Chapter 3

Arianna.

"Babe, it's no one. I'm fine. I promise you," Vincent said, kissing Talia's cheek. She narrowed her eyes at me.

"Vince, if you don't tell me who hit you, I'm not leaving here. Whoever touched you deserves to apologize. Tell me, so I can deal with them. Mm?" Talia touched Vincent's chin and caressed his cheek. She drew close to him and placed a warm kiss on his lips.

Vincent smiled and pointed at Mr. Adam. "He hit me. He took that woman's place."

*That woman?* The way Vincent referred to me pierced my heart.

"Mr. Adam, do you want to lose your job? How dare you hit my boyfriend? Apologize to him now!" Talia ordered. She was twenty-two and showed no respect for Mr. Adam.

"Miss, I only tried to protect Arianna. I didn't know he was your boyfriend. I am deeply sorry," Mr. Adam apologized, bowing his head. Talia narrowed her eyes at me.

"Let me make this clear to you, Mr. Adam. The next time you dare lay your filthy hand on my boyfriend, consider yourself fired!" Talia declared. Mr. Adam nodded.

"Got it, ma'am," he responded, as if Talia were his madam.

"Do you hear my daughter? She is the only heiress of the Maddox Corporation. If you go against my daughter, you also go against her father and me. So I will let this slide," Rose chimed in, her voice laced with venom.

"I won't dare make such a mistake next time, madam," Mr. Adam replied. I recalled when he worked for my mother. She never treated him this way.

"Good." Rose smiled as she chewed the bubble gum in her mouth, before her gaze turned to me. "So, why are you here?"

Vincent looked at me with a different gaze, before he turned to leave the house with Talia.

"Babe, let's go," Vincent said, his tone soft, but Talia refused to leave.

"No, Vince. You go. I will meet you at the restaurant. I want to know what this beggar came to do in my father's house," Talia said, turning to face me.

"Alright. I'll leave. Don't forget the high-end restaurant we picked," Vincent reminded her. Talia smiled at him.

"Of course. I won't forget. Bye, sweetie," she waved at him while Vincent hopped into his black car. He didn't spare me a single glance.

Once in his car, Vincent shut the door and zoomed off. I breathed out heavily.

"Arianna, you were banished from this family four years ago. Why did you return?" Rose asked, her expression chilling.

"Ma, I need to see my dad. It's urgent," I pleaded, knowing she was my father's legal wife now.

"Why?" Rose asked, laughing. "Do you think if you crawl back here, your father will welcome you with open arms? You were banished. That means he doesn't want to see you."

"That's right," Talia chimed in. "Dad already disowned you. So leave here now."

"No," I pleaded as I fell to my knees. "This involves my mother. Let me see my dad, please..." I begged, clasping my hands together as I gazed at them. I wouldn't have knelt down, but my pride doesn't matter to me.

"Get up and leave here, bìtch!" Talia cursed at me, stepping forward to kick me.

"Let her be, Taila," Rose chimed in, her expression thoughtful. "Do you need money?" She asked. I looked up at her face, wondering where she was driving at.

"Yes, ma," I responded, trembling.

"Then you will have to work for it. I have a job offer for you, and it involves a high paycheck. That is, if you are willing to sell this beautiful body of yours," Rose said, stepping forward. I frowned.

"I cannot do that," I replied.

"Then leave. You are not ready to save your mother. Don't think we owe you anything. We don't owe you and your wretched mom. Your dad paid her all the salary he owed her. He even sponsored you through nursing school. What more do you both want?" Rose snapped, her voice laced with ice.

"I need only eight million. I can find the remaining balance," I begged.

"Eight million is a lot of money. But if you're a virgin, I think Don Milos will accept you and pay," Rose said, her lips curled in a smile.

"Don Milos?" I asked, my eyes widening in shock. Was he the same man I met at the hospital?

Even Talia looked shocked.

"Mom, don't tell me you are planning to give Arianna to Don Gabriel Milos to marry her," Talia murmured, frowning. Her arms crossed over her chest with a look of displeasure.

"No way. It's not Don Gabriel Milos. It's his dad, the old Mr. Milos. He has a kink for young women, especially virgins, and Arianna will be a good catch for him. He will pay ten million if she is a virgin," Rose said, smirking at me.

A wave of relief crashed over Talia's features. "That sounds better. So what do you say, sis?"

I looked over at the two of them. Would I sell my body to save my mother? Will I get the money as promised?

The thought of sleeping with an old man to get the money made my stomach churn. But then, I recalled Vincent's betrayal. I already told him my dad was Felix Maddox. But Vincent didn't believe me. Instead, he cheated on me with my stepsister.

Thinking about Rose's offer, as she said my dad refused to see me, my brows furrowed.

"We do not have all day to stand here. As you can see, we are heading somewhere. So make your decision," Rose's voice cut through my thoughts. I looked at her face.

"Are you sure Don Milos will pay me that amount? I really need the money," I asked her, my voice shaking. She smiled.

"Of course. Mr. Milos will pay you. You just have to please him. And do not forget, he likes it rough, and he is into dark BDSM romance. Can you handle it?" Rose inquired. I trembled at the thought of getting tied up and banged.

I lowered my head as I stood before my stepmother. "I don't know. When can I meet him? I have to think this through," I said.

Rose grinned. "If you agree, I can arrange for you to meet Don Milos today. You only have to say the word 'yes,'" she said, her tone firm. I sighed.

"Alright. I accept," I replied, knowing I had no other option.

Mr. Adam gazed at me with pity. He had witnessed how my father brutally kicked my mother and me out of the house. My father was already cheating with Rose, so he secretly had Talia as his second daughter and a son named Brandy. But Brandy wasn't around at the moment. He was twenty, and he studied abroad.

"Just a moment," Rose said. She pulled out her phone and dialed a contact.