Chapter 1

Kayla's POV-

The harsh fluorescent light of the kitchen at the Golden Grill Restaurant where I worked as a waitress was usually enough to drown out my thoughts, but today, it felt like a warning disaster.

Until I heard a grumpy voice..

"Kayla, office. Now."

Of course it was Mr Henderson..

I wiped the damp sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand, untied my apron, and went to meet him. A strange, sensation crept up the back of my neck.

When i arrived, His office was a cramped, airless place that smelled of tobacco and floor cleaner. He didn't even offer me a seat. Instead, he leaned against his messy desk, shuffling through a stack of invoices with practiced Coldness.

"I'm sorry, Kayla," he began, though his eyes never left the paperwork. "Corporate is tightening the belt. Headcount needs to be reduced by fifteen percent. You're the last person we hired, and frankly, we need someone with more flexibility for double shifts."

I froze, my heart leaving my chest 

"Mr. Henderson, please." My voice trembled with rising panic. "I've never missed a shift. I've covered for everyone else. I need this job. I have medical bills to pay—"

"Everyone has bills, Kayla," he interrupted, finally looking up. His eyes were cold, completely no sign of sympathy. "I'm not a charity. Your termination is effective immediately. Here's your final paycheck. Clear out your locker before the end of the hour."

He handed me a thin envelope before turning back to his computer, dismissing me as though I had never existed.

As I walked through the dining room one last time, the lights seemed painfully bright, and the customers' laughter echoed in my ears. I felt like a ghost wandering through a place I had given everything to.

I hadn't even reached the bus stop when my phone vibrated.

City General Hospital.

My heart slammed against my ribs as I answered.

"Ms. Williams? This is Nurse Davison. Your mother suffered a respiratory collapse about an hour ago. She has been moved to the Intensive Care Unit. Her condition is critical. You need to come immediately... and please stop by the billing office before coming upstairs. We need to discuss the deposit for her next round of treatment."

The world tilted beneath my feet.

The bus ride passed in a blur of gray buildings and city noise.

When I stumbled into the hospital, the sharp scent of antiseptic hit me like a physical blow. The ICU was a maze of beeping monitors, hushed whispers, and the cold glow of medical equipment.

I found my mother in the third room on the left.

She looked so small.

Machines surrounded her, controlling every breath she took. Her chest rose and fell in slow, mechanical intervals.

My hand hovered over her frail, paper-thin fingers before I gently held them.

"I'm here, Mom," I whispered as hot tears Flow down my cheeks. "I'm here."

I barely had a few moments with her before a stern-looking administrator escorted me to the billing office.

The room was cold, and the polished desk reflected the harsh fluorescent lights above.

"The surgery your mother requires is highly specialized," the administrator said, sliding a document toward me. "Without the full deposit of twenty thousand dollars, we cannot schedule the surgical team. Furthermore, the hospital cannot continue supporting her on a ventilator indefinitely without a confirmed payment plan."

She paused before delivering the words that shattered me.

"You have forty-eight hours, Ms. Williams."

Forty-eight hours.

I walked out of the hospital with legs that felt too heavy to carry me.

The envelope in my hand that contained my small leave salary was a pitiful amount of money barely enough to cover the hospital's administrative fees, let alone my mother's surgery.

The next two days became my own personal hell.

I stood in endless lines at temporary employment agencies.

I begged for shifts at diners, retail stores, supermarkets, and warehouses.

Every answer was the same.

"We're not hiring."

"we'll get back to you."

"You're underqualified."

"We'll call you."

One manager at a high end department store looked me up and down, Scoffed at my worn out shoes, and told me to stop wasting his time.

By then, I had completely lost hope.

With nowhere else to go, I decided to visit my best friend, Sarah.

By the time I reached her apartment, I was barely holding myself together. My hair was a mess, my eyes were swollen from crying, and exhaustion weighed so heavily on me that I could hardly stand.

Sarah, who worked as a stripper at The Velvet Room, was sitting in front of her vanity applying makeup.

The moment she saw me standing in the doorway, trembling uncontrollably, her expression shifted from annoyance to complete shock.

"Kayla? What happened?!"

She rushed over and helped me onto the sofa.

"I lost my job," I sobbed, finally breaking down. "No one will hire me. The hospital... they're going to let my mom die, Sarah. I failed her... I failed at everything."

She wrapped an arm around me, gently rubbing my back while I cried.

For several long minutes, she said nothing.

The apartment was silent except for my broken sobs.

Finally, she sighed and looked me straight in the eyes.

"Kayla... look at me."

She gripped my shoulders, her voice dropping into a serious whisper.

"You don't have to keep doing this the hard way. You're desperate, and I know someone."

I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"He's a billionaire," she continued. "He's not looking for a relationship or even a date. He wants an arrangement. One night. One transaction. The money for your mom's surgery is yours. It's quick, it's clean, and it saves her life."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"What kind of arrangement?"

Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Sex, of course. A one-night stand."

She folded her arms.

"And don't even start arguing because you don't have any other options left. He'll pay you more money than you've ever seen."

I shot to my feet, anger Exploding through me.

"How could you even suggest something like that, Sarah?" I snapped. "You want me to sell my body to a complete stranger?"

"YOU DON'T HAVE A FREAKING CHOICE, KAYLA!" she shouted, tears filling her own eyes. "YOUR MOM IS DYING! You lost your job. You've spent days begging for work, and every single place has rejected you. Please... just think about it."

My chest tightened.

Unable to bear another word, I grabbed my bag and stormed out of the apartment.

The tears I'd been fighting spilled freely down my face.

Using the last cash I had, I took a cab and quietly headed home.