Her abyss, his bargaining chip

Vivienne Cross, the usually gentle young housekeeper, knelt on the cold marble floor like a rain-soaked gardenia, having stolen three thousand yuan from her employer. Declan Shaw, a sexagenarian who had lived alone for years, looked at her not only with fury. He saw through the distress and desperation in her eyes—a cornered girl trying to scrape together treatment fees for her gravely ill mother. He decided to give her a chance, one that would turn her into his absolute possession, a snare from which she could never escape. Starting tonight, he would weave an airtight net of money and obligation, swallowing her whole.