Chapter One.

The Deal.

Elsie Ray sat across from Aria Callahan, fingers clenched tightly around her lukewarm coffee cup. The steam had stopped rising a while ago, but she hadn’t taken a single sip. She couldn’t. Her stomach had twisted too tightly since Aria slid the thick white envelope across the table.

“Ten thousand now,” Aria said, voice low but calm. “The rest after it’s done.”

Elsie stared at the envelope but didn’t move.

“And by done,” Aria continued, leaning in slightly, her tone dipped in ice and silk, “I mean undeniable proof. Something that ruins him. Something he can’t explain away. A video. A photo. Anything, really. Just make sure he’s touching you.”

Elsie’s lips parted, but no words came. It felt like her mouth had gone dry, her voice locked somewhere beneath the panic rising in her throat.

“You said you needed money,” Aria said, brushing an invisible crumb off the table. “You said you wanted out of this city. This is your chance.”

“I didn’t think you meant this,” Elsie finally managed. Her voice was quiet, as if speaking too loudly might make the whole room collapse around her.

Aria raised a perfect brow. “Why not? It’s not like you’ve never lied before.”

The words stung more than they should have. Elsie blinked.

“You’ll be his secretary starting Monday,” Aria added. “I’ve already pulled the strings. Human Resources thinks you’re a last-minute recommendation from a shareholder. You’ll be right beside him. Every day. Waiting room. Board meetings. Late nights. Use your charm. Wear red lipstick, smile too long, lean in.”

Elsie looked away, her eyes catching on the streaked window where the rain had started tapping gently against the glass. Outside, the city looked blurred. Like something unfinished.

Aria’s voice softened, almost like a whisper, like they were two women in a confession booth instead of a corner café.

“I’m not asking you to sleep with him,” she said. “I’m asking you to destroy him.”

Elsie turned back. “Why?” she asked. “Why not just… leave him?”

Aria’s smile was small and bitter. “Because I want to walk away clean. With half of everything and none of the shame. Because he’ll never let me go otherwise. He’s too proud. Too careful. I want him ruined before I go.”

Elsie stared at her. It was strange how beautiful Aria looked even while speaking such ugly things. Perfect makeup, perfect posture, not a single crack in her voice. And yet… something behind her eyes flickered. Not anger. Not even hate. Just cold.And desperation.

“Who’s the other guy?” Elsie asked before she could stop herself.

Aria’s smile curled cruelly. “Richard. And he’s worth burning down an empire for.”

Elsie swallowed. She didn’t know much about love, but she knew what it looked like when it wasn’t real.

Aria leaned forward. “You do this, and I’ll give you one million. Enough to disappear. New passport. New name. New life.”

Elsie’s chest tightened. She thought about her apartment. The mold creeping along the bathroom tiles. The eviction notice folded and hidden in her drawer. Her mother’s old hospital bills. The weight she carried every single morning like it was stitched to her back.

She looked at Aria again, searching for some sign that this was a test, a joke, anything but what it really was.But there was only stillness in her face. And expectation.Elsie reached out. Slowly. Her fingers touched the envelope and pulled it toward her chest.Her voice came out quieter than she meant it to.

“I’ll do it.”

Aria smiled and stood. “Good girl.”

And just like that, Elsie’s soul made a sound she’d never heard beforelike glass cracking under pressure. The kind that didn’t shatter all at once.