Chapter 2: Her Silence, Her Loss

It was raining heavily when Amelia stepped out, but she didn't allow that to stop her. She went into the rain with no efforts to shield herself. Her thoughts were still hurting, she tried very much to walk well so as not to make it obvious.She made her way toward the towering building that housed Sterling & Vale Corporation, her new job and perhaps, now, her greatest nightmare. The rain quickened, soaking into her thin jacket, plastering her blouse to her skin. Still, she didn’t pause. She walked like she had somewhere to be, like she hadn’t just lost everything last night. As she stepped inside the building, a gust of wind followed her, heads turned to see who. She didn’t greet anyone. No forced smiles. No polite nods. She simply walked, eyes fixed ahead, like a ghost on autopilot.A few coworkers whispered, their gazes trailing after her soaked figure. Something about her was off. They sensed it, like an invisible burning in the woman who always smiled at the front desk lady and said good morning to the security guard.But Amelia didn’t care.Her head throbbed with every beat of her heart. Her body was screaming. Her mind was replaying every moment in that hotel room with sickening clarity, the unfamiliar hands, the unspoken transaction, the blood on the sheets.She reached her desk and slumped into her chair, dropping her bag with a dull thud. Her fingers trembled slightly as she powered on her monitor, but her eyes were vacant.“Amelia,” a voice whispered beside her.Leah.Amelia stiffened. She didn’t look.Leah leaned closer, her voice lower now, laced with curiosity and just a hint of concern. “Did it go... okay?”Amelia turned her head slowly, her expression unreadable.Leah tilted her chair closer. “You didn’t text. I mean, I assume it went fine. You’re here. He didn’t... hurt you, did he?”Amelia stood up abruptly. Her chair rolled back slightly, the sudden movement drawing a few stares from nearby desks.“Outside. Now,” she said through clenched teeth.Leah blinked but followed.They stepped into the nearest hallway near the copier room. It was empty, thank God.Amelia rounded on her, eyes wild. “You gave me the wrong room number.”“What?” Leah frowned, clearly confused.“I went to 121, Leah. Not 212. You said 212, but the card, God, I was so nervous, I misread it. You were supposed to double-check. You said...”Leah’s face paled. “Wait. You’re saying... you slept with the wrong guy?”Amelia swallowed, chest heaving. “Yes.”Leah’s mouth parted, making it feel like she would burst into tears anytime soon “Oh my God. Amelia, that’s ... this is bad. That’s really bad. Do you know who..?”Before she could finish, Amelia’s phone rang.She fumbled for it, thankful for the interruption. “Hello?”“Miss Raine?” a clipped, irritated female voice snapped from the other end. “This is Nora. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but the client was left waiting all night. Do you understand how dangerous that is?”Amelia blinked. “I...”“I don’t care,” the woman cut in. “I don’t care if you were drunk or crying or got cold feet. You were paid to show up and keep your mouth shut. Now we have a very angry man on our hands who was left alone! Do you have any idea who you left waiting?”Amelia’s throat tightened.Nora didn’t pause. “Mr. Grayson Hayes wants to meet with you. Tonight. No excuses. No delays. He wants to settle the matter and ensure you keep your mouth shut about what happened in Room 121.”The line went dead.Amelia lowered the phone, her hand trembling.Leah stared at her, eyes wide. “Grayson Hayes? Like, Grayson Hayes, as in billionaire CEO of Hayes Group?”Amelia could barely nod.Leah swore under her breath, pacing. “Okay. Okay, that’s bad. But maybe it’s fixable. He wants to meet. Maybe he’ll just pay you to disappear.”Amelia’s lips curled bitterly. “That’s what they always do, isn’t it?”Leah didn’t answer. She just looked guilty.Amelia went through the rest of the day in a daze. She barely noticed her manager’s passing comments or the constant clicking of keyboards. Every time someone brushed past her chair, she flinched.By six, she was outside the café address Nora had texted. It was private. The kind of place you could pay to rent out for just one person. Not for a romantic date this time, whatever would happen in there already irritates Amelia.And apparently, he had did just that. The hostess recognized her instantly and led her through a side door into a back room.He was already there.Wearing a sleek black suit, his back straight, eyes sharp. He looked different in the daylight. This time, it was more imposing. Less peaceful than he had appeared asleep. Like a man used to control. Ruthless. Beautiful in a terrifying kind of way.His eyes narrowed the moment he saw her.“You’re late,” he said, tone clipped.Amelia stiffened. “I came straight from work.”He gestured for her to sit. She did, slowly, unsure if this was a meeting or an interrogation.Grayson leaned forward, fingers laced. “So, Miss Raine. You were in the wrong room. You had no idea who I was. And you still slept with me.”Her face burned. “I thought I was... there for someone else.”“I gathered,” he said coldly. “So let’s make this simple. I’m going to send you the money anyway. Consider it hush compensation. You’ll disappear. You’ll never mention that night to anyone. And we will never cross paths again.”Her heart stung. She should’ve been relieved. Fifty thousand dollars meant her sister could get surgery. Her parents could breathe again.But her voice was smaller than she wanted when she said, “You don’t even want to know why I did it?”“No,” he replied without hesitation. “I don’t care.”He pulled out his phone and tapped a few buttons. A second later, hers buzzed.Transaction complete. Fifty thousand dollars was dancing in her account.Her throat tightened.“Leave,” he said without looking up.She stood, walked toward the exit, then paused. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”He looked up finally. His eyes were cold steel. “Neither did I.”She walked out with tears in her eyes.The next day, Amelia rushed into the hospital, her fingers clenched around the folder that held the money transfer receipt. She was ready to beg the billing office to move up the surgery. Ready to beg anyone who’d listen.But the moment she stepped into the waiting room, her mother rose with a smile.“Elena’s getting surgery tomorrow!” she beamed.Amelia blinked. “What?”Her father stepped forward, eyes bright. “Someone donated. An anonymous grant sponsor. They’re covering several pediatric surgeries. Elena was selected.”“What?” Amelia repeated. “But...how?”“No one knows,” her mother said, clutching her hands. “They said it came from the top. Some executive put a grant through the hospital trust. It’s a miracle.”Amelia staggered back a step.An anonymous donor? From the top?Her chest caved in slowly.She walked out into the parking lot on unsteady legs, the skies were not helping either. The moment she stepped outside, the rain came down hard, cold, heavy, relentless.She sank onto a bench outside, letting the rain soak through her clothes.Her sister would live.Her parents were smiling again.But her heart…It felt broken.She wrapped her arms around herself and cried for the girl who had stepped into Room 121.For the girl who had sold her virginity for her sister’s life.For the man who had paid her off and walked away without a trace of emotion.She didn’t know what came next.But she knew one thing:This wasn’t the end. It was only the beginning.