Episode Four: The Offer
1493 Words
I barely made it home before the panic started.
Not the dramatic kind.
Not screaming.
Not crying.
Just the slow, suffocating realization that my life was collapsing piece by piece—and I couldn’t stop it.
Unpaid suspension.
The words kept repeating in my head like a curse.
I stood in the kitchen staring blankly at the unpaid bills stacked beside the microwave.
Electricity.
Rent.
Dialysis.
Late notices covered almost every envelope.
Mom was asleep in her room when I got back, thankfully. Mateo had gone to class, which left the apartment painfully quiet again.
I sat at the tiny kitchen table and opened my banking app.
Forty-three dollars and seventeen cents.
I laughed once.
A sharp, broken sound.
Then my phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
For one hopeful second, I thought maybe the hospital had changed its mind.
I answered immediately.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Reyes?” A smooth female voice spoke. “This is Vivian Vale’s office.”
My stomach tightened instantly.
Vale.
Again.
“What now?”
A brief silence followed, probably because normal people didn’t answer calls like that.
“Ms. Vale would like to meet with you.”
“I’m not interested.”
“She believes the recent incident involving her sister deserves a private discussion.”
The mention of the dead woman made guilt twist through my chest again.
I closed my eyes.
“When?”
“Tonight. Seven PM.”
“I can’t afford fancy dinners.”
“That won’t be necessary. A car will pick you up.”
Of course it would.
Rich people never asked.
They arranged.
The line disconnected before I could refuse.
I stared at my phone in disbelief.
Then immediately searched Vivian Vale online.
The results appeared instantly.
Elegant.
Powerful.
Beautiful in a terrifying way.
Board member of Vale Medical Group.
Damian’s older sister.
Wonderful.
Exactly what my nightmare needed.
Another billionaire.
At exactly 6:45 PM, a black car stopped outside my apartment building.
The neighbors noticed immediately.
Mrs. Delgado from downstairs nearly dropped her grocery bag staring at it.
I wanted to disappear.
Instead, I climbed inside wearing the nicest clothes I owned—which still looked embarrassingly cheap against the leather interior.
The driver said nothing during the ride.
The city changed outside the windows the farther we drove.
Old apartment buildings became glass towers.
Street vendors disappeared.
Luxury replaced survival.
By the time we stopped in front of the restaurant, my palms were already sweating.
I stared upward.
Crystal lights glowed behind enormous glass windows.
People dressed like they belonged in magazines moved inside.
I looked down at my shoes.
Big mistake.
Because suddenly I felt poor in a way I never had before.
A hostess greeted me immediately.
“Ms. Reyes?”
Apparently they’d been warned.
She guided me through the restaurant while people quietly stared.
Or maybe I imagined that part.
Either way, my skin burned.
Then I saw her.
Vivian Vale sat near the windows wearing a cream-colored dress that probably cost more than my yearly salary.
She looked polished in the way only wealthy people seemed capable of looking.
Perfect hair.
Perfect posture.
Perfect control.
Her eyes lifted toward me slowly.
Cold.
Very cold.
I instantly understood where Damian got it from.
“Ms. Reyes.” She gestured toward the chair across from her. “Please sit.”
I did.
Barely.
Vivian studied me for several uncomfortable seconds.
Like she was assessing damage.
“You look tired,” she finally said.
I almost laughed.
“Thank you.”
Her expression didn’t change.
“You’ve had a difficult few days.”
“You could say that.”
A waiter appeared beside us instantly.
“I’m fine,” I said before he could ask.
I wasn’t eating anything in this place.
Vivian folded her hands neatly on the table.
“My brother can be… impulsive when emotional.”
That surprised me slightly.
Because it almost sounded like criticism.
“Your brother thinks I killed his sister.”
Vivian’s face remained unreadable.
“My brother thinks many things when he’s grieving.”
Not exactly a denial.
I stiffened.
“I did my job.”
“So I’ve heard.”
Something about the way she said it made unease creep into my stomach.
“Why am I here?”
Finally.
The real question.
Vivian leaned back slightly.
“The board is nervous.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“The media attention surrounding Isabelle’s death is damaging Vale Medical Group.” She paused briefly. “Particularly because footage of Damian confronting you went viral.”
So the footage again.
My chest tightened.
“I didn’t leak anything.”
“I know.”
That caught me off guard.
Vivian continued calmly. “The public enjoys narratives. Right now, the narrative is simple.”
Rich heiress dies.
Overworked nurse blamed.
Cold billionaire seeks justice.
I hated how true that sounded.
“The company needs this situation controlled quickly,” Vivian said.
Anger flared instantly.
“A woman died and you’re worried about public relations?”
For the first time, something sharp entered her expression.
“Do not mistake composure for lack of grief, Ms. Reyes.”
The air between us tightened immediately.
Right.
Wrong move.
Vivian reached for her wine glass but never drank from it.
“My sister’s death devastated my family.”
Guilt stabbed through me again.
Even after everything, hearing that still hurt.
Because despite Damian’s accusations…
I never stopped feeling awful about Isabelle.
Vivian set the glass down carefully.
“But emotional reactions create expensive problems.”
There it was.
The billionaire mindset again.
Everything reduced to damage control.
“So what?” I crossed my arms. “You want me to disappear?”
“No.”
That single word immediately put me on edge.
Vivian’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“We want the public distracted.”
Cold crept slowly into my spine.
“What does that mean?”
Before Vivian could answer, movement near the restaurant entrance caught my attention.
People were staring.
Whispering.
Then suddenly cameras flashed through the windows outside.
Paparazzi.
My pulse jumped.
“What the hell—”
The restaurant doors opened.
And Damian Vale walked in.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Conversations lowered.
Heads turned.
Power entered the room wearing a black suit and exhaustion behind gray eyes.
His gaze found mine immediately.
Then moved to Vivian.
“You called her without telling me.”
Vivian remained calm. “Sit down, Damian.”
“I asked you a question.”
The tension between them was immediate and sharp.
Interesting.
Vivian finally sighed softly.
“You’re attracting attention.”
“No kidding,” I muttered under my breath.
Damian ignored me completely.
His eyes stayed on his sister.
“You shouldn’t have involved her.”
“Involved me in what?” I snapped.
Neither answered immediately.
Which was terrifying.
Then Damian looked at me fully for the first time since entering.
And something about his expression made my stomach tighten.
Not anger.
Calculation.
Like he was trying to solve a problem.
Vivian broke the silence first.
“The board believes a public reconciliation would stabilize the situation.”
I frowned.
“A what?”
Damian’s jaw hardened visibly.
“No.”
Vivian ignored him.
“The public currently sees you and Damian as enemies.”
“Because we are.”
“Exactly.” Vivian leaned forward slightly. “Which is why changing that narrative would benefit everyone.”
I stared at her.
Then at Damian.
Then back at her again.
Slowly, horribly, understanding began forming in my head.
“No.”
Vivian’s expression remained calm.
“We’re suggesting a strategic arrangement.”
“No.”
This time louder.
More horrified.
Damian finally spoke.
“It’s not happening.”
Relief hit instantly.
Thank God.
Then Vivian calmly slid a folder across the table toward me.
I looked down automatically.
Medical bills.
My mother’s records.
Past due notices.
My blood turned ice cold.
“How did you get these?”
“No wealthy family stays wealthy without information,” Vivian replied smoothly.
Rage exploded through me.
“You had no right—”
“Your mother needs a transplant.”
My voice died instantly.
The restaurant suddenly felt too small.
Too hot.
Too dangerous.
Vivian’s voice softened just enough to become frightening.
“Those procedures are expensive, Ms. Reyes.”
I couldn’t breathe properly anymore.
Damian’s expression darkened as he looked at the folder.
“Vivian.”
A warning.
His sister ignored it.
“The media already destroyed your reputation,” she continued. “Your suspension will become termination eventually.”
Each word landed harder than the last because deep down…
I knew she might be right.
Vivian folded her hands again.
“But public sympathy changes quickly.”
I stared at her numbly.
Then she delivered the sentence that shattered whatever remained of my normal life.
“Marry my brother for one year,” Vivian said calmly, “and your family’s problems disappear.”
- Writer
