It Felt Like Pain

Clara’s POV

I remained quiet. Nobody wanted to answer any of my questions. After a few minutes of driving, we pulled up in front of a luxurious mansion. The gates opened automatically, and the car rolled inside. My confusion deepened. If we were going to see the boss, wasn’t this supposed to happen at the strip club?

This mansion looked more like a government official’s residence—or maybe even the White House. It was unreal, the design was top notch and the cars parked at the garage made me wonder if this is a place where luxurious cars are sold, the cars are more than twenty, and each of those cars, if I am to do the math correctly, could cost more than fifty thousand dollars each.

I stared around, and my mind was clouded with astonishment, I haven't seen anything this perfect and luxurious in my entire life. I didn't even know a place like this could exist here in this city. it totally felt like heaven, a paradise, a dream I could never reach. I began getting nervous not because of the boss I was meeting, but what I was seeing. At some point, I began having doubts if i'm truly been taking to go see the boss, or if Derick was having a dark intention toward me.

The SUV door opened, and I stepped out. A sense of unease made my feet feels heavy.

“Let’s go,” Derick ordered from beside me. I nodded, still unsure and completely blank on where we were going next, because this mansion seems like it has no entrance or perhaps it might be the way it was designed.

Was I brought here to strip for him in private again? The thought resoluted inside my mind and my stomach twisted.

We entered the mansion, and the interior nearly took my breath away. The design was exquisite—clean, expensive, and far beyond anything I had ever seen in my life. It felt like walking through a dream I didn’t belong in.

I was dumbfounded, my lips rising in wonder and my eyes widened in surprise, my hands shaking, and it wasn't fear this time, but something else, something inside me that sounds perfect and unbelievable, or perhaps it might be from the luxurious and expensive things I had seen.

“Wait here,” Derick said, motioning with his hand, and I stopped on my steps.

“We wait for the boss. He’ll come see us by himself.”

I stood in place, nerves eating me alive. My heart thundered as I waited.

“Here you are again,” a voice called from upstairs. I turned and saw the boss descending the stairs with calm, deadly grace. He walked toward us and took a seat on one of the elegant couches.

“Please, have a seat,” he said gently.

I nodded and sat across from him, lips sealed. I dared not ask why I was there. He was too dangerous. I’d heard enough to know that any wrong move could cost me more than I could afford.

“Well,” he began, his fingers laced together on his lap, “you must be wondering why I brought you here.”

I stayed silent.

“I have good news, bad news… and an offer. It’s up to you which one I start with.”

He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag. Smoke curled around his head like a halo of poison.

“Where should I begin? The good news? The bad? Or the offer?”

I hesitated, then slowly shook my head.

“Shaking your head doesn’t help. Don’t act dumb. Speak before I lose my patience,” he growled, his voice low and threatening, like a lion warning its prey.

“St-start with the good news, sir,” I stammered, my hands trembling in my lap.

He gave a small smile and exhaled smoke. “As you wish.”

“The good news is—you’ve earned my trust.”

My heart fluttered for a moment. Then he continued.

“The bad news is—your debt has increased to five hundred thousand dollars.”

My heart stopped.

I blinked.

I felt like the world had just dropped from beneath my feet.

“I… I don’t understand,” I choked.

“What don’t you understand?” he said, his voice cold. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

I nodded, struggling to form words.

“Yes.”

“The reason your debt has skyrocketed is simple. I found out your precious Alaric didn’t just run off with the money he borrowed—he stole an additional five hundred thousand dollars from me before he vanished. And you…” He leaned forward. “…you are the only person left to repay me.”

My mouth went dry.

My vision blurred.

I was speechless.

“Stole?” I whispered, still in disbelief. That bastard. He didn’t just ruin my life—he destroyed it. And now I was going to pay… for everything.

My heart beat faster, harder.

Was Derick right all along?

Would I really rot away as a stripper till I die?

Then the boss spoke again.

“I have an offer. One that would grant you freedom—complete freedom from your debt.”

I looked up at him, eyes wide, desperate for hope.

“Sell yourself to me,” he said plainly.

“Become mine. My puppet. My toy. My property. In return, I’ll clear your debt and give you the life you’ve always dreamed of.”

He paused, watching me like a hawk.

“If you refuse, your only option is to continue paying off the five hundred thousand. And you know how that works: by stripping in my club. Until it’s all paid.”

His words stabbed me like a dagger.

Sell myself? How was that any different from the cage I was already in?

I froze.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t speak.

I couldn’t cry.

He leaned back in his chair, cigarette still burning.

“I’ll give you two days to decide. Give me your answer—or face the consequences.”