Elara's POV
The rain had slowed to a drizzle by morning, leaving the city washed but not cleansed. My body ached from a night spent on a lumpy mattress, my mind heavy with the same question that never let me sleep—what now?
With no work to run to, I wandered. The park was quiet, the benches slick with dew, the trees whispering secrets only the wind understood. I sank onto the nearest bench, clutching the last of my coins in my palm as if they could somehow multiply with enough prayer.
"Long morning, dear?"
The voice startled me. I turned and found an elderly woman seated at the other end of the bench. She was wrapped in a pale scarf, her posture straight despite her years, her eyes a soft gray that seemed to see more than I wanted to reveal.
"I… suppose you could say that," I said, managing a weak smile. "It hasn't been the best week."
"Life rarely is," she replied, her tone warm but threaded with wisdom. "But you don't look like someone who gives up easily."
Her words struck something deep in me, and before I could stop myself, I laughed bitterly. "Giving up isn't an option when you don't have anyone to catch you."
The woman studied me for a moment, her gaze sharp yet kind, as though she was weighing my soul. Before I could look away, a gust of wind swept through the park, carrying with it a crumpled sheet of paper that landed at my feet.
A newspaper.
I bent down and smoothed it open. My eyes snagged on the bold letters of a job advertisement:
"Private Household seeking discreet staff. Must be hardworking and reliable. Apply in person at Veyra Enterprises."
My heart skipped. The pay listed was more than I had ever dreamed of. It was enough to buy food, to pay rent, to breathe.
"Perhaps," the woman said softly, her eyes glinting as though she knew something I didn't, "fate is trying to hand you an opportunity."
I glanced at her, startled. She only smiled, her wrinkled hands folded neatly in her lap, as though she had planned the whole thing.
"I don't think people like me are meant for places like that," I murmured, staring at the polished lettering of Veyra Enterprises. The name alone reeked of wealth and power.
"People like you?" she asked gently.
I shrugged, embarrassed. "The kind who don't belong in the world of billionaires."
The woman leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "You might be surprised where you belong, child."
Her words lingered long after she rose and walked away, her figure dissolving into the trees.
I didn't know her name. I didn't know why she'd spoken to me.
But when I looked back down at the advertisement, I knew one thing: tomorrow, I would go to Veyra Enterprises.
And for the first time in weeks, hope flickered inside me.