The rain had turned into a freezing drizzle that soaked through Star's thin uniform by the time she reached her apartment. Her shift at the bar had been brutal,eight hours of standing on her feet, smiling at strangers while her bank account sat at zero.

As she pushed open the door, the first thing she felt was the cold. The radiator was dead, a silent metal tombstone in the corner of the room.

The second thing she saw was Alex. He was slumped in his chair, the blue light of his monitors reflecting off his glasses, his fingers flying across a controller.

"Alex?" she whispered, her voice cracking from the cold. "Did you call the landlord about the heat?"

"He didn't pick up," Alex muttered, not even glancing at her. "Probably because we're two weeks late on the rent, Star. Use your head."

Star set her bag down, her eyes falling on the kitchen table. Her heart stopped. There, amidst the empty takeout containers, was a sleek, neon-lit box for a high end gaming headset.

"The money," Star said, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly calm level. "I left two thousand dollars in the jar for my final tuition part payment.

Alex finally paused the game. He turned around, his face twisted in a defensive, ugly scowl. "I needed the gear for the tournament next week, Star! It's an investment. I'll make it back ten times over.

" Star's voice rose, her British accent becoming sharp and jagged. "I am working double shifts while you gamble our life away! That was my degree!

"Why are you always so dramatic?"

"You know what?" Alex stood up, kicking his chair back. The cowardice in his eyes turned into a cruel, petty rage. "I'm sick of the lectures. I'm sick of you acting like you're some saint just because you pay some of the bills...... If you're so worried about the money, go find that billionaire who was sniffing around you at the bar. We both know he'd pay more than just your tuition."

The silence that followed was absolute. The words hit Star like a physical blow to the stomach. The man she had loved supported for two years had just told her to sell herself to fix his mess.

"You know what? I'm done. I'm going out, and I'll be back in thirty minutes. Before then, I want you to pack your things and get out of my house. Get out of my life."!!!!

The words hit her like a physical blow. The man she had sacrificed everything for was throwing her away like trash.

"Alex, please-"

"Thirty minutes, Star. If you're still here, your shit goes in the hallway." The door slammed with a force that made the thin windows rattle.

Star collapsed against the frame, her chest heaving. She was alone, penniless, and in half an hour, she would be homeless in a city that was currently five degrees below freezing.

Less than ten minutes had passed when a heavy, authoritative knock sounded. Star wiped her eyes, her heart leaping into her throat. Had Alex changed his mind? Was he coming back to apologize?

She swung the door open, her plea dying on her lips.

It wasn't Alex.

Adrian Scott stood in the dimly lit hallway, looking like a dark god who had descended into a slum. His tailored wool coat was damp with rain, and his presence made the narrow corridor feel even smaller.

"How did you find me?" Star gasped, clutching the doorframe.

"I have people for that," Adrian said, his voice a low, professional chill. "But more importantly, I saw your boyfriend leave. He looked like a man who just lost the only good thing in his life. I believe he gave you thirty minutes?"

Star's face went pale. "You were watching?"

"I was protecting my interests," Adrian stepped into the apartment, his eyes scanning the "Final Notice" on the table.

"I sacrificed everything for him,I missed my rent payment cause of this gig he had,I loved him"....she lashed out

"How could he..." She continued "I gave him everything...my whole world"

She let out a hollow, bitter laugh that sounded more like a sob, her hands trembling so violently she had to grip the edge of the marble counter to stay upright, her eyes brimming with hot, stinging tears that finally spilled over "I gave him every piece of me. I made him my whole world......and he throws me out like I'm nothing but a burden."

Adrian watched Star crumble, feeling an unfamiliar, physical ache in his chest as he witnessed her spirit break.

A primitive urge nearly drove him to pull her into a reassuring embrace to stop her shivering, but his cold nature intervened.

As a man defined by logic and steel, Adrian didn't do emotions or comfort. He forced himself to remain a statue of ice, clenching his fists to resist the impulse to touch her.

Choosing power over temporary comfort, he suppressed his humanity to offer her a cold, calculated solution instead of the hug she needed.

"I'm not here to buy a night, Star. I'm here to make an investment. My car is downstairs. I have a room in my penthouse ,a wing where no one will trouble you. Not even me."

He reached out, his thumb brushing a stray tear from her cheek. The heat of his skin was a shock against her frozen face.

"You will finish your degree, you will sleep in a bed that is actually warm, and you never have to see that boy again."

Star took a step back, her pride warring

with her desperation.

"And what do you want in return? No one gives away a room in a penthouse for free."

"The return is simple," Adrian said, his eyes darkening with a possessive, hungry glint. "Once you have your degree, you work for me. Only me. You will head the media team for Scott Global. Your talent, your voice, your loyalty; it all belongs to my company."

Star looked at him, her voice trembling. "I don't want to live in the same building as you. I want my own space."

Adrian's mouth tilted into a slow, deceptive curve. "I can see to that in the future. But tonight, Star, you have no money, no heat, and a man returning in twenty minutes to throw you into the snow. I am the only door that is open to you."

Star looked at the empty, miserable apartment. She had no parents to run to,no friends no savings left, and a city outside that wanted to break her.

Adrian Scott was offering a warm bed, a path to her degree, and a shield against the world that had just crushed her.

If she had to play a game of shadows with a billionaire to survive, she would. She would stay independent, she would keep her door locked, and she would save every cent till she found her feet.

She would use him, just as he intended to use her.

"Ten minutes," she said her voice gaining a sudden, sharp edge of defiance. "And I want a lock on my door. One that you don't have a key for."

Adrian's smirk didn't fade; it deepened, his eyes glinting with the look of a man who loved a challenge. "Pack your things, Star. The clock is ticking."

CHAPTER 6

The ride to the penthouse was a blur of rain slicked glass and heavy silence. Inside the SUV, the air was climate controlled to a perfect warmth that made Star's skin prickle. Adrian sat beside her, not saying a word, his long legs crossed, his gaze fixed on the window ahead. Yet she could feel his attention pinned on her like a spotlight.

The elevator opened directly into a world of silent, breathtaking luxury. The penthouse was a cathedral of glass and polished marble, hovering high above the Chicago clouds.

Adrian led her down a wide gallery where the only sound was the faint hum of the city far below.

He stopped at a heavy, dark wood door. "Your wing," he said, his voice dropping into a smooth, velvet low. "Everything you need is inside."

Star stepped in, gasping. The room was massive, bathed in the soft glow of the skyline. A king-sized bed waited with silk linens, and a private terrace overlooked the lake. It was beautiful, but it felt like a trap set in gold.

She turned back to him, her eyes guarded. "The key?"

Adrian didn't say a word. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy, silver key.

He didn't drop it into her hand; he took her wrist, his touch electric and firm, and pressed the cold metal into her palm. His thumb brushed over her knuckles, a slow, deliberate caress that made her breath hitch.

"One lock. One key," he murmured, leaning . "As I promised, Star. I won't enter unless you turn that lock for me,good night"

The sudden change from a teasing hunter to a serious man of his word left her confused.

His calm, respectful behavior gave her a small sense of relief. Maybe he truly meant to keep the boundary he had set.

As Adrian walked away, Star couldn't help but notice how his damp white shirt clung to his muscular back and shoulders. She felt a confusing spark of attraction, but she pushed it down, thankful for the safety of her locked door.

.......................................... ........................................ ........................................ ...........

Star moved with urgency the next morning, hoping to slip out before Adrian's magnetic presence could pull her back in. She found him already waiting in the kitchen, looking sharp in a dark suit, the air between them instantly charging with the same electric tension that had sparked the night before.

"Good morning, Mr. Scott," she said, her voice steady despite her racing heart.

Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of discomfort crossing his face at the cold formality of the title. He preferred her fire to her distance.

"I wanted to thank you properly," she continued, clutching her bag. "For putting a roof over my head. I don't take it lightly."

"It's not kindness, Star," he replied, his voice a low vibration that made the air feel thin. "It's an arrangement."

Star nodded, using the reminder of their "deal" to break the eye contact.

"Regardless, thank you. I have a class by 8:30 , so I really must be going."

"The driver is waiting downstairs," Adrian called out, his voice sounding amused by her sudden flight.

"I'll take the subway!" she called back over her shoulder, already pressing the elevator button.

She needed distance. She needed the cold Chicago wind to clear her head.

Living in his house was one thing, but falling for his games was another and she was determined to keep her heart under lock and key, just like her room.

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................

At 4:00 PM, the atmosphere at Scott Global shifted from professional tension to absolute dread. The glass doors of the executive suite swung open, and Arthur Scott walked in.

He was an older, silver haired version of Adrian, but where Adrian was cold steel, Arthur was a polished, fake gold.

Adrian didn't stand up. He didn't even look up from his tablet as his father took a seat opposite him, smelling of expensive cigars and the perfume of whatever secretary he was currently entertaining.

"You look tired, Adrian," Arthur said, his voice a mocking mirror of his son's. "Is the empire getting too heavy for you?"

"I'm busy, Arthur. I assume you're here for your quarterly dividend, not for a father son chat we haven't had in twenty years.... and by that question do you mean how I've been holding up since you went to federal prison and left your twenty three year old son to start the company from scratch?" Adrian's voice was a low, lethal vibration.

But the business wasn't the hardest part. The hardest part was coming home at the age of twelve to find Mom curled up on the bathroom floor because Authur brought another woman into her bed while she was at a charity gala.

"I watched you break her spirit long before the FBI broke your door down."

Arthur's smile didn't falter, though his eyes sharpened. "And yet, here you are, obsessed with a girl who has nothing. Just like I was'

The silence that followed Arthur's words was heavy, suffocating Adrian like a thick fog. He felt exposed, stripped bare by the one man who knew exactly where the armor was thinnest.

Surprised?" Arthur cut him off, the wicked smile widening to reveal teeth that looked like shark bone. He didn't wait for his son to regain his footing.

"Well, I hope she doesn't end up like Sasha... or Hannah... or let's see, what was that lovely girl's name? Amanda?"

The names hit Adrian like physical blows. Each one was a ghost he had tried to bury.

"Don't you dare speak their names," Adrian hissed, the veins in his neck bulging.

"Why not? They were all the same, weren't they?"

"Especially Amanda."

At the mention of her name, Adrian's breath hitched.

Amanda ;the only woman who had truly managed to crack his shell, the one who had stayed the longest and fought the

hardest.

"She loved you with everything she had, Arthur taunted. "And you still let her walk away because you were terrified that loving her would make you weak. Like me."

"Get out," Adrian roared, the sound vibrating the glass walls of the office.

"I'm going," Arthur said, adjusting his tie with a smirk.

"But remember, Adrian, you can change the girl, and you can change the address, but you can't change the blood.

You'll fail her just like you failed Amanda. Because in the end, a Scott always chooses power over a person."

And with that final breach to Adrian's ego,Authur left victoriously,an evil grin cross his face.

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