Nika thought that after signing the "contract of sold pride" in that hotel room, her suffering would ease. As it turned out, that was merely the opening chapter of a luxurious horror story named the Vane Estate.
The black Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of a gargantuan iron gate, tall enough to withstand a tank assault. As the gates groaned open, Nika practically pressed her face against the window. The grounds weren't just a yard; they were an urban forest meticulously groomed by a professional army of landscapers.
"Get out," Bara commanded... brief, blunt, and clinical, as usual.
Nika stepped out with hesitant strides. She had changed into a nude-colored blazer and pencil skirt that Bara had prepared in the car. The fabric? Don't even ask. It was so soft against her skin that Nika felt her red dress from last night was nothing more than a kitchen rag in comparison.
"Enter through the side door. Bi Lastri is waiting for you," Bara said, walking casually toward the magnificent main entrance.
"Wait, why am I going through the side, Sir?" Nika protested, her pride stung once again. "I'm your assistant, not the delivery girl!"
Bara stopped, turned slightly, and gave her a lethargic look. "You've only been on the job for an hour, Arunika. Don't expect to walk through the front door until you've proven you won't knock over my Ming Dynasty vases... each of which is worth ten of Dimas's lives."
Nika growled, her hands clenching at the sides of her expensive skirt. Patience, Nika. For Father. For the gallery!
She eventually circled around to the side door, which, as it turned out, was still far more luxurious than the front door of her father's shop. There, a middle-aged woman with a neat uniform and a serene face named Bi Lastri was waiting.
"Miss Arunika, right? Come in, dear," Bi Lastri greeted her warmly. Her smile was the only thing that felt human in this cold mansion.
The moment she stepped inside, Nika froze. She pulled her foot back just as it was about to touch the floor. Stretched out before her was a plush, pristine white carpet... so white that Nika felt the mere dust on her shoes was a criminal offense.
"Ma'am... is it actually okay to step on this? What if it gets stained? I don't have a spare kidney to pay for a replacement," Nika whispered in horror.
"Just walk on it, dear. Master Bara simply has a fondness for white," Ma'am Lastri chuckled.
Nika tried to walk on her tiptoes, as if she were navigating a minefield. She felt like a tiny ant lost in an elephant's palace. The ceilings were towering, the chandeliers were all crystal, and the scent... it was the scent of money. An aroma that made Nika feel even smaller.
"What are you doing? Performing a ballet?"
Bara's baritone echoed from the grand staircase. He had shed his jacket, leaving only a white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showcasing the muscular forearms that had gripped Nika so protectively the night before.
"I'm afraid of dirtying your carpet, Mr. Bara! It's too white! Why couldn't you just buy an earth-brown one so it lasts longer?" Nika protested, still perched on her toes.
Bara walked closer, each step on the white carpet radiating authority. He stood before her, looking down at her trembling feet.
"Just walk normally, Arunika. Don't give me a headache," Bara said flatly. "If it gets dirty because of your steps, I can just buy the entire carpet factory this afternoon. Stop acting like a poor person seeing luxury for the first time."
Nika glared. "I am poor, Sir! And I'm not exactly arrogant about it!"
"Good. Then stop tiptoeing and follow me to the study," Bara turned, but then paused. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "And one more thing... starting tomorrow, don't use the side door anymore. You're my personal assistant, not the gardener."
Nika was stunned. First he says don't use the front because of the vases, now he says use it? What a fickle boss!
Nika followed his lead with a heart full of resentment, but she managed a quick glance back at Bi Lastri, who was smiling meaningfully. In this mansion that resembled a cold museum, Nika felt that Bi Lastri was her only anchor of sanity.
As they passed through a hallway, Nika remembered the silver key in Bara's jacket from earlier that morning. Her curiosity began to swell again. This house was so vast; there had to be one door that could only be opened with that silver key.
"Sir," Nika called out as they reached the carved teak doors of his study.
"What now?"
"That silver key... what is it for? Why did you get so angry when I touched it?" she asked daringly.
Bara stopped dead in his tracks. His aura shifted instantly. The room, which was previously just cold, now felt suffocating. Bara spun around, pinning Nika against the wooden wall beside the study door. His large hands caged her in, and he leaned in until Nika could smell the mint on his breath.
"I told you, never ask about that if you still want to breathe in this house, Arunika," Bara whispered, his voice dangerously low and thick with threat. "Your job is to manage my schedule, not my secrets."
Nika swallowed hard. Her heart raced, not just from fear, but from their suffocating intimacy. Bara's gaze dropped to her lips for a second, making Nika vividly recall the brutal kiss in Room 1001.
"I... I understand, Sir..." Nika murmured.
Bara released her and shoved the study door open. "Get in. We need to prepare the files for the meeting with the representatives from Dirgantara Gallery this afternoon. I heard their arrogant new manager is coming to beg for an investment from me."
Nika gasped. Dirgantara Gallery? That was her father's gallery... the one Dimas had renamed! Her blood boiled instantly.
"Dimas is coming here?" Nika asked, her voice trembling with emotion.
Bara sat in his high-backed chair and looked at her with an enigmatic, crooked smirk. "Yes. And he has no idea that my personal assistant is the ex-girlfriend he just tossed into the trash."
Bara leaned forward, his gaze piercing. "Brace yourself, Arunika. This afternoon, we shall see... just how high the price of a traitor is when standing before the man who holds his money."
Nika clenched her fists. She felt the adrenaline peak. This was it. But one thing felt off. She looked at Bara suspiciously.
"Why are you doing this? Why choose me to face him?"
Bara paused, twirling a gold pen between his fingers. His eyes glinted with an unreadable motive. "Because I like watching a little kitten try to turn into a tigress, Arunika. And this afternoon... I want to see you claw."
Nika stood frozen. Bara Vane wasn't just a boss; he was the director of the revenge drama she was living. Yet, beneath it all, Nika knew there was a steeper price Bara was truly after.