’t have gone there, from the moment I found out he owned the company I should have withdrawn my application.

My thoughts kept clouding my head all the way home.

My apartment was quiet when I stepped, making me realize Claire must have stepped out. Locking the door behind me, I dropped my bag on the chair. I kicked off my shoes, went into my room and slumped on the bed exhausted already.

Then I laughed, sitting up.

“Who did he think he was?” I muttered to myself.

“Fairy tale story, what nonsense.”

God.

I pressed my palms over my eyes, trying to scrub away his voice, his face, the way he’d looked at me like I was both beneath him. Like I was a problem he couldn’t quite solve, and that alone irritated him.

Or intrigued him.

I hated that thought.

I hated that my body reacted before my pride did. Hated that my pulse had spiked when he leaned forward. Hated that my breath had stuttered when his eyes locked on mine.

I hated him most of all for making me feel like that.

Finally gathering myself, I stood up to go to the kitchen to make something for myself cause I was starving.

My side of the fridge was getting empty, just three eggs, with a few slices of bread and milk staring back at me. I closed the fridge and leaned against the counter.

My phone buzzed beside me. A notification from my bank, I didn’t need to open it I knew the information it contained but well I couldn’t resist it for much longer. Swiping my phone it read,

Balance: $306.97

I swallowed hard. I couldn’t continue like this, rent was $1000 and would soon be due, I owed Claire money for paying of this months utilities, mum’s appointment was coming up.

Finally deciding to settle on toast and milk. Settling on the couch, my phone screen lit up. My mom was calling.

Every instinct told me not to answer yet. Not when my voice was still tight, and not when my emotions were this close to spilling over. She always knew. Even over the phone, she could hear it.

But the phone buzzed again, insistent, and I had no option but to pick it up.

“Hey, Mama,” I said, forcing cheer into my voice.

“Baby,” she replied warmly. “I was just thinking about you.”

I felt guilty immediately.

“How are you feeling today?” I asked.

There was a pause just a fraction too long. “I’m alright.”

“Are you okay?” She asked me.

I swallowed. “Yeah. Just a long day.”

Another pause. The kind that meant she didn’t believe me but wasn’t going to push. Not yet.

“That sounds tough,” she said with a small laugh. Then she coughed.

It wasn’t loud, but it was enough to make my heart drop.

“Are you okay?” I asked quickly.

“I’m fine,” she replied, too fast. “Just this stupid weather. You know how it affects my chest but it’s nothing too serious.”

I knew it was something serious. I knew too well.

I closed my eyes. “You’re lying.”

She sighed softly. “You’ve always known me too well.”

My chest tightened. “What did the doctor say?”

“They want me to come back next week. Some more tests.”

“More tests? why?” I echoed.

“Just to be sure,” she said quickly. “You know how they are, you worry too much.”

I knew. I also knew what “more tests” usually meant.

“Did they change your medication again?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Did it cost more?”

Silence.

That was answer enough.

“Mama,” I said over the phone, “you should’ve told me.”

“Raelynn, no,” she said quickly. “I didn’t want you stressing. You already have enough on your plate.”

I closed my eyes. “I can help.”

“No,” she said. “You’re still finding your footing. I can manage.”

But managing meant skipping things. It meant stretching doses. It meant pretending she was fine when she wasn’t.

“I can send you something before the week runs out,” I said immediately, even though my bank account flashed through my mind like a warning sign.

“No,” she said firmly. “Raelynn, you’re already doing too much.”

“I will,” I insisted. “Don’t argue with me.”

She softened. “Baby you should be saving. Building your life.”

My throat burned. “You are my life.”

She laughed gently. “You always say that.”

Because it was true.

After we hung up, I sat there staring at my phone long after the screen went dark.

This wasn’t just about me anymore.

It never had been.

The weight of reality settled in slowly, cruelly.

Rent was due in two weeks. I didn’t have any savings. The freelance editing gigs I relied on had slowed since the scandal broke. Some clients had quietly stopped responding while others had politely declined.

I couldn’t blame them.

No one wanted drama.

I stood up from the couch and walked to my bedroom, pulling open my laptop. My inbox loaded slowly, each notification making my chest tighten.

Rejection.

Silence.

“Unfortunately, we’ve decided to move forward with another candidate.”

I closed the laptop harder than necessary.

“Fuck,” I whispered.

A knock came at the door. Claire must be back.

Swinging open my door, she walked in with takeout.

We sat on my bed, the takeout in between us.

“I knew how stressful full today was going to be for you, so I got us food. You must be starving,” She smiled

“You’re an angel Claire.”

“So,” she said, popping open her noodles. “How bad was it?”

“He’s… exactly what you’d expect,” I replied.

She winced. “That bad?”

“Worse,” I said. “He’s so condemning and infuriatingly calm about it.”

Claire shook her head. “Let me guess. Control disguised as opportunity.”

I laughed humorlessly. “You know him already.”

“Okay, start from the beginning.”

I told her everything. About Lucio. The contract. The way he spoke to me like I was a pawn in his cleanup plan.

“He actually said that?” she asked, eyes wide.

“Pretty much,” I replied. “I walked out.”

Claire leaned back, chewing thoughtfully. “I mean… good for you.”

I snorted. “Good for my pride. Bad for literally everything else.”

She sobered. “Your mom?”

I nodded. “She’s worse than she lets on.”

Claire sighed. “Rae…”

“I know,” I said quickly. “I know.”

Silence stretched between us.

Finally, she spoke. “So what are you going to do?”

I didn’t answer right away.

Because the truth was already forming in my chest, sharp and unwanted.

Lucio Ashford.

The job.

The contract.

“I don’t know,” I lied.

“Don’t worry baby girl, you’ll figure something out and don’t forget to tell me if you need any help my love. I’m serious, don’t hesitate to reach out to me, that’s why I’m here,” She said holding my hands.

“I know Claire, I won’t forget.” I smiled.

That night, I didn’t sleep.

I lay awake staring at the ceiling, replaying every moment. His office. His voice. The way he looked surprised when I refused him.

Like no one ever said no.

The next morning, my phone buzzed with an email.

From: ASHFORD Companies: HR Department

I stared at it for a long moment before opening it.

It was… polite. Neutral. Professional.

No trace of Lucio’s sharp tongue or cutting assumptions.

Just terms, salary and benefits as well as health insurance.

My breath caught.

Health insurance meant doctor visits.

Medication and stability.

I closed my laptop and stood up abruptly, pacing my room.

“This doesn’t mean anything,” I told myself. “It’s just a job.”

But I knew better.

It meant proximity. It meant swallowing my pride and stepping directly into his world.

I hated that I needed this.

But I hated even more the idea of calling my mom later on this week and telling her I couldn’t help.

I hated the thought of Claire covering groceries and bills for me again.

I hated feeling powerless.

I stopped pacing.

Opening my email again.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard.

This wasn’t surrender, this was survival.

I typed.

I accept the position. Temporarily. Terms to be discussed.

My chest felt hollow as I hit send.

The reply came less than a minute later.

Welcome to Ashford Companies. Orientation details to follow.

I dropped my phone on the bed and sank down beside it.

Collision course.

I had just strapped myself in.

And whether I liked it or not, Lucio Ashford was now part of my life.