"It's nice to play with you," Lucas said beside her as Clara walked away from the party crowd. Their game had ended a few minutes ago, and Clara managed to slip away after people started playing cards in the spot where she had played with Lucas earlier. They seemed to have found a new place and gathered there to witness the high-stakes and humor-filled gamble. "You lost, so I don't have a responsibility to talk to you," Clara replied. "But you still respond to me," Lucas glanced briefly at her. Clara turned her head and waited for a waiter she had asked to pack Louis's bread. She only took about a quarter of it, leaving the rest on the table even though she knew no adults there would be interested in such a birthday cake. She also knew that Anthony didn't really want the cake; he was only influenced by Louis to make him attend the party. "Where did you learn to play cards, Cla?" Lucas asked calmly, "I think we both know that your skills don't come from miracles so you can beat me.
Lucas walked calmly toward the end of the balcony of his room, enjoying the gentle breeze there. Louis's party was still ongoing, and he had no intention of leaving after receiving a surprising phone call from the woman ruin his mind for the past week. He had never felt so obsessed with a whore who had rejected his advances.The problem was that she was the only woman who ever turned him down, while others would willingly throw themselves at him. He had almost lost track of her until fate brought her right in front of him, staring at him with those round, mesmerizing blue eyes.Clara. Finally, he found her.And as if his luck had not run out, he discovered that Louis knew her—seemed familiar with her as if they had been friends for a long time.Lucas found her and would do anything to possess that insane woman—arrogant enough to think she was too valuable to sleep with him and even dared to kick him as if he wasn't powerful enough to intimidate her.His manipulative instincts heighten
Clara didn't know how long she had been sitting outside the operating room, waiting for Anthony, or at least for Benjamin to come out and give her information about Anthony's condition. However, hours passed, and the only people who came out were a few nurses rushing in and out quickly without explaining anything to her.Her tears had dried up hours ago. Her eyes were sore because she couldn’t stop crying. Elena offered to get her some spare clothes from Anthony's room, but Clara refused, not wanting to leave Anthony, even just to briefly go to the restroom and change her clothes.She took off her high heels and chose to go barefoot while waiting for Anthony. Her hope was fading when she couldn't find a way to pay for Anthony's surgery, but she found one last option, and finally, the surgery could be done.Clara didn't think about the consequences of her decision. She didn't think about anything other than Anthony's healthy. Vaguely, she remembered her conversation with Lucas a few da
At first, Clara still didn't believe what Lucas had said, but when she realized that Rachel hadn't been answering her calls, even though she always picked up, even in the middle of the night or early morning, Clara began to realize that Lucas wasn't kidding, especially when she remembered her last conversation with Rachel when she was still at the hospital."What are you doing?" Lucas walked closer and snatched her phone."Give it back!" Clara realized what he was doing and jumped to reach it. However, her height didn't match Lucas, making her look ridiculous as she leaped in front of him."You don't believe me, so you called Rachel?" Lucas glanced at her phone and ended the call, erasing Rachel's number right in front of her."What the hell are you doing? You're a fucking asshole!" Clara angrily hit his arm."Calm down, Cla." Lucas returned her phone, but there was nothing she could do with it since he had already deleted everything—the phone number, call logs, and the last message s
Anthony stayed in the Emergency Room for 4 days, a normal duration for a child his age. Clara never left his side, even standing in front of the Emergency Room window late at night just to ensure her brother was okay. Usually, Elena would accompany her, but recently, Clara insisted that Elena rest more and go home while she stayed with Anthony alone.Well, she wasn't truly alone. Louis would accompany her almost every day after finishing his classes. And yes, Clara had once again neglected her studies, only attending when there were important exams. She knew education was key to improving her future and leading to a better life than her current one. However, when Anthony needed her, Clara was willing to sacrifice anything to stay with her brother.One month passed, and Anthony was finally allowed to go home, although it was longer than the usual patient's recovery time. Benjamin assured them that Anthony needed to stay in the hospital for a month post-surgery for proper monitoring. Cl
"Haven’t done it in a while, Cla?" Lucas said as he pulled up her underwear. The black dress she had been wearing had come off a while ago before Lucas led her into his room.Clara held her breath. She didn't want to respond to Lucas, but in the end, she couldn't hold back the moan that escaped her lips when he breathed along her stomach."Do you think so?" she murmured softly."You look nervous," Lucas crawled up to touch her breasts, making deliberate motions that seemed to torment her with every touch.Clara became even more breathless. Her lips parted, and she knew what she wanted.Her job as a prostitute had taught her many things, including the inner struggle that always plagued her at certain moments. She never wanted this, but she couldn't deny that her body naturally reacted to every touch she received.Not wanting to be consumed by what Lucas was doing, she reached out and touched Lucas's abdomen. She couldn't deny that Lucas had a perfect body, sculpted like a favorite arti
Clara started her day badly when she woke up in a place she shouldn't have been. She almost cursed herself when she realized she had slept in Lucas's bed all night, especially when she found herself clinging to his arm like a little girl seeking protection.Luckily, she woke up earlier and managed to escape before Lucas woke up and found her still in his apartment. This had never happened before. Even when she sometimes dozed off after finishing her work with clients, she would always wake up in the middle of the night, clean up, and leave discreetly, avoiding any questions in the morning. But this time was different. Lucas would remain her client for a year, and she wouldn't be able to avoid him when he contacted her or asked to meet.Whatever, Clara didn't want to think about Lucas on a bright morning when she could go to campus after leaving her classes for a month. Elena and Anthony hadn't woken up yet when she returned home—something she was very grateful for. She managed to cook
"I don't know what's happening, but lately, you always look tired and sleepy in the morning, and it's making me more worried about you,"Clara lifted her head from the dining table and gave Elena a brief smile. Lately, Clara had been asking Elena to stay over at her house, so they always had breakfast together in the morning. Elena didn't mind because she didn't have anyone at her home. Even two days ago, Elena had discussed her plans to stay at Clara's place permanently, which meant cutting her monthly rent since she decided not to renew her house lease. After her younger brother left, the house became neglected as Elena spent more time at Clara's place. Clara accepted the plan, of course. She didn't want to cut Elena's pay. For her, it would be better if someone was willing to be with Anthony all the time, as she couldn't be sure of her work schedule, especially since Lucas often contacted her late at night, even busier than her work schedule, when Rachel managed her clients.And ta