You're stuck here

‎"I knew you wouldn't get far. Your passport and ID are safe with me!"

‎

‎Brandy blinked, surprised. "You have my passport, Aunt Linda?"

‎

‎"Yes, dear. I couldn't reach you, so I went to your hotel. Honestly, Brandy, keeping your passport in a place like that? It's practically begging to be stolen! I cancelled your room. Come stay with me."

‎

‎Brandy knew she couldn't. Not with Jose controlling her every move.

‎

‎"Auntie, I can't right now. I'll stay with a friend for a few days, then come get my passport before I leave."

‎

‎"You haven't been back in years. What friend?"

‎

‎"High school classmate..." Brandy's excuse sounded weak, even to her.

‎

‎"I know this has something to do with Jose. But that was so long ago. Let it go, darling."

‎

‎*Let it go?* Brandy thought bitterly. But what about now...?

‎

‎"Come over, Brandy. We have so much to catch up on," Linda said.

‎

‎"I...I'll come later, Aunt Linda."

‎

‎Brandy ended the call. She slumped against the bed, sinking into the floor.

‎

‎How could she leave without Jose's permission?

‎

‎She was very clear that if she stayed, Jose would make her life a living hell.

‎

‎In Jose's eyes, her aunt was the woman who had destroyed his parents' marriage. And she was guilty by association...

‎

‎At noon, Brandy was invited to the dining room for lunch. The sight that greeted her made her face pale. Almost everything was seafood. Expensive, yes, but to her, it was poison.

‎

‎Brandy's gaze fell on the vegetarian dishes. She picked up a chopstick-full, but the overwhelming scent of seafood hit her before she could even taste it. She recoiled, dropping the chopstick and rising to her feet. Her breath hitched in her throat as she asked a nearby maid, "What... what are the vegetables cooked in?"

‎

‎"Seafood stock," the maid replied.

‎

‎Brandy wanted to flee, but her feet remained rooted to the spot. If she refused this meal, what then? Could she endure three days of starvation? And how could she possibly escape on an empty stomach?

‎

‎"You want me to eat plain rice, is that it? Fine, I'll eat it."

‎

‎Brandy sat back down. Ignoring the dishes, she shoved mouthful after mouthful of plain rice into her mouth. The maid stared, dumbfounded, as Brandy ate the dry, flavorless rice without a flicker of emotion.

‎

‎Brandy spent three days imprisoned in the castle-like mansion, subsisting on nothing but plain rice. Jose remained absent, as if he had simply abandoned her to wither away. She felt like a caged animal, her future uncertain, her heart gripped by a growing fear of the unknown.

‎

‎Finally, unable to endure it any longer, Brandy put down her chopsticks and went to the hall. "Where is Jose?" she asked the butler, Daniel. "I want to see him. When will he let me go?"

‎

‎"I'm sorry, Miss Baron. Mr. Williams' movements are not something we, as servants, are privy to," Daniel said.

‎

‎"How long is he going to keep me locked up?"

‎

‎"That, too, is unknown to us."

‎

‎"You…” Brandy bit back her anger. She couldn't take it out on the servant. This was Jose's doing, his command.

‎

‎It was around nine o'clock at night, but Brandy couldn't sleep. She huddled in a corner of the balcony, thinking about her children. She had never been separated from them for so long. Would they miss their mommy? Would they cry at night...

‎

‎Her eyes stung with unshed tears when the low rumble of an approaching car sliced through the night. Her heart leaped, and she raced downstairs.

‎

‎Outside, a car slowly pulled up to the door, but it wasn't the black Rolls-Royce. It was a Mercedes.

‎

‎The man who emerged wasn't Jose either. He was a professional-looking man with business glasses and a tailored suit. He approached Brandy with an air of detached politeness, carrying a bag, its contents hidden from view.

‎

‎"Miss Brandy?" Frederick asked, his gaze briefly flicking to her bare feet.

‎

‎"Who are you?"

‎

‎"Allow me introduce myself. I am Mr. Williams' chief secretary, Frederick."

‎

‎"Has he sent you to let me go?" Brandy asked anxiously.

‎

‎"I'm here to take you to Mr. Jose," Frederick replied, lifting the bag slightly. "These are clothes and shoes for you."

‎

‎Brandy, unnerved by his formal tone and the mysterious bag, asked, "...Where are we going?”

‎

‎A bar.

‎

‎Brandy was wearing a black, tight-fitting dress, its straight neckline baring her luminous skin and delicate collarbones. The tight fabric emphasized her slender waist and the long, graceful lines of her legs. Her unique beauty immediately drew the attention of the bar's male patrons, their gazes lingering on her with blatant interest.

‎

‎Frederick, his eyes fixed straight ahead, led Brandy deeper into the bar, towards a private room.

‎

‎The door opened, revealing a room brighter than the main bar, yet it felt to Brandy as though she were stepping into a dark and unknown world.

‎

‎Inside, people were drinking and laughing, men were touching women, and women were clinging to men.

‎

‎But Jose was nowhere to be seen amidst this decadent scene.

‎

‎They noticed Brandy. The men in the room openly admired her, their gazes lingering even as they held other women in their arms.

‎

‎"Is this the new model? Good quality," one of them, addressed as "President Henry", commented.

‎

‎Brandy, repulsed by being treated like a commodity, turned to Frederick. "Where is he?" she asked.

‎

‎"Wait here," Frederick replied, then left her alone.

‎

‎Brandy stood alone, a stark contrast to the surrounding revelry.

‎

‎Why didn't Frederick correct their assumptions about her identity? Why did he leave her alone to wait for Jose?

‎

‎She would soon get her answer...

‎

‎Henry came over with a glass of wine, slightly drunk, and said, "Sit with me, hmm? I'll be gentle.”

‎

‎Brandy's brows furrowed in disgust.

‎

‎"Why sit with you?" another man interjected. "I'll pay a thousand for her appearance!"

‎

‎"I'll pay two thousand! No one gets paid that much!" Henry generously countered.

‎

‎"You've got it all wrong, I'm not a model here," Brandy's face turned pale.

‎

‎"What do you mean you're not? Don't play innocent. You just think the money isn't enough!" President Henry sneered. "Think you're some kind of goddess? You look pure, but who knows what's underneath all that!"

‎

‎"Maybe she should show us," the man next to him said lewdly. Henry grabbed Brandy's wrist. "Let me check the quality first."

‎

‎"Let go..." Brandy struggled, repulsed. "Get away from me!"

‎

‎She twisted free, the force of her escape sending her stumbling backward, off balance–

‎

‎"Ah!"

‎

‎Brandy braced for a fall, but instead, her back collided with a solid, unyielding form.

‎

‎A low, cold voice whispered in her ear, "What, not satisfied with my arrangements?"

‎

‎Brandy's scalp prickled with fear. Jose...

‎

‎"You've been eating plain rice for days. Time for some meat.”

‎