Chapter 2

Ava's POV

Three years later...

I was walking down the familiar streets of New York with two close friends who were dropping me off at my new babysitting job interview.

Charis and Jenny were best friends before I arrived, but they both used to work at the restaurant where I used to work about a year ago.

After they realized I was friendless and anxious, they began inviting me to events, and we became extremely close friends.

"Oh Charis, you don't need another $1,000 purse." Jenny yelled.

"Okay, you don't need a man, but here we are: you have your man, and I have my new purse." Charis responded wittily.

"But, Charis, that's not even in the same realm." Jenny moaned.

"I know, bitch, my purse is more valuable than your man." As they continued to throw harmless insults at each other, Charis countered, and I laughed.

"Oh, both of you shut up, we all know Charis has a shopping addiction, and we all know you're secretly in love with your man Jenny." I said this before Jenny could respond to what Charis had said.

"I'm not sure if I love him yet..." Jenny spoke slowly, which made Charis and I both roll our eyes.

"It's been 5 months and you can't go 2 minutes without contacting him, baby, you're in love." Charis continued to admire her new purse as she spoke.

Jenny's boyfriend is a nice guy who is blonde and has ocean blue eyes. He's well-built, and you can tell he works out at the gym. They met at a party and have been together ever since.

Because of everything that had happened in my past, I had never gotten myself to date anyone, let alone let a man touch more than my hand.

I had told Charis and Jenny about some of what had happened; they were aware that I had been forced to dance at a strip club and that my parents had sold me, but I had never told them that I had been touched against my will. I never wanted anyone to see me as small or weak again. I discovered my worth and knew I was strong.

"Ava." Jenny yelled.

"Yes?" I responded, breaking my train of thought.

"You should find yourself a man, preferably a tall one, because you know, you're kind of short." Knowing how sensitive I was about my height, she cracked a joke.

"Oh, stop, I'm not short." I argued with her, giving her the middle finger.

"Certainly dwarf." She shot back, giggling at her insult as Charis burst out laughing, tears welling up in her eyes.

Jenny, fuck off." As I laughed, I said.

I was laughing and looking at Charis and Jenny instead of ahead of me, so I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I finally gathered myself from my laughing fit, but as soon as I did, I was hit by a hard surface and fell straight to the ground.

I rolled my eyes at myself, thinking how stupid I must have been to run into a wall.

I brushed myself off and looked up at the surface that had just knocked me down, but my eyes widened as I realized it wasn't a "it," but a "him," and that particular "him" didn't appear to be happy.

I ignored the man's expression and began to carefully watch him.

He was dressed all in black, with a leather jacket around his waist. Even though I could see his arm muscles through his jacket and his shirt was outlining his stomach, I could easily assume he had abs because the rest of his body that was visible was ripped.

He had intricate tattoos that ran down his neck, past his shoulders, to his arms, and then to his hands.

I swear he had a razor-sharp jawline that could cut my finger.

He had a light stubble around his jawline, which defined it even more. I looked up some more, and what I found surprised me.

He had the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen; they were an emerald green and could probably pierce through you if you let your guard down for even a second. His eyes were easily the most beautiful feature of him.

Although he appeared to have been sculpted by God himself, I knew what kind of man he was the moment I looked into his eyes.

He preyed on helpless people and desired power above everything else.

He got what he wanted, even if it meant crossing lines that no one should cross. I knew this because I saw those eyes in Sylvester every day at the strip club. That was what shook me to my core; I knew I'd never let a man like him back into my life.

I quickly rose from the ground, his gaze fixed on me. He looked at me as if I were a piece of meat, but also with disgust. I shot him a quick glance.

"Be careful where you're going." He snarled , and his tone surprised me.

"You were blocking my path." I shot back, my gaze fixed on him.

He looked at me, surprised, but his face quickly changed when he realized what I had said. He was aware that I was putting him to the test, and he was not pleased.

"You have no idea who I am, and if you did, you wouldn't be talking to me like that." He spat at me with such certainty that the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

"I couldn't care less who you are." I uttered as I began walking away with Charis and Jenny,who both looked at me as if I had grown two heads.

"You will, bitch, you will soon find out." He said this just as I turned a corner.

Jenny and Charis both came to a halt and stared at me after we turned the corner.

"What are you guys looking at me like I've grown two heads or something?" I inquired, still irritated by the jerk.

"Do you know who that was, Ava?" Jenny yelled, her eyes still wide with surprise.

"No, and I don't care, " I said.

"Ava, that is the leader of one of the world's largest and most dangerous gangs." Charis stated.

As if that was important.

"Charis I don't really care; I've dealt with men like him before, and he's nothing special; he doesn't know my name, and I'm not sure I'll ever see him again; if he's so big and bad, he probably has more to deal with than some girl who backtalk's him." I explained, oblivious to what Charis had said.

"You're crazy and fearless, boo." Jenny added, lightly laughing.

"Ehhhhm, I' m not fearless." I responded while Shrugging my shoulders.

Something in the back of my mind told me that it wouldn't be the last time I saw that asshole, but I ignored it because I don't need a controlling male in my life.

Charis and Jenny walked me to the underground subway; they were about to board, but there was no need because it was only a few stops away and I knew how hungry they were both.

I stepped onto the subway and began brushing my pants because I had fallen to the ground and the asshole hadn't even helped me up; he was very attractive, but everything about him screamed trouble.

I quickly reminded myself that there was no reason for me to be thinking about him so much. Even though I knew I had run into him, he was not the type of man I would apologize to.

I reflected on the interview and went over potential questions in my head. I desperately needed this job. I was drawn to the ad because I stated that it paid well and that I needed money to pay for college. I really wanted to go to college , but none of my other jobs paid well enough for me to save money.

I was deep in thought when I heard my stop been mentioned. I quickly stood up and left the train. I'd never been to this wealthy section of New York. The mansions were lavish and stunning.

I was aware that the funds used to purchase these houses were tainted, but I cant be the one to fast judge. I was aware that e veryone had secrets, and that was fine with me. So, rather than analyzing, I simply admired the houses as I walked by.

I eventually arrived at the address specified in the advertisement. The house had a large black gate in front of it, a garden in front, and many flowers.

I noticed all the flowers were roses and looked at the different colors; there were pink, red, and white roses, but what caught my eye was a bush of black roses; I had never seen such beautiful roses before. Their beauty was unparalleled, and they were dark but pure.

I was jolted out of my thoughts when I noticed two guards behind the gate staring at me, both dressed in suits, and before I could think any further, my mind betrayed me and transported me back to the moment I was sold.

When I looked at my watch to distract myself and slow my breathing, I noticed I was 10 minutes early.

"I am here for the babysitting interview," I said as I returned my gaze back to them.

They now looked back at me before pressing an earpiece and speaking to someone on the other end of the line. They returned their gaze before pressing several buttons on an electronic pad behind the gate. The gate began to open with a loud noise.

The two guards approached me and waved some sort of wand around me, then he took my purse from my grasp and began looking through it. I raised an eyebrow at him, finding it odd how concerned the family was about security.

When they found nothing threatening, they returned my bag and told me to walk up to the front door, where the maid would direct me. I walked up to the front door, past the lovely roses. The door opened before I could even knock, and a small middle-aged woman stood in front of me.

She was around five feet tall and her face was wrinkled, but I was most struck by her eyes, which might have been the kindest I had ever seen.