Chapter 1: The Girl They Thought They Could Break
"YOU THINK YOU DESERVE THIS?!""
Victoria's voice sliced through the warm afternoon air outside the luxurious villa.
She stood beside a hot-pink Ducati-style superbike, one manicured hand resting possessively on its fuel tank. Her diamond bracelet glittered beneath the sunlight. Behind her, Monica burst into laughter, while Tanya folded her arms and watched with an expression of unmistakable satisfaction.
And in front of them stood Amber.
Her faded jeans were slightly stained from work. Her white sneakers had a hole near the toe. Her simple gray sweatshirt looked painfully out of place against the marble driveway, expensive sports cars, and perfectly trimmed gardens.
Amber lowered her eyes.
She could hear Monica laughing.
She could hear Tanya whispering.
And she could feel the eyes of everyone gathered around the villa.
But what hurt most wasn't their laughter.
It was the fact that she had once considered these women her friends.
"Look at her," Monica said, covering her mouth dramatically.
"She actually came here thinking Victoria would give her that motorcycle.""
Tanya shook her head.
"Some people really don't understand their place.""
Victoria slowly walked around the superbike, her heels clicking against the polished stone.
"Amber, sweetheart," she said, pretending to sound sympathetic.
"Did you honestly believe you could walk into my house and demand something like this?""
Amber swallowed.
"I didn't demand anything.""
Victoria raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Then why are you standing here?""
"Because you invited me.""
Monica laughed even louder.
"Oh, that's adorable. She's already making excuses.""
Victoria smiled and touched the motorcycle's handlebars.
"This bike costs more than your entire family's possessions. Do you even understand that?""
Amber remained silent.
Victoria leaned closer.
"Look at yourself. You don't belong anywhere near something like this.""
The words landed harder than Amber expected.
For a moment, the driveway disappeared.
She wasn't standing outside Victoria's villa anymore.
She was remembering another afternoon, another motorcycle, and a promise made by someone who was no longer alive.
Her father.
His name was Daniel Carter.
He had spent thirty years repairing motorcycles in a small garage on the outskirts of town. His hands were always covered in grease, his shirts always smelled faintly of engine oil, and his old toolbox was the most valuable thing he owned.
But whenever Amber visited him after school, he treated her like she was the most important person in the world.
When she was twelve, he taught her how to identify an engine problem by listening carefully.
When she was fifteen, he showed her how to replace a damaged brake cable.
And when she turned eighteen, he took her on her first motorcycle ride.
She remembered gripping his jacket as they traveled along the countryside road.
"Are you scared?"" Daniel had shouted over the wind.
"A little!"" Amber answered.
"Good! Fear keeps you careful. But never let it decide what you're capable of!""
She had laughed.
He had laughed too.
That evening, they stopped beside a little roadside diner. Daniel bought her a strawberry milkshake and showed her a picture of a beautiful pink sport motorcycle.
"One day," he told her, "you're going to build something like this yourself.""
Amber had stared at the picture.
"Me? I don't even know how to build a motorcycle.""
"Not yet.""
He tapped her forehead.
"Never confuse where you are with where you're going.""
Those words became her greatest treasure.
Three years later, Daniel died unexpectedly.
His small garage was left to Amber, along with a collection of tools, unfinished projects, and a notebook filled with mechanical sketches.
The bank wanted repayment on the garage loan.
Suppliers demanded their money.
Customers stopped coming.
Amber nearly lost everything.
But she refused to sell the garage.
She worked during the day at a local diner and spent her nights learning everything she could about motorcycle engineering.
She repaired old engines.
She restored damaged bikes.
She watched instructional videos until sunrise.
Sometimes she fell asleep on the workshop floor with a wrench still in her hand.
And slowly, something extraordinary happened.
Customers began returning.
Then strangers started bringing their motorcycles from neighboring towns.
Within two years, Amber had transformed her father's struggling garage into a respected custom motorcycle workshop.
She wasn't rich.
She wasn't famous.
But she was building something real.
And that was exactly why she had accepted Victoria's invitation.
Three weeks earlier, Victoria had approached Amber at a charity automotive exhibition.
Victoria was the daughter of a wealthy property developer. She owned several luxury vehicles, hosted extravagant parties, and loved reminding everyone that money opened doors ordinary people couldn't even see.
She had recently purchased a collection of rare motorcycles.
One of them was a stunning hot-pink superbike.
However, the motorcycle had a serious mechanical problem.
Several specialists had examined it without identifying the cause.
Victoria was furious.
At the exhibition, she had watched Amber diagnose an engine problem on another motorcycle in less than ten minutes.
"You're the girl who works at that little garage, right?"" Victoria had asked.
"Yes. I'm Amber.""
Victoria glanced at her hands.
"Can you actually repair expensive motorcycles?""
Amber had calmly answered.
"An engine doesn't care how much its owner paid for it.""
Monica, standing nearby, had laughed.
Victoria, however, had seemed intrigued.
"I have something you might be interested in.""
She showed Amber a photograph of the pink superbike.
"I want it repaired. If you can make it run perfectly, I'll pay you generously.""
Amber examined the photograph.
The motorcycle was beautiful, but the engine configuration had an unusual modification.
"I'd need to inspect it first.""
"Of course," Victoria replied.
"Come to my villa on Saturday.""
Then she added something that Amber hadn't forgotten.
"And perhaps we'll discuss a little bonus if you impress me.""
Amber had agreed.
She never imagined the invitation was going to become a public humiliation.
Back in the present, Monica snapped her fingers in front of Amber's face.
"Hello? Are you still with us?""
Amber blinked.
Victoria was watching her.
"Did you hear what I said?""
"Yes.""
"Then answer me. Why do you think you deserve this motorcycle?""
Amber glanced at the pink superbike.
"I never said I deserved it.""
Victoria laughed.
"Then what exactly do you want?""
"The payment we agreed on for the repair.""
Victoria's smile widened.
"Oh, the payment.""
She reached into her designer handbag and pulled out a white envelope.
Amber looked at it.
"Is that my payment?""
Victoria shook the envelope playfully.
"Maybe.""
Monica moved closer.
"Open it! Let's see how much she's worth.""
Victoria handed Amber the envelope.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
Amber unfolded it.
Her expression changed.
It wasn't a payment receipt.
It was a document stating that Amber had agreed to waive all compensation for her work and transfer ownership of several custom engineering designs to Victoria's company.
Amber read it twice.
Then she looked up.
"What is this?""
Victoria shrugged.
"Standard paperwork.""
"You told me this was a paid repair job.""
"And you did a wonderful job.""
"Then why does this say I'm giving you my designs?""
Victoria's expression hardened.
"Because I want to use them.""
Amber slowly shook her head.
"I never agreed to that.""
Monica stepped forward.
"Don't be difficult, Amber. Victoria gave you an opportunity. You should be grateful.""
Amber looked at her.
"An opportunity to work for free?""
Tanya finally spoke.
"Watch your attitude.""
Victoria took the document back.
"Listen carefully. You should feel lucky that I even considered working with someone like you.""
Amber's fingers tightened around the strap of her old handbag.
Victoria gestured toward the superbike.
"I was thinking of giving you this as a little reward. But after seeing how ungrateful you are, I'm reconsidering.""
Monica laughed.
"She thought she was getting a motorcycle!""
Tanya shook her head.
"Unbelievable.""
Amber looked at the three women.
She could have shouted.
She could have cried.
She could have told them about the nights she had spent repairing that motorcycle.
But she remembered her father's words.
Fear keeps you careful. It doesn't decide what you're capable of.
So she took a slow breath.
"Keep your motorcycle, Victoria.""
Victoria smiled triumphantly.
"Gladly.""
But Amber wasn't finished.
She looked directly at the pink superbike, then at the woman standing beside it.
"Just make sure you know what you're standing next to.""
For the first time, Victoria's smile faltered.
"What does that mean?""
May you like
Amber said nothing.
And somewhere inside her old handbag, a small black notebook carried a secret that could change everything.
