Chapter 1

My hands were tied behind my back with nylon rope, the rough binding scraping my wrists raw until they bled.

"Look at you now, Eve. Pathetic."

Vic stood over me, looking down from on high. The handsome face that had once been so gentle with me now held nothing but contempt. "The Rockwood Group has filed for bankruptcy protection. Your precious family is flat broke now—not even a cent left. Did you really think I was going to marry some fallen heiress drowning in debt?"

He let out a mocking laugh. "Since you can't bring a fat trust fund into the marriage, the only way left for you to be worth anything is to use your body to pay it back here. Trust me, at a top-tier underground club like Elysium, plenty of Wall Street tycoons and Silicon Valley hotshots would love a taste of what it's like to bring the once-untouchable Rockwood heiress down to earth."

"Vic, you shameless bastard!" I struggled against the ropes. "My father's death, the company's collapse—you planned all of it! You'll rot in hell!"

Smack!

A hard slap cracked across the right side of my face.

"Watch how you speak to Vic, bitch."

Chloe stepped in front of me.

She had once been my closest friend. Now she was wrapped around my fiancé's arm like she belonged there.

"Don't you think her face is a little too much of an asset, babe?" Chloe turned to Vic. "That face of hers could still lure in plenty of men. If she hooks some billionaire in this place and whispers a few sob stories in his ear, we'll be the ones paying for it. So why not..." She smiled coldly. "Why not ruin that pretty face for good? Cut off those men's fantasies at the source. Better safe than sorry."

Vic's expression darkened instantly.

He knew exactly the kind of connections I used to have. If I ever got back on my feet, I would skin both of them alive.

He pulled a folding knife from his pocket and flicked it open with a click.

The blade pressed against my carotid artery, and every hair on my body stood on end.

No. I couldn't die here. If I was going to hell, I was dragging this cheating pair down with me!

"Don't! Vic, please!" I forced down the hatred in my eyes and let them fill with tears instead. "I never thought about getting revenge! Don't you remember? To get engaged to you, I dumped Alvin without a second thought! I even turned down all those Upper East Side heirs who were lining up to chase me! Everything I did, I did for you!"

My tears ruined my makeup as they streamed down my face. "You've already destroyed me. I have nothing left now. You're the only man I've ever loved... If you don't kill me, I'll do anything for you. Please, Vic..."

The moment I brought up all the powerful men I had rejected for him, Vic's bruised ego seemed to swell with satisfaction. His hand paused.

"See, Chloe?" Vic rubbed the blood from my neck away with his thumb. "This proud little peacock has turned into a bitch begging at my feet."

He put the knife away, walked to the safe, and took out a metal anklet. Without a shred of mercy, he snapped it around my left ankle. With a soft beep, the electronic lock sealed shut, and a glaring red light began flashing.

"Since you're being so obedient, I'll let you keep your worthless life." Vic grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "This is military-grade electronic monitoring. Step one foot outside the club's designated area, and the voltage will tear through you instantly. Right now, you're worth less than an ant. I can crush you anytime I want."

"I understand... I'll behave." I nodded frantically.

Stay alive.

Only if I stayed alive could I make them pay back today's humiliation a hundred times over.

Just then, Vic's phone started vibrating. He walked to the other side of the room and answered it.

"It's me." His voice immediately turned fawning. "How are things at the docks? Listen carefully—nothing can go wrong with tonight's reception. This isn't just about our shipping allocation. It decides whether we can open up that international gold route."

Whoever was on the other end said something, and Vic nodded repeatedly. "Go double-check security for the presidential suite right now. The man we're hosting tonight is the biggest power player on Wall Street. As long as Alvin enjoys himself, we'll get everything we want."

My head jerked up.

Alvin.

Vic was still talking, but I couldn't hear another word. My mind held only that one name.

Alvin Vance.

The boy from a poor family, brilliant and fiercely proud, the ex-boyfriend I had cruelly abandoned to save my family from collapse.

And now, he had become the untouchable VIP in Vic's mouth.