Chapter 1

The eviction notice felt cold in Ava Miller' s hand.

Another one.

Her mother, Sarah, coughed weakly from the bedroom of their tiny New York City apartment.

The sound tore through Ava.

Medical bills piled up on the kitchen counter, a mountain of debt for Sarah' s chronic illness.

Ava, an NYU photography student, juggled two part-time jobs.

It was never enough.

Her dreams of capturing the world through her lens felt distant, buried under the weight of reality.

Tonight, a small gallery showcased a few of her photographs.

A sliver of hope.

Professor Albright, her mentor, had pushed her to submit.

Ava stood nervously in a corner, watching people glance at her work.

Then, a man stopped at her most personal piece: a black and white shot of a lone, resilient flower pushing through cracked pavement.

He was older, maybe late thirties, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that screamed money.

Charisma radiated from him.

He turned, his eyes finding hers. They were intense, captivating.

"Ava Miller?" he asked, his voice smooth.

Ava nodded, her throat suddenly dry.

"I'm Ethan Reed."

The tech billionaire. Ava had read about him.

"Your work is... compelling," Ethan said, his gaze lingering on the photograph, then on her. "It shows a unique perspective. A struggle, but also beauty."

He talked about art, about vision. Ava found herself relaxing, drawn in by his attention.

Then, he steered the conversation. "Professor Albright mentioned your talent, and also... some of your current challenges."

Ava flushed.

Ethan' s expression softened. "I' d like to help. Consider it a patronage. I'll cover your mother's medical expenses. All of them. And your NYU tuition."

Ava stared, speechless. It sounded too good to be true.

"In return?" she finally managed.

"Your companionship," Ethan said, his smile charming. "Attend events with me, public and private. Be an inspiration. A muse for my... philanthropic cultural interests."

A beautiful, talented companion. The words hung in the air.

Desperation warred with unease. Her mother needed this. Ava needed this.

"Is this... professional?" Ava asked, her voice small.

"Of course," Ethan said, though his eyes held a deeper promise. "Think about it, Ava. But I believe this could be mutually beneficial."

He gave her his card.

Reluctantly, desperately, Ava agreed a few days later. She told herself it was temporary. Professional.

But Ethan was attentive. He listened. He made her feel seen.

Genuine feelings began to stir within her.

Ethan lavished her with gifts, experiences.

He bought out her favorite struggling independent bookstore after she casually mentioned liking its old-world charm. "A piece of history preserved," he' d said, handing her a rare first edition he found there.

He arranged a private jet trip to a remote desert location just to witness a rare meteor shower, a celestial display that left her breathless. He held her hand, his thumb stroking hers, as stars rained down.

He funded a small community art project she' d volunteered for, a project close to her heart that had been on the brink of collapse.

Ava started to believe. His affection felt real, deep.

She was falling in love.

Then Victoria Hayes returned to New York.

Ethan' s ex-fiancée.

Ava had seen pictures. Victoria was stunning, powerful, a venture capitalist who moved in circles of extreme wealth and influence.

Her return from Asia was announced in business journals and gossip columns.

She wanted Ethan back. Ava was just an obstacle, easily removed.

The confrontation happened at Ethan' s penthouse, a place Ava was still getting used to, a place that felt more like a museum than a home.

Victoria was waiting for her, perfectly poised, a cold smile on her lips.

"Ava, is it?" Victoria said, her voice dripping with condescension. "Ethan has a type. Young, artistic, a little lost."

Ava stood her ground. "I don't know what you want."

"Oh, I think you do," Victoria purred. "You' re enjoying the gifts, aren't you? The bookstore? The meteor shower? That little art project?"

Ava' s heart tightened.

Victoria laughed, a sharp, unpleasant sound. "Darling, those are reruns. My reruns."

She pulled out her phone, swiping through photos.

Victoria and Ethan at the same bookstore, years younger, laughing.

Victoria and Ethan under a starry sky, a different meteor shower perhaps, but the pose was eerily similar.

Messages from Ethan to Victoria, poetic, passionate, describing his vision for a cultural foundation he wanted her to be part of.

"He' s not original, just... efficient with his romantic gestures," Victoria said, her eyes glinting with malice. "He always needed a muse. Someone to reflect his own grandeur."

Ava felt sick. The beautiful moments, now tainted, cheapened.

"He loves me," Ava whispered, more to convince herself.

Victoria' s smile widened. "Does he? Let' s test that, shall we?"

Her proposal was cruel, a game.

"I have a critical, time-sensitive crisis with a major past joint investment. It requires his immediate physical presence. I' ll text him now."

Victoria typed rapidly.

"You," she said, looking at Ava with disdain. "Text him that you' ve been mugged. Say you' re shaken, at a local police precinct. Something that would require his immediate concern, if he truly cared."

Ava' s hands trembled. This was insane.

But a dark seed of doubt had been planted. She had to know.

She typed the message: "Ethan, I' ve been mugged. I' m at the 17th Precinct. I' m okay, just really shaken."

She hit send.

Victoria smirked, her own phone already buzzing. "My text is sent."

They waited. One minute. Two.

Ethan' s phone, which he' d left on the coffee table, lit up.

Ava saw her own message notification.

Then, another message. Victoria' s.

Ethan walked back into the room, drying his hair with a towel, oblivious. He glanced at his phone.

His brow furrowed. He tapped Victoria' s message first.

His face went pale.

"What is it?" Ava asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Ethan didn' t look at her. He was already grabbing his keys, his jacket.

"Victoria needs me," he said, his voice tight with urgency. "An emergency with the Hayes-Reed fund."

He rushed past Ava, his eyes fixed on some distant crisis.

Ava' s message remained on his phone screen, unread, unanswered.

He was gone.

The heavy penthouse door clicked shut, the sound echoing in the sudden silence.

Ava stared at the door, then at Ethan's phone, her message still glowing.

Hours passed. No call. No text.

Victoria watched her, a look of triumph on her face.

"See?" Victoria said softly, cruelly. "Business and history. That' s what he values. You were a pleasant distraction. A placeholder."

The words hit Ava like physical blows.

The beautiful illusion shattered, leaving only cold, hard truth.

She thought of her photography, the scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London Professor Albright had nominated her for. A dream she' d put aside, thinking she' d found something real with Ethan.

Now, it felt like the only lifeline in a sea of despair.

But the application deadline had passed weeks ago. It was just another lost chance.

The reality of her situation, her role as a substitute, crashed down on her.

Victoria picked up Ethan' s phone, glanced at Ava' s unread message, and let out a small, contemptuous laugh.

"Don't worry, dear. I'll let him know you had a little scare. When he has a moment, of course."

She sauntered out, leaving Ava alone in the vast, opulent space that suddenly felt like a gilded cage.

The weight of her mother' s bills, her own compromised dreams, and Ethan' s casual betrayal pressed down on her, suffocating.