Serena’s POV
A week had passed since I’d faced Victor Crane in his snake-pit office, and shoved that fifty grand across his desk to buy Mia’s safety. The weight of his cold smile still haunted me, but the silence I'm giving Daniel Hawthorne was louder.
I had ignored his calls, his texts “I miss you,” “We need to talk”each one a reminder of his possessive rage at Neon Nights, his defense of me at Chanel. I couldn’t face him, not with my suspension from the club cutting off my income, leaving me scraping by on a waitress shift at a bar.
I'm sitting at the kitchen table, laptop open, scrolling through job listings - waitress, cashier, anything to keep us afloat. After paying off Victor. My account is red and the house rent is almost due. The last thing I want is for Mr Brown banging and y
