PROLOGUE
1015 Words
ALLY
The sun poured into my room like an uninvited guest, burning my sleepy eyelids until I groaned in protest. I reached out blindly and slammed a hand on the alarm clock. That irritating buzz cut off mid-blare.
"Stupid machine," I muttered, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Same chaos, different morning.
"Ally! Come down for breakfast—don't be late to work!" my mom's voice rang out from the kitchen like a drill sergeant.
I let out a dramatic groan, grabbed the nearest pillow, and flung it onto the floor in protest.
Mornings weren't for me. They never had been.
Still grumbling, I forced myself out of bed, made it half-heartedly, picked up the pillow, and stumbled toward the bathroom. The usual ritual: brush, shower, stare at myself in the mirror with existential dread, then get dressed.
Blue jeans. Random t-shirt. Sneakers. That was the formula. I stuffed my essentials into my purse and trudged out to the kitchen.
"Thirty minutes," Mom noted with a raised brow, setting down a plate of pancakes.
"Good morning," I said, completely ignoring her time-tracking, and slid into the chair.
"Morning," Alesia and Gabriel mumbled through mouthfuls of food. My younger siblings. Alesia was in high school, Gabriel in middle school. Still kids with whole futures ahead of them.
I looked over at the empty chair at the end of the table. Dad's seat.
Still untouched.
"It's been over a week," I muttered.
"He's just... busy," Mom said quickly. Too quickly. Her smile was tight, her hands twitchy.
Alesia glanced up. "Busy doing what? Has anyone actually asked him?"
"I tried," Mom said, her eyes dropping to her plate. "He just said he's working on something."
I scoffed. "Too busy to say hi to his own family? I'm talking to him today."
"No—don't," Mom said, her voice unusually sharp. "He'll come around."
That made me suspicious. Something was wrong. Something they weren't telling us.
But I didn't push.
I finished my breakfast and left for the café.
Three part-time jobs. That's what it took to hold our family together. Dad's company crashed during my first year of college. The bank took everything—the house, the cars, the security we once knew. So I dropped out, used my savings to get us a small apartment, and started working nonstop.
Dad... was never the same after that.
"Ally!"
I snapped out of my thoughts to find Paige, my best friend, glaring at me across the café.
"You good?" she asked, arms crossed, eyebrow raised.
"Yeah. Sorry. Zoned out."
She softened. "Still worrying about your dad?"
I nodded. "Something's not right."
"You two used to be so close. You should talk to him. Maybe he'll open up."
"I will. Tonight."
"Good. Now stop daydreaming and wipe the tables before Ginger Satan walks in."
I snorted. Our manager was legendary for his bad attitude.
After the shift, I changed and caught the bus home. But as I walked toward the house, something felt... off.
There were luxury cars parked in our driveway—three black SUVs and a sleek Maserati. Our family only owned one: Dad's old Jeep.
My gut twisted.
I hurried to the front door. It wasn't even locked.
My heart pounded as I stepped inside.
Strangers in suits filled the living room. Stone-faced. Armed, maybe. They didn't belong here.
"Who are you?" I asked, but no one answered. Their silence was more chilling than words.
I rushed past them, heading straight for Dad's study.
Two more guards stood in front of the door. I didn't care—I shoved past them.
Inside, my world stopped.
Dad was on the floor. Blood smeared across his nose and brow. Mom was crying, holding Gabriel and Alesia tight against her. They looked terrified.
"What is happening? Who are these people?" I cried, panic rising in my throat.
One of the men turned to the man seated calmly behind Dad's desk.
He was gorgeous.
Devastatingly so.
And terrifying.
He radiated the kind of power that made your bones want to obey.
"Is this the eldest daughter you mentioned?" he asked, his voice quiet but commanding.
I blinked at him, stunned—then horror set in as one of the suited men kicked my father hard in the ribs. He groaned in pain.
"Stop it!" I screamed. "He doesn't have your money! Beating him won't change that!"
The man who kicked him moved toward me, rage in his eyes—but the boss raised a single finger.
Instant silence.
My eyes snapped to him. So he was in charge.
"Your father stole from us," the guard said. "The only reason he's still breathing is because of you. Be grateful for the boss's mercy."
Mercy?
"How much?" I asked, breathlessly. "How much does he owe?"
The boss smirked. "1.52 million dollars."
My knees nearly buckled. "That's impossible."
"I only took six hundred thousand!" my dad croaked.
"Interest," the boss said calmly.
I swallowed hard. "Please... we can come up with a payment plan."
"And how would you pay it back?" he asked coolly. "You work part-time jobs. You dropped out of college. Do you have a secret trust fund I'm unaware of?"
I had nothing to say. Because he was right.
After a quiet conversation with his right-hand man, the boss leaned back in the chair.
"My associate has offered a solution," he said. "Your father will be spared. So will the rest of your family."
I held my breath.
"You will come with us. You'll work as a live-in maid—unpaid—until the debt is settled."
The words knocked the wind out of me.
"No—absolutely not!" my father protested. "She's just a girl!"
"Then pay me my money," the boss replied coldly.
The silence that followed was heavy. Defeated.
Alesia tried to step forward. "I could do it—"
"No," I cut her off. "She's still a child. I'll go. When do I start?"
The violent one grinned. "Right now."
And that was the moment I knew.
I'd just sold my soul to the devil.
- Writer
