Nova had no clue where her life was heading. She’d never really had an idea; she just knew it would never be in luxury. After her father’s death, her mother’s schizophrenia, her grandmother’s hospital bills, and trying to give her siblings a semblance of a normal childhood, she knew life wasn’t going to be kind to her.

From waitressing to bartending to being a delivery girl to working as a librarian, the money was never enough. Desperate, she resorted to a final option. It wasn’t the proudest, but it paid the bills—if she could work her charm. For months, that’s exactly what she did, offering her time and attention to men or woman who could afford it.

Now, standing in a club bathroom with the music blasting in her ears, she looked for her next target. As she impatiently tapped her fingers against the wall, the perfect candidate walked in—attractive, rich, and alone. ‘Holy fucking attractive,’ Nova thought, but that wasn’t the point. She needed money. She pushed off the wall and sauntered toward her.

“Hey, hot stuff...” she whispered seductively. But when she caught her reflection in the mirror, she saw that she looked bored, uninterested, and unreadable. Nova wasn’t nervous—she never was—but this felt different. She opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could, the woman dropped her Rolex into her hand and left with a cold, “Leave. Don’t return.”

The encounter haunted Nova for weeks. That night, she cried like a baby, not understanding why. She didn’t return to the club. She quit. She wanted more—more than the scraps she’d been surviving on.

And that’s how she found herself in her current situation: underqualified and sitting in an interview for an executive assistant position. Sitting across from her potential boss... the stranger. The woman with the Rolex. The CEO. ‘Life is never in my favor,’ Nova thought bitterly. She cleared her throat, forcing a fake smile.

“Crazy seeing you here, huh?” she said, immediately regretting it. No, Nova, it wasn’t crazy. It was just her luck.