It's a chilly Friday evening, marking my two-week stay in this goddamned brothel, known as The Well's Club. The only thing I am grateful for these past two weeks is my recovery. I had my bandage removed a few days ago, and the headaches do not come often. They only come when I tend to think a lot.
Unfortunately, my memory is not yet back, and that sucks! Second, at least this monster called Ejay has not introduced me to this thing of random men paying for a lady's nonsense duties or asking me to go swing my almost naked body on stage in the name of entertaining his illegal business partners like ladies here do. I don't blame them, though. They just follow the orders of the high and mighty drug lord, Ejay. Yes, this is not just an ordinary club. It is the dwelling place of all evil. From the sale of drugs to prostitution, the brothel, and keeping girls against their will, God knows what else makes me pity the girls. I pity us. I do not know how long I will be privileged, given that I am now okay health-wise, and that scares me to death. Every evening, Ejay comes for me, and we go to the entertainment room to watch naked ladies swing their bodies while useless men cheer them up while they enjoy their drinks.
During the entertainment, if you are a lady, either you are on the dance floor or you are in the company of a man. Men who can't keep their hands to themselves but are disrespectful and touchy-touchy with them I am guessing it's also a rule here. Thank God that I am always beside the feared boss, Ejay, because I doubt I can stand someone touching me so disrespectfully in the middle of a crowd. I have estimated the time these girls get to rest to be only about two or three hours during the day. That's after they clean the whole building, including their rooms, and set the stage. They also do the cooking, which is not easy given that they cook for almost twenty goons, known as the protectors of the club. If you ask me, this is torture. Absolute torture. They are Ejay's slaves and money-making machines. I can bet on my life that none of them chose this kind of life.
"The boss asked you to get ready and be down in twenty. He will be waiting in the entertainment center." A voice startles me, making me walk from the closet where I was standing, looking for a dress to wear tonight. On the second day of my arrival here, Ejay bought a lot of clothes for me, all of them dresses, descent dresses, and underwear. I hate it that they are from him. I hate the thought that he knows even the kind and color of my innerwear. I hate that feeling, but I have no choice but to wear them.
"Don't you know how to knock?" I asked the lady. In my whole stay here, I have exchanged a few words with a few ladies, and I can say that I will get along well with them. However, there are others like this one in front of me. Her name is Mayleen. She has black blonde hair, a tall figure, and a slim body with the cutest aqua blue eyes. But her attitude stinks! Her pride, coupled with her temperament, has made everyone not associate with her. But her attitude towards me in the few two or three times we have exchanged words is beyond hate.
"Don't even ever imagine me knocking on your door before coming in." She retorts.
"Why do you seem to hate me so much, Mayleen? Have I offended you in any way?" I ask because, honestly, I can't understand her anger at all.
She inches in closer, as if she were waiting for this kind of question, her eyes fixed on mine. "You dare ask me why?" Whoa! It seems like she was waiting for me to ask. "You stay here in your room like princesses while we work our asses to the core! Even meals are ordered to be brought to your room. What is your purpose for being here?" She stands in front of me like a queen, demanding answers from her servant.
I don't want to fight or make enemies, so I give her a very simple and direct answer. "Go ask Ejay."
"Ejay? We all call him boss! Everybody is here, including the bodyguards. Even his most trusted clients and business associates don't dare call him by his name. Even when I was his woman, he never allowed me to address him by his name. Why you, bitch? Have you slept with him already?"
Ah, so that's it? She is jealous! She is probably hoping to get back with him, and I seem like an obstacle to their reunion. And how disgusting is that part about me sleeping with Ejay? That father monster! That will never happen. Not even in a million centuries. Not when I am breathing. Since I don't feel like justifying anything to her, I shake my head and turn to walk back to the closet, but she stops me by grabbing my hand.
"Don't you dare walk out on me while I am talking! Answer me! Are you sleeping with the boss?"
Okay, that's enough now! I am anything but a weakling. I pull my hand away from her. "I do not owe anyone any explanation, most especially not you! I will say it to you again in case you didn't hear me the first time. If you are that bothered, go ask Ejay."
"I definitely will. I am the only one he gets to chat with, in case you don't know." She hisses boldly.
"Oh, really? I haven't seen you two talk since I got here. When exactly do you talk with him?" I challenged her, and her anger rose.
"Don't think that just because he has seen your pants a few times, he will stick to you. He had me. Left me. He had a few days of pleasure with some girls here and left them because they could not satisfy him. I am the only one who gives him a good one. The boss is mine. Only mine! Keep off!"
"It's probably him that you should warn to keep off me, don't you think?" She points a finger to my face, but just when she was about to say something, Ejay walked in and grabbed her by the neck. Next is a slap that echoes not only in this room but also on the whole floor, supposedly. He throws her to the floor.
I am shaken, scared, and glued to my spot. Covering my mouth with one hand, I look at the lady who was so confident a while ago, now trembling with fear as she tries to stand up from the floor, holding her neck. As she makes to stand, she receives another slap that makes me scream. As she hits the ground again, she lies flat, groaning with pain. "I hate people talking about me behind my back, especially if they are feeding other people lies about me." Ejay speaks with so much calmness that I have never seen in him since I met him. He bends down on one knee and scoops her by the collar. He then moves his hands to her neck, squeezing life out of her, and giving her a devilish look. Her top is wet with tears now, and she is struggling to breathe.
Is he going to kill her? I run to them and take a hold of his hand. "Let her go, Ejay!" I shout, but he doesn't loosen his grip on her. "That's enough!" I shout again, punching him in the chest, but he doesn't budge. What should I do? What should I do? He cannot kill someone in front of me now! How will I live with that? "E...J..a..y!" I shouted once more, and he let go of her.
She falls again, and this time, her body looks lifeless. I kneel to listen to her breathing; it's quiet. I feel her pulse; it's so faint. Is she dying? "You killed her, you bastard!" I say, crying, but he does not show any remorse. He presses the red button on the wall, which I was told is an emergency bell, and in no time, his goons come in running to the room.
"Take her to her room." He orders them, and they carry the lifeless body of Mayleen. I try to follow them, but Ejay grabs my hand, pulling me back. "You are not going anywhere! Dress up quickly! And remember, nothing happened here!" I pull away from him.
"You monster." I slapped him on the chest, still crying. I raise my hand to slap him again, but he holds it.
"Control your temper, Gia! Next time you raise your hand at me again, you will be so sorry! Get dressed and stop wasting time. I am waiting." He releases my hand and walks to sit on the bed.
How could this monster be this calm after almost killing someone?
"You are not expecting me to change while you are watching, are you?" I speak.
"Ten minutes! I will be outside the door." He says, after looking at me for, I don't know how long.
What kind of a heart does this guy have? He must have a stone heart to have the courage to strangle someone like that without shaking or blinking an eye. Or maybe he doesn't have a heart at all. I get dressed as fast as I can. I do not want to be strangled too. Walking out of my room, I meet Ejay pacing back and forth outside.
The moment he heard the sound of the door closing, he stopped, and his eyes started rummaging through my body. I wish he knew how irritating this is, but clearly, he doesn't, because even after asking him why he is looking at me like that, he doesn't take his eyes off me. I sigh and decide to walk my way down the stairs. I know where we are going anyway.
Ejay, with his long legs, managed to catch up with me before I could even get inside the entertainment room. I wish he didn't, though, because we wouldn't be walking hand in hand with my hand tucked in his arm right now. The only good thing about this suffocating act is that none of these hungry dogs will get near me. So, in a way, I am glad, but I dare not show it.We get to the entrance, and his so-called bodyguards open the door for us, like they usually do, after greeting their boss. The music is playing, and the room is filled to capacity as usual, with men sipping their drinks and disgustingly running their filthy hands on the girls on their laps. I hate this sight, but more, I hate the part where they walk up to the rooms upstairs to do only God knows what to these helplessly innocent girls. Some of them have accepted their fate and willingly follow the rules without being pushed around, but the majority are yet to come to terms with this life.If only I could help them! But I
Days have gone by, but things in my head are still the same. I am still trying to come to terms with my new life after losing my memory, which is taking a toll on me. It's so difficult. I know nothing about my previous life except that I was a musician. Well, I still am.I have been listening to my songs through the laptop Ejay gave me, and I wish I could go back to my usual self. The purse that Ejay gave me had nothing inside it aside from my ATM and a chain. He said the ID was there too, but just like he does with the girls here, he confiscated it for the usual security reasons. There is no phone that I can track down people with, and nothing else useful.The question lingering in my head is: What did the people who supposedly wanted to kill me want? Money? It's been weeks of beating myself up, trying to figure out what really happened to me. What happened to my family if I had one? But nothing comes to mine, and there is no sign that I will be lucky to know anything any time soon b
Weekends are known to be the busiest days at the Wells Club, mainly Saturdays and Sundays. Men come in huge numbers, almost double what we have on weekdays. This is usually the peak for Ejay. He collects millions of dollars in a normal day, meaning these two days he collects more than double. He is a rich bastard. Filthy rich with dirty money. He is cursed even by the heavens!Today, being a Friday evening, I should be in the entertainment room with Ejay and everyone else as usual, but I excused myself. I faked a headache and remained in my room. I needed to prepare for what I was about to do. It's crazy, I know. I don't know if Ejay will agree to my deal, but I must try. I will give it my best. I look at the time on the wall clock. It's twenty minutes to ten past midday. Perfect. I get to the shower and take a quick one, then come back. I scan my closet for something unique. A dress I haven't won The idiot bought me a lot of them. I finally settle for a sleeveless royal blue floral-f
Today marks exactly two months and one week since I came to this place. And today is the beginning of another chapter in my life. I have no idea what awaits me ahead of this journey that I am just starting, but I am starting anyway, and I am not looking back. I have replaced all the bitterness I had for this place, and Ejay in particular, with the hope and determination to reinvent myself, but that does not mean I am accepting to spend my life here with these murderers. One thing I have vowed to myself is that no one will distract me from this course. I am fighting for my freedom. I am chasing my happiness, and I am willing to pay the price. Whatever the price,Isn't it said that it's not because things are difficult that we don't dare; rather, it's because we don't dare that things are difficult? Well, I have no one as far as I know, and if I don't dare to help myself, then no one will come to my rescue. I am not going to wait to helplessly die here, like a useless dog. I have refuse
It's almost ten, but here I am, still on stage. My two hours of performance have doubled because these monkeys are asking for more, and more, and more. I feel tired. I feel exhausted. I am so drained that I feel like I am fainting the next second. I scan for this senior monkey, Ejay, in the room, but he is nowhere to be found. Where on earth did he go? I need him to come and talk to his men. I need a rest before crying out loud!"I greet you all!" I decided to help myself since Ejay left me hanging. Instead of answering my greetings, they all stood, clapping their hands. I look at the girls, who have been busy serving drinks and performing their duties, without missing a chance to show how amazed they have been by my performance. I wish I could sing until past midnight. That way, I will steal the time for these hungry men to have their demonic desires quenched. But can I? "I am happy that you are all enjoying the night, and I understand that you want me to continue, but I am so draine
It's so dark in this room. It is so dark that I cannot recognize the faces of the people around me. All I can hear are croaked voices that are so confusing. I don't know if they are the voices of men or women, because they are inaudible too. I try to take a close look at their faces, but all I see is darkness. I stand up and walk towards something that looks like a door, with a little light coming in through it. I still don't see anything but darkness. What is this place? I turn to walk back inside, but I hear two voices calling my name. One is coming from inside the house, and the other from outside. The one from outside is for a girl, clear and audible enough, and the one from inside is for a man, struggling to breathe. I stand on the spot, listening to the voices again, and they call me a second time all together. "Who is it?" I ask, taking a few steps into the darkness outside, but the male voice calls for me, making me stop. They both need my help. Who should I go to first? Who i
Shouts of praise and cheers filled the room after my performance again tonight. I am standing on the blood-stained ground that people lost their lives on yesterday, but nobody seems to care. Nobody is behaving like something as horrible as murder happened in this same room and in front of everybody's eyes. I might be wrong, but I think this is more than being loyal to the boss. I mean, are they not scared that the same thing might happen to them too? Where do they get the heart and courage to return to this club even after such incidents? What makes them stick to this club? Are they bound by an oath or what? I feel there must be something deep about this. The terms and conditions of joining How do they become part of this club? The aura in and around this whole club speaks nothing but darkness, and behind this darkness lie so many secrets that I will unfold one by one. I will find out the whole story behind this club and Ejay, whatever it takes.I bow slightly as I turn to walk to the
It is a beautiful Monday morning, a special day that the country will be hearing from and seeing me for the first time after two months since my sudden disappearance, both on media and physically. I should be nervous or worried, but I am far from it. This feels like the beginning of something new. Something good. I am choosing to be optimistic about this, and I am not entertaining any thoughts of negativity. I closed all my previous social media accounts according to Ejay's orders and created new ones, whose details I will give out during the interview. I don't know why this niger is determined to disconnect me from anything from my past. Anything that has anything to do with my past is prohibited from being near me.I finish dressing up at the same time Ejay comes in with my breakfast. The only thing I feel for this man is hatred. detest. pure detest. The only thing I think of about him every time I see him is how to bring him down. How can I rescue these girls from his crutches? But