uette obscuring the dying rays of the setting sun as they flickered against the floor-to-ceiling glass walls. After a long moment, he slowly turned around. Th

and slightly raspy in the hollow room.

fa, her hands interlaced tightly over her knees to conceal an uncontrolla

nestly, her emerald eyes shimmering with the desperation of someone clinging to a final lifeline. "As I understand it, the role requires absolute

owly around the vast office. The sound of his shoes striking the marble floor th

e a way with words to please people. In your opinion, why would a man like me-the head of the

yond administrative duties, you might require someone to manage your lifestyle, monitor your

at Alma felt the air leave her lungs under the sheer weight of his presence. "You've hit

rofound, as if trying to pierce through the final layer of resilience shielding this woman-the girl he had sec

o know how she had been living. One look at her worn-out heels and the way she gripped

Aiden continued, his voice calm to the point of cruelty. "It requires a far greater commitment. A transaction where, upon its conclusio

ne. "Mr. Power... I don't u

th agitation. He slid a black folder toward her-a sim

shadows, with no status and no right to interfere with the child after it is born. That

st the reinforced glass of the 88th floor-fell abruptly silent. She stared blankly at the man before her: a powe

fting from shock to utter humiliation. "You would spend suc

for, and I don't have the time to investigate your circumstances. But let's be honest with each other, Alma. If you weren't at the end of your rope, you wouldn't have accepted an intervi

would rather be a janitor, rather starve to death, than sell

ho held fate in his hands. "Pride does not fill an empty stomach, Alma. I don't need to see your resume to know t

the day she lost everything-her life had been a series of days spent hiding amidst debts and exhaustion. This man didn't know the specifics of her past, but h

d of self-respect she was trying to cling to; on the other was the only lif

the roll of thunder before a storm. "Don't waste your tears. In this t

able than the tumor eating away at his body. A part of him wanted to stand up, to shed this cold facade, and w

less romance. He needed to know for certain if the Alma standing before him was still the gi

m as a monster, he had to ensure she remained within his sight before the hourglass of his life ran out of sand. Whether he would t

as he stepped closer to her. Aiden leaned in, his deep black eyes-resembl

aspy voice echoing painfully in her ear. "Look at yourself, Alma. Do not let that hollow pride deceive you. You came her

of hair falling over her pale face. Yet, the gesture held no aff

the victim in this room. The world out there will not show mer

tion left her breath hitched in her throat. She looked at the man before her-

lips parted, on the verge of uttering something-

ng up through the glass wall. He did not rush her, nor did he seem to care for her presence any longer. He simply left a heav

the ticking of the clock on the desk-steady and dry, like a count