Chapter 7

HARPER's POV

The thought of everything that happened the previous night wouldn’t let me get enough sleep. I woke up at the first flicker of dawn, still wondering why a man like Asher would choose to help someone like me without asking for anything in return.

“He must surely want something. No one does something like that for free.” I thought to myself while I was still thinking about what I was going to eat, because Morgan refused to give me the usual penny allowance, because he blamed me for what happened at the club.

I had gotten so used to people doing only the things that favored them, all thanks to my family for teaching me the lesson of life in a very painful way.

I thought that I was going to have some time to myself, but the day seemed to have been running so fast that it wasn’t long before it was time to go to the club.

As soon as I walked in, I saw Morgan talking to two men dressed in black suits, and I wondered why they were there. I was so nervous that I stood by a corner and waited until they were ready to leave.

“Harper, my darling! Please, come!” Morgan seemed so excited. The smile that appeared on his face as soon as he shook hands with the men before they left didn’t look like it was going to disappear.

“I hope you are doing fine. Did you sleep well last night?” That was the first time Morgan was asked if I slept well. I knew that something had happened to make him look that happy.

I saw the way the two men in suits looked at me; it seemed like whatever discussion they had with him was because of me.

“I have good news!” Morgan was finally ready to talk, but he didn’t stop chuckling in excitement.  He was gentle with me for the first time as he led me to one of the stools close to the bar and made sure I was seated comfortably.

“Mr. Kingston sent his men here for you. He says he wants you to be his private dancer!” Morgan was straight to the point.

He didn’t see the need to beat around the bush. I also didn’t see the reason why he was too happy about what he said since that meant I wasn’t going to be making money for him at the club if I became Asher’s private dancer.

“Listen to me, Harper…” He continued, while I frowned, that he was still persistent with calling me the wrong name.

“Mr. Kingston paid three times the amount of your value. He also promised that he was going to make additional payments just to make sure that we don’t miss you by the time you are gone.”

“That explains it.” I sighed, realizing that Morgan had certainly not changed. He was only being nice to me because he had made a huge amount of money off me.

“I know how this may seem, Harper. But I assure you that Mr. Kingston is not as dangerous as you think he is. I am sure he will take proper care of you, and…”

“I will go to him.” I accepted at once, cutting Morgan short while he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Are you sure about this?” Morgan wanted to confirm how serious I was because he was skeptical about my eagerness to go.

He knew so well that I hated what I was doing in the club, but I wasn’t going to discard the chance of being close to a man who had become a mystery I needed to solve badly.

“You will be his private dancer?”

“Mmm-hmm.” I nodded to affirm my words, and a bright smile appeared on my face instantly.

I knew that I didn’t really have any choice. Whatever Morgan wanted was what he was going to get. But at that moment, it seemed like Asher gave him the condition that I was going to agree to be his private dancer willingly without being forced to do so.

“Get ready to leave tomorrow…”

“Can I start tonight? I think Mr. Kingston will be happy to see me tonight. I am sure he will give you the extra cash he promised you.”

Morgan was very surprised at how eager I was to go to Asher, but there was no way he was going to miss his chance of making extra money, especially when it was going to come at no cost at all.

If Asher had truly agreed to pay three times my value, that meant three times the amount my stepmother sold me to the club for.

I knew that I wasn’t free even though I was free from Morgan, but it felt like emancipation for me. I hurried away from Morgan’s presence as soon as he picked up his phone to call Asher to send his men back to pick me up.

Getting into the dressing room, I saw Rivera, who jolted as soon as she set her eyes on me. She placed her hands on her chest, letting go of the makeup brush in her hand, which fell to the floor.

“Harper! I have been trying to call you since this morning! I am so sorry that I had to leave you last night.” Rivera seemed very apprehensive. There were patches of guilt plastered all over her face, and she could barely maintain eye contact with me.

“I don’t have a phone, Rivera,” I said calmly, eyes on her while she forced saliva down her throat.

“Oh. I totally forgot.” She scratched her head, but I already knew what she had done.

I wondered how much they paid her to lead me to the trap, but as soon as I remembered that I had somewhere important to go, I left her to deal with her shame and remorse.

The men I saw earlier returned at once and led me to the car they came with. I watched as Morgan waved as we left for Asher’s place.

His greedy self looked a bit sad that he was letting me go, but I was certain that the thought of the amount of money he must have made was enough to handle his mixed feelings.