Traps And Schemes

Madam Florence

For six years, Madam Florence has been managing this mansion.

In those six years, she has seen a lot of girls pass through that front gates.

Girls with different backgrounds.

Different shapes.

Different personalities.

Different levels of beauty.

Some arrived crying.

Some arrived screaming.

Some arrived believing they were special.

Some arrived believing Ghost would fall in love with them.

Eventually, reality crushed all of them.

The mansion had a way of doing that.

Florence knew people.

It was part of why she had survived here for so long.

She could tell when someone would obey.

She could tell when someone would break.

And she could definitely tell when someone was trouble.

Not any kind of trouble but the kind of trouble that could eventually become her problem.

The new girl was that kind of trouble.

The moment she had looked her in the eyes and refused to kneel, Florence knew it.

The girl was dangerous.

Not because she was strong.

But because she wasn't afraid enough.

Fear kept people alive here.

It kept people obedient….

And it made people predictable.

Florence sat behind her desk, slowly tapping her fingers against the polished wood.

Her cigarette burned quietly between two fingers.

No girl in her years of working for Ghost had disobeyed her on their first day.

Not one.

Most newcomers were too terrified to even raise their heads.

Yet that girl had cursed at her.

Actually cursed at her.

The memory still made her jaw tighten.

The girl had only been here for a few hours.

Just few hours and she was already creating problems.

If Florence handled this lightly, she would only get worse.

The girl was a walking disaster waiting to happen.

The type that dragged everyone around her into chaos.

Florence took another drag from her cigarette.

How the hell did that girl know ghost’s real name?

Most people outside his inner circle didn't.

Even she heard it by mistake three years ago.

The shocking part was Ghost's reaction.

That girl should have been dead the next second after calling his name like that

Ghost had just stood there, staring at her.

And judging by the look he had given her...

He recognized her too.

Florence wasn't blind.

She had noticed it.

Everyone had.

Ghost's face rarely changed.

His emotions were impossible to read.

But for one brief moment, when he turned toward that girl, something had flashed through his eyes.

She had seen it.

And now she couldn't stop thinking about it.

How did they meet?

Where?

When?

Most importantly….. What situation was it that led to ghost telling her his name?

What did she know?

That girl was bad news.

And now was the time to do something about it..

Florence looked up.

Dora was still standing across from her desk waiting patiently.

Unlike most people in this mansion, Dora wasn't afraid of silence.

The woman stood with her arms folded across her chest.

Waiting.

"The new girl, what's her name again?"

"Emily."

Florence nods.

"Emily."

The name tasted unpleasant in her mouth.

"I want her sent to our worst strip club. She should be depriv—"

"That won't be possible."

Dora's interruption instantly made Florence look up.

Her eyes narrowed.

The room suddenly felt colder.

"What the fuck do you mean?"

Dora didn't flinch.

"Assistant Sam called earlier."

That made Florence pause.

If Sam was involved, then things had suddenly become complicated.

"He said Ghost instructed that she should start working in the casino as a server."

For a second, Florence simply stared.

Then she shot up from her chair so fast it nearly tipped backward.

"What?"

Her voice echoed through the office.

Dora nodded.

"He was very clear."

Florence shook her head.

"No."

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

The casino was different.

Working there wasn't just another assignment.

It was a privilege.

A reward.

The girls in this mansion fought for years hoping for that opportunity.

Some never got it.

Working in the casino meant better treatment.

Better money.

Better living conditions and more freedom.

It was the closest thing to a promotion any of them could receive.

And now some random girl who had arrived a few hours ago was getting it immediately?

Florence felt irritation building inside her chest.

Who exactly was Emily?

Florence sat back down slowly.

“Honestly I think you shouldn't worry too much about her. I can do the job of making the mansion hell for her and besides the other girls will make her life a living hell. I can guarantee that. All I have to do is spread a little harmless rumour about her,” Dora said with a smile.

Florence stared at her for a moment.

Then slowly nod.

A cold smile touched her lips.

Outside of here was not the only way to make someone suffer.

They can also go through hell in this mansion..

_____

Emily

“So none of you have slept with him?”

The question slipped out before Emily could stop herself.

For a second, silence hung between them.

Then Eve burst out laughing.

She doubled over, clutching her stomach as if Emily had just told the funniest joke in human history.

Emily stared at her.

Again.

Why was this woman always laughing at her?

Eve wiped tears from the corners of her eyes and sat up straighter.

“You really think you're his wife,” she said, shaking her head.

A fresh wave of laughter escaped her.

“Honey, Ghost doesn't know you. To him, we're all slaves brought here to pay off debt.” Eve says again.

Emily opened her mouth.

Then closed it again.

Because technically….. Ghost did know her.

Or at least Damien did.

The problem was that the man she had seen earlier had acted as if she were a complete stranger.

As if they had never met.

As if six months ago had never happened.

Emily lowered her gaze.

Were they really the same person?

The face was the same.

The eyes were the same.

They were obviously the same man.

But if that was true...

Why pretend not to know her?

“So no one has tried to seduce him?” Emily asked.

Eve looked at her.

Then laughed again.

Emily seriously considered throwing something at her.

“I think you're going to cause more disasters than I thought.”

Emily frowned.

“I asked a question.”

Eve leaned against the wall.

“We can't even go close to his mansion without being shot.”

Emily blinked.

“What?”

“I'm serious.”

“The mansion on the other side? That's Ghost's territory. His men guard it day and night.”

She lowered her voice slightly.

“Years ago, some girls used to be assigned cleaning duties there.”

Emily listened carefully.

“Until one of them got brave.”

“Brave?”

“Stupid,” Eve corrected.

“She tried sneaking into his bedroom.”

“What happened?”

Eve shrugged.

“We never saw her again.”

The casual way she said it made Emily's stomach tighten.

“She disappeared?”

“Ghost killed her obviously.”

The words settled heavily inside the small cell.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Emily slowly looked away.

Ghost is a monster.

That was what everyone said.

The city said it.

The Collins family said it.

The rumours said it.

Maybe everyone couldn't be wrong.

And yet...

The man she met six months ago didn't feel like a monster.

He smiled.

He joked.

He called her beautiful.

Then another voice immediately answered inside her head.

He dropped you on the side of the road after sleeping with you.

Emily winced.

That was true too.

The memory still hurts.

She remembered waking up alone.

Remembered finding the pile of money beside her.

Remembered staring at the empty road while fighting tears.

She had spent hours wondering if she had done something wrong.

Maybe he had only been kind because he was desperate, drugged and in pain.

Emily hugged her knees tighter.

Ghost was indeed a horrible person.

But right now….

She needed that horrible person.

She needs his power….

Without power, people like the Collins will do whatever they want and get away with it.

Those monsters probably think she is dead already.

She shakes her head….

She doesn't need to bother about them for now…. what she needs now is power from someone powerful

And right now, the most powerful person in this world to her is Ghost.

Which means she needs access to him.

Maybe fate wasn't completely cruel after all.

Out of all the people in the city, they already met.

Maybe that meant something.

She has to find a way to get close to him.

“Do you know how I can sneak into the other mansion?”