Lina's POV - Friday Morning, Penthouse
I didn't sleep. How could I, knowing that by morning I have to decide between two impossible choices: two more years in Rio's beautiful cage, or losing everything I've built?
The sunrise through the floor-to-ceiling windows feels mocking—another perfect San Francisco morning in my perfect penthouse prison.
My phone buzzes. Diego, for the fifteenth time since last night: "Lina, please call me. Whatever's happening, we can figure it out together."
But we can't. Rio made that clear. If I choose to walk away, Diego gets deported, my company goes bankrupt, and I lose everything. If I stay, I get two more years of being Rio's perfect accessory while he treats me like a contract in private.
A knock at my door, sharp and impatient.
"Come in."
