THE NIGHT WE RUINED EVERYTHING

Chapter1

Chapter 1

Rain splashed against the bus window as Ariana pressed her forehead to the cold glass. The city outside looked blurry and distant beneath the heavy storm clouds hanging over the streets. Her phone buzzed in her hand.

*MOM:* I know you made a safe arrival, right?

Ariana stared at the message for a few seconds before replying.

*ARIANA:* Almost.

It was a lie.

Nothing about today felt safe or real. Not after the bank took their house away from them. Not after her father abandoned them without any explanation. And definitely not after she received a scholarship internship to work at the biggest tax company in the country — a place where people like her never truly belonged.

She sighed quietly and tightened her grip on her bag. Around her, the bus was almost empty. Most passengers had already left at earlier stops, leaving only the sound of rain hitting the roof and the low hum of the engine.

Ariana looked down at her reflection in the glass window. Her dark curls were slightly messy from the long trip, and exhaustion sat heavily beneath her eyes. She barely recognized herself anymore. Three months ago, her biggest worry had been paying for college textbooks. Now she was carrying the weight of her family’s future on her shoulders.

The bus finally slowed to a stop in front of a massive building that looked more like a palace than an office. Tall glass walls stretched high into the gray sky, shining even beneath the rain. Expensive black cars lined the entrance while security guards stood at the front doors like statues. At the very top of the building were the silver letters: *VALE CORPORATION*.

Ariana swallowed hard. This was it. The place people only talked about online or saw in magazines. The company was owned by a billionaire powerful enough to ruin lives with one signature. And somehow, she was supposed to work here.

The bus doors opened with a sharp hiss.

Ariana stepped outside carefully, immediately feeling the cold rain hit her skin. She quickly adjusted the strap of her worn bag and held her papers tightly against her chest before hurrying toward the entrance. Her heels splashed through puddles while workers in expensive suits walked past her without even looking her way.

She paused near the front doors for a second, staring up at the giant building. Everything about it screamed wealth, power, and control. The polished floors inside reflected the golden lights hanging from the ceiling. Even the air smelled expensive. She couldn’t imagine herself working in a place like this — a girl from a broken home. A scholarship intern with barely enough money for transportation.

People like her didn’t belong here. But she had no choice. Her mother needed her.

Ariana took a deep breath and stepped forward. Then suddenly—

*Boom.*

A man brushed roughly past her shoulder and the papers in her hands flew everywhere, scattering across the wet marble floor.

“Oh my God,” Ariana gasped. She immediately bent down, panic rushing through her as she tried gathering the papers before they got soaked. Important documents, application forms, internship files — everything was spread across the entrance.

A few people walked around her without helping. Of course they didn’t.

Then she heard a deep voice behind her, cold, sharp, and controlling:

“Why do they allow cleaners to move around freely during work hours?”

Ariana froze. Her fingers tightened around the papers in her hands. _Cleaner?_ For a second, she thought maybe she heard wrong. Slowly, she looked up.

The man standing in front of her looked unreal. Tall. Broad shoulders. Sharp jawline. Dark brown hair slightly wet from the rain. He wore an expensive black suit that looked tailored perfectly to his body, and his silver watch alone probably cost more than her entire wardrobe. But it was his eyes that caught her attention — cold brown eyes filled with arrogance.

He looked down at her like she was beneath him.

“Hey,” he continued calmly, though his tone carried authority. “You could get fired for making a mess like this.”

Ariana stared at him in disbelief.

“Such middle-class people can never stay away from flashy things,” he added. “They only care about money.”

Her face burned instantly — embarrassment, anger, humiliation all at once. Ariana slowly stood up, clutching the papers tightly against her chest.

“I am not a cleaner,” she said firmly.

For the first time, his eyes dropped to the papers in her hands. One corner of his lips lifted slightly.

“Scholarship intern?” he guessed. The way he said it sounded almost insulting, like he already knew exactly where she stood in comparison to him.

Ariana lifted her chin despite the nervousness crawling through her stomach.

“They’re really hiring jerks now too?” she snapped before she could stop herself.

Silence spread between them. The people walking through the lobby slowed slightly, sensing tension.

The man’s expression hardened. Ariana immediately regretted speaking. Then her eyes accidentally dropped to the name tag clipped near his suit jacket: *Damien Vale*.

Her breath caught. The name hit her instantly. Everyone knew the Vale family. Billionaires. Owners of Vale Corporation. The most powerful family in the city.

And standing right in front of her was Damien Vale, the billionaire’s son.

Great. Of all people. Ariana felt her stomach twist painfully. She had insulted the one person capable of ruining her internship before it even started.

Damien noticed the change in her expression and smirked darkly.

“Now you recognize me,” he said.

Ariana stayed silent.

“Some people,” he continued slowly, “don’t know their place.” His eyes moved over her simple clothes, her cheap shoes, and the old bag hanging from her shoulder.

“And next time,” he added coldly, “watch where you’re going.”

Without another word, he stepped around her and walked toward the private elevators. People instantly moved out of his way. Employees greeted him nervously. Security guards straightened the moment he passed. Power followed him naturally.

Ariana stood frozen in place, still holding her papers tightly. She watched the elevator doors close behind him. Only then did she finally breathe again.

Her heart pounded heavily inside her chest.

_What kind of person talks to someone like that? Arrogant, cruel, heartless. And unfortunately, unbelievably attractive._

Ariana groaned quietly to herself.

“This is bad,” she whispered. Very bad.

Because from the look in Damien Vale’s eyes, she alre

ady knew one thing for certain:

He was going to make her life completely miserable.