Diane’s P.O.V.
The examination week would start tomorrow. As usual, my brain was empty because it was quite hard for me to study. It was my last year in college. I had to pass the eight exams with the complex pre-board test and two thesis defenses. It was like finding a needle in the haystack, but those would finally complete my course in Accountancy.
It was indeed satisfying to think that in just a little time, I would be able to fulfill my goals one by one, most especially my dreams for my family. They were my inspirations on each passing day. They were the reason why giving up was never an option for me, so I just kept on getting up in life’s every battle.
Life was difficult and painful. It was a land of suffering, not to mention that it was indeed unfair. But after all, I chose to be optimistic. Everything would change depending on how you viewed life, and I was not the kind of person that would focus on problems. I focused on the solutions.
Just a little more patience, Diane. You can do it! You will graduate on time.
It was hard to be a college student in the morning and a dancer at night… but we were not born with a silver spoon, so I had to be a working student. Earning money was my topmost priority, and that was the reason why I had to study and work at the same time. Oftentimes, I had almost no sleep at all, but I just lived with it because I had to save money for the future.
Besides, I had two siblings who were studying too: one in fourth-year high school, and the other one was in grade six. We were young when our father left us—I was only twelve by then. Ever since our father died, Mom had gotten ill, and she would sometimes become bedridden. Somehow, I was still grateful that Dad was a police officer, and he left us with our own house to live in. At least, it had lessened our overall expenses.
Honestly, I did not want to be a club dancer. But that was the only night job that apart from helping me to provide for my siblings to study, was also able to continue Mom’s daily medication needs.
She has high blood pressure, and that illness used to attack her almost every week. It was hard to be the eldest, but for their sake, I was willing to sacrifice and do everything. I could get tired, but giving up should never be included in my vocabulary. If I gave up, what about them? My siblings were too young to suffer, and I didn’t want that to happen.
A little sway of flaunting curves from my gorgeous body means nothing because the customers would not be able to see my face. They could only watch me while dancing on the stage, but they did not have the authority to touch me. I was wearing a mask here in the club, so they would not be able to know me except for the staff here.
Aunt Lucy, the owner of the club, was my Mom’s college buddy, and that was our terms before I signed the contract of becoming a dancer here. I should not be also included in the girls who lured themselves on the table, and I would not wear any scantily-clad clothes that would reveal every inch of my skin.
Some people would say that I was very demanding, knowing that I was the one asking for a job, but I was conservative. Not all club dancers were paid to go and fuck with customers. I wasn’t counted in those go-all-the-way dancers. I was different and would be forever convicted to my principle—that would be giving my body to the man I loved.
Although many customers liked me to be at their tables, I would not give in to their amends. Even if they were ready to spend millions of tips, I still ignored them. Someone once approached me and offered me a golden pair of necklace and wristwatch for a one-night stand, but I ended up walking out. I was on the verge of smashing his face around.
But above all these, I allowed one avid customer to talk to me, and that was none other than Leandro.
“Clariz, you are next!” I heard Martina shouted at the dressing room door.
I just nodded while taking care of my things and segregating the other dancer’s outfits as if it was my responsibility. While some were keepers, other dancers here were such a mess when it came to their dresses and shoes. A variety of glittering clothes, sandals, and boxes of makeup were scattered all over the floor, so it was difficult to look for their specific things, most especially when they needed those.
Here at Lucy’s Club, we were not allowed to reveal our real names. It was in favor of me to fully hide my identity. That Martina who called me? Her real name was Maria Bettina, and she was the only one who doesn’t like me here. It was because Aunt Lucy always favored me, even though I had so many requests.
Anyway, Clariz was my second name, and I didn’t know what was her trip to always call me by my real name—when my nickname here should be Claire. Sometimes, I would just ignore her and laugh at her secretly, but there was one time that I confronted and asked her what her problem was. She said nothing but continued to be a bully. She was so insecure.
Martina had so many issues in life! She never ran out of issues. Even though it was a small issue starting from losing her cheap face powder, she would like to make it a bigger one. Aside from me, she would also bully the new dancers and waitresses in the club. But I guessed I was the one who she loathed the most more than anyone.
The main reason? Because I was sexier and much younger than her. My hair was shiny compared to her dull hair full of bleach, breakage, and split ends. Also, Martina liked Leandro ever since—that no matter how hard I tried to deny and forget about it, I knew for a fact that he liked me.
From the dressing room, I went to the course that would take me to the stage. I seemed to be doing a fashion show ramp while the spotlight and the eyes of the customers were only focused on me.
Of course, perverted guys would look at me like I was a piece of meat, but I always ended up snubbing them since that was what they could just do. After all, they could only look at my body. They could never claim me.
Wearing my black mask, short ripped-denim shorts that fitted my long thighs, four-inch high heels that I got comfortably used to wear while dancing, and a silver cropped-top sleeveless, I positioned myself in the middle of the stage and began to sway in a piece of seductive music. My shoulder-length hair was slightly curled at the bottom and freely loose over my shoulder, which added heat to my already sultry look.
I grabbed the pole and started to bend, dance, and spin around it. Pole dancing was my mastery, and my delicate skin seemed to be always harmonizing with it. This was one of the main reasons why most customers liked me. Pole dancing was new in their eyes, and because I was the only one doing pole dancing here, they could never get enough of me.
But as much as everyone here dared to woo me and win my heart, I did not even fall into one of them. Not even Leandro, because I only considered him as a friend.
Leandro James Evangelista was a twenty-five-year-old young businessman of this generation. At his age, he was undeniably a very successful one while managing his own business.
Handsome. Hardworking. Wealthy. Those were the perfect words to describe him. You would never be ashamed to introduce Leandro to your family and friends. He was the type of guy who was unquestionably good-looking—someone who seemed to be the boy-next-door type and a matinée heartthrob. As in, I could say that Leandro was indeed a boyfriend material.
But despite everything, I didn’t like him. I just couldn’t like him.
You can’t force your heart to like someone just because they like you, right?
I didn’t know the reason why. Perhaps, it was because my radar could sense a bit of his arrogance—most especially when he opened his mouth to boast about the things he already achieved in life. What I didn’t like the most was conceited. He might just treat me like a trophy that he won in a contest when he introduced me to his family and friends.
Some other girls might like Leandro right away. But for me? I didn’t feel a little bit about him every time we were together, aside from being a friend. There was no such thing as an incredible spark and a strange leap over the chest. There were no butterflies in the stomach, and I could not feel that I was on cloud nine whenever I see him. I didn’t feel that way about him. Just casual. It was just right.
I knew that I was looking for something else, and I had not seen it yet. It was something people say that you would automatically feel when you laid eyes on that special someone. Maybe, it was an eccentric heartbeat that would make everything around you completely stop.
Minutes went by in a blur, I did not realize that my dance number was finally over. I guessed my position above the pole took a little while longer. I carefully slid down, conditioned myself to stand straight, smiled, and bowed to the audience. Loud applause soon followed.
Going backstage and about to get straight to the dressing room, someone suddenly grabbed my right wrist and quickly pulled me into the darker side that was less visible to anyone passing by from that corner. I got scared, making my heart lurch.
Diane’s P.O.V. “Claire, can we talk?” A familiar voice asked. “Oh! It’s just you, Leandro. You’ve startled me.” I smiled… half-anxious, and half-surprised. Even Leandro did not know my real name, and I had no intention of revealing that to him. Although I didn’t like him, I still tried to be nice to him as much as possible. For me, he was still a friend that I had to properly deal with. After all, we had been friends for two years. But I couldn’t deny the fact that it was awkward for him to just grab me without a word and pulled me into this dark corner. “When will you give your ‘yes’ to me?” He asked me straight to the point and as if his eyes were glued at me. My forehead creased into a furrow. Wait, what? That made me avert my gaze because I did not know how to look at him. In the first place, I never allowed
Leandro’s P.O.V. She became the love of my life ever since I laid my eyes on her. Realizations soon hit me that I did not have to say those words to Claire or better known as Diane. I did not mean to scare her or anything, I just wanted her to know that I would be always here for her—guarding her silently. Giving up on her was never an option, and I would not accept any defeat no matter what. I would never give her up, and I was willing to fight with anyone who would block my way to get her heart. I would always protect her in ways I knew, and I would never leave her alone. Other people would not understand me, but I adored Diane so much as if she was on a pedestal. Yes. I already knew her name right from the start. Dayanara Clariz Rivera. But I just chose to ride on whatever trip she had—whether she wanted to use a fake name or not—because even if I turned the world upside down, I knew in my heart
Leandro’s P.O.V.“Miss, I’m so sorry.” I apologized. I reached out to her and immediately offered her my handkerchief. I always put perfumes all over my hanky to make sure it would smell good.God, she looks more exquisite up close! My brain could not help but shriek. My heart started beating faster because, at this moment, I just wanted to press my lips on hers.She did not speak. She looked at me for a second, but it was obvious that she was just holding herself back from getting angry. Instead of accepting my hanky, she opened her bag, picked what I thought were tissues, and turned around while wiping the wet part of her chest. Then, she began to walk away.“Miss, you were drenched. Are you sure you want to go home like that? You know what, I can offer you a ride. I can even take you h
Leandro’s P.O.V.“I don’t want anybody else aside from her, you hear me? I will triple the price. Or do you want quadruple? Just tell me! Name your damn fucking price… or you want to deal with one million pesos?” I told her. I tried to calm my voice, but my dominant attitude seemed to come out. I had very short patience that I wanted to bark.What Leandro wants, Leandro gets! And I cannot wait for another moment because I want Diane right away.Lucy immediately complied with my amends, and we went out of her office. She went to Diane who was still wearing her mask and was now laughing with the female bartender over the counter. She then whispered to her about what I wanted to happen—to table her.It took a long time before Diane looked in my direction. It was obvious from her actio
Diane’s P.O.V.“P-Please… d-don’t do this. I beg you!” My voice was shaking while pleading for him—silently praying that he would realize some sense not to continue the mortal sin that he was about to do. I could feel nothing but blind terror. I ended up hoping that everything was not actually happening and was only a cruel joke.He did not speak and just removed the remaining cloth that covered my breasts. It seemed like nothing could stop him from sucking my right peak while his palm was doing its job to ravage the left.As his sticky tongue licked every part of me, I didn’t have any choice but to shed tears and sob. He was full of lust and with my condition now, I could do nothing to fight back. So tonight, it was all the end for me. This stranger would get the most valued treasure that might lead me into a bot
Diane’s P.O.V.He made a series of deep thrusts and later on, all I could feel was him, stretching my nerves while pleasingly stabbing my body. My tears kept on rolling that I couldn’t control them. What he was doing kept on shaking my whole being and cruelly ending my dreams.He continued pounding on top of me while letting out a few moans of satisfaction and relief. I didn’t want to hear him with my eyes closed and my head slouched. I couldn’t look at him overpowering with lust even though the surrounding was so dark. I had been trapped under his bulky body too many times. His pleasure increased and so his grip on me, making him reach the peak of his desire.It really hurts me physically, emotionally, and mentally. I was totally drained. I guessed it would ruin my entire life. After this, I would never want to live again. I would
Diane’s P.O.V.“Hey, sis! Can you stop it?” David whined while fixing his hair that I slightly ruined. I smelled my right hand, and my nose creased upon smelling that the hair wax he used seemed to be stuck on it.“Why? What about it? Can I no longer caress my brother? Hmpft! It was about time to sleep, so do you still need to fix your hair like that?” I wanted to laugh, but I chose to pout my lips to signify that I was quite fretting over his reaction. “Please be honest to me, David. Are you courting someone?” I asked after.Denise unexpectedly appeared out of nowhere and interfered with our conversation. “Big bro already has a girlfriend, big sis! Believe me, he even went to that girl’s house,” she divulged to me while her round eyes seemed to dilate and grow much bigger than usual.Then, I threw David some menacing stares
Unknown Person’s P.O.V.It had been three years already, but I still could not stop thinking about her. Three years had passed, yet I still could not find the woman I had been searching for.She was probably a minor by that time so, she might have looked different by now. But one thing was for sure—that she might have looked even better. She might have bloomed into a much prettier and sexier woman, but where could I find her? Where in the earth she could ever be found?I was willing to pay for any amount if I could find her sooner. For me, she was more than an ounce of gold. I wished that we could start all over again too—far from how we had met each other. I would trade everything for a single chance of being with her and make up for that one horrible mistake I did before.Smoldered with deep regrets from what had already happened, I would like to spare this one&md