Chapter 2 THE COLD NIGHT

The digital clock on the dashboard of the night bus flickered: 2:14 AM.

Star leaned her forehead against the freezing glass of the window, her breath fogging the pane. The city outside was a blur of shadows and biting frost. Her body felt like it was made of lead, every muscle screaming from the double shift she'd just endured.

She pulled her thin coat tighter around her. She had been living with Alex for three months now, ever since her own landlord had tossed her things onto the sidewalk over a missed rent payment she'd sacrificed to pay for her textbooks.

Alex had been her hero then..the only one to offer a roof. He was "kind"he didn't yell, he didn't hit, and he let her stay.

When she finally reached the apartment building, she wrestled with the heavy front door until the frozen lock slowly gave in. She made her way up the three flights of stairs, her boots echoing through the hollow hallway.

Inside, the apartment was dark, lit only by the faint blue flicker of a computer monitor..

The air smelled of stale pizza and unwashed laundry.

Alex didn't look up when she entered. He was slumped in his gaming chair, a pair of oversized headphones clamped over his ears, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

"I'm home," Star whispered, her voice rasping from the cold.

"Cool," Alex muttered, his eyes fixed on the screen. "There's some leftover crusts in the box if you're hungry. Oh, and the heater is making that clicking sound again, so I turned it off."

Star looked at the thermostat. It was 55 degrees in the apartment. She was shivering, her hands purple from the walk from the bus stop, and he hadn't even thought to leave a light on or keep the room warm.

"Alex, I have that interview tomorrow," Star said, walking over to the small kitchen table. "The one for the senior journalism project. It's at 9:00 AM at the Scott Global headquarters.

"I need to look professional" She continued moving close to him this time for a cuddle.

"The CEO is a ghost...he never grants interviews. If I pull this off, I'll have my choice of jobs after graduation." Did you manage to pick up my blazer from the dry cleaners?"

Alex paused his game for a fraction of a second, a small frown crossing his face. "Oh. Right. No, sorry, babe. I got invited to a raid tonight. I'll go tomorrow afternoon, okay?"

"Tomorrow afternoon is too late," Star said, her voice trembling, not just from the cold, but from the sheer weight of her exhaustion. "This interview is fifty percent of my grade, Alex. If I don't get this profile done, I don't graduate."

Alex finally turned around, his expression "kind" in that way that felt incredibly patronizing. "You're always so stressed, Star. Just wing it. You're smart. Besides, who are you interviewing anyway? Some old corporate suit? They won't care what you're wearing."

Star looked at him; the man she had loved for two years and for the first time, she saw the yawning gap between them. He wasn't mean, but his kindness was passive. He didn't hurt her, but he didn't help her either. He just... existed, while she drowned.

"Something happened tonight, Alex," Star said, her voice dropping. "A man came into the bar. Some billionaire. I don't know his name...he didn't give it...but he was... terrifying."

At the mention of a billionaire, Alex finally paused his game, though he didn't turn around. "A billionaire? What about him?"

"He tried to buy me," Star whispered, the humiliation finally bubbling up. "He offered the manager ten times my salary just to get me into his hotel suite.

He sat there and looked at me like I was... like I was a prize he'd already won."

She expected Alex to be indifferent, but instead, he let out a soft, proud laugh. He finally swiveled his chair around, a sleepy but genuine smile on his face. He reached out and squeezed her cold hand.

"That's my girl," he said, his voice warm with a nonchalant kind of pride. "No billionaire can get my baby into his bed. You've got too much class for that, Star. That's exactly why I love you.

He leaned back, looking satisfied. "Let him keep his millions. He can't have what I have for free."

It was a "kind" sentiment, but it stung Star in a way she couldn't explain. He was proud of her virtue, yet he didn't notice she was shivering.

He loved that she couldn't be bought, yet he didn't offer to help her pay the dry cleaning bill for the blazer she needed for her future.

His love was a warm blanket that was too small to cover her, it kept her heart safe, but left the rest of her life out in the cold.

Already turning back to his monitor,he called out... "Hey, can you bring me a soda since you're up? I'm almost at the boss level."

Star didn't answer. She walked into the tiny bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She looked at herself in the cracked mirror. Her eyes were sunken, her skin pale. She looked like a ghost.

She thought about the thousand dollar tip Adrian had tossed on the bar like it was a pocket change. She thought about his offer, ten times her salary for a night of her time.

She shook the thought away, disgusted with herself. She wasn't that girl. She wouldn't be a "kept" woman.

She went back into the bedroom and pulled out her only other option: a simple white blouse and a black skirt. She spent the next hour ironing them with a cold iron she had to heat on the stove because the electric iron was broken.

By the time she crawled into bed at 3:30 AM, her heart was racing.

Five hours of sleep was all Star had before morning came. By 9:00 a.m., the doors of Scott Global Industries would open, and she would step inside to face someone she had never met. The thought settled heavily in her chest, not fear exactly, just the weight of exhaustion and the unknown.