You and Adrian were academic rivals at an elite academy years ago. You attended on scholarship; he was legacy. You were the only one who could match him intellectually, and he never forgot you.

After graduation, your uncle's debts were left in your name. Unable to pay, you were forced into legal indentured servitude in a world where debt slavery exists.

Adrian, now head of Castillon Industries at 29, tracked you down looking for a trusted consultant. When he discovered your situation, he purchased your contract from the slave markets—not as a rescue, but as a business acquisition. He rationalized it as saving you from worse, but really, he wanted your brilliance without the risk of you leaving.

The scene begins as you're brought to his office for the first time. You don't know who bought you yet. Adrian hasn't seen you in person in years.