The Devil's NANNYEN

Chapter 1 —The Sculpture

Narrator:

The crash cut through the air. A sharp blow. A brutal collision. A breaking sound that pierced the opulence of the gallery like a gunshot in the dark. For a second, time stood still. The murmur of conversation died away.

The music ceased to exist. Everything was suspended in a void.

Aylin blinked, her breath caught in her throat.

Her eyes burned. Her heart was pumping so hard she could feel it in her ears. Her pupils narrowed. And there it was. The disaster.

The shards of glass glinted cruelly on the white marble, scattered like the remains of an unforgivable crime.

She had broken something. Something important. Something she surely couldn't afford to pay for.

The echo of the impact still vibrated in her bones. The whispers began almost immediately. A low, hissing murmur, growing like a wave of poison.

“God... what was that?

”Has she gone crazy?

"Does she even know how much that cost?

Aylin felt the blood drain from her face.

Her fingers clenched at her sides, but she couldn't move.

Panic rose up her back like an icy whip. Her breathing was rapid, erratic. Her brain screamed for her to run. But her legs were rooted to the ground.

A statue among the remains of another. The stares were fixed on her.

Heavy. Judgmental. Laden with superiority disguised as amazement.

“Who let her in here?

”They should call security.

"Will she stay standing much longer?

The air became suffocating. The pressure in her chest was unbearable.

A step. Someone moved. And then the world changed.

The air became denser, colder, sharper.

Aylin felt it before she saw it.

It wasn't a noise. It wasn't a word. It was a presence, a shadow that devoured everything.

Her stomach tightened. A chill ran up her spine.

And slowly, with terror dripping from her skin, she turned her head.

And there he was. Roman Adler. The owner of the place. The owner of everything. Tall. Imposing. Dressed in black with an effortless elegance. He wasn't just a CEO. He wasn't just a businessman. He was a predator in his own hunting ground.

His eyes were dark, not empty, but dark like the storm that precedes disaster.

His features were sculpted, sharp, marked by a natural severity. He didn't have to speak to intimidate. An impenetrable abyss that revealed nothing but an unsettling patience. There was no anger in his expression. There was no contained fury. There was something worse. There was analysis. Roman Adler was watching her. Measuring her. As if she were an insect trapped in a jar.

Aylin felt fear crawl up her spine like an invisible claw.

The room felt smaller with him in it. Not because he was close.

But because his presence filled it. The air grew thick.

The murmur of the crowd became a distant echo.

Nothing else existed in that moment. Only him.

And his gaze on her.

Then he spoke. And his voice was the worst part.

“What did you do?”

The low, deep sound tore through the air like a knife slowly sliding across skin. It wasn't a shout. He didn't need to. Every person in the room held their breath.

Aylin felt the weight of the question crushing her. Her lips parted, but she couldn't find her voice. Panic had her by the throat.

“I... it was an accident...”

Roman slowly lowered his gaze.

The remains of the broken sculpture were still there, gleaming like humiliation scattered on the floor.

When he looked up again, his expression hadn't changed. But something in the air had grown thicker.

“An accident?” Each syllable fell with impossible weight.

Aylin felt the stares on the back of her neck, burning her skin.

“I didn't see it... it wasn't intentional...”

Roman tilted his head, watching her with an unsettling calm.

“That doesn't change the outcome.”

The murmuring among the guests was a poisonous whisper.

She swallowed hard. Every beat of her heart hurt.

“I'll pay for it.”

The silence that fell over the gallery was brutal. Roman let out a low, dry, humorless laugh.

“Yes?” Aylin felt dizziness tighten her chest. He looked at her as if he were waiting for something. Something she couldn't give him. “How much do you have in your bank account?” Heat rose to her cheeks, but not from anger. From shame.

She didn't have to answer. They both knew the answer. Roman smiled lethally. “Exactly.” Aylin felt her legs give way. This wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening to her. The stares pierced her skin, each one crueler than the last. Then Roman spoke again. And every muscle in her body froze. “I'm going to sue you.”

Vertigo hit her with terrifying force. Her breathing became erratic.

“I can't afford a lawsuit...”

Roman tilted his head slightly. His expression didn't change.

“I imagine.”

The stares were still there, devouring her, judging her. The air was suffocating.

“Please...”

Her own voice sounded broken. Roman watched her with the patience of someone who already knows the end of the game.

“Please what?”

Aylin felt a chill run down her spine. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, she couldn't escape.

“Could there be another way to fix this?” Her voice slipped out timidly.

Roman let out an almost lazy sigh.

“Yes?”

The mocking tone barely registered in his voice, but she felt it in every cell of her body.

“Could there...?”

Roman let the silence stretch between them, allowing her desperation to become more visible.

Then he moved. Before she could react, his hand closed around her wrist.

The contact was like an electric shock. Firm. Inevitable. Aylin felt the heat of his skin against hers. She gasped.

“Come with me.”

It wasn't a request. It was an order. His grip was absolute. Unquestionable.

“Let me go...”

Roman ignored her.

Effortlessly, he pulled her along.

Aylin stumbled over her own feet, feeling the pressure of his hand controlling her every movement.

Stares followed her as he dragged her along with him. Pure humiliation.

Roman walked with relentless confidence, unhurried, but giving her no option to resist. The air around her became even more oppressive.

No one dared to stop them. No one dared to stand in their way. Roman Adler didn't ask for permission. Roman Adler didn't explain his decisions. Roman Adler just took what he wanted. He pushed open a side door with ease. And, without letting go of her, he pulled her inside. The door closed behind them. The sound was a dull thud that marked her sentence. Absolute silence. Hot air. And she, trapped with him.

The room was small. The dim light cast long shadows on the walls. A mahogany desk. A leather sofa. Very little air.

Aylin spun on her heels, feeling her skin burn where he had touched her.

Too close. Her chest rose and fell with ragged breaths.

“What do you think you're doing?”

Roman didn't answer. Not right away. He just looked at her. With cruel patience.

“Avoiding a bigger scandal.”

“Bigger than dragging me here like a sack of potatoes?”

Roman gave a half smile.

“No, but less than calling security and watching you walk out in handcuffs.” The reality check took her breath away. Aylin pressed her lips together, swallowing the tremor in her throat. “I'm going to sue you.”

Her tone was calm. Cold. She wasn't threatening. She was stating a fact.

Panic gripped her chest again.

“You can't do that, I don't have any money...”

Roman tilted his head.

“That's more than obvious.”

Aylin felt a chill run down her spine. Every word he spoke sounded final. Every second in that room made the air thicker.

“Please...” Her own voice was a muffled whisper.

Roman watched her with the patience of a hunter.

“Please what?”

Aylin felt her lips tremble.

“There has to be another way...”

Roman let out an almost lazy sigh.

“Yeah, you think there is?” The mocking tone was barely audible in his voice, but she felt it in every cell of her body.

Roman let the silence stretch between them, allowing her desperation to become more visible. “What were you doing here?”

Aylin blinked. The question caught her off guard.

“Excuse me?”

“This isn't your environment. You don't look like someone who belongs here.”

Aylin felt a chill.

“It was a mistake...”

Roman raised an eyebrow with subtle mockery.

“A mistake?”

“I got the wrong address. I had a job interview and I mixed up the address.”

The silence between them was sharp. For some reason, her words seemed to amuse him. A shadow of a smile crossed his face.

“Curious.”

Aylin felt her heartbeat in her ears.

“What...?”

Roman leaned in slightly. Close enough that his breath brushed her cheek.

“In the end, maybe there is a way to pay me back.” Aylin's eyes widened, and he laughed, knowing she was thinking the worst. “I could offer you a job.”

The world seemed to sway beneath her feet.

“A... what?”

Roman watched her. His calmness was dangerous.

“I need someone to take care of my daughter.”

The air grew thicker. Aylin felt her skin prickle.

“Your daughter...?”

Roman nodded slowly.

“She's three years old.”

Aylin felt dizzy.

“I don't know anything about teenagers.”

Roman didn't blink.

“You'll learn.”

Aylin swallowed hard.

The trap closed in on her mind.

“I'm not going to accept...”

“If you don't, I'll make sure you don't get a job anywhere.” Aylin felt her world collapse. Roman tilted his head. The patience of a hunter. “Decide.”

She closed her eyes. She exhaled.

“All right.”

Roman smiled like a predator who had just closed the trap.

“Welcome to your new life.”

And Aylin knew she had just made the worst mistake of her life.