CHAPTER 1: A PLAN

AUTHOR’S POV

“Mr. Nicolas, please give me some time. I’ll pay you back every last cent as soon as possible!” The middle-aged man’s voice trembled violently. He clasped his hands together, then prostrated himself in resignation at the feet of the man named Nicolas.

Nicolas—a man known for being cold, ruthless, and untouchable.

A cynical smile played on Nicolas’s lips. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and tucked it between his fingers. Without being told, the man standing loyally by his side immediately struck a match to light his boss’s cigarette.

“Time?” Nicolas’s voice sounded incredibly cold, enough to send a chilling sense of loneliness coursing through the chest of anyone who heard it. His gaze was sharp, leaving absolutely no room for pity.

“Yes, sir,” he replied, his body trembling even more violently.

“How much longer do I have to give you? I’ve already made it clear: one month. But this has already gone past the limit. If you can’t—”

“One more week! Give me one more week, sir. If I fail, you can cut off my head!” the man cut in quickly.

He immediately swallowed hard with difficulty as soon as he realized how reckless his words were. He knew all too well just how cruel and unforgiving the man standing before him was.

Nicolas chuckled cynically. He exhaled cigarette smoke into the air, letting the gray smoke billow high, making him look even more terrifying.

“How are you going to get that much money in a week, huh? No one trusts you anymore. What are you going to sell? Your house? It won’t be enough to pay off all your debts! And your company? It’s already gone. Besides, I don’t need your head,” Nicolas cut in softly, but each of his words cut like a dagger.

“I’ll do anything, sir! I’ll sell my kidney or whatever it takes. Give me a chance, sir! I still have a daughter and a wife. Please, sir...”

Nicolas exhaled smoke from his mouth again, then roughly stubbed out his cigarette butt in the ashtray. “Don’t you have a daughter? Why don’t you just sell her to pay off your debts?”

The man named Darion looked up instantly. His mind processed Nicolas’s words as fear surged within him.

“I’m just offering advice. If you don’t bring that money within a week, it won’t just be your head I’ll cut off, Darion! Your daughter and wife will follow!”

Darion was stunned. His breath caught in his throat as he swallowed hard. His daughter and wife. Darion shook his head vigorously; he truly loved his family. He couldn’t bear the thought of them suffering the same fate.

“I’ll bring it, sir! I’ll definitely bring it!” he cried out in utter desperation.

“I’ll be waiting. Now, get out!” Nicolas ordered firmly.

Darion immediately stood up and hurried away. He had to find that money no matter what. He wouldn’t let his wife and child die such a gruesome death.

Flee to another city or country? That was impossible. Nicolas Villarreal would surely track him down in an instant. The man was only 31 years old, but he was already the most influential and powerful CEO in the country. His immense power meant no one could hide from him.

Darion arrived home looking dejected and deathly pale. The luxurious home he’d built after his son’s birth, as well as the company he’d founded with such pride, were now on the verge of being completely destroyed because of his own stupidity. In fact, his company already belonged to someone else now. All because he’d been blinded by greed and lured by the promises of a fraudulent investment.

“Darion, what do you think? Do we have to leave this house?” Mariana’s voice greeted him the moment he stepped through the door.

Darion didn’t answer right away. He flung himself into a chair, leaning back against the backrest as his body felt utterly exhausted. His eyes scanned the interior of the house before finally settling on his wife’s face.

“Are we going to lose everything? Everything we own? Are we going to be poor again?” Mariana pressed him again, her expression anxious.

Darion remained silent. He let out a heavy sigh, shook his head slowly, then finally nodded in resignation.

“We could even die, Mariana,” he replied softly.

“Die? Why would we have to die?! What exactly did you do?!”

Darion gazed intently at his wife’s face. “Mr. Nicolas is very cruel. I made an impossible promise. If I can’t return his money within a week, my head will be cut off, Mariana. And you all...”

“Darion!” Mariana cried out softly, then hurriedly embraced her trembling husband. “Isn’t there any other way? How on earth can we come up with that much money in a week? Even selling this house wouldn’t be enough! We don’t have anything left, Darion. I don’t want to live in misery like we used to, either.”

Darion pulled his wife close. His mind raced, weighing the crazy idea Nicolas had suggested earlier.

“What are you thinking? Do you have an idea? Should we sell our kidneys?” Mariana asked repeatedly.

Darion shook his head slowly. “No. But we have another way.”

“What? What way could possibly get us that much money so fast, Darion?!”

Darion swallowed hard before whispering, “What if we sell our daughter? We’ll turn her into a prostitute to serve rich men for money, Mariana.”

“Huh?! Are you crazy?!” Mariana snapped in shock. “I won’t do that, Darion! She’s our daughter, our pride and joy! She’s the one who made us rich, and we’ve fallen into poverty because of your stupidity!”

“In that case, what if we just sell her?” Darion finally said, offering another perspective.

Mariana fell silent for a moment, the look in her eyes suddenly changing. “But would anyone even want her? She’s disabled, Darion! Who would want her?”

“Why not? She’s beautiful. Surely someone will want her—especially since she’s still a virgin, right?”

A sly, faint smile played on Mariana’s lips. “I agree! Let it be her. Let her make us some money—after all, we

’ve raised her all this time, Darion!”