FIVE

Chapter 5

Antonio gazed at the woman he had brought last night. She was wearing a red dress, with a seductive and arousing figure, but Antonio suspected her to be one of the traps left by Elliot.

Meanwhile, Antonio and Nath had no other choice but to search for any traces of that damn fraudster. Both men had thoroughly searched every place Jean had been, even within a five-meter radius, yet neither Antonio nor Nathan found Elliot.

At first glance, what they had discovered seemed impossible. How could someone under surveillance suddenly vanish and leave behind a beautiful woman in a tempting red dress? Nathan himself had been the one looking for and trapping him. The information was not invalidated because Nathan was certain that Elliot had been there before. Jean's words also confirmed it.

"Are you sure you didn't do anything to me?"

Antonio sighed, perplexed by this woman's thought process, blaming and accusing him of doing something wrong. It should be him feeling anxious and worried. Antonio was the one at a disadvantage if he couldn't find any leads on Elliot. Even now, his identity was in doubt. Would this woman make things easier? Or would she ruin all of Antonio's plans? Oh, she could have been deliberately sent to hinder all of Antonio's activities. Perhaps she was sent to send Antonio to jail?

Damn Elliot, to hell with him!

The man was furious and chose to remain silent.

"Hey... are you listening to me?" the woman forcibly demanded his attention. "Hello, I'm talking to you!"

Antonio could only roll his eyes lazily and briefly glance at the naked woman before finally tossing her some oversized shirts and loose shorts. He wasn't a hypocrite or naive, so he had seen it all before – the slender body, enticing round breasts, firm buttocks that fit perfectly in his grasp, the porcelain-like and seductive exotic skin. No, Antonio had experienced it all before. He acknowledged that the woman in front of him had more value than any other woman who had ever been in his bed. If it were on a scale, this woman might be at a level of 90 out of 100. Her body was perfect. However, Antonio couldn't touch her until he was certain she wasn't sent by Elliot, let alone had any intention of trapping him.

"Sir, why did you bring me here and undress me on your bed?!"

"Shut up," Antonio sighed softly, then his hand reached for the cigarette lying on the table. He held it between two fingers, lit it, took a deep drag, and blew the smoke in front of the woman's face.

Rose immediately coughed, trying to dispel the smoke in front of her.

"Oh my, you're so rude!" she complained.

"That's why, quickly put on those clothes or wear your dress, and let's talk about business," Antonio said nonchalantly.

Next, she walked towards the living room. In that room, Nathan was already preparing breakfast. The man was busy in front of the stove, toasting slices of bread, frying sunny-side-up eggs, making an omelet, and also pouring milk and orange juice from the newly taken packages in the refrigerator. The man skillfully handled the knife, and his hands moved with professionalism. It was as if Nathan was the chef in his own kitchen. Rose finally decided to just put on her red dress again and quickly left the room to follow the strange man who took her home.

The woman wondered to herself why she had to be trapped with the scoundrel Elliot, who ended up selling her to a pimp for night workers, just because she was promised some money to help with her mother's medical expenses. But, on the other hand, Rose did need that money. It would be a lie to say that she didn't hope that her damn stepfather would actually help her. But upon further reflection, Rose also knew that relying on Elliot was no different than expecting the moon to split in half overnight. It was something highly improbable, and Rose shouldn't have believed his words for a moment. In fact, it was too late for regrets now because she had already woken up in bed with an unfamiliar man, who happened to be very handsome. Oh, damn!

"Sit down quickly, you're taking forever!" Antonio complained impatiently.

Rose wanted to smack him, but curiosity still filled her chest. She wanted to know who exactly was the person in front of her right now and find Elliot.

"It seems like the dress was too small for you, Miss," this time the voice of the cook in the kitchen interrupted. His warm and distinctive smile greeted Rose's eyes and made her feel better. At least, he was better than the rude and angry man. "Last night, you fainted because the dress was too small for your body, Miss."

"Is that so?"

"What a fool. I already gave her a loose T-shirt and pants earlier," Antonio sneered, exhaling the smoke from his cigarette into the air. "Change quickly and don't inconvenience us."

In the end, all Rose could do was snort and then return to the room, undressing herself again to put on the loose-fitting T-shirt that matched the loose pants. The clothes were very ugly and uncomfortable to wear because they were too big, but Rose had no other choice but to wear them. She also didn't want to suddenly arouse the desires of the two men and become their prey here. Even though she was now a wretched woman who had been sold by that damn Elliot to a pimp named Jean, she still had some dignity as a human being, at least.

Shortly after, Rose returned to the living room with the clothes they had provided. Indeed, although they looked uncomfortable and loose, it was clear that the clothes didn't make it difficult for Rose to breathe to the point of fainting. Moreover, Rose now had a different goal. Whether she liked it or not, she had to play along with Antonio and Nathan for the time being. At least to ensure her own safety. Besides, now she had a more important mission than just thinking about the red dress or her status that had changed into the uncertain prostitute named Jean.

"Alright... so, what kind of business do you both offer?" Rose smiled mischievously, giving the impression of bravery and challenge.

And as soon as they saw her expression, Antonio burst into laughter until he choked on his own cigarette smoke. He wondered, which damned woman could look at him so calmly and boldly without any trace of fear?

Nathan then said, "You're quite daring, Miss Pennington."

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