It was a quiet evening. The kind where everything feels still—like the world's holding its breath. I was in my room, sitting by the window, sketching little flowers in my notebook. I loved peaceful moments like these. They made me forget how broken things were at home.
My name is Ash. Just a normal girl. Or at least I thought I was.
Until that knock on the door changed everything.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Three loud bangs. Not polite. Not friendly. My heart jumped.
I ran to the door. "Dad, someone's here!" I called.
No answer.
He was probably passed out on the couch again. Drunk. That's been his habit ever since Mom died.
I opened the door… and the cold night air rushed in.
And then I saw him.
Tall. Dressed in black. His eyes—stormy, dark, and unreadable. Dangerous. Behind him stood two men who looked like they could crush someone's bones without blinking.
He didn't say hello. He didn't smile.
"Where is your father?" His voice was calm, but there was thunder behind it.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice shaking.
He took a step forward. I stepped back.
"I'm Kyler. And your father owes me a debt."
A chill ran down my spine. "Debt? What debt? I don't know what you're talking about—"
He cut me off. "He stole from me. Lied to me. Ran from me. That ends tonight."
I turned and screamed for my dad, who stumbled out of his room smelling like whiskey. His face turned pale when he saw Kyler.
"K-Kyler… I—I was going to pay back, I swear—"
"You had a year," Kyler growled. "Time's up."
And then everything exploded.
One of Kyler's men grabbed my father by the neck. I screamed, trying to pull them back. Kyler didn't even blink.
"Stop! Please, just tell me how much! I'll pay it!" I cried.
Kyler's eyes finally moved to me again. He studied me like I was something strange. Something he wasn't expecting.
"You?" he said, tilting his head. "You'd pay your father's sins?"
I nodded, tears spilling. "Yes. Just… don't hurt him. Please."
He stared for a long moment, then raised a hand. His men dropped my father, who collapsed on the floor coughing.
"Three hundred thousand dollars," Kyler said quietly. "You have six months."
My world shattered.
Three hundred thousand? That was impossible.
But I still said, "Okay. I'll do it."
He turned, walking away like a shadow. But before he left, he paused.
"And Ash?"
I looked up.
"From now on... your life belongs to me."