Rosewood, New York
The shrill ring of an old alarm clock pierced the silence of the tiny apartment.
5:00 a.m.
Without hesitation, Celina Baker reached beneath her faded blanket and silenced it before it could wake her father.
She stretched, slipped into her worn slippers, and quietly made her way to the small bedroom across the hall.
Her father was still asleep.
His face looked older than his fifty-six years, and the bottle of heart medication on the bedside table was nearly empty.
Celina picked it up and sighed.
"Just a little longer, Dad," she whispered. "Payday is only a few days away."
Her eyes shifted to a framed photograph beside the medicine.
A beautiful woman smiled warmly from the picture.
Her mother.
Gone for twenty_five years.
Every morning began the same way.
"Good morning, Mom," Celina whispered with a gentle smile. "I'm still chasing our dream."
She gently touched the frame before heading to the kitchen.
The apartment was modest, but the kitchen always felt alive.
Soon, the scent of butter and freshly toasted bread filled the room as she prepared breakfast.
Cooking had always been her escape.
Whenever she held a frying pan or mixed ingredients together, the worries of life seemed to disappear.
One day...
She would own a restaurant where families gathered, laughter filled the air, and no one left hungry.
That dream was what kept her moving.
After packing breakfast for her father and grabbing a simple sandwich for herself, Celina hurried to the bus stop.
Morning traffic had already begun.
People rushed in every direction, each chasing a different dream.
Some wanted success.
Some wanted wealth.
Some wanted love.
Celina wanted only one thing.
A better life.
Forty minutes later, the towering glass building of Steel Medical Center came into view.
The hospital stood proudly in the heart of Rosewood, serving thousands of patients every day.
For doctors, it represented excellence.
For patients, it represented hope.
For Celina...
It was simply where she earned enough to survive.
She greeted the elderly security guard with her usual bright smile.
"Good morning, Mr. Harris."
He chuckled.
"You're the only person who smiles before sunrise."
"I have too many dreams to be sad," she replied.
Mr. Harris laughed.
"Then don't ever lose that smile."
"I won't."
Pushing her cleaning cart into the spotless corridor, Celina began her morning routine.
She hummed softly as she worked, unaware that within the next hour, her ordinary life was about to change forever.
Suddenly...
The hospital's intercom crackled to life.
"Attention, all department heads. Please report to the main lobby immediately."
Whispers spread through the corridor.
"The chairman is here."
"No..."
"It's Aaron Steel."
"The CEO himself?"
"The Ice King?"
Even senior doctors straightened their coats.
Nurses hurried to their stations.
The entire hospital buzzed with nervous anticipation.
Celina simply blinked.
She had heard the name countless times.
Aaron Steel.
America's youngest billionaire.
A ruthless businessman.
A generous philanthropist.
A man who trusted no one.
She shrugged and dipped her mop into the bucket once more.
"What does that have to do with me?" she murmured.
Little did she know...
In just a few minutes...
She was about to collide with the one man who would turn her carefully planned life upside down.