Celine pov

I lived in an orphanage for most of my life, and I knew nothing about my parents. I had never met them. The manager of the orphanage treated me as one of her daughters. She was a remarkably very admirable person and kind to all of us. She told me that the police, after investigation, found me lost near the airport, and they thought that my parents were foreigners.

But they found no information and never saw my parents.

By the time I realized that my parents left me on purpose. Why? I had no idea and never cared about it. Maybe because I just surrendered to my dark fate.

It wasn't dark till that night. Last night was my 18th birthday, my friends in the orphanage and the manager and the teachers surprised me with a fantastic birthday party. It was very generous of them. We laughed, danced and ate the cake.

We fell asleep exhausted, except me. The manager asked me to follow her to her office. She looked sad as if she had some bad news to tell me about it.

I freaked out a bit, my mind started plowing many evil ideas, but it never came to my mind what she was going to tell me ever.

She glanced off her shoulders, saying sternly again, when she saw me yawning, "I said follow me, Celine. Now to my office."

I blinked, confused, "could we please talk in the morning?" I asked her politely, pouting.

But she shook her head, "no, now."

I sighed and trailed her heels. I lowered my gaze politely and my hands next to me once we reached her office. She sat languidly on her chair and sighed, "Celine. You're eighteen now. What're your plans?"

I stepped closer to her desk, and smiled awkwardly, "plans for what? Sorry, but I don't understand."

I didn't understand anything! She was acting weirdly; I didn't get used to her that scary face and stern tone. She was more than as sweet as an angel.

She fiddled with her fingers nervously, as if she didn't know from where she should start her words, but she finally blew a deep breath away and stood up, walking close to me. Only a couple of inches away, "Celine. According to the rules of the orphanage, you must leave by the morning."

I gasped, dumbfounded, "leave? How? Where? And why? You're kidding, right?" I tried to smile, convincing myself she was kidding, or maybe she found a job for me or something.

She slumped her hands down, talking heavily, "you need to get out of here and depend on yourself. We took care of you for years. Now it's your time to find your happiness and a job and house and make a family. You cannot stay here forever."

My heart drummed in my chest. I started sweating nervously. I freaked out, "no, please don't kick me out of here. I haven't left these walls since I grew up. I know no one, and I have no place to go to. Please." I begged her. But soon, the tears started to flow heavily on my cheeks. It was heart-breaking for me.

Where should I go?

She stepped closer and cupped my cheeks, the tears welled in her eyes too, "I'm sorry. I can't help you. Except. —"

She handed me a few bucks and wiped my tears, "I'm not rich, and you know that. That's all I can give to you. Please accept my apology, but you need to prepare your bag and leave in a few hours. I wish you the best of luck."

I opened my mouth; the words couldn't get out. I shivered, feeling homeless already, feeling lost in the streets before even stepping outside yet. I didn't get out unless we were going for a picnic together or a hospital check-up! Once a year!

I knelt immediately, clinging to the hem of her dress, "please, I beg you. I can work here as a maid. Please let me stay. I don't even have a proper education to work anywhere."

That was partially true. I got a home-education only high school graduation certificate. Which is not worthy after all?

She pulled me up and firmly told me this time, as if she was hiding the weakness and the pain in her chest, too, "please leave now. Leave my office. And by the morning, I don't want to see you here."

She turned her back to me, even her! I treated her as a real mother!

I felt the ground rattling under my feet. I couldn't breathe normally. My eyes were blurring. But I had no choice. I dragged my feet insanely, crying, not waiting for the sun to rise. I just decided to leave at that moment.

I wouldn't say I liked goodbyes and I didn't want to see my friends crying too.

I packed my bag and wore a decent shirt and jeans. I didn't have many clothes, after all. I ran To the dark streets and my dark fate.

I walked and walked, scared all the way. It was empty as if it was deserted, and no one was awake yet.

I looked at the moon and prayed to god internally to save me. I was lost. Only a few bucks, by that amount of money, I would never rent a room!

And suddenly while I was passing the street puzzled with what I should do next… a car was almost going to hit me.

I screamed, frightened, and covered my face. But thankfully, whoever was driving noticed me and stopped the car an inch away at the right moment before hitting me and crashing my bones.

A handsome as fuck guy stepped out of the car and rushed to me, "are you okay? Anything happened to you?"

I raised my head slowly to look into his hazel wide eyes with his blond hair. I gulped nervously, "no, sorry. I think it's my fault."

He smiled at me, tilting my head by his hand gently, "it's okay. Don't worry. Why are you walking in these dark streets alone? It's so dangerous here. I can drive you anywhere." he offered me gently.

I cleared my throat and didn't spit a word.

He swayed his head, "what's your name?"

I tried to form a smile, "I'm Celine. And I'm eighteen."

Yes, I'd never been so close to a guy ever in my life. I was acting so fucking awkward and blushing as fuck.

He nodded, joking, "Well, I didn't ask you for your ID. I'm not a police officer."

I shyly lowered my eyes, "sorry."

He walked to the passenger door and opened it then gestured to me, "come on. I'm going to drive you home."

I blurted out in frustration, "I don't have a home. I'm an orphan. the orphanage just kicked me out because I turned into eighteen and—"

And he cut me off, instantly and generously, "okay, come and live with me. I don't mind."

I remembered when I was young. The teachers used to tell us not to trust strangers. I shook my head and bent down to grab my bag, "thank you. I have to go now."

But once I stepped on the pavement, his strong hands coughed my arm and snatched the bag from me. He said in a strong-sharp voice, "I'm not going to eat you. I'm not a killer. I'm an orphan too."

I turned my head slowly to look into his hazel-dazzling eyes. I couldn't tell if he was a liar or not. But for the way he was wearing his clothes and his car, I could tell he wasn't a dangerous person but someone who came from an average family background.

I sighed, "okay, just for a few days. Until I could find a job and a house."

He patted my head as if I was a little girl, "I can find a job for you. Don't think much. Just let's go because seriously, this neighborhood is full of gangsters. I won't be able to protect you."

I linked my arms to his immediately, shivering, "oh my god. Are you serious? okay, let's go."

He chuckled, and helped me get into the passenger seat, he took my bag from my hand and put it in the back seat then he turned around and got into his driver seat. He started the car slowly, "sorry, my car is not fancy. A girl like you should—"

He lingered his words for seconds. I asked him in curiosity, "should what?"

He leaned to my side while driving, slowly more like a turtle! Seriously As if his car might break down and the engine might fall apart at any time, "should drive a very expensive car. Or at least have a seat in a limousine."

He was good at filtering. I blushed, biting my lips genuinely, "thank you."

"you're a virgin. I bet," he remarked out of the blue. And I threw my body to the door next to me as if he was going to rape me. I stuttered, "w-why are you saying that?"

He halted the car all of sudden in the middle of the street, gazing at me, "why are you so scared of me? I told you, I'm not a bad person. I would never touch you or rape you or do anything bad. I feel offended now." he shook his head in disbelief.

I made a puppy face, "sorry, I didn't meet guys before. I mean, I have never talked with anyone."

"It's okay," he said quietly, but he looked mad still.

I apologize again, "sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings to accuse you of anything. I am just scared."

He said out of the blue, "I'm Lucas." Then he smiled softly and pulled my hand to shake it. "nice to meet you, Celine. Please trust me."

I nodded, "Okay, nice to meet you too, Lucas."

Then he cocked a brow, "so, you have never been with a guy? I mean, you have never talked to any guy ever?"

I pulled a strand off my hair to my ear, looking at my lap, embarrassed, "I never talked to any guy in my whole life."

He hummed, "hmmm, that's cute."

Then he drove back the car until he stopped by a few guys in the street. They looked like gangsters, as I have seen in action movies, wearing black, looking around, and blocking the road as if they own that street. Add to that. I noticed a guy in the corner holding a gun.

Before I could jump to Lucas' chest and hide, Lucas uttered to me, "don't worry. They're friends. No harm."

I kept my eyes on him and them. He rolled down his window, a guy came by and handed Lucas something in his hand. And Lucas handed him a few bucks. "is she with you?" the guy asked Lucas to make bores to my body! He was shameless, checking me out as if I was some kind of product!

Lucas muttered in a deep voice, "yes, she's with me. Why?"

The guy raised his brows, offering "give her to me, and I will give you a lot."

Give what!

I didn't understand their words. It was more like secret codes or something.

Lucas rubbed his chin, then looked at me and smirked, "no, she's under my protection."

The other guy sighed, "okay, dude. Suppose you wanted to sell her anytime. I will be waiting. She's stunning."

I wanted to jump at that point, but as Lucas had said to me, I was under his protection.

Lucas drove the car. He didn't say another word. Until we reached a few blocks, he said before getting out of the car, "I told you to trust me. Nothing to fear. You're under my protection."

His words relieved me partially but not entirely.

I coughed, asking him slowly, "so, what about that guy? I saw some of them holding guns."

He raised his brows, "you better forget what you have seen. They're dangerous, and they might kill you if you ever mentioned them. Okay? That's for your safety."

I immediately obeyed him, "okay, I didn't see anything."

He smiled and pulled my hand. He placed a gentle kiss to my upper hand, "thank god. And I will take care of you. I promise you."

He was gentle, generous, friendly. But something was scaring me about him. I couldn't tell —what that was. He didn't look like he was dangerous or something. But something was confusing me about his behavior.

He hopped off his car all of a sudden, and pulled my bags and dared me, "let's go to my apartment now."

I looked around. It looked like a poor neighborhood. But I don't mind. I didn't get used to fancy houses. I lived in an orphanage for my whole life. We shared one big room that contained a lot of tiny beds. So, it was good for me. At least I wasn't alone and homeless.

But what bothered me, how did he expect me to pay for his favor? For everything in life, there's a cost! Right?

I followed him until we reached the third level. No elevator, just stairs. Broken stairs, old ones. He even stopped in the way, telling me, "watch out, the broken stairs."

Until we finally reached his small apartment. He opened his keys, and I was shocked to see the apartment big from inside.

He turned the lights on and locked the door behind us, which made me startled a bit.

He chuckled, "don't worry."

He pulled my hand, showing me in a quick tour of the house, "there's three rooms here. One for you and one for me and one is empty. You can do anything with your room."

"it's nice," I commented when I checked my room. It was good.

I sighed, taking my bag from his hand, "thank you. But I want to pay for the room. So, tell me how much it cost. Please."

He tilted my chin up to look into his eyes, then he leaned to my face and smiled devilishly, "it costs— you."

What!

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