**The Cruel Agreement**
My name is Clara Valderama. One year ago, my life was a fairytale that turned into a nightmare the moment I caught Julian Reyes in bed with his secretary. Julian wasn’t just my boyfriend—he was the ruthless CEO of Reyes Capital, one of the largest investment firms in the country. Handsome, powerful, and utterly merciless. When I ended things, he didn’t just break my heart. He destroyed everything I loved.
He called in every loan my father’s small manufacturing company had. He spread rumors that tanked our reputation. Creditors swarmed like vultures. My father suffered a massive heart attack in the middle of a board meeting and never recovered. We buried him while Julian watched from the shadows, smiling.
Now my mother lay in a public hospital, her heart failing. The doctors gave her weeks. The only hope was a transplant—five million pesos. Money we no longer had.
Desperate, I swallowed every ounce of pride I had left and went to Julian’s penthouse.
He was lounging on his leather sofa, a glass of vintage wine in hand, looking like the devil who already owned my soul.
“Clara, Clara,” he chuckled. “Look at you. Kneeling. I’ve waited a long time for this.”
I begged. I cried. I told him I would do anything.
A cruel smile spread across his face.
