Chapter 4

Claire's POV

The next day, I was woken up by my phone blowing up with calls.

My grandmother's attending physician told me the account was running low on funds again. If I didn't pay soon, subsequent treatment might be interrupted.

I looked at the pitiful balance in my bank account and gritted my teeth, transferring all my savings.

That left me with five hundred dollars for living expenses.

When I got to the office, I could tell immediately that something was off.

Colleagues were gathered in small groups whispering. When they saw me come in, their voices dropped, but their eyes were full of prying curiosity and contempt.

"That's her, right? I heard she used to date Mr. Barrett?"

"What 'date'? She was his kept woman, wasn't she? I heard she took the money and ran when Mr. Barrett hit hard times."

"Oh my god, that's so mercenary. And now that Mr. Barrett's successful, she's throwing herself at him again?"

"Last night at the club, Mr. Barrett publicly humiliated her, and she still forced herself to drink. Talk about shameless."

The gossip from the break room wasn't quiet-every word stabbed like needles.

I poured myself a cup of water expressionlessly and walked out.

The voices cut off abruptly.

Back at my desk, a document was slapped down in front of me.

It was Barrett Corporation's project contract.

"Claire, Mr. Barrett's people said there are problems with the contract terms. He wants you to go revise them in person."

The department head looked at me like I was a spectacle. "Mr. Barrett specifically asked for you by name. Don't screw this up, or the whole company will be drinking the northwest wind because of you."

I picked up the document, my fingertips trembling slightly. "Understood."

What had to come would come.

I took a taxi to Barrett Corporation headquarters.

The towering office building pierced the clouds. Just standing at its base, I could feel that suffocating pressure.

When the receptionist heard my name, her expression subtly changed.

"Miss Davis, the CEO is in a meeting. He asked you to wait in the lounge."

That wait lasted a full four hours.

From morning until afternoon, without even a cup of water offered.

I knew he was doing it on purpose.

He was grinding down my spirit, crushing my dignity bit by bit.

It wasn't until sunset that the assistant finally sauntered over. "Miss Davis, Mr. Barrett has finished his business. You may go in now."

I pushed open the heavy mahogany door to the CEO's office.

The spacious office was frigidly air-conditioned.

Damien sat in his executive chair by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to me, reviewing a report.

The setting sun's afterglow bathed him in golden light, but it couldn't melt the chill surrounding him.

"Mr. Barrett."

I walked over and placed the documents on his desk. "Regarding the contract revisions..."

"Who told you to sit down?"

He turned around and coldly interrupted me.

My movements froze. I silently straightened up.

Damien casually closed the report and leaned forward, those intensely aggressive eyes locking onto me.

"I heard you need money badly?"

I didn't understand why he was suddenly asking this, but I nodded honestly. "Yes."

"How much do you need?"

"...Five hundred thousand." That was the cost of my grandmother's next surgery.

Damien let out a scoff, pulled open his drawer, took out a check, and pushed it in front of me.

I saw the number clearly.

One million dollars.

Exactly the amount I had "accepted" to leave him years ago.

"What does this mean?" I stared at the check, my heartbeat skipping.

Damien stood up and walked around the desk to stand before me.

He raised his hand, his slender fingers hooking a strand of my hair, twirling it absently.

The gesture was intimate, but his tone was venomous.

"Claire, Natalie is pregnant. It's inconvenient for me."

My mind exploded with a deafening roar.

What did he mean?

Damien lowered his head, his warm breath spraying against my ear as he said words that plunged me into an icy abyss.

"Be my mistress."

"This million dollars buys you for a year."

"However you sold yourself back then, that's how you'll sell yourself back to me now."