CHAPTER 1

"YOUR FATHER HAS a hole in his heart, and he needs to undergo surgery as soon as possible, and if not—"

"If not, what will happen to him?"

"He could die."

Those words kept echoing in Shanelle's mind as she gazed solemnly at her father lying on the hospital bed. Various medical equipment were attached to his body, whose names she didn't know. If her father wasn't operated on immediately, he could die, and they needed a large sum of money for his surgery.

Tears slowly welled up in her eyes as she stared at her unconscious father. She felt immense pity for him because he worked so hard. He was also caring towards her since she was their only child with her mother.

Shanelle was startled when the door suddenly opened, and her mother entered carrying a bag of what looked like food.

"How are you, my child?" her mother asked, looking at her.

"I'm okay, Mama," she replied in a soft voice, standing up from her seat.

"How is your father?"

"Nothing has changed, Mama. He's still the same. He hasn't woken up yet."

Her mother's face filled with sadness as she approached and held her by the shoulders. "Don't worry, my child. Everything will be fine. Your father will live, and I believe in that. The Lord is with us—"

She didn't let her finish. "Mama, if He's there, then this wouldn't have happened to Papa." She took a breath and forced a smile. "I'm going out for a while."

She was about to leave when her mother stopped her, a furrow on her forehead. "Wait, Shanelle! Where are you going?"

"Ma, I need to work. We also need to save money for Papa's surgery."

"Alright, my child. Take care."

She simply nodded and briefly looked at her father lying on the bed before leaving the room. As soon as she stepped outside, she couldn't hold back her sobs, overwhelmed by the pain she felt. It's truly difficult when something bad happens to your loved one; it feels like they're already gone.

She stopped crying and quickly left the hospital to go to the juice bar where she worked to earn a living.

"Hey, Sha! You're spacing out there!"

Shanelle snapped back to reality when someone poked her on the side. When she looked to see who it was, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Don't do that, Fatima! Don't startle me like that, or I might accidentally throw this blender at you!" She pointed at the currently rotating blender. Fatima was her coworker and also her friend.

"You're such a goof! Why were you spaced out? If Ma'am Wennie sees you like that, you're in trouble."

She let out a deep sigh and sat on the stool beside her. Before speaking, she turned off the blender and looked at her friend with a serious gaze. 

Maybe it's because of my odd behavior. She thought to herself.

"My father is in the hospital right now, and he needs immediate surgery. My mother and I can't say yes because we don't have the money to pay for it."

"Sorry, I can't lend you anything because I'm just as strapped for cash as you are. Why don't you try borrowing from Ma'am Wennie? She's kind and might lend you the money right away."

Shanelle didn't respond to Fatima's suggestion and continued working. After pouring the shake into a plastic cup, she called another coworker to serve the drink she made.

"To table 10, Zander," she said with a smile, and her coworker simply nodded in response.

She didn't know what to do. They still had few customers since it was early, but she was sure they would come pouring in later. This juice bar she worked at seemed to be popular.

"Sha!" Fatima called out, standing beside her.

Reluctantly, she turned to face her. "What?"

"Why didn't Pamela come in? Isn't she supposed to be working this morning? Where is she?"

She felt her tongue tie up because she couldn't speak at that moment. It was only now that she noticed Pamela – another friend who also worked at the juice bar with her – was absent. Her heart started beating strangely, and she grew concerned.

"Maybe she's sick. I'll visit her in her apartment this afternoon."

Fatima nodded at her, and they started working as more customers began to flock in. They worked tirelessly, only stopping when there were no customers. She needed to work hard for her sick father. She needed a lot of money.

After a long day of work, Shanelle decided to walk instead of taking public transportation to save money. Instead of going to the hospital where her father was confined, she went to Pamela's apartment to check on her and also inquire about good-paying gigs because she knew Pamela was familiar with many opportunities and, as far as she knew, succeeded in most of them.

She walked for nearly thirty minutes until she reached Pamela's apartment. Pamela lived there because she was still studying, and as far as Shanelle knew, she was close to graduating. She knocked on the door three times, and a voice came from inside.

"Just a moment!" It was Pamela's voice.

She waited for a few seconds before the door opened and Pamela appeared, wearing a red mini dress. Her cleavage was almost visible, which confused Shanelle about why she was dressed that way. She also noticed Pamela's thick makeup and large lips coated with red lipstick. Even her shoes were red stilettos, matching the color of her outfit.

"Uhm, what are you wearing, Pamela?" she asked, puzzled.

Pamela didn't immediately answer her question. Instead, she grabbed Shanelle's hand and pulled her inside. Shanelle had no choice but to be dragged along. She also wanted to know why Pamela was dressed like that, as if she was a bar girl. Once inside, Pamela quickly closed the door and faced her with a smirk.

"I want you to be the only one who knows this, Sha."

"What do you mean, Pam? I'm confused. What are you wearing? That's not appropriate, you know! You look like a prostitute."

Pamela sighed and walked away from her. Shanelle followed her gaze with her eyes. Pamela sat on the sofa and picked up a folder from the center table.

"Take a look."

She lifted her hand, holding the folder. Shanelle hesitantly approached her and sat on a nearby sofa. She took the folder and opened it.

'WANT TO EARN MONEY?

Shanelle furrowed her brow upon reading the capitalized words. She slowly lowered her gaze to read the rest.

Great! If you really want to earn money, why don't you apply to us?

"Is this a job?" she asked, still looking at the contents of the folder.

"Sort of," Pamela replied softly, but it was enough for Shanelle to hear.

You will be a slave of the richest man here in the Philippines. Per session, you will get 100 thousand. If you want to earn more, just do what he wants. All you have to do is give your virginity to him. Yes, you will give your own virginity for money. This work is not covered by the government. You need money. You have no right to tell them this, or else you will die.'

She covered her mouth and dropped the folder, then looked sharply at her friend. She couldn't see Pamela's face clearly because she was looking down and seemed embarrassed.

"Don't tell me... you're going to sell yourself for money? You're going into this kind of job, Pamela? Are you going to let someone take advantage of you? You're still young, Pamela, so don't go into—"

Pamela looked up at her, her eyes filled with tears. "Shanelle, if I had money... I wouldn't go into that. It's just difficult when my allowance from my father is already gone."

She shook her head repeatedly. "So what, you're going to sell your womanhood? You're going to become a slave? Is that what you're saying?" She couldn't help but raise her voice out of frustration.

Pamela suddenly stood up and angrily faced her. "No one can stop me now, Shanelle. This is my life, and my body is what I'll sell. You have no right to interfere!"

She grabbed her sling bag from the center table and stormed out of her own apartment. Shanelle was left stunned, her mouth unable to utter a word for some time.

"I NEED A fucking coffee, just deliver it to my office! Now!"

"Alright, Sir. Elvin!"

Elvin continued walking when his secretary, Mina, answered him. Once he entered his own office, he slumped into his swivel chair and leaned back.

He had been working from home, so he was exhausted. He had his own office, but he preferred to work from home because he found the environment there more comfortable. There were too many toxic people in the office.

He closed his eyes and let himself be consumed by the darkness, but he was startled when his cellphone in his pocket suddenly rang. Annoyed, he grabbed it and quickly answered the call without looking at the caller ID.

"Why did you call? I'm busy right now," he said lifelessly, resting his elbow on his desk.

The person on the other end chuckled softly. "May I remind you that it's already afternoon, and that means you should be in your office, sitting idly. I know you, Elvin. Don't try to fool me!"

He rolled his eyes. "You're so lucky, to be honest. But I don't know why I can't kill you, damn it! You were my P.A for almost eight years, that's probably why I can't." He sighed. "Why did you call?" he asked.

"Someone called me earlier, and she wants to work with you. She only requested one session, and I've already withdrawn the money. She's on her way to the Royal Route Building."

"Is she still a virgin?" he asked and swallowed.

Fuck, it had been a month since he had sex. He was incredibly horny, and he could only satisfy himself with his hands, but he wasn't satisfied. He preferred to fuck women rather than just using his hands. Masturbating was gross to him, but it still didn't satisfy him. He wanted an effin' fresh pussy – a virgin.

"Yes, she is. Just want to say this, Elvin. The girl is quite young. She's only 20 years old and still a student. She mentioned that she's a graduating student. She needs money for her studies, so please, treat her well."

Annoyed, he glanced at the door as it opened. His secretary entered, holding a cup of coffee. He pointed to the table on the left and asked her to place the coffee there before leaving.

He let out a deep sigh. "Are you trying to provoke me, Dave? I have a brain, so I know right from wrong. Just don't irritate me, or I might really kill you," he threatened.

"You're so mean, you son of a bitch!"

"Fuck y—"

Dave ended the call.

He just rolled his eyes, as he always did when he was annoyed. He always rolled his eyes. He didn't know why, but he inherited it from his mother, who always had a disdainful look in her eyes.

He placed his cellphone on the desk and was about to stand up when the door suddenly opened, and his eyes narrowed as he saw the provocative woman he had been avoiding for years.

What is she doing here? He asked himself.

"What are you doing here? You should leave. Leave me the fuck alone!" he shouted.

She didn't seem afraid of him as she smiled mischievously and approached him, trying to look sexy. He reluctantly stood up and headed towards the couch in front of the center table, where his coffee was placed.

He took a sip.

"Don't you miss me, Elvin? I've been looking for you, and here you are in your cheap building. Duh!" She sat in front of him. "Missed me, Elvin? 'Cause I really missed you, especially your big and long dick."

He grinned. "Can you please leave before I really kill you? You know me, Trixie. You know who I really am. I might even grab my gun from under the couch and shoot you. You choose, either you leave me or I'll kill your ass alone."

She chuckled softly. Fuck this girl! Trixie, the woman in front of him, was his ex-girlfriend. They had been apart for a long time, but she was persistently pursuing him as if they had no dark past. Trixie cheated on him. That hurt!

"Wow! Just wow, Elvin. It's as if you weren't dead to me before. You always want me. You always want to fuck me. What happened? Don't tell me your disorder is gon—"

He cut her off by pushing the mug full of coffee. He gave Trixie a menacing look before standing up. He couldn't stay in front of her because he might really end up killing her.

"Past is past, Trixie! And I don't have a disorder. It's you who has a disorder! We already broke up, but you keep forcing yourself on me. You're so stupid, Trixie, because you're just wasting your time!"

"Shut the fuck up, Elvin! I'm doing this because I love y—"

"—because you want to become famous," he interrupted.

His family, especially him, was well-known in the Philippines. He owned the Royal Route, where they imported and exported vehicles to various locations. His wealth was truly unbelievable, and yes, he was a billionaire.

"I love you, Elvin. I love you so much."

She stood up and approached him, ready to hug him, but he stepped back. His eyes still had that same cold, disdainful look.

"Don't touch me!"

He walked away from her, grabbing his cellphone before leaving. He didn't want to see that bitch, even though they had an affair before. Yes, he was crazy about her back then, but things had changed. His heart didn't skip a beat for her, which meant he didn't really love her. She was just trash to him now.

It's not that he was bragging, but Trixie was truly beautiful. She had a big butt, big boobs, and a sexy body. Instead of being turned on, he was turned off because of her annoyance. 

When he reached the parking lot of the Royal Route Building, he immediately got into his beloved Bugatti. He had been a fan of Bugatti since he was 15 years old.

He didn't immediately speed off; he took his cellphone out of his pocket and called his more audacious P.A. – Dave. 

"Damn it, Elvin! The person is already sleeping, and you wake him up! You idiot!"

He chuckled. "You're an idiot! Just have the girl go to my house. I'm not at the Royal Route Building anymore. Send her the address of my—"

Dave interrupted him, breathing heavily. "I'm not stupid, sir! I'll probably give her your home address. For your information, sir, that girl won't be able to enter your haunted house!"

He was fuming mad because of his stupid P.A. Instead of responding, he just sped off in his car towards his home.

Damn! He missed having sex!