Chapter 1 One

Chapter One

I never thought the sound of a pen scratching against paper could feel like a knife carving through my conscience.

The contract sat before me, cold and crisp, the ink still wet from the lawyer’s fountain pen. I stared at it for a long time, wondering how something so simple , a few strokes of my name , could decide the rest of my life.

“Miss Hale,” the man in the black suit said, his tone calm, detached. “You understand the conditions of this agreement?”

My throat tightened. “Thirty days,” I whispered. “With your employer.”

He nodded. “Yes. You’ll be expected to stay on-site for the duration of the contract. No communication with outsiders. You’ll receive full payment at the end.”

“Full payment” , those two words sounded like a miracle and a curse at once.

The exact amount needed to pay for Lena’s surgery. One hundred and eighty thousand dollars.

The price of my purity. My dignity.

I swallowed hard. “And the condition… about, ”

“Virginity,” he finished for me, as if we were discussing a business statistic. “Yes. It’s non-negotiable.”

Something inside me twisted. It was too strange, too specific, but I didn’t ask why. I couldn’t afford to care. Not when Lena was lying in a hospital bed, counting her breaths. Not when the doctors had said she might not survive another month.

The man pushed the pen toward me. “You may sign.”

My fingers shook. I thought of Lena , her smile, her laughter, the way she used to braid my hair when we were kids at the orphanage. We promised to never leave each other behind.

And now, I was selling myself so I could keep that promise.

I signed.

The lawyer checked the signature, then folded the papers neatly. “Someone will pick you up tomorrow evening at seven. Bring only essentials.”

That was it.

No turning back.

The next morning, I barely tasted breakfast. My stomach was too heavy with guilt.

I went straight to the hospital. The smell of disinfectant hit me as soon as I walked in , sterile and sharp, like the air was trying to erase the smell of suffering.

Lena’s room was at the end of the corridor, where the light always seemed softer, like even the sun pitied her.

She smiled weakly when she saw me. “Hey,” she breathed. “You look like you haven’t slept.”

“I haven’t,” I admitted, forcing a small smile. “But I have good news.”

Her eyes lit up with a fragile kind of hope. “Don’t tell me…”

I nodded, stepping closer. “I got the money.”

Tears filled her eyes immediately. “Aria, no… you didn’t, You didn’t do something stupid, did you?”

I looked away. “It’s just… a job. A short one. The company is giving me an advance loan.”

She frowned. “A loan? What kind of company gives out that much money?”

“The kind that really needs people,” I lied, my chest tightening. “Please don’t worry, Lena. Just focus on your surgery. You’re going to be fine.”

She stared at me for a long time, her voice trembling. “You’re lying.”

I forced a laugh. “I’m not. You know me , I’d tell you if I was.”

Her eyes glistened, her hand reaching out for mine. “Promise me, Aria… promise me you won’t get hurt.”

I hesitated before nodding. “I promise.”

She didn’t need to know that promise was already broken.

I paid the hospital right after.

When I handed over the envelope of cash, the receptionist’s expression shifted from disbelief to awe. “You’re really paying in full?”

“Yes,” I said quietly.

Lena’s surgery was scheduled for the next day.

I should’ve been relieved. But instead, all I felt was a deep, gnawing dread. Because while she would be waking up in a hospital bed with a new chance at life… I would be stepping into a stranger’s house, giving mine away.

By evening, I stood outside the orphanage gates with a small bag , the only life I owned folded inside it.

The black car waiting at the curb gleamed under the streetlight, tinted windows hiding the world inside.

A tall man stood beside it, wearing all black , the kind of man whose presence filled the silence before he even spoke.

“Miss Hale?” His voice was rough but polite.

“Yes,” I said softly.

He opened the back door. “Mr. Donovan’s waiting for you.”

I slid inside, my heart thudding against my ribs.

The car smelled like leather and pine. Expensive. Cold.

We drove in silence for almost an hour, the city lights fading behind us until all I could see were trees and shadows. The road narrowed, winding through thick forest. The world outside looked like a secret nobody was meant to find.

When we stopped, I stared out the window and forgot how to breathe.

The mansion loomed ahead , tall, ancient, its gray stone walls crawling with ivy. Dozens of lights glowed from within, but somehow, it still looked dark. Too dark.

The guard opened the door for me. “We’re here.”

I stepped out, my boots crunching against the gravel.

The air was colder here, sharper.

I could hear something distant , maybe the sound of wind through trees. Or maybe… something else.

The front doors opened before I could knock.

A woman in her fifties, dressed in a sleek gray uniform, greeted me with a polite smile that didn’t touch her eyes.

“Miss Hale, welcome. I’m Mrs. Blake, the housekeeper. Follow me, please.”

Her tone was efficient , not warm, not cruel. Just… neutral. Like she’d done this before.

The interior of the mansion was breathtaking. High ceilings, marble floors, chandeliers that looked like falling stars. Everything was silent, too clean, too perfect. I almost felt afraid to breathe.

She led me through the hallways to a large guest room. “This will be your space. Mr. Donovan will speak with you in the morning. Dinner will be sent up shortly.”

“Thank you,” I murmured.

When she left, I finally exhaled. My heart was still pounding.

I sat on the bed, staring around the room , at the velvet curtains, the flickering fireplace, the faint scent of cedarwood in the air. It was beautiful, but it didn’t feel safe.

It felt like a gilded cage.

A soft knock startled me.

When I opened the door, it wasn’t the housekeeper , it was a man. Maybe in his late twenties, tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in black jeans and a fitted shirt. His dark hair was a little messy, his smile lazy.

“Hey,” he said, leaning against the doorframe. “You must be the new girl.”

I blinked. “New girl?”

He chuckled. “You know. The… guest.” His eyes flickered over me, playful, but not unkind. “Don’t look so scared. This place can be creepy at night.”

“I’m not scared,” I lied.

“Sure,” he said with a grin. “I’m Jax. Security.”

“Oh.” I nodded awkwardly. “Aria.”

“Pretty name,” he said. “Listen, if you need anything, ”

“What are you doing here?”

The voice came from behind him, deep and sharp enough to freeze the air.

Jax straightened immediately. “Alpha, I mean, sir. I was just, ”

“Leave.”

The man’s command cut through the hallway like a blade.

Jax dipped his head once, then shot me an apologetic look before walking away.

And then I saw him.

He was taller than I’d imagined , dark hair, gray eyes that seemed to glow faintly under the light. There was an aura around him, cold and commanding, like he didn’t belong to this world at all.

He looked at me once, slowly, his gaze sweeping over me like a silent accusation.

“Is this how cheap you are?” he asked quietly.

The words hit harder than any slap.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My throat closed up. Shame burned through me, hot and sharp.

He didn’t wait for an answer.

He turned and walked away, the scent of pine and smoke lingering in the air after him.

For a moment, I stood there frozen , angry, humiliated, confused.

Then, finally, I shut the door and pressed my back against it.

I didn’t cry. Not yet.

But I knew then , the next thirty days were going to destroy me.