CHAPTER FIVE

JASMIN

“Was that your boyfriend?” Ryan asked softly, his voice low and steady, almost too gentle for the storm still raging inside me.

We sat on the curb near the cracked edge of the parking lot, the streetlamps humming above us. Jack knelt a few feet away, pushing his little toy car over the uneven pavement, making engine noises with his lips, utterly unfazed that his scream had just saved me.

I stared down at my trembling hands, at the faint smear of blood on my knuckles from scratching Max. My voice came out flat. “No. He’s not my boyfriend. And there’s no way I’d ever be involved with a bastard—”

I cut myself off. Jack was right there. My throat tightened. “—a man like him,” I corrected, forcing the words.

Ryan studied me for a beat, not pressing, not judging. Just waiting. The weight of his silence was heavier than a thousand questions.

“I had him arrested once,” I admitted finally, staring at the asphalt. “Last year. He tried something similar.”

Ryan’s brow furrowed. “Then how the hell is he still walking free?”

I let out a bitter laugh that scraped my throat raw. “Because his father’s a police officer. Every time Max screws up, someone bails him out. Every time I think he’s gone, he shows up again.”

Ryan swore under his breath, running a hand over his jaw. “This world…” He shook his head. “It’s so damn broken.”

“Dad! Bad word,” Jack piped up, looking up from his toy car with a grin.

Ryan chuckled, rubbing Jack’s curls. “Sorry, buddy. No more bad words. Pinky promise.”

I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped me, fragile but real. Jack’s presence was like a salve on open wounds—his innocence a reminder that not every corner of the world was as cruel as Max made it seem.

“You’re adorable,” I told him, leaning down to tweak his nose.

Jack grinned. “Dad says I got my cuteness from my mom, but my awesome hair from him.”

Ryan groaned, embarrassed. “Jack.”

I laughed harder, the sound surprising me. It felt foreign. Strange. Healing.

Ryan stood, brushing off the back of his jeans, suddenly all business again. “Anyway, Jasmin, it was good to meet you. But we should let you get some rest.”

Something in my chest tightened at the thought of them leaving. Their presence—this fleeting little pocket of safety—was something I wasn’t ready to let go of.

He pulled a sleek black card from his wallet and handed it to me. “This is my number. If you ever need anything… and I mean anything, you call me.”

I accepted it with both hands, as if it were fragile. A lifeline. “Thank you, Ryan.” My throat thickened. “You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”

I bent down and kissed Jack’s cheek. “And thank you, my little guardian angel.”

Jack beamed. “You’re welcome! And if you see that bad man again, just yell for me. I’ll protect you.”

My chest ached. I swallowed past it.

When their car disappeared, the silence roared back, pressing in on me.

⸻

By the time I reached my apartment door, my nerves were so frayed my hands barely obeyed me. My keys slipped once, twice, before I finally got the lock to turn. I pushed the door open—and froze.

“Holy hell, Lisa!”

There she was. Naked. Laughing. Straddling some equally naked man on our couch, moaning like this was a bad p**n flick.

I slapped both hands over my eyes. “Oh my God! No, no, no. I don’t want to see that!”

Lisa groaned, rolling her eyes. “Jas! Knock, damn it!”

“In my own apartment?” I spluttered. “Are you serious? You have a room, Lisa. Use it!”

She collapsed back against the cushions, smirking like a cat caught mid-crime. “You’re such a joy-killer.”

The guy had the audacity to grin at me, completely stark naked.

“And you!” I pointed blindly in his direction. “For God’s sake, put on some pants!”

Lisa cackled so hard she slid off the couch onto the floor, clutching her stomach. “Oh my God, your face—”

“This isn’t funny!” I snapped, storming toward my bedroom. “This is exactly why—”

“C’mon, baby, there’s room for one more,” the drunk idiot slurred. “Damn, I need to pound that ass, mamacita.”

I gagged.

Lisa hurled a pillow at him. “Get out!”

I slammed my bedroom door, pressed my back against it, and breathed. In. Out. Again.

Jason Knight’s face surfaced in my mind. His eyes. His voice. His offer.

A way out.

My hands moved before my brain caught up, yanking my suitcase from the closet. Clothes flew into it in messy handfuls. I wasn’t leaving Lisa high and dry—not yet—but I couldn’t stay here anymore. Not like this. Not after tonight.

The door creaked open behind me.

“Jas?”

Lisa. Dressed now.

She froze mid-step. “Is that… a bruise?”

I turned to the mirror. My stomach dropped. Purple shadows had already blossomed across my cheek and down my neck.

Jason will see this. My pulse jumped. What will he think?

Why did I care? He’s your boss, Jas. Get a grip.

“Max happened,” I muttered.

Lisa’s eyes went wide. “Wait—what? Where did you—”

“Outside,” I cut her off. “Anne had just dropped me off before I even saw him.”

Her head snapped up. “Anne? As in Jason Knight’s Anne?”

I didn’t answer.

Her gasp was loud enough to shatter glass. “Oh my God—you met him? The Jason Knight? In person?!”

I shoved socks into my suitcase. “Yes. He’s my boss. And yes, he’s… fine, okay? He’s more handsome in person. Now can we move on?”

Lisa squealed. Actually squealed.

But then her eyes narrowed. “Why are you packing?”

I zipped a compartment closed. “Because my boss asked me to be his live-in maid.”

Her mouth dropped. “WHAT? Live-in? As in move into his billionaire mansion? And leave me?”

“Relax,” I said dryly. “I’ll still cover rent and groceries until you get a job.”

“Oh thank God,” she sighed dramatically, fanning herself. “For a second, I thought I’d actually have to do something with my life.”

I frowned. “That’s something you need to start figuring out, Lisa. You need a job.”

She pouted. “I’ll get one. When I’m ready.”

“When has anyone ever been ready?” I sat beside her “Lisa, this is life. You either work or build something. You’re waiting for some rich guy to save you—but what if he never comes?”

She stared at me with wide, uncertain eyes.

I shot her a look. “Lisa, I’m serious. You can’t keep living like this. Max was one of your mistakes. Look where that got me.”

For once, she didn’t laugh.

I sat beside her on the bed, my voice softening. “I love you. But you’re gambling with your life, waiting for some rich man to swoop in. What if he never comes? What if he does—and he’s just like Max?”

Lisa’s eyes shimmered, just slightly.

She didn’t speak. So I kept going.

“Sometimes, money isn’t everything. And when it is—it should be earned. Built. With the right person.”

“Jasmin… Can’t you see?" She whispered, "A rich man is all I need. Fame. Riches. My life would change forever.”

I squeezed her hand. “Or… you could change it yourself. One step at a time.”

Silence stretched between us.

Finally, she rested her head against my shoulder.

“You always make me feel like maybe I can do better,” she whispered.

“You can,” I told her, gripping her hand. “But you have to want to.”

Silence stretched, thick but not suffocating.

And in it, Jason Knight’s image burned in my mind. His eyes, the way he looked at me—dangerous, commanding, tempting.

Max terrified me. But Jason? Jason Knight was dangerous in an entirely different way.

And I had just agreed to live under his roof.