Chapter 4: His Offer

KIANA

The shrill sound of my alarm jolted me awake. I was groggy from the effects of last night’s late return.

I didn’t want to admit it, but I genuinely enjoyed myself at the sugar baby party.

For a few hours, I was able to forget all the stress and pain that had been plaguing me for years. My mind had been too preoccupied with the rhythm of the music and the joy of dancing to dwell on anything else.

I checked my calendar. There was only one lecture today, and then I had the lunch shift at the café.

Thankfully, payday was coming up soon, but I knew it wouldn’t even put a dent in what I needed. I could barely afford my rent, let alone tuition.

I stared at my phone, hoping it would somehow provide the answer I needed.

Truth be told, there was one person I wished I could go to for help. But it was impossible.

It had been four years since I last heard from Uncle Jack. Four years since my entire life had upended into this semi-peaceful routine I had now.

All this time, I’d been hoping he’d find a way to contact me.

Part of me was still holding out hope that he would. Another part knew such wishes were futile and insisted that I abandon them.

He’d probably put me behind him and moved on a long time ago. Just like I hoped everyone else from my past life had done.

Another face I hadn’t seen in four years came to mind, one I hoped I’d never have to see again: ~my father~.

I knew he would give me the money without hesitation—out of pure guilt if nothing else.

But I immediately reconsidered. Yes, he might be one of the richest men in the country, but I’d left home for good reason.

I didn’t want his tainted money, and I didn’t want anything to do with him. My current predicament wouldn’t change that. Nothing would.

He was the kind of man who would expect something in return. He would constantly remind me of his generosity, make me feel like ~I~ owed ~him~ something. It wouldn’t matter that I was his daughter.

That was just the type of person my father was.

Besides, reaching out to him meant coming out of hiding. I knew he’d been searching for me ever since I left home, but he hadn’t found me…~yet~.

Tuition money definitely wasn’t worth the risk.

***

I returned home just as Mia started dinner. She was whipping up spaghetti Bolognese, my favorite!

I plopped down onto the stool, my eyes focused on the food.

“Hey, you okay?” Mia asked, her tone serious.

“Yeah, I’m just hungry. Class ran longer than expected today, so I had to skip lunch.” I tried to sound nonchalant, hoping she’d drop it.

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about. I can tell you’ve been upset about something the past couple of days.”

I let out a sigh. I should have known she wouldn’t let me dodge the question that easily.

“Talk to me. What’s up?” she asked, taking a seat next to me.

“It’s my scholarship. My program lost funding, and they can’t support me anymore,” I confessed.

“They can’t do that! You’re only in your second year!”

“I know, but believe me, they’re serious. There’s nothing the school can do unless I come up with £9,000 by the end of the month.”

She gasped. “Shit. Is that why you agreed to come to the sugar party with me? I thought it was because curiosity had finally gotten the better of you.”

“Yeah, I thought it might be a good option. But I just don’t know if I can do it.”

“Do you have another plan?”

I was clueless. “I don’t know,” I admitted, resting my head in my hands and groaning. “It’s too late to apply for a student loan or any other financial aid. Maybe I should just quit school for a few years and save up.”

“There has to be something we can do.” Mia sighed, sounding almost as defeated as I felt. “Something will come up. I just know it!”

She sounded a lot more optimistic than I felt.

LUCAS

Kiana Rose Ailana was a mystery…almost.

I decided not to dive into Kiana’s entire history. I knew how much a person could change during the transition from teenager into adulthood.

I wasn’t exactly the poster child of perfection during my own teenage years. And Chase had been beside me through it all, even participating in some of my more unsavory moments. But he was also the one who knocked some sense into me—eventually.

I needed a sense of purpose in life, and working for Chase gave me one.

Despite our friendship, I’d insisted on making my way up in the business just like any ordinary employee until I earned my place as his right-hand man. I was always discreet and loyal to a fault, which made me the best candidate for the job.

Chase had helped me discover my natural talent for investigation, and I particularly relished that work. Nothing ever slipped by me.

It was disconcerting how much you could learn about a person through a little deep diving. Which was why, unless Kiana gave me reason to dig deeper, I’d give her the benefit of the doubt about any recklessness before seventeen.

Her record for the past few years was so squeaky clean, she didn’t even have a parking ticket to her name. But her background was full of interesting contradictions.

She’d graduated from boarding school at the top of her class and seemed to embody all the qualities of a natural socialite. Yet her social life was as sparse as her bank account.

Her roommate was a well-known and respected sugar baby, but Kiana had never worked as one. Instead, she had a harmless student job at a café and volunteered at an animal shelter on the weekends.

She was an academically inclined woman who was serious about her studies. And she had just lost her scholarship.

She was seemingly the perfect woman for the role, and this looked like the opportunity she needed.

I brought the car to a stop, gazing at the worn path leading up to a little blue door that had once seen a brighter coat of paint. Stepping onto the pavement, the crunch of gravel underfoot was almost satisfying as I approached the door.

After a single knock, I heard muffled voices from within, then the sound of a chair scraping against chipped wooden flooring followed by light footsteps.

The door opened a crack, and there she was.

The seemingly perfect woman for the job.

KIANA

The man at the door looked every bit the consummate professional in his freshly pressed suit. He stood around six feet tall, and his attractive, almost pretty-boy features caught the eye naturally. His forest-green eyes radiated a comforting warmth that was sure to put those around him at ease.

If only I felt more at ease around men, I might have viewed him as a challenge.

“Hi, I’m Lucas,” he introduced himself politely, extending his hand.

I didn’t know who this man was, but I felt a strange, inexplicable sense of trust toward him.

I probably should have told him to jog on, but my curiosity got the better of me.

I opened the door a little wider. “Hi, Lucas,” I responded, feeling awkward as I eyed his hand.

He placed his hand back at his side, seeming unoffended by the lack of a handshake. “Are you Jade?” he inquired, a small, dimpled smile playing on his lips.

I was taken aback, my instincts immediately kicking in. Had this man followed me home last night? I started to close the door, but he stopped me.

“I mean no harm, I swear,” he assured me, raising his hands in a gesture of innocence.

“What do you want?” I asked, wary.

“I have a proposition for you,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a card. “Drop by Winters Security. Ask for Chase when you get there. The offer expires tomorrow night, but I suggest you go this evening.” He handed me the card and strolled away at a leisurely pace.

“Why?” I called out after him.

“Consider it a job offer,” he replied. Then he got in his car and drove out of sight.

I glanced down at the card in complete confusion. An address along with an obscenely large number was scribbled across it.

Was ~this~ his offer?