Chapter 1: The Weight of a Vow
The hospital room smelled cold and clean, but the steady beep of the heart monitor was the only sound keeping my world together.
I gently smoothed the blanket over my little sister Maya’s hands. She looked so small in the big hospital bed, her breathing quiet and her skin pale. The doctors had told me straight out: the surgery she needs cannot wait. Without it, her heart will stop. And the cost? It was an amount of money I could never make in a lifetime.
That desperation is the only reason I took a job as a maid in the massive Vale mansion.
"You're late, Yvonne."
The cold voice of Mrs. Gable, the head housekeeper, pulled me back to reality. I quickly wiped a tear from my cheek and turned around.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Gable. Traffic was bad," I lied, fixing my uniform.
Mrs. Gable narrowed her eyes. "The master doesn't like excuses, and neither do I. Tonight is a big dinner party, and his room needs to be spotless. Do your job, don't look anyone in the eye, and stay away from the private rooms."
Too late for that, a voice in my head whispered.
Even now, after escaping his bedroom earlier, I could still feel the heat of Damian's touch. The memory of him pinning me against the wall while his fiancée showered just feet away made me shiver. He was dangerous, arrogant, and completely off-limits. A billionaire playboy who played with people just to break them.
"Did you hear me, girl?" Mrs. Gable snapped.
"Yes, ma'am," I said, staring at the floor.
"Good. Grab your cart and start on the third floor."
As I pushed the cleaning cart down the long, bright hallways, I tried to calm my racing heart. I was here for Maya. Just a few more months of dealing with Damian Vale, and we would be safe.
I just had to survive him. And make sure his warnings never came true.
Pushing my cleaning cart down the quiet third-floor hallway, I let out a long breath. If I just kept my head down and worked fast, I could finish my shift without running into any trouble.
Then, a soft sound drifted from one of the guest suites.
I froze, stepping closer to the heavy wooden door as distinct, unmistakable moans echoed into the corridor. Someone was inside, and judging by the rough voice and muffled laughter, it was Caleb—Damian’s younger brother who had just returned from a business trip—busy hooking up with another random girl.
I hissed under my breath, shaking my head in disgust. Caleb, Damian—they are all the same. Rich, arrogant men who thought the world and everyone in it existed just to satisfy their urges.
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my cart and hurried past the suite, eager to finish my work and get as far away from the Vale brothers as possible.
I was nearly finished with the hallway when another maid hurried up to me, looking stressed.
"Yvonne," she whispered urgently. "Mrs. Gable is looking for you. She said you need to go clean Mr. Damian’s personal room right now."
My heart slammed against my ribs. Cleaning Damian’s room felt like walking into a nightmare. After what happened earlier in the prologue, the last place on earth I wanted to be was trapped inside his private space. I desperately wished he wasn't inside, or that I could clean his empty lounge instead. Anything to avoid him.
But luck was not on my side today.
When I pushed open the heavy double doors to his master suite, the strong, choking smell of cigarettes hit me instantly. I wrinkled my nose and instinctively raised a hand to cover it, coughing softly against the thick smoke.
From the shadows of the room, cold eyes locked onto me.
Damian was sitting in his leather armchair, a lit cigarette between his fingers. He had seen my reaction, and his expression darkened into a dangerous scowl. He was clearly upset that I dared to look offended by his smoke.
"Come here," he commanded, his voice a low, gravelly threat.
My feet felt glued to the floor, panic rising in my throat. But I forced myself to move, walking slowly toward him until I stood right at the edge of his personal space.
Damian leaned forward, a cruel, mocking smile playing on his lips. He took a long drag of his cigarette, looked me dead in the eye, and blew a thick cloud of smoke straight into my face.
Inside, I was burning with pure, unadulterated fury. Every fiber of my being wanted to scream at him, to slap the smug look right off his face. But I clenched my fists, swallowing my rage down deep. I had no choice. Maya needed this job, and I couldn't afford to lose it—no matter how much it cost me to stay.
