Introduction
Lauren was around thirty, yet every time she looked into the mirror, it seemed to betray her age.
It wasn’t the years that had weighed down her face.
It was life.
She worked a modest job that barely kept her fed. She spent long hours on her feet, only to return to her tiny room in the evening, carrying a body exhausted from work and a mind even more exhausted by life.
That day, her manager didn’t need a reason to shout.
“You’re good for nothing!”
Silence fell for a few moments.
Lauren lowered her head.
She could have defended herself. She could have shouted back, walked out, and never returned.
But she didn’t.
She knew what losing her job would cost her.
The rent wouldn’t wait.
Food wouldn’t wait.
And bills had no mercy.
She swallowed her anger and finished her shift.
When she finally stepped outside, the cold evening air greeted her.
She walked slowly, lost in thought, wondering how her life had somehow become a closed circle she could never escape.
She didn’t know that a man had been watching her for some time.
His name was Alister.
He was a guard and driver working for the Valenor family, one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the city.
And he knew more about her than she could have imagined.
He knew she was poor.
He knew she was alone.
And he knew that money, to her, wasn’t a luxury.
It was survival.
That was why he had chosen her.
But Alister didn’t have enough time to explain.
As he approached her, several cars appeared behind him.
He stopped for a moment.
Looked at her.
Then glanced over his shoulder.
He had realized they were following him.
He quickened his pace.
Then he ran.
When Lauren saw him running toward her, she instinctively stepped back.
“You! What do you want?”
He was breathless.
He didn’t answer.
His eyes darted behind him before returning to her.
He knew he wouldn’t survive if he stopped.
He moved closer, and in one swift motion, slipped something into her bag without her noticing.
Then he whispered,
“Trust no one.”
Before she could ask a single question, he disappeared into the crowd.
That night, the news reported a mysterious incident.
