Pov (Kira)
The Grand Ballroom of the Thorne Plaza smelled like rich people and expensive lies.
I adjusted my white apron for the hundredth time. The cheap material was so itchy against my skin. Five years ago, I wouldn't have been wearing a waitress uniform. I would have been on the stage in the center of the room, my fingers flying over the keys of a grand piano, wearing a silk dress that cost a fortune.
But dreams don't pay the rent. And they definitely don't pay off the debts my brother, Leo, likes to make.
"Kira! Stop daydreaming and move. Table four needs more champagne," my boss hissed. His face was red and sweaty.
I grabbed a silver tray. My hands were steady even though I felt a fire of anger in my chest. I moved through the crowd of rich people, avoiding the looks of men who treated me like I was just a piece of furniture.
Then, the room went cold.
It wasn't the air conditioning. It was a change in the feeling of the room—the kind that happens when a hunter walks into a room of prey. I didn't have to look up to know who it was.
Julian Thorne.
The "Ice King" of the city. At thirty-five, he had more power than the mayor. He was tall, very handsome, and wore a suit that probably cost more than my whole apartment building. His eyes were the color of a winter sea—beautiful, but they looked like they could drown you.
He walked past me. He didn't look at me. People like Julian Thorne didn't look at girls like me.
"Did you hear?" a woman at table four whispered as I poured her drink. "He just finished buying the Rossi land. Everything. Even the family graveyard."
My hand slipped. A drop of gold liquid splashed onto the white cloth.
That was my family. That was my home. He hadn't just taken our money years ago; he was acting like he owned our graves now.
"Watch it, girl!" the woman snapped, pulling her expensive hermès clutch away.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," I whispered. My voice felt dry and tight.
I ran back toward the kitchen, my heart was beating fast. I just needed to finish this shift.
One more hour, then I could go home to Leo. We were so close to being safe. One more month of extra work, and we could leave this city and its bad memories behind.
But when I pushed through the double doors into the back hallway, I didn't find the kitchen.
I found a nightmare.
Two men in black suits—Julian's bodyguards—had someone pinned against the wall. My stomach dropped.
"Please!" a voice cried. I'd know that voice anywhere. "I'll get the money. I just need a week!"
"Leo?" The name came out before I could stop it.
My brother looked up. His face was bruised and bloody. "Kira? Kira, run! Get out of here!"
One of the guards looked at me and smiled. He spoke into a radio on his shoulder. "We have a witness. It's the sister."
"Bring them both," a deep, scary voice answered back. The sound made me shiver.
Five minutes later, I was pushed into a private office at the top of the building. The walls were all glass, looking out over the city lights.
Julian Thorne sat behind a desk made of black stone. He didn't look up from the papers he was signing. He looked so calm, while my brother was bleeding on his expensive rug.
"Mr. Thorne, please," I said, stepping in front of Leo. "He's an idiot. He gambles. But he's all I have. Tell me the number. I'll pay it. I'll work three jobs. I'll give you every cent I make for the rest of my life."
Julian finally looked up. Up close, he was so handsome it felt like an insult.
"Two million, Miss Rossi," he said. His voice was smooth but hard. "Your brother lost two million dollars in my casino tonight. He tried to leave without paying. Do you have two million dollars?"
I couldn't breathe. "Two... million?"
"He cheated," Julian continued, standing up slowly. He walked around the desk. "And in my world, we don't call the police for cheaters. We bury them."
"No!" I stepped forward and touched his arm to stop him.
The moment my fingers touched his suit, he froze. His eyes dropped to my hand, then back to my face. For a second, the ice in his eyes changed into something hot and dark.
He grabbed my wrist tightly.
"Don't touch me," he whispered.
"Kill me instead," I said. My voice was shaking but my eyes were brave. "If you're going to be a monster, then do it. But let my brother go."
Julian looked at me for a long time. The room was totally silent. I could hear the clock ticking. I could hear Leo's heavy, scared breathing.
Julian leaned down. His breath was warm against my ear.
"I don't want his life," Julian said, his eyes staying on mine.
I felt a tiny bit of hope, but it went away when I saw the look in his eyes. He wasn't looking at a waitress. He was looking at something he wanted to own.
"I want you."
I pulled back, but he didn't let go of my wrist.
"I'm not for sale."
"Everything is for sale, Kira Rossi. Your family's name. Your music. Your soul. I already own the debt. Now, I'm giving you a choice."
He looked at his guards. "Take the boy to the basement. If she doesn't agree in the next sixty seconds, kill him."
"Wait!" I screamed as they grabbed Leo.
"What do you want from me?"
Julian let go of my wrist and fixed his tie.
"I want your time, Kira. One hundred nights. And in return, your brother's debt disappears tonight."
I looked at Leo, who was being dragged away. I looked back at Julian Thorne—the man who destroyed my father. The man I was supposed to hate most in the world.
"Why me?" I whispered.
"Because," Julian said, his voice very low and dangerous. "I've always wanted to see what it takes to break a girl like you."
I looked at the pen on the desk. I looked at the glass walls of his office. I had no choice.
"Fine," I said, the word tasting like poison. "I'll do it."
Julian smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.
"Good girl. Your first night starts tomorrow."