Chapter 1

CAROLINA

It was a bright Friday morning, and I went out in search of a job. After an unsuccessful job hunt, I returned home and found my mother, Lilian Edmond, standing at the front door.

"Carolina, you are twenty-six years old. Yet you have no job and no boyfriend. You cannot continue to eat in this house with us. Take your things and leave!" Mom shouted, glaring at me.

"Good evening, Mom," I greeted her, but her eyes narrowed at me.

My mother was a forty-eight-year-old woman, chubby and of average height. She had fair skin and long blonde hair like mine. She wore a long blue nightdress that hung loosely around her body, paired with black slippers.

Some neighbors peeked from their open windows, trying to see what the commotion was about.

"Carolina, you are not entering this house tonight. You had better go back and search for a job. If you don't find one, then don't come home at all. Your father and I would never have wasted our money sending you to university if we'd known it would be for nothing—we should have saved it for your younger siblings instead. How do you expect us to keep feeding a grown woman in this house? If you don't want to work, then stay out there!" Mom yelled. She went back into the apartment and slammed the door in my face with a deafening sound.

I stood speechless, knowing my mother wasn't happy that I still had no job. I sighed, staring at the door that had been locked from within.

My name is Carolina Edmond, and I graduated with a first-class degree in business management. So far, I hadn't managed to secure a good job in this city.

I grew up in a family of five siblings—two younger sisters and two younger brothers—and I was the eldest. Yet I had nothing serious going on in my life. No job, no lover, just me, alone.

I drew a deep breath and turned to walk back toward the road. I wore a faded yellow top and an old, frayed brown skirt, paired with black shoes I'd had for ages.

I knew my mother carried all our family's responsibilities, since my father was little more than a deadbeat. He didn't truly care what I did. He came home to eat, and sometimes we wouldn't see him for days, since he worked as a mechanic.

I stood by the roadside, wondering what to do and how I could find a job as soon as possible.

When I checked my phone, it read 7:00 p.m. Most agencies had already closed. So what work could I possibly get tonight?

I decided to call my best friend, Lucy Campbell. She worked at a clubhouse here in Mohills City.

I was certain Lucy could lend me money to cover my bills for the weekend.

"Hello, Lucy," I said when she picked up.

"Hey, Carolina. What's wrong?" Lucy asked, shouting over the noise.

I could tell she was at work. Loud club music reverberated in my ear.

"I'm homeless, Lucy. Can I come stay at your place?" I asked, knowing she lived alone. I tried to fight back my sobs but ended up sniffling instead.

Lucy was my childhood friend. We had attended the same college, but she didn't have a troubled family like mine. She had chosen to live alone and work at a club.

"Why? What happened with your family this time? Did your mom throw you out?" Lucy asked, guessing the problem. "It's eight o'clock. How can she send you away at night?" She sounded furious, and I tried not to cry.

"Lucy, I can't blame my mother. The economy is too hard right now, and she's just trying her best to provide for us. I need to find a job to support her. If there's any work tonight, I don't mind taking it—even if it's prostitution," I told Lucy, finally breaking into sobs. She sighed.

"It's all right, Caro. I'm at work now. Can you come to The Blues Club? It's the biggest club in the city, and they have a five-star hotel too. I'll try to talk to my boss about hiring you. But you'll need to stop speaking so plainly and start speaking fluently, seductively, like I do. That way my boss will take you seriously and hire you. You'll also need to be friendly with the male clients—you'll have to tolerate their touch and however they interact with you," Lucy said.

"Really? I have to do all that just to get the job? Will it involve kissing, or what?" I asked, my eyes widening in shock, my heart pounding faster.

"No. What's wrong with you, Carolina? All I mean is that you'll need to put on a smile. You know you're a pretty woman—some of the men might want to ask you out," Lucy said, and I considered it.

"All right. I don't have a problem with that. What matters is that I earn money, even if it means selling my body. I feel like a failure right now," I told her, sobbing.

"It's okay, Caro. You're not a failure. Where are you? Start heading over. Do you have your fare, or should I send you some money? I don't have much to spare right now—my eldest sister's wedding is next month, and I need to prepare for it," she said.

"All right. I'll pay you back. Please help me, Lucy. You're the best friend I have," I told her, and she laughed, her contagious laugh over the phone.

"Don't mention it. I'm sure I'm not your only friend. Anyway, I'll send you the money now. Get here quickly," Lucy said, giving me a final push. She knew how hard I'd been trying to find a job without any luck.

I sighed, pacing along the road, until a message alert appeared: 5,000. I smiled. It was more money than I needed, but I knew I'd have to pay Lucy back.

Looking down the road, I hailed a taxi and told the driver, "To The Blues Clubhouse."

The taxi driver looked me over from head to toe.

"Are you sure you're going to the Blues dressed like that?" he asked, eyeing me suspiciously. I frowned.

"Why? I'm going to meet a friend," I told him. He shrugged.

"Get in the car. That's not my problem. But your fare is fifteen hundred," the taxi driver said as I pulled open the door and slid into the back seat.

"Why? Isn't it five hundred?" I tried to ask, but his eyes darkened at me.

"You can walk if you want. Why bother with a taxi," he said coldly. I frowned.

"Fine. Just take me to the club," I told him. He nodded, started the car, and drove off toward the Blues Club.