Irina’s POV

The stairs to my fourth-floor apartment had never felt so easy to climb.

My legs were exhausted. My lower back ached from carrying Luka’s weight in his baby carrier all day. But my chest felt incredibly light. For the first time in my entire life, I wasn’t dragging myself up these stairs in a state of sheer, survival-driven panic. I was walking on air.

I turned the key in the lock and pushed the heavy wooden door open.

The familiar, rhythmic *plink, plink* of the leaky pipe in the bathroom echoed in the small space. But the apartment wasn’t quiet.

Mia was pacing.

She was wearing her oversized college sweater, her dark hair pulled up into a completely chaotic, messy knot. Medical textbooks, highlighters, and flashcards were scattered all over my small kitchen table. The second the door clicked shut behind me, she whipped around.

"Irina!"

She practically sprinted across the tiny living room.

"Where have you been?" Mia demanded. Her dark eyes were wide with frantic, undisguised worry. "Your shift at the convenience store ended three hours ago! I went by to walk you home, and Chloe said you left with some guy! I have been texting you non-stop!"

I winced, instinctively reaching for my jacket pocket. "Oh my god. My phone is on silent. I’m so sorry, Mia."

"I was about to call the police," she gasped, placing her hands firmly on her hips. "Or the hospitals. Or both. You can’t just disappear in this city, Irina! I was terrified!"

"I’m safe. I’m right here," I promised gently.

I unbuckled the baby carrier from my chest. Luka was wide awake now. He blinked his big, forest-green eyes at Mia and let out a soft, happy gurgle, waving his tiny fists in the air.

Mia immediately melted. Her fierce, protective anger vanished the absolute second she saw his face.

"Oh, come here, you perfect tiny human," she cooed, reaching out to take him from my tired arms. She bounced him expertly on her hip. "Tell your mother she took five years off my life today. Tell her she’s terrible."

I laughed, a real, bright sound that filled the cramped, cold room. I dropped my cheap canvas backpack onto the floor and slumped onto the edge of my twin mattress. I rubbed my aching shoulders, letting out a long sigh.

"I really am sorry," I said, watching her sway with Luka. "But I have a really good excuse."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "It better be a great excuse. Chloe said you left with a guy. Who is this guy? Because if he’s a creep, I will personally hunt him down and ruin his life."

I smiled. The deep, profound warmth in my chest expanded. "He’s not a creep. His name is Asher."

"Asher," Mia repeated, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Where did Asher come from?"

I took a deep breath. I told her everything.

I told her about the disaster in the lecture hall a few days ago. I told her about running out to the quad in tears. I told her about the cruel, blonde girl who deliberately kicked my backpack into the dirt, scattering my entire life across the brick path.

Mia gasped. Her jaw dropped in absolute fury. "I am going to find her. I am going to key her car. I am going to—"

"Mia, let me finish," I laughed softly.

I told her what happened next. How I was on my knees in the dirt, completely broken and humiliated. And how a warm, steady hand reached out.

"Asher helped me pick everything up," I explained, pulling my knees up to my chest. "He bought me food at the cafe. He didn’t judge me for having a baby on campus. And today, when I was working at the convenience store... he just showed up. He sat on a milk crate in the back aisle for hours and played with Luka so I could actually work my shift."

Mia stared at me. Her dark eyes were wide.

"He played with Luka in a convenience store," she repeated slowly.

"Yes."

"And he defended you from the campus mean girls."

"Yes."

"Irina." Mia leaned forward, her voice dropping into a deadly serious whisper. "Is he hot?"

I burst out laughing. "Mia! That doesn’t matter!"

"It absolutely matters!" she argued loudly, bouncing Luka to emphasize her point. "Is he handsome? Tell me right now. I need details."

I felt a slight, embarrassed flush creep up my neck and settle in my cheeks. I thought of his striking, golden eyes. The easy, confident way he carried himself. The warm, devastating smile that made me feel entirely safe.

"He’s... yes. He’s very handsome," I admitted quietly.

"I knew it!" Mia cheered triumphantly. "Okay, so you left the store with Hot Asher. Where did you go?"

I took a steadying breath. "We took the subway downtown. He took me to his new job."

Mia tilted her head. "His new job?"

"He told me they were hiring support staff. Maids, housekeepers, kitchen staff. He said it was for a private residential estate, but the open interviews were being held at the main corporate tower. So... I went."

"You did an interview?" Mia gasped, her eyes lighting up with sudden, fierce pride. "Irina, that’s amazing! Where was it?"

"A massive black glass tower in the financial district," I said, the memory of the looming skyscraper making my stomach flutter all over again. "It was absolutely terrifying. The company is called Obsidian Holdings."

Mia froze.

She actually stopped bouncing Luka.

She stared at me, her mouth falling open.

"Wait," she breathed. "Did you just say Obsidian Holdings?"

I nodded, confused by her sudden, intense shock. "Yes. Why? Do you know it?"

"Irina, everyone knows Obsidian Holdings!" Mia shrieked, her voice echoing loudly off the thin apartment walls. "Are you kidding me? That is one of the biggest, most exclusive, insanely wealthy companies on the entire continent! My dad’s hospital gets massive grants from their charity foundation. They basically own this city!"

My heart skipped a beat.

"I knew it was big," I whispered. "The lobby was terrifying. The interviewer, Mrs. Gable, was so strict. She completely grilled me on everything."

"You interviewed for Obsidian," Mia repeated, looking at me like I was a completely different person. She walked over and sat down right next to me on the mattress. "Irina, if you get a job with them, your life is completely set. The benefits, the pay... it’s insane."

She paused. A slow, mischievous grin spread across her face.

"Wait a second."

I groaned. "What?"

"Hot Asher works for Obsidian Holdings?" Mia’s eyes practically sparkled. "He has a high-paying corporate job, he’s gorgeous, and he loves babies?"

"He’s an executive assistant," I corrected, my face burning hotter.

"I don’t care if he’s the janitor!" Mia declared, playfully poking my shoulder. "Oh my god. You have to introduce me to him. You absolutely have to. I am going to marry him."

"You can’t marry him, you haven’t even met him!" I laughed, pushing her hand away.

"I don’t need to meet him! He sounds perfect!" Mia giggled, leaning her head against my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes, a massive, genuine smile locked on my face.

We sat there on the cheap mattress, joking and laughing in the cramped, cold apartment. It was the most normal, perfectly human moment I had experienced in a year. I wasn’t a broken runaway. I wasn’t bracing for a blow. I was just a girl, sitting with her best friend, laughing about a boy.

*Buzz.*

The sudden, sharp vibration against my thigh made me jump.

My phone was ringing in my pocket.

The laughter instantly died in my throat. I completely froze.

"Who is it?" Mia asked, instantly sensing the sharp shift in my energy.

I pulled the phone out of my pocket with trembling fingers. The cracked screen was lit up in the dim room. It wasn’t a phone call. It was a new email notification.

The sender name made my heart completely stop beating.

*Human Resources - Obsidian Holdings.*

"Oh my god," Mia whispered, leaning over my shoulder to look at the glowing screen. "Is that them? Is that the company?"

I couldn’t speak. I just nodded.

My thumb hovered over the screen. My hands were shaking so violently I almost dropped the cheap phone onto the floorboards. Everything depended on this single message. My ability to pay rent. My ability to stay in school. My ability to build a truly safe, secure future for Luka without relying on the charity of others.

"Open it," Mia urged softly, her own voice shaking. "Open it, Irina."

I took a deep, jagged breath.

I tapped the screen.

The email loaded. The black text appeared in sharp contrast against the white background.

*Dear Ms. Irina,*

*Following your interview this afternoon with Mrs. Gable, we are exceptionally pleased to officially offer you a position on the domestic support staff at the private residential estate.*

I stopped reading.

The air left my lungs in a massive, overwhelming rush. The words blurred together through a sudden, thick wall of tears.

*We are pleased to officially offer you a position.*

"You got it," Mia breathed out.

"I got it," I whispered, the incredible reality of the words slowly sinking deep into my bones. "Mia... I got the job."

"You got the job!" Mia shrieked at the absolute top of her lungs.

She threw her free arm around my neck. I dropped the phone onto the mattress and grabbed her back. We squeezed each other so tight it hurt. Luka, caught safely between us, let out a startled, happy squeal, kicking his legs wildly.

Tears of absolute, pure joy streamed down my face. I buried my face in Mia’s shoulder.