Aria’s POV
It happened after work.
I was walking ho from my shift. The streetlights were flickering, half of them dead. This neighborhood never got maintenance. Never got attention. The city pretended it didn’t exist.
Most nights, I walked fast. Kept my head down. Got inside as quickly as possible.
But tonight, I heard sothing.
Voices. Young. High-pitched.
And one of them was crying.
I stopped.
Down the alley to my right, I could see them. Three girls—teenagers, maybe fifteen or sixteen—surrounding a fourth. The fourth was smaller. Cornered against a dumpster. Her clothes were expensive. Designer. Completely out of place in this part of town.
"Please," she was saying. "I don’t have any more money. I already gave you everything."
"Then give us the phone." One of the attackers shoved her. "And that necklace. That looks real."
"My parents—"
"Shut up!" Another shove. Harder this ti. The girl stumbled. Hit the wall.
Sothing inside snapped.
"HEY!"
My voice echoed down the alley. All four heads turned.
I walked toward them. My heart was hamring. My legs were shaking. I had no weapon. No wolf. No way to defend myself if this went wrong.
But I kept walking.
"Leave her alone."
The leader of the group laughed. "Who the hell are you?"
"Soone who’s calling the cops in about thirty seconds if you don’t back off."
"With what phone?"
I held up my cheap prepaid cell. It was a bluff. The battery was almost dead. But they didn’t know that.
"This one."
The girls exchanged glances. Calculating. Deciding if I was worth the trouble.
"Whatever." The leader spat on the ground. "She’s not worth it anyway."
They scattered. Disappeared into the shadows like cockroaches when the light cos on.
I waited until I couldn’t hear their footsteps anymore. Then I rushed to the victim.
"Are you okay?"
She was crying. Really crying. Big, gulping sobs that shook her whole body.
"I was so scared." Her voice was tiny. "I didn’t know what to do. They just—they ca out of nowhere—"
"It’s okay. You’re safe now." I helped her stand. "What’s your na?"
"Sophie." She wiped her face with the back of her hand.
"I’m Aria. What are you doing in this neighborhood, Sophie? No offense, but you don’t exactly blend in."
She let out a watery laugh. "My boyfriend. He was supposed to take ho, but we got in a fight and he just... left here. I’ve been walking for an hour trying to find a bus stop or sothing."
"Your boyfriend left you alone in this part of town?" I felt my blood pressure spike. "What kind of asshole does that?"
"He’s not usually—I an, we were fighting, and—" She stopped. Shook her head. "Okay, yeah. He’s an asshole. A complete and total asshole."
"Good. First step is admitting it."
She looked at then. Really looked at . Her eyes were red-rimd but bright. Intelligent. And filled with sothing that looked almost like admiration.
"You saved my life."
"I wouldn’t go that far—"
"You did!" She grabbed my hands. Squeezed. "You didn’t have to stop. You could have just kept walking like everyone else. But you didn’t. You saved ."
"I just couldn’t watch and do nothing."
"That’s exactly my point." Her grip tightened. "Let pay you back. Please. Co to my house. My driver can take you ho, and we can get you so food or sothing. It’s the least I can do."
I hesitated. "That’s really not necessary—"
"Please." Her eyes were huge. Pleading. "I really need the company right now. I’m still shaking."
She was. I could feel it through her hands.
And honestly? I could use so company too.
"Okay," I said. "Sure. Why not."
Sophie’s face lit up like Christmas morning.
Twenty minutes later, I understood why she’d looked so out of place.
The car that picked us up was a rcedes. Black. Tinted windows. A driver in an actual uniform who called Sophie "Miss Sophie" and looked at like I was sothing that had crawled out of the gutter.
Which, to be fair, wasn’t far from the truth.
We drove for what felt like forever. The streets changed. Got wider. Cleaner. The buildings got taller. Nicer. We passed through gates—actual gates with security guards who waved us through.
And then we arrived at Sophie’s "house."
It wasn’t a house.
It was a mansion.
I stared through the window, my mouth actually hanging open. The building was enormous. White marble columns. Perfectly manicured gardens. Fountains. Multiple fountains.
"This is where you live?"
Sophie shrugged like it was nothing. "Yeah. It’s kind of boring, actually."
"Boring?" I choked on the word. "Sophie, this place is bigger than my entire apartnt building."
She giggled. Actually giggled.
"Co on. Let’s get you inside. I promised you food."
The interior was even more overwhelming. Crystal chandeliers. Oil paintings on the walls. Floors so polished I could see my reflection in them.
I felt like an alien visiting another planet.
Sophie led to a sitting room that was probably larger than my entire life’s ambitions. A maid appeared with tea and sandwiches and tiny little cakes that looked too pretty to eat.
I ate them anyway. I was starving.
"So," Sophie said, curling up on a velvet couch like a contented cat. "Tell about yourself, Aria. What do you do?"
I swallowed a bite of cucumber sandwich. "I work at a convenience store."
"Oh." She blinked. "Is it... nice?"
A laugh escaped before I could stop it. "Sophie, you just got mugged in my neighborhood. What do you think?"
She winced. "That bad?"
"My boss is a creep. The custors are worse. I get hit on constantly by n who don’t understand what ’no’ ans. And the pay is barely enough to cover rent, let alone..." I stopped. Put my hand on my stomach instinctively.
Sophie’s eyes went wide.
"Are you...?"
"Yeah." There was no point hiding it. "I’m pregnant."
"Oh my god!" She bounced forward on the couch. "That’s amazing! Congratulations! When are you due?"
"About six months."
"And the father? Is he supportive? Is he helping with everything?"
The question hit like a wave. I looked down at my tea.
"There is no father," I said quietly. "Not in the picture, anyway."
Sophie’s excitent dimd. "Oh. I’m sorry. That must be really hard."
"It is what it is." I shrugged. "I’m managing. Trying to save up, but with the job I have..." I shook my head. "It’s not easy. And the harassnt makes everything worse. I can’t quit though. I need the money."
Sophie was quiet for a long mont. She was looking at with an expression I couldn’t quite read.
Then she sat up straight. Her whole deanor changed.
"Co work for my family’s company."
I blinked. "What?"
"I’m serious!" She leaned forward, her eyes bright with excitent. "We’re always looking for assistants. The work is easy—filing, scheduling, answering phones. The pay is way better than a convenience store. And nobody will harass you because my mom runs a zero-tolerance workplace."
I stared at her. My brain refused to process what she was saying.
"Sophie, you don’t even know . We just t."
"I know you saved my life. I know you’re brave and kind and you stopped to help a stranger when nobody else would." She grabbed my hands again. "Please, Aria. Let help you. It’s the least I can do after what you did for ."
My heart was pounding. This couldn’t be real. Things like this didn’t happen to people like . I didn’t get lucky breaks. I didn’t get rescued by rich girls with mansions and job offers.
But here I was. Sitting in a palace, holding hands with a girl who looked at like I was sothing special.
"Are you sure?" My voice cracked. "I don’t have experience. I don’t have references. I’m a nobody from the worst part of town."
"You’re the person who saved ." Sophie’s voice was firm. "That makes you the opposite of a nobody."
The tears ca before I could stop them. Hot and fast, streaming down my cheeks.
"Sophie, I don’t know what to say. I—thank you. Thank you so much."
She pulled into a hug. Tight. Warm. Real.
"No," she whispered. "Thank you."
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