Chapter 6

Eudora gets a call from Katy. Katy tells her to meet a client at the hotel at noon tomorrow.

“But... I told you I can't work during the day,” Eudora protests.

Katy isn't having any of it.

“This client is someone I can't mess with. You figure it out. Be there on time, or you'll be responsible for anything that happens.”

Then she hangs up, quickly texting Eudora the hotel address and room number.

Eudora is confused by Katy's cold attitude, which is a complete change from her usual friendly self. But she doesn't have time to think about it too much because the doctor's call interrupts her thoughts.

The next day, after a lot of thinking, Eudora finally decides to go to the hotel like Katy said. She isn't the type to hesitate, once she signs those loan papers, there's no turning back. What's the point of pride when she's still struggling to make ends meet? She has to learn to face her problems, not run away from them.

But Eudora never expects the client waiting for her to be the one person she never wants to see again.

“What... what are you doing here?” she blurts out, pushing open the hotel room door.

Ryan sits on the sofa, legs crossed, casually swirling a glass of strong liquor. His other hand holds a smoldering cigar. He looks down at Eudora with a cocky smirk, saying slowly, “Why can't I be here?”

“But…”

She hesitates, not knowing what to say. Doesn't he think she's just a low-class, dirty person? If he hates her so much, why would he want to see her again?

Eudora's mind is racing, thinking about making a run for it. She wants to get out of that room, disappear from his sight forever.

Like he can read her mind, Ryan warns, “Don't even think about it. You'll be sorry if you walk out of this room.”

“What do you want from me?” Eudora asks, frowning.

Ignoring her annoyance, he smirks and says slowly, “Come here, I'll show you something.”

He sets down his glass and picks up a piece of paper from the coffee table.

Eudora hesitates for a second before walking closer to Ryan to see what's on the paper.

“You… how did you get this?” Eudora's voice is shaky with panic. She reaches out to grab the loan paper, but Ryan quickly pulls it back.

He shows her a different piece of paper, a smug grin on his face.

“I bought you with my money. Now I'm your new owner. Come on, make your new master happy.”

Eudora can't believe her ears. She shakes her head, muttering, “No way! You're lying! You're lying, right?”

Ryan scoffs.

“It's right here in black and white. Don't you recognize your own signature?”

“I… you…”

Eudora stammers a few incoherent words. She can't understand what Ryan is doing.

Enjoying Eudora's panic and confusion, Ryan mocks, "Now I'm your new creditor. Pay me back."

Eudora has no money, and she has no idea how to deal with this complicated situation.

Ryan scoffs.

“I'm a lot nicer than Katy. I won't charge you any interest. Just the amount you borrowed from her. Pay up.”

“I…”

Eudora has no way to pay. If she did, she wouldn't have taken out the loan in the first place, and she wouldn't have agreed to sell herself to earn money.

“Huh? What's the matter? You don't have the money?”

Eudora bites her lip and nods slightly.

Ryan raises an eyebrow and asks,

“So, what's the plan? How are you going to pay me back?”

“I… can I pay you back in installments? I really don't have the money right now.”

As she speaks, her head hangs lower and lower.

Ryan hums, pretending to consider her offer. Eudora holds her breath, waiting for a long time, finally hearing two slow words from his mouth,

“No way.”

Eudora, desperate, brazenly shouts,

“So what do you want me to do? Even if you put a knife to my throat, you won't get a single penny out of me!”

Ryan smirks.

“Didn't you already decide? You're gonna be a hooker to pay off your debt! The creditor is just changing from Katy to me. Why change jobs?”

“You… you…”

Eudora's mind is completely scrambled. She hasn't expected him to say those words.

Ryan stands up, pressed close to her, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, preventing her from escaping.

“From today, I'll be your creditor and your client. One night, minus two hundred. When you've paid off your debt, we're done.”

As if finding his own words amusing, Ryan chuckles and continues, “Don't worry, I'm nicer than Katy. I won't charge you any interest.”