Chapter 1

The air in the sterile office was cold, biting at Olivia' s exposed skin through the thin fabric of her prison uniform. She knelt on the polished floor, her gaze fixed on the tips of the expensive leather shoes in front of her. Three years. Three years in a maximum-security prison had hardened her heart, or so she thought. But seeing him again, hearing his voice, it was a different kind of punishment.

"A convicted felon, trying to seduce me?"

The voice was low, laced with a familiar cruelty that sent a shiver down her spine. Olivia felt like the world had dissolved, leaving only the sound of his words hanging in the air. She had loved this man, Daniel Miller, for five years. She had planned a future with him. Now, he was Detective Miller, a powerful figure in the new corporate order, and she was nothing.

The words "convicted felon" scraped against her soul, raw and painful. The color drained from her face, leaving it a sickly pale. She had survived so much, but this felt like the final, killing blow.

"Please, Detective Miller," she began, her voice hoarse from disuse. She finally lifted her head, forcing herself to meet his cold, dark eyes. "Help me get back to my parents' graves. I just want to bring them peace."

Daniel, now Detective Daniel Miller, let out a short, sharp laugh. He leaned back in his large leather chair, the picture of power and disdain. "I'm sure you, the former CEO, have forgotten. On the day your company crashed, all of your parents' assets were seized. Their names were tarnished. There's nothing left to bring peace to."

The news hit Olivia like a physical blow. Her parents' legacy, destroyed. A tremor ran through her body, but she held his gaze. Her face, once famous for its vibrant beauty, now bore a faint, silver scar across one cheekbone. Her body was frail, a shadow of her former self.

"Please, Detective," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Considering our past connection..."

She thought of their childhood, running through sunlit fields together. She thought of the five years she had devoted to loving him. She thought of how she had once begged her father, the powerful CEO, to help Daniel's struggling family business.

Daniel sneered, the sound sharp and ugly in the quiet room. He picked up a pen from his spotless desk and leaned forward, tapping it against her scarred cheek. His face, all sharp angles and unyielding lines, was filled with sarcasm.

"What connection, Ms. Reed?" he asked, his voice soft but menacing. "Was it when you sabotaged my family's venture? Or when you pushed Chloe into financial ruin? Or when your company went bankrupt, and you pushed Chloe to the brink of suicide?"

Chloe. His current fiancée. Her cousin. Three years ago, as Olivia' s world crumbled, he had made his choice. He saved his precious Chloe and abandoned the woman he was supposed to marry. Now, he had rebuilt his career from the ashes, and in the process, helped Chloe's father rise to become the new, all-powerful CEO.

"Olivia Reed," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "I'm being incredibly lenient by even letting you stand here."

Olivia bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with a desperate plea. "What if I told you, I didn't push Chloe..."

"Silence!" The roar exploded from him, and his fist slammed down on the desk beside her. The sound echoed in the room like a gunshot. "I saw it with my own eyes! Don't you dare lie to me!"

Olivia flinched, not expecting the sudden violence. Tears welled up in her eyes, hot and stinging. She blinked them back, the side of her face throbbing from the impact of the sound. But as if untouched by the pain, she slowly straightened her back. She rose to her knees again, a flicker of her old dignity in the movement, even as her words were filled with self-deprecation.

"Please, Detective," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. "Take me in." She looked up, and this time, she let the tears fall, streaming down her pale cheeks. It was a picture of pathetic vulnerability. Her ill-fitting uniform hung off her emaciated frame.

Behind Daniel, a group of officers watched the scene, their faces unreadable. Daniel glanced at them, a flicker of something-discomfort, maybe-crossing his face. He cleared his throat, his tone changing.

"Fine," he said, trying to sound bored. "Given your current status, taking you in as a maid wouldn't be out of the question. Once you're at my place, take good care of Chloe. Consider it penance."

She had to survive. That was the only thought in her mind. Olivia nodded numbly. "Yes."

She was still kneeling, frozen in place. In the next moment, Daniel stood up and moved around the desk. He grabbed her arm, his grip like iron, and roughly pulled her into his private office. He threw her over his shoulder, her stomach pressing hard against the unyielding muscle. Olivia felt a sharp pain but didn't dare make a sound.

He didn't even bother with the couch. He threw her onto the thick carpet. Weak from years of malnutrition, her head spun from the fall. She lay there, dazed.

Daniel loomed over her. His body felt hard and cold, like steel. She had once fantasized about their wedding night, a moment of passion and love. Never this. Never this humiliating, cold violation. Her teeth began to chatter.

He saw her trembling, her silent resistance, and it seemed to anger him more. He grabbed her wrists, pinning them easily above her head with one hand. His hot breath washed over her face, and her eyelashes, wet with tears, fluttered. She looked pitiable, breakable, and it only seemed to fuel his desire to torment her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her body going limp in resignation. That seemed to enrage him further.

"What?" he snarled, his voice a low rasp against her ear. "After three years of corporate espionage, you won't let me touch you?" He treated it like a business transaction. For men in his line of work, this was a common way to relieve stress. She was just a tool now. No longer the pampered CEO from three years ago. Just a disgraced criminal.

Recognizing the reality of her situation, Olivia stopped struggling. "I wouldn't dare," she whispered, her voice hollow.

Daniel held her thin wrist, a wrist he could snap with little effort. His other hand gripped her waist, there was no gentleness in his touch. He was rough, almost clumsy, as if he'd never been with a woman before. Or perhaps it was something else, a hateful humiliation, a deliberate act to torment and break her.

Olivia couldn't push him away. She couldn't escape. She could only submit, her eyes downcast. To preserve her last shred of dignity, she bit her lip and made no sound, a silent scream trapped in her throat.

Afterward, he pulled away and put on his jacket, casting her aside like a piece of trash.

"From now on, remember your place," he said, his voice cold and flat. "Don't touch what isn't yours, and don't harbor any inappropriate thoughts. Or I'll have you arrested immediately."

Olivia's body ached. Her throat was dry. "Understood," she managed to say.

Three years ago, she would have fought. She was the CEO of a powerful company. Three years later, who could she fight? Lying on the cold floor, she felt a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature. Her reputation, her dignity, they were all gone. She just wanted to live. Only by living would she have a chance.

Soon, an older woman came into the office. She helped Olivia up and led her to a small bathroom to wash up. As the woman helped her remove the rough prison uniform, she gasped. Olivia's back was a roadmap of faded and fresh whip scars, dense and overlapping.

"You're so young," the woman murmured, her voice full of pity. "How did you get so many injuries?"

Olivia knew the woman was kind, but she didn't dare say much. Everyone who had ever cared for her was gone. Everyone connected to her, except for Daniel, was dead. She clung to him now for one simple reason: he was a special confidant of the new CEO. Chloe's parents were the new leaders, and their power base was in the north. This was a hostile takeover, plain and simple. How could she, the former CEO, survive and make a comeback? She only hoped that by staying with Daniel, she could live a little longer.

She closed her eyes, shutting out the woman's pity. The woman, thinking she was unapproachable, said no more.

Olivia soaked in the hot water, feeling the warmth seep into her aching bones. She changed into clean, coarse clothes. For the first time in three years, she felt almost human again.

She went back to the office and sat obediently in a corner, not moving, not speaking. After a while, a man in a dark purple suit came in. He was not a regular aide; he was a high-ranking executive. He carried a bowl of a dark, steaming liquid. Olivia knew it was from Daniel.

In the past, when a rival company head had taken advantage of her during a forced business deal, he would also send her a bowl of medicine afterward, to prevent any complications. Her health was already ruined, Daniel didn't need to be so cautious.

Olivia didn't hesitate. She took the bowl, tilted her head back, and drank the bitter liquid in one go.

When she lowered her head, she saw the executive smiling at her. It was not a kind smile.

"Ms. Reed," he said smoothly. "The CEO has an order."

A sense of deep unease washed over Olivia, but she stood and knelt again, a habit ingrained by her new reality.

"Ms. Reed should have gone down with the former CEO," the man continued, his voice pleasant. "But since you were previously involved with a rival company, to preserve the corporate image, you are being given a secret medicine."

"Secret medicine?" Olivia' s voice was barely a whisper.

The assistant' s smile widened. "What you just drank, Ms. Reed, is the secret medicine. It will slowly take effect. In three months, you will collapse and die." He leaned in, as if sharing a delightful secret. "The CEO also said that giving you three months is already an act of great mercy. Ms. Reed, take care of yourself."

The man left. Olivia remained kneeling, stunned. Three months. She was going to die. Her own uncle, Chloe's father, was truly ruthless.

She stood up slowly, her legs shaking. A metallic taste filled her mouth, and she coughed, a spray of fresh blood splattering on the pristine carpet.

Three months. But three months should be enough.