ARIA'S POV
The slap came before I even closed the front door.
"You're late again!" My stepmother's voice cut through the air like a knife. Her hand had left a burning mark on my cheek.
I dropped my bags, exhausted. Three jobs. Sixteen hours of work. My body ached everywhere. "I'm sorry. The restaurant needed me to—"
"We don't care about your excuses!" Vivienne, my stepsister, laughed from the couch. She was eating expensive chocolates while scrolling through her phone. "Look at you. You smell like garbage."
I did smell bad. Like grease from the restaurant, cleaning chemicals from the office building, and sweat. My clothes were stained and old. But these were the only clothes I owned.
Marco, my stepbrother, walked down the stairs. His suit probably cost more than I made in three months. "Father's calling a family meeting. Even your boyfriend is here." He smirked. "How special."
My heart jumped. Damian was here?
I rushed to the bathroom and tried to clean up. Maybe this meeting was good news. Maybe they finally saw how hard I worked. Maybe they wanted to help me finish college. For six months, I'd been dating Damian Cross. He was the first person who ever made me feel special. Maybe he convinced them to be nicer to me.
Hope burned in my chest as I walked to the living room.
Everyone sat in a circle. Father in his chair, looking old and tired. Stepmother next to him, her face cold. Marco and Vivienne on the couch, sharing some private joke. And Damian...
Damian sat next to Vivienne. Very close to Vivienne.
Something felt wrong.
"Sit down, Aria," Father said. His voice sounded heavy.
I sat on the floor. There were no chairs left for me. There never were.
Father cleared his throat. "I'll be direct. I owe the Red Dragon Triad three hundred thousand dollars. Gambling debts. They're coming to collect tomorrow."
My stomach dropped. Three hundred thousand? That was impossible money.
"We've found a solution," Stepmother said quickly. Her eyes were hard. "The Triad boss needs a wife. You'll marry him. The debt will be cleared."
The room spun. "What? No. I can't—"
"You can and you will," Father said. He wouldn't even look at me. "It's already decided."
"But I'm only twenty-three! I have school, I have—" I looked at Damian desperately. "Damian, please, tell them this is crazy!"
Damian finally looked at me. His handsome face showed no emotion. "Actually, Aria, I think it's a good solution."
My heart stopped beating.
He took Vivienne's hand. Held it right in front of me.
"Sorry, babe," he said with a small smile. "But Vivienne and I have been together for four months now. We're in love. You were just... practice. A way to pass time."
Vivienne giggled. "Did you really think someone like Damian would want you? Look at yourself. You're nothing but a maid in dirty clothes."
The room disappeared. I couldn't breathe. Four months? We'd been dating for six months. He was with her almost the whole time?
"The night we... when I..." My voice broke. I'd given Damian my virginity two months ago. In a cheap motel. I thought it meant something. I thought he loved me.
"Oh, that?" Damian shrugged. "Yeah, Vivienne and I had a good laugh about that. You were so awkward and nervous." He kissed Vivienne's cheek. "Baby here is much better."
Marco laughed. "Come on, Aria. You had to know you're not good enough for our world. This marriage to the Triad boss is the best you'll ever get. He's sixty years old and has three other wives, but at least you'll be useful."
"Useful?" I whispered. Tears burned my eyes but I wouldn't let them fall. Not in front of these people.
"The meeting is over," Father said, standing up. "The Triad is sending someone to collect you tomorrow morning at eight. Pack your things. Don't embarrass us by fighting."
They all stood and walked away. Vivienne and Damian walked upstairs together, his arm around her waist. My stepsister looked back and winked at me.
I sat on the floor alone.
Twenty-three years. Twenty-three years I lived in this house, hoping they would love me. Hoping if I worked hard enough, if I was good enough, they would finally see me as family.
But I was never family. I was just something they could use and throw away.
My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number:
"Miss Chen. Red Dragon Triad. We're coming early. Midnight tonight. Don't run. We'll find you. And when we do, we'll make you wish you never tried."
Midnight. I looked at the clock. It was already 9 PM.
I had three hours.
My hands shook as I stood up. I had nowhere to run. No money. No friends. No one who cared if I lived or died.
Another text came through. This time with a photo.
My blood turned to ice.
It was the boy from my college. The sweet kid who always helped carry my books. His face was beaten and bloody. The message underneath read:
"He saw our business deal tonight. We're taking care of witnesses. You're next after him. See you at midnight, future wife. Or see you in the alley where we handle problems. Your choice."
I ran to the window. A black car sat outside my house. Watching. Waiting.
They weren't waiting until midnight.
They were already here.
And I had nowhere left to run.