Vanc

ating smell of damp earth and mildew hit me in the face. For five years, I thought this smel

arge drops of dirty water fell into a plastic bucket

ving room, stepping over a pile of Nathan's cheap laundry, and sat

It held half a portion of cold, greasy frie

e of disgust crawled up my throat. I grabbed the containe

e dark room with a harsh blue light. An alert popped up in the corne

ad established years ago. The system verified my inp

ked the first

ion scan of a Forbes magazine cover. The headline r

tek Philippe watch, was Nathan. His hair was slicked back. His jaw was set in a hard

d at the face of the stranger

. Maya was calling. I picked

was actually shaking. "What

aya had compiled. "Prescott Real Estate Empire..

keyboard in the background. "He is the sole heir to the entire Prescott gro

ist of properties under Nathan's direct control. He owned an

I was currently working two waitress jobs to cover our eight-hu

gned to an entertainment agency he owns through a shell company. He bought

ug so hard into my palms that the skin broke. I felt the

just wanted to use you, or cheat on you, why go through the troubl

on the magazine cover. The pieces clicked in

joys it. He likes the power trip of dragging a top medical student down into th

unded on the concrete stairs

hotkey macro I had set up. The screen instantly switched from the financial

e to go," I whispe

yelled. "Pack a bag and leave

ear. "No. If I leave now, my l

ocket. I quickly tucked my bleeding hands i

he door creaked ope

He was carrying a square cardboard box that smelled like

les in my face to relax. I pulled my lips up into the exact same

him, reaching out to take t

d, honey. Is i