Chapter 4

Adrian’s POV

Three years later.

It's been exactly 3 years and a few months since my baby died. Trust me when I say that life has been very difficult here, at some point… I thought of killing myself to end my life, but each time I tried, the police officers always showed up. I was inside the cell after the daily routine exercise when the heavy iron door of the cell groaned open and the handcuff on me was unlocked.

I wasn’t understanding what was happening at first, but it started being clear to me the moment I was given a fresh cloth to change into—no longer the prison uniform.

I was taken to the outside door in the entrance of the prison, and for the first time in nearly four years, my eyes caught a glimpse of sunlight, and a crisp breeze brushed my face. I inhaled deeply as though I’d been suffocating for years. I smiled at myself from the burning strength that had grown in me during my confinement.

I wasn’t the same woman who had been dragged in here, broken and naive… Right now, I am a changed person and determined to get vengeance… Being in prison had changed me a lot in so many ways; it made me stronger and determined. Right now, I am done being weak, and I promise I will never give love a chance again. Love has burned me to ashes, but revenge… revenge was the fire I was going to carry.

When I got to the entrance, the female officer who was there removed the handcuff on my wrist; the metal clicked open, and she smiled at me for the first time.

“Miss Adrian Martinez,” she said gently, “congratulations. You are out on parole now… A rich billionaire who always comes to bail out a lot of prisoners happens to help you this time. You need to find yourself a steady job as fast as possible. If not…”

She paused, her eyes hardening as she looked me straight in the eye. “If not, you’ll be taken back into prison to serve more years. They might claim you’ve returned to being the drug dealer you were accused of being. Don’t get yourself into trouble again…. You know how cruel it was there. Be strong.”

Her words gave me hope immediately, and I couldn't help but nod my head, masking my emotions. But deep inside of me, I wished I got a chance to give my gratitude to the billionaire.

She handed me a document containing my employment record and my CV, which they had already upgraded to add that I was an ex-convict. The big gate opened, and I stepped out of the prison yard and headed to the main road with the documents in my hand…

From there, I went to the bank and withdrew my little savings… I can't afford to go back to my old house. The sun was shining brightly, and I could perceive the smell of food from a nearby restaurant… My stomach groaned.

Tears dropped from my eyes, and I stared at the clouds. “Finally… “I’m out,” I whispered. For the first time in years, I could see the moon, the stars, and the world without bars.

I flagged down a taxi, and as I sat in the car, I couldn't help but think about the things I have passed through for years… And the worst part is that I have nowhere to go from here.

Where was I supposed to go? I couldn’t return to the house I once lived in—not when everyone there still remembered me as the disgraceful drug dealer.

2 weeks later…

With the little money I took from my savings, I rented a very small and local apartment to rest my head in, but I knew that it won't take me for a full month because I haven't even found a job. I was still determined to get one. I went back to the bar where I worked as a stripper with my CV, but the employer refused to take me in again. His face hardened immediately when he saw me.

“Get out,” he snapped. His words cut deeper than a knife. “We don’t hire ex-convicts here. You have a bad reputation and a criminal record. We don’t want that kind of trouble…especially with my customers!”

I tried to plead, but he shoved the papers back at me and pushed me out.

My chest felt heavy, but I didn’t give up. I tried three more places…but each gave me the same response: “Sorry, we don’t take ex-convicts.” “We can’t hire you with this record.” “It would ruin our reputation.”

It was like the world had written me off entirely…. Is it not better if I commit suicide and die? Why exactly am I living?

Now the little money I have saved…that same money that Martin never managed to touch because I saved it in the bank, and it's almost going down the drain. At some point, I was thinking of going back to the prison because I only have the worn-out clothes that I took from the prison.

One afternoon, I thought of ending my life so badly… I dragged myself down the street on my way to go get poison, drink, and die.

But then, I stopped by the road when I saw an announcement being made on a towering giant billboard in front of me.

“The billionaire CEO of the Rodrigo Group, Mr. Darcy Rodrigo, is looking for a nanny for his three-year-old daughter. Successful candidates will earn $10,000 per week. Apply at his company office.”

Upon hearing that, my eyes widened in shock and my lips parted. Ten thousand dollars!? For just being a nanny, it occurred to me that getting that job for myself could save me and change everything.

I felt a spark of home inside of me immediately, and I quickly rushed back to my apartment to dress up for the interview. Maybe I don't have to kill myself anymore… I will conceal my identity as an ex-convict and give this job a trial.

I took my bath immediately, and upon hearing that he was a billionaire single dad, I changed into my best and most decent dress… I didn’t wear any makeup because I don’t have any expensive accessories, but I couldn’t let this chance slip away from me.

I reached The Rodrigo Group building, and my eyes couldn't believe it; it was the most beautiful skyscraper I'd ever seen in my entire life… I knew that working for the owner of this place was not my level, but I stepped into it anyway. My palms were sweaty as I joined the line of applicants.

But then what I saw around me intimidated me the most because it seemed like I was one of the applicant's house girls with the way I dressed. My heart thumped against my chest.

The women around me looked like models—dressed in designer suits and polished heels and with flawless makeup. Their perfume filled the air with its expensive fragrance. I felt so invisible among them.

One of the ladies who was standing beside me sneered, her perfectly lined lips curving into mockery. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing here? Did you mistake this for an application to be a janitor? Or maybe a soup kitchen worker?”

When she said this. The women beside her laughed out loud as each of them had their eyes sweeping over my plain dress with contempt.

I swallowed hard and lifted my chin. “What’s wrong with my outfit? This is the best I have,” I said firmly, even though their laughter echoed in my ears.

Another girl drew closer to me and said with her voice dripping with superiority. “Do you even know who you’re applying to work for? That’s Darcy freaking Rodrigo. Drop-dead gorgeous. The most eligible single dad in the city. This job is a golden ticket to becoming Mrs. Moneybags. And you… showing up dressed like this?” She scoffed. “You look like a housemaid who crawled out of Goodwill’s bargain bin.”

More laughter erupted as they mocked me. They reapplied lipstick and powder as if the interview were a beauty pageant ... it started to irritate me.

I clenched my fists, but I didn’t say anything further. They didn't seem to understand that this wasn’t about luxury or fairy tales for me. This was survival. This was my last chance to leave. If not, I would go back to prison, and I don't want that.

They were about to say something else to me when suddenly, the door to the office opened and their murmuring instantly died down.

A man who I guess must be Mr. Darcy Rodrigo stepped in… My breath caught in my throat immediately I saw him. He was more breathtaking and strikingly handsome than any man I've ever seen in my entire life.

He has golden hair, which shines brightly in the fluorescent lights; he has a tattoo peeking just above his collar and a diamond earring glittering in his ear… He wore a perfectly expensive tailored black suit.

But what stunned me most wasn’t just him—it was the little girl he was carrying in his arms.

She was beautiful and looked like an angel with curly golden hair. Her tiny fingers curled around his shoulder, but then something unusual caught my attention… She turns out to have round blue eyes, unlike her daughter, who has gray eyes. Her eyes look exactly like mine.

Gasps erupted from the women around me when he entered.

“Holy moly!”

“Oh my goodness, it’s really Mr. Darcy!”

“He’s even more handsome than in the magazines!”

“He’s looking this way! Is my hair okay? My lipstick?”

They fumbled as they adjusted themselves and stood straight, tossing their hair. Some even struck seductive poses and winked at him as if his gaze could crown them queen.

But me? I only stood frozen…at the striking resemblance between me and his daughter. Probably her mom is my lookalike?

But I felt a strange sensation in my body the moment she stared directly at me, as if she knew me from the past…

Mr. Darcy stopped in front of us as his eyes scanned all of us in line until they locked on mine. Those cold gray eyes refuse to leave mine as if he were staring into my soul or even stripping me naked with his eyes.

I swallowed hard; my throat suddenly went dry.... . I could feel my hands trembling by my sides.

“Don’t screw this up, Adrian…. Don’t you dare.” I whispered to myself, but…

Why… Why is his presence so familiar?