Lina's heart pounded as she stood frozen on the sidewalk. Daniel's car had disappeared down the road, but the tension from their last exchange still clung to her like a second skin.
The fuck just happened?
One minute she was in a luxury car, and the next, she was being kicked out like she'd overstayed her welcome.
Her jaw clenched, frustration bubbling inside her. She wanted to scream, to curse him out loud for being such a cold, unpredictable asshole. But she swallowed it down, reminding herself who she was dealing with.
Daniel Viggo.
A man no one in their right mind would dare cross.
She exhaled sharply, adjusting the strap of her bag. At least she was near a main road. Hailing a taxi wouldn't be too difficult.
With a tired sigh, she raised her hand and waved down a passing cab.
The car slowed, and the driver—a middle-aged man with graying hair and tired eyes—rolled down the window.
"Where to?" he asked, voice gruff.
"West Haven Apartments," Lina said, pulling open the door.
The driver nodded, and she slid into the backseat, sinking into the worn leather.
The ride was quiet, save for the occasional honk of impatient drivers and the hum of the radio playing some old R&B song. Lina leaned her head against the window, exhaustion pressing heavily on her shoulders.
She replayed the events of the night in her head, trying to make sense of it all. Why had Daniel chased her down? He had already gotten rid of her, so what was the fucking point?
And why did he have to be such a cold, arrogant dick about it?
She sighed, shaking her head. Thinking about him was a waste of her fucking energy.
Fifteen minutes later, the taxi pulled up in front of her apartment complex. It wasn't fancy, but it was home. A three-story building with beige walls and small balconies, the kind of place that housed hardworking middle-class folks trying to get by.
She paid the driver, stepped out of the car, and made her way inside.
The hallway smelled like a mix of detergent and someone's half-burnt dinner. A dim light flickered overhead, casting long shadows on the scuffed tile floor. Lina climbed the stairs, her legs aching with every step, until she finally reached her door.
Apartment 6B.
Home.
She unlocked the door and stepped inside, letting out a long breath as she kicked off her shoes.
The apartment was small but neat. A single room that served as her bedroom and living space, with a tiny kitchenette in the corner and a narrow bathroom tucked to the side.
It wasn't much, but it was hers.
Her parents had begged her to move back home countless times, telling her she didn't need to struggle on her own. They had a house. A small business she could inherit if she wanted.
But she didn't fucking want it.
Lina had bigger dreams. She wasn't going to settle for some tiny shop and a life of mediocrity. She wanted more.
More money. More power. More fucking success.
She wanted to sit at the same table as people like her boss—not as an employee, but as an equal.
Maybe even higher.
She had always dreamed of running her own company, of building something so big, so powerful, that no one would dare look down on her. She wanted to walk into high-end buildings and have people turn their heads in recognition, whispering about her accomplishments.
She wanted to be untouchable.
She imagined herself in a sleek office, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. A place where she called the shots, where she had an assistant running after her, where she signed million-dollar contracts without blinking.
Lina didn't just want to survive. She wanted to dominate.
And yet, here she was, struggling to keep her eyes open in a cramped apartment, dead tired from a day of barely making ends meet.
She exhaled, rubbing her temples. Her whole body ached, a dull, pulsing reminder of the long, exhausting day she'd had.
She sat on the bed, stretching her legs out, and closed her eyes for a second.
Just a few minutes of rest before a shower, she told herself.
But her body had other plans.
The second her head hit the pillow, exhaustion took over.
And before she could even think about getting up, sleep pulled her under.
---
The apartment was silent, save for the distant hum of the refrigerator. Outside, a car alarm blared for a second before cutting off, followed by the muffled laughter of people passing by.
Lina didn't hear any of it.
She was already deep in sleep, her breathing slow and steady, her body sinking into the mattress like she hadn't rested in days.
For once, her mind wasn't filled with thoughts of work, struggle, or Daniel Viggo's infuriatingly unreadable expressions.
She was just… gone.