Chapter 3- One Night That Changed Everything

Elena's POV 

If there’s one thing life taught me before I turned twenty-two, it’s this……you can only beg for help so many times before people start getting tired of you.

I used to think love meant “helping each other through hard times.”

But with Liam, it meant me paying his bills while he promised me a future that never came.

“Liam, this is the last time,” I said, clutching my phone tighter.

My voice cracked…..

“Babe, please,” he said from the other end. “It’s not that much. It’s just for my final project, okay? You know I’d do the same for you.”

No, he wouldn’t because his rich family had cut him off. But I didn’t say that, I just bit my lip and stared at my empty wallet.

“Fine,” I muttered. “But that’s it. I mean it.”

“Thank you, baby. I swear, once I graduate….”

“Yeah,” I cut him off. “You’ve said that before.”

When I hung up, I just sat there in silence, watching my phone screen go black.

My stomach twisted, I’d already asked my dad for too much money this month.

If I went back again, he’d start asking questions I didn’t want to answer.

So I did what desperate people do best….I improvised.

****

The club was called Eros.

Basically, a “classy” strip club where rich men came to pretend they weren’t miserable and throw cash around.

I started working there under the name Luna. Everyone wore masks…. feathered, they were kinda creepy but cool. It was supposed to make us “mysterious.” Mostly, it made us invisible.

The first night was hell but then the money started coming in.

Not a lot, but enough to survive.

I told myself it was temporary. Just until Liam was done with school. Just until I could breathe again.

Then came that night.

The music was slow and the bass was heavy, the kind that made everything vibrate.

My skin glowed under red lights, sweat sliding down my back as I spun around the pole.

Men threw bills at my feet. Some clapped. Some just stared at me lustfully.

I zoned out. I always did.

Until I saw him.

Adrian.

Sitting in the VIP booth like he owned the place.

Whiskey glass in his hand, laughing with his friends, then…..his eyes met mine.

My heart dropped straight to the floor.

He looked mesmerized for half a second. Then he smirked.

I froze mid-spin, but I forced myself to keep going. 

He wasn’t worth the meltdown, especially not in front of everyone.

When my set ended, I stormed backstage, tore off my mask, and threw it on the vanity table.

“Yo, Luna, you okay?” Tara asked, sipping from her flask. She was my closest friend there….funny, loud and she literally had zero shame about anything.

“Fine,” I said. “Just tired.”

“Uh-huh.” She smirked. “You sure it’s not that fine dude staring at you all night?

Girl, he’s loaded. You could tell from his watch alone.”

“Thats not new,” I muttered. “A lot of dudes stare at me.”

“Oh,” she said, eyes widening. “Damn. That’s awkward.”

I laughed a little, even though nothing was funny. “Tell me about it.”

She shrugged. “You’ll be fine. You’re hot as hell. Half the dudes here would kill to take you home.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not for sale.”

Tara gave me this look. “Maybe not, but your bills don’t care about your morals, babe.”

She wasn’t wrong.

Still, the idea of actually sleeping with some stranger for cash made my stomach churn.

Even if I needed the money. I was loyal only to Liam.

Before I could reply, I felt a shadow behind me.

“Interesting philosophy,” a man’s voice said. 

I turned.

It was the guy that had been gawking at me all night. 

He had the look of someone who could ruin lives with one phone call.

“I couldn’t help overhearing,” he said, stepping closer. “You’re wasting your time here.”

I scoffed. “What, you recruiting dancers for your church or something?”

He actually smiled. “Not exactly.”

Something about the way he looked at me made my stomach twist.

 Like he was trying to figure me out.

“You said you need money,” he continued. “I can give you money.”

I folded my arms. “Wow, never heard that line before.”

“I’m serious,” he said. “One night.No strings attached and I'll give you half a million dollars.”

I laughed…like full-on laughed…because it sounded insane.

“Yeah, sure. And you’re just handing out half a mil because you’re bored?”

He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a checkbook, and scribbled.

Then he handed it to me.

$500,000.

I stared at it. “This is… real?”

“As real as you want it to be,” he said quietly. “If you want out of this life, take it. If not….tear it up.”

My fingers trembled. “Why me?”

He tilted his head slightly. “ Because I love things that are had to possess”

That shut me up.

He walked away, but not before glancing back once…like he already knew I’d follow.

And the worst part?

He was right.

I don’t even remember what I told Tara before I left.

Something about going home early.

My body moved as if on autopilot. My brain just kept replaying that check, half a mil?.

Half a million dollars.

By the time I stepped outside, he was waiting beside a black car, door already open.

“Changed your mind?” he asked grinning wickedly 

I didn’t answer. I just got in.

The city lights blurred outside the window as the car sped through Manhattan. I stared out, pretending not to notice the way his gaze stayed on me. 

I was shaking….and not from fear but from anticipation. From the dizzying truth that I had just agreed to something I didn’t understand.

When we reached the building, my breath caught. It wasn’t just luxurious…it was a fortress in the sky.

He poured me a drink. I didn’t touch it.

Instead, I whispered, “I’ve never done this before.”

He tilted his head. “Had a one-night stand?”

I swallowed. “No. I mean… anything. I’m a virgin.”

That stopped him.

His expression didn’t shift. But something in the air did

“I'm curious about what you look like behind that mask” he said, stepping closer. 

“I'm sorry but you can't know who I am,”I breathed. 

He looked like he wanted to argue then sighed.

He stepped in, so close his breath danced against my cheek.

“I should walk away,” he muttered, eyes burning into mine.

“Then do it,” I whispered, even though we both knew he wouldn’t.

His hand came up, fingers brushing the edge of my mask.

But he didn’t pull it off.

Instead, his lips curled. “S

trip for me, chiquita,” he rasped. “I want to see the body I’ve been imagining since you walked in and do it slowly. I want to remember what you look like after I ruin you”