Serena’s POV
Lila’s words hung in the air like thick smoke and it was suffocating me.
“Then you better be ready to bleed,” she said, her smirk sharp as she raised her whiskey glass.
My hands trembled, as rage and fear twisted in my gut.
The idea of surrendering to Daniel Hawthorne’s disgusting proposal to become his mistress made my skin crawl.
But Lila’s insistence that I had no other way out slapped me even though it was the truth.
Victor’s threats loomed tightening around my neck, and yet the thought of selling myself to Daniel felt like a betrayal of everything I stand for.
I opened my mouth to argue, but the dressing room door suddenly swung open, cutting me off.
Dante, one of the club’s bouncers, filled the doorway, his broad shoulders nearly brushing the frame.
“Sere
