(Alina)
The next morning, I woke up early. My mind was still on what happened last night, but I meant what I said—I wasn’t backing down.
I showered, got dressed, and ignored the feeling in my stomach that something was going to go wrong. I had the right to work. To live. Damian didn’t own me.
Two security guys were waiting outside the estate, as always. I didn’t say much to them. Just told them I had somewhere to be. They didn’t ask questions, but I could feel their eyes on me the whole time.
I went to three different places. I dropped off my resume and spoke to a couple of managers. Nothing fancy. Just something to start building my own life.
At the fourth spot, I was sitting in the small waiting area, scrolling on my phone, when the glass door slammed open.
I didn’t even need to lo
