Chapter 11

Jace stood outside the door, dressed in a sharp, tailored black suit. Tall and lean, he carried an air of cold detachment that made him feel completely unapproachable.

With both hands casually shoved into his pockets, he lazily glanced at Liam and Nerissa underneath him, his brows twitching ever so slightly. His voice came out low and indifferent.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Nerissa instinctively looked up when she heard that voice, locking eyes with Jace's cool, detached gaze. Her heart froze for a second.

It was him.

He's... Liam's uncle?

Liam hurried to throw an arm over Nerissa's shoulder, forcing a sheepish smile. "It's nothing. She's my girlfriend, just fooling around."

"Girlfriend?" Jace echoed, dragging out the word with a raised brow, his eyes flicking over to Nerissa.

She had makeup on today, her skin creamy white and glowing. A soft blush dusted her cheeks, her lashes long and curled, framing a pair of wide, watery eyes full of fear. Redness ringed her eyes, like a helpless little bunny that'd been pushed too far.

Nerissa struggled to wriggle out from under Liam's arm, almost instantly denying, "I'm not his girlfriend..."

"Do I really have to spell it out, Uncle? I haven't had action in a while, just wanted to crash with a classmate for the night. I'm paying her, okay?" Before Nerissa could even respond, Liam cut in and started dragging her away.

He'd bumped into Jace a few times at this club, and every time it was just everyone minding their own business. His uncle never struck him as the nosy type.

Nerissa stumbled as he pulled her along, and just as they passed by Jace, he reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Uncle, what's your deal?" Liam looked genuinely confused.

"Leave." Jace said it flatly, just one word.

"But she — "

Liam tried to argue but shut right up when Jace shot him a cold glare.

"Pull something like this again and I'll have your dad break your legs." Jace's voice was like ice.

Liam had no comeback this time. He glared at Nerissa before stomping off, clearly pissed.

The restroom quieted down instantly. Now it was just the two of them, facing each other.

Jace glanced down, taking in her outfit — white shirt, tiny skirt, a bow tied around her neck. Definitely that club uniform for selling drinks.

"I... I'm just working here," Nerissa hurried to explain. "Thanks for stepping in back there."

Jace didn't say much. He just stepped out of the restroom and leaned casually against the quiet hallway wall — it was a better spot to talk.

He crooked a finger at her. Nerissa walked over.

"Short on cash again?" he asked flatly.

Nerissa shook her head. "Nope."

"Then why this job?"

"Trying to save up," she answered honestly.

Jace stared at her for a moment. "How much are you trying to save?"

"Sixty thousand."

He gave her a long, unreadable look. His eyes were dark, emotions buried deep.

Loosening his tie a little and popping open two buttons on his shirt, he finally looked up at her again.

"What if you can't save it?"

"Huh?" Nerissa blinked, confused by his random question.

"Planning to sell yourself again? Or maybe sell your eggs this time?" Jace said it with a calm tone, but the chill behind the words wasn't easy to miss.

Just a few days ago, Nerissa had been in one of the campus restrooms when she noticed something taped to the inside corner of a bathroom stall — a torn strip of paper, barely hanging on.

In smudged black ink, it read: "Looking for egg donors. Serious inquiries only. Big payout. Text [number]."

No fancy flyer. No logos. No mention of a clinic. Just a phone number and a promise of money. She'd been broke, desperate, and for a split second, seriously considered it.

Her fingers had hovered over the keypad as she dialed. But in her panic, she'd punched in the wrong number.

That call had gone to Jace.

And now, here they were.

Nerissa's face flushed instantly, even the tips of her ears burning. Even someone as mild-tempered as her couldn't quite take that kind of jab.

"I... I didn't," she stammered. She could tell he totally misunderstood. And honestly, she felt the need to clear it up.

Nerissa mumbled, "I just wanted to pay you back."

She had this stubborn streak — she only felt okay making money in a way that made sense to her. She asked for sixty thousand, and he handed her two hundred grand.

Something about it just didn't sit right with her, so now she wanted to return the extra.

Jace glanced at her with an unreadable look, his brows slightly drawing together.

Was this girl serious? Textbook overachiever, brain clearly fried.

"You really insist on paying me back?" he squinted, eyeing her up and down.

The club's uniform hugged her figure a little too well — curves in all the right places, tiny waist, legs long and straight. She still had that touch of baby fat on her cheeks, innocent with a hint of temptation... and it pulled him right back to that night a week ago.

But Nerissa nodded without hesitation. "Yeah. I have to."

Jace lowered his eyes just a bit and suddenly stepped closer, the space between them disappearing. She was completely swallowed in his shadow, those dark eyes locked onto her like he could see right through her. His voice went low and rough.

"Then spend one more night with me — we'll call it even. Deal?"