A Hell Of Love

ChapterFour

The nurse’s words still echoed in my skull I ran into the hospital corridors. The scent of antiseptic choked me, the fluorescent lights felt too bright, and the pounding of my heart was louder than my footsteps.

When I reached my mother’s ward, two nurses were adjusting her IV while a doctor scribbled furiously on a chart. My mom looked so pale—her chest rising and falling shallowly, as though even breathing was a fight she wasn’t sure she could win.

“Doctor, please—what’s happening?” My voice cracked as I gripped the metal rail of the bed.

The doctor looked up, his expression heavy. “Miss Carter, your mother’s condition just worsened. She needs surgery within three days, or we may not be able to save her. For now, we’ve stabilized her with medication, but that will only hold temporarily.”

Three days.

Three days to find a miracle I didn’t have.

I swallowed hard, nodding, even though my body felt like it would collapse. I sat by her bedside, holding her frail hand, whispering promises I wasn’t sure I could keep

my phone was buzzing violently in my palm as I walked out of the hospital,I almost forgot I applied for another job the same day I lost my old job just out of desperation because what else could I do than trying out my luck?

I almost ignored it. Unknown number. And after the day I’d had, nothing good ever came from strange numbers. But something—hope, desperation, fear—made me swipe the screen.

“Hello?” My voice cracked.

“Is this Miss Lyra Carter?” A woman’s professional tone filled my ear.

“Yes… this is she.”

“This is the recruitment desk of The Orion Group. You submitted an application yesterday?”

My breath hitched. I clutched my chest as if to hold my racing heart in place. “Yes, I—I did.”

“You are scheduled for an interview tomorrow morning. Nine sharp. Please bring all necessary documents. Late arrivals will not be considered.”

My knees almost gave way on the sidewalk. Tomorrow? That fast?

“I—I’ll be there,” I whispered, my voice barely hanging onto composure.

“Good. Don’t be late.” The line went dead.

No pleasantries. No warmth. Just as sudden and sharp as a blade. But it didn’t matter. For the first time in days, there was light, even if dim.

I didn’t sleep that night. Between the hospital call earlier and now this interview, my mind twisted itself into knots. Mom. Rent. Bills. My future. Everything pressed down until my chest burned.

By 7:30 a.m., I was already standing outside the tall, glass-walled building that gleamed like a jewel in the morning sun. The Orion Group. The name itself felt powerful, as though stepping inside would either crush me or crown me.

Inside, the air was cold, scented faintly of lemon and wealth. Women in sharp suits and men in polished shoes moved briskly past me, their badges swinging from lanyards. I clutched my file so tightly that the edges dug into my palm.

“Interview applicants, this way,” a receptionist said without looking up from her desk.

I joined a row of nervous faces in the waiting lounge. My stomach churned so violently I thought I’d throw up the single piece of bread I’d forced down earlier.

One by one, names were called. People went in. People came out. Some looked pale. Some forced smiles. I whispered silent prayers under my breath, clutching the only hope I had left.

Finally—“Miss Lyra Carter?”

I shot up, nearly spilling the documents from my file. My knees trembled as I followed the assistant down the hallway.

“Right in there,” she gestured, stopping at a heavy oak door.

I smoothed my skirt with clammy hands, took a breath, and pushed it open.

And froze.

Behind the grand mahogany desk, legs crossed, gaze sharp as a hawk—sat him.

Rex Maddox.

The world tilted. For a second, I thought my knees would give out, that I’d collapse right there on the pristine carpet.

“You—” My voice was a whisper, disbelief strangling me.

His lips curved into that infuriatingly calm, knowing smirk. “Miss Carter,” he drawled, like he’d been expecting me all along. “Take a seat.”

I gripped the chair opposite him, lowering myself slowly, my pulse roaring in my ears. My throat went dry. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to stand, to run, but my legs refused.

“What… are you doing here?” I managed, my voice shaking.

“What am I doing? In my territory? .” His tone was casual, as if I’d just asked an obvious question

My jaw slackened.

“The Orion Group is mine,” he continued, leaning back in his chair with a controlled elegance that made my insides twist. “And I personally asked that your application be scheduled for today. Thought I’d see for myself if the person behind that polished CV was as impressive in person.”

The memory of his words at the bar—you’ll regret sitting here tonight—slammed into me with brutal clarity. He had known. He had already seen my CV. That smug bastard.

“You knew,” I whispered, my nails digging crescents into my palm. “That night—you already knew.”

His smirk deepened. “You catch on quickly.”

My chest burned. Rage. Humiliation. Fear. Everything tangled together. “Why?”

He didn’t answer at first. Just let the silence stretch, the ticking of the clock amplifying every second until my heart felt like it might burst. Then he leaned forward, his gaze pinning me to the chair.

“Because people like you amuse me.”

I flinched as though struck.

“You walk into a bar the night,” he went on, his tone silky, almost lazy, “looking like you’ve lost everything but still pretending you haven’t. Then you sit at my table, bold enough to look me in the eye. Most people would have crumbled. You didn’t. That makes you… interesting.”

My chest heaved. Anger bubbled up, desperate to break free. But before I could speak, his expression hardened.

“But let me be clear, Miss Carter.” He straightened, all smirk gone now, only cold steel left in his eyes. “You will not be working here.”

The words sliced me open. I gripped the file in my lap, fighting back the tears burning at the corners of my eyes. “You—you can’t just—”

“I can,” he cut in smoothly. “And I have.”

My breath came out in sharp gasps. Images of my mother in that hospital bed flashed before me. The doctor’s words—three days or we might lose her—echoed like a curse. I swallowed hard, forcing my voice out past the lump in my throat.

“Please,” I whispered, hating how small I sounded. “I need this job. I need the money. My mother—she’s…” My voice cracked, tears spilling despite my desperate attempt to hold them back. “Please, don’t do this.”

For the briefest second, something flickered in his eyes. Something almost human. But it was gone in an instant.

“You’ll find another job,” he said coldly, leaning back again. “This one isn’t for you.”

The dam inside me broke. I stood so fast my chair screeched against the floor. My documents scattered from the file, but I didn’t care. “You’re cruel,” I spat, my voice trembling. “Heartless. You think life is a game you can toy with, but it’s not. People bleed for survival while you sit in your glass tower, amused.”

His gaze never wavered. He didn’t flinch. Didn’t apologize. Just watched me, silent, as though cataloging every inch of my fury.

I grabbed my things with shaking hands, stormed to the door, and left before the sobs clawing their way up my throat could escape.

⸻

That day, I curled into the corner of my bed, staring at the peeling ceiling as my chest heaved with silent cries. Everything felt hopeless. No job. Mom dying. Bills stacking. My whole world was crumbling, and I had nothing left to hold it together.

Then my phone buzzed.

Unknown number. Again.

With shaking hands, I answered. “Hello?” My voice was raw.

“Same bar,” a deep voice commanded, cold and unmistakable. “Same time. I don’t tolerate latecomers.”

My stomach dropped. “Rex?”

The line went dead.

I stared at my phone, trembling with fury. He hadn’t even given me a chance to respond. He didn’t ask—he ordered. Like I was just another pawn in whatever cruel game he was playing.

“Arrogant bastard,” I muttered, slamming the phone onto the bed.

But even as anger burned hot in my chest, another thought crawled in, unwelcome but undeniable. What if this is my only chance?

Because as much as I hated him… he held the power. And I had nothing left to lose.

And that was when my life took a turn I could never undo.