The Deal

[Rose's POV]

My mouth opened.

Then closed.

I couldn't make a single sound.

In the end, I heard a voice say,"Okay."

The voice was soft. It sounded distant, like it didn't come from me.

Alistair's fake, gentle smile finally had a hint of something real.

He looked satisfied.

He reached out and slowly smoothed out a wrinkle on his suit that wasn't even there.

"Good."

"You'll quit your job at PwC tomorrow. From now on, you're Lilith."

"No."

I refused immediately.

The warmth he had been faking disappeared. His eyebrows tightened. His eyes were full of clear anger.

I stared at him.

"During the day, I'm an auditor at PwC. My name is Rose Lang."

"This is my identity. My life. It's not something to trade."

"At night, I can be whoever you need."

I said each word slowly and clearly.

"This is my bottom line."

We stared at each other.

The cold air in the police station crackled between us.

He probably didn't want to push me too far. In the end, he gave in.

"Fine."

The deal had officially started.

And a deal needs a price.

"I want an apartment downtown."

"The property must be under my name. I want it done tomorrow."

"I need all the clothes, bags, and jewelry in Lilith's style sent to the apartment."

"Whatever I need to play her part, you have to provide."

"Of course."

Alistair agreed right away. His tone made it sound as simple as buying me candy.

Then he added his conditions.

"You must live alone. You can't stay with your mother. That's the only way James will believe you're Lilith."

"And make him stay the night as soon as possible."

He looked straight at me. His voice dropped.

"You know my real goal."

Pregnancy.

The word stuck in my throat like a ball of dirty water. I felt sick.

I didn't say anything.

I just nodded.

"This weekend, I'll send you an etiquette coach."

He kept giving orders.

"You'll learn how Lilith talked, how she acted, and who she knew. You need to become her."

"My mother can't know anything about this."

That was my final request.

"Don't worry."

The deal was sealed.

He pulled out his phone and made a call.

A few minutes later, a police officer walked over and told my mom it was all a misunderstanding. She could go home now.

Alistair didn't even look at me again. He just walked out of the station.

I helped my mom outside. The night wind made her shiver harder.

She was still out of it.

"Rose, what happened?"

"Why did those people just leave?"

"It's over, Mom."

I pushed her into a taxi and held her tightly.

"It's all taken care of."

But how was it taken care of?

With her daughter's body.

With her daughter's womb.

With her daughter's ruined future.

My chest burned with rage. All that was left was hate.

I was only twenty-three.

I worked so hard to get into Stanford. I thought I could finally take control of my own life.

Why?

Why do I have to pay for what those monsters did?

After we got home, I helped my mom lie down.

She was so tired she fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.

I sat alone in the dark living room. I didn't move.

My phone screen lit up and buzzed.

It was a message from Alistair.

An address. A luxury apartment downtown.

Below that was a cold line of text:

"The property will be transferred to your name tomorrow. Move in this weekend. Get ready for training. Everything you need is inside."

I looked at the address.

The fire in my chest finally burned away all my reason.

I opened my laptop.

I typed in a URL.

The screen changed. I entered a dark corner of the internet I never thought I'd step into.

I found a hacker. Codename: Ghost.

I sent a message.

"I want everything on James Watson and the Black Group."

"The dirty secrets. All of them."

He replied almost instantly.

"High-risk target. Price: $500,000."

I stared at the blinking cursor. Then typed my answer hard.

"Money is not a problem."

I want revenge.

I want every single one of them to pay.

This time, I won't wait to be judged.

This time, I'll be the one who judges.