Gina's POV
I hadn't planned on breaking my savings box.
I'd been adding money to it for months—mostly loose change, sometimes a few notes whenever I could squeeze something out of our tight budget.
It was supposed to be for emergencies.
Real emergencies.
But tonight felt like one.
I needed a dress for the gala, and I didn't have another option.
When I smashed the small wooden box open, the sound echoed through the apartment and my sister, Gia, rushed out of her room.
"What happened? Gina, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said, even though my stomach twisted. "I just… need something for work."
She crouched beside me, helping gather the scattered bills and coins. "For tonight? Can I come? I want to see this fancy thing. I'll sit in the car and wait. I won't bother anyone. I promise"
Her eyes were hopeful in that way that always weakened me, but not tonight.
Tonight had to be perfect.
I couldn't afford any form of distraction or worry.
There was no chance for anything to go wrong.
"I can't take you," I said gently. "It's a work event, Gia. I have to look like I belong there, even if I don't."
She frowned. "You do belong there."
I smiled, though it felt fragile. "Thank you. But I still need you to stay here. Please."
She hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. Just… be careful."
I hugged her, trying to absorb some of her warmth before the cold world outside swallowed me.
The money I'd saved wasn't much, but after hours of searching through stores, I finally found a dress that managed to make me look like I hadn't grown up fighting for every inch of stability.
A simple black gown, fitted but not loud, paired with a pair of heels that pinched in all the wrong places.
It would have to do.
I had no other option.
By the time I got ready and checked the mirror, I barely recognized myself.
I wasn't glamorous or breathtaking—just polished enough to survive the night.
At exactly seven, the sound of a horn echoed from outside.
It was a limousine.
I rolled my eyes. Of course
I took one last look at Gia, who blew me a dramatic kiss and whispered, "Don't let the rich people bully you."
If only she knew.
I stepped outside, and the driver opened the door without a word.
When I slid in, my breath caught.
Alexander was already inside.
He looked as if the chaos of the world never touched him with his crisp black suit and cold expressionless face. His hands resting loosely on his knee as if he owned everything around him—which he probably did.
His eyes moved over me for a split second before he looked away, uninterested. "You're on time. Good."
The air inside the limousine felt thick, as if talking too loudly would crack something.
I sat stiffly, clutching my small purse.
After a long stretch of silence, he finally spoke. "At the event, you stay by my side at all times."
"Alright," I murmured.
"You don't wander. You don't talk to anyone unless you're spoken to. You handle any document I give you immediately."
I nodded again.
He continued as if reading from an internal script. "You represent my office. Anything you do reflects on me."
"I understand."
He shot me a sidelong glance, sharp enough to make me straighten. "Do you?"
"Yes," I said firmly. "I do."
He studied me for a second, then looked forward again. "There's one more thing."
I braced myself.
"The cost of the damage you caused this morning will be deducted from your salary."
My stomach sank. "My salary?"
He didn't blink. "The window you cracked is custom-made. The repairs won't be cheap."
I opened my mouth to argue, but his gaze flicked to me with a calm authority that crushed the protest bubbling up in my throat.
"You could have apologized," he said coldly, "but you didn't. Actions have consequences."
I swallowed hard, not able to say a word. I just clenched my fists tightly, willing myself not to break down, "Understood."
He nodded once, satisfied, and the rest of the ride continued in heavy, suffocating quiet.
When the limousine finally rolled to a stop, I looked out the window and felt my breath catch.
The building glittered like a palace, lights reflecting off its glass walls.
Cameras flashed near the entrance as wealthy guests stepped out of cars that cost more than my apartment.
Alexander exited the car first.
The crowd parted around him instinctively, as if he commanded space simply by existing.
I hurried after him like a puppy, staying close like he instructed.
The moment we entered the gala hall, a wave of noise and brightness crashed into me.
The chandeliers glittered, people laughed too loudly.
Every woman sparkled like she'd been dipped in diamonds and every man stood tall, confident, dressed in tailored suits that all looked identical and impossibly expensive.
I felt painfully out of place.
I kept my expression tight, my posture straight and my steps measured.
I couldn't let anyone see how overwhelmed I was.
But after twenty minutes, I needed a moment to breathe. "I'll be right back," I whispered to Alexander.
He didn't look at me. "Make it quick."
I nodded and slipped away toward the restroom, weaving through groups of people who barely noticed me.
As soon as I entered the bathroom, I pressed my palms against the cool marble counter, trying to steady my breathing.
"You're fine," I whispered to my reflection. "You can handle this."
Before I could collect myself, a sudden hard shove hit me from behind.
I stumbled forward and crashed to the floor, my elbow scraping the tile.
Pain shot up my arm, and for a moment, I could only gasp.
When I lifted my head, I saw her.
The woman from the office earlier. What was her name again? Ah Valerie Cross
Her expression was pure spite with her arms crossed over her chest and her lips curved in a satisfied smirk.
"Well, well," she said. "Cockroaches really do crawl into every corner, don't they?"
Anger flared through the humiliation burning in my chest. "What is your problem?"
"You. You're my problem," she snapped. "Thinking you can parade around here and stand next to him. Do you really think you matter?"
I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the throbbing in my elbow. "Mr Alexander? I'm just here for work."
"You don't belong here," she hissed. "You're cheap, you're dressed like a knockoff nobody, and you're embarrassing him."
My jaw clenched. "You pushed me."
She stepped closer, eyes shining with glee. "And I'll do it again."
That was it.
I slapped her.
The sound cracked through the room like a whip.
Valerie staggered back, hand flying to her cheek.
"You little—"
She launched into a storm of insults, her voice rising.
"You think you're bold? You're nothing. Nothing… you hear me. Look at you—pretending you're someone. You're pathetic."
The door opened behind her as other women entered, gasping.
Soon, phones came out and people started recording.
I didn't care.
I wasn't going to let some stuck up jealous princess bully me.
"You don't get to treat me like trash," I said, my voice steady despite the shaking in my hands. "Not tonight. Not ever."
Valerie scoffed. "You'll be fired for this. And I'll make sure you never work in this city again."
"Maybe you could do that," I said. "But I'm not scared of you."
She lunged toward me again, but the sound of movement behind us made her freeze.
The crowd parted and Alexander walked in.
He didn't rush.
He didn't even look surprised.
He just moved with that cold, controlled confidence that made everyone instinctively step aside.
His eyes settled on me first.
There was something there—something sharp, tight and unreadable.
I tried reading it but I couldn't tell.
Then Valerie threw herself at him dramatically, pressing tears from her eyes as if squeezing drops from a lemon. "Alex! She attacked me! Look at what she did! You have to do something!"
For a moment, a foolish hope sparked in my chest.
A tiny, stupid hope that he might ask what happened.
That he might defend me.
That he might at least give me a chance to explain.
But he didn't.
He turned to Valerie, and without a single word, he lifted her off the floor as if she weighed nothing.
She curled against him triumphantly, her smirk hidden from everyone except me.
My heart sank.
He didn't say anything to me… not a single word.
He simply walked out with her in his arms, leaving me standing in the middle of the bathroom, humiliated, shaken, and suddenly unsure of everything I thought I knew about tonight.
The crowd whispered around me, recording with their phones.
My chest tightened until breathing hurt.
And for the first time since the morning, I wondered if stepping into his world had been the biggest mistake of my life.