Vera

"Take off your clothes.” Harvey turned back to his table to pick up his instrument the moment Shadow and Fox stepped out of the office.

Rivera froze, tugging her clothes closer with trembling hands and red eyes.

Tears clung to her eyelashes, and there were traces of dried tears from earlier.

Hearing no sound, Harvey turned to her, his eyes taking her in.

She looked so frail, so helpless, scared, pitiful, and there was a glint he couldn't fathom in her eyes.

Her hair fell over her face and she looked disheveled, her ragged clothes far from helping the situation.

What words could sum up a girl who was pulled out of her normal life and thrust into the cold dark underworld?

Rivera wiped the tears from her eyes and slowly took off her tattered top. Her hands wrapped around her chest and her head drooped.

Harvey's eyes dilated. Fresh red welts lacerated her pale skin.

Must've been a feisty one. It's been years since the clan encountered one.

The girls were scared out of their wits just by the name of Vespertine.

It seemed this one was different.

Harvey picked up his instrument and sighed, "Obedient people last longer here."

Rivera whipped her head up, coldness settling into her electric blue eyes, a deprecating smile donning her lips. "Doctor Harvey, are you telling me to go with the flow? Be an obedient slave? To these people?"

Her eyes stared straight at him and she managed to scoff. “Come to think of it, you act so cool, so gentle, so different on the TV. I thought you fight for the people. I even labeled you as a hero..."

Harvey's lips formed a smile. Now he finally realized why she ended up this way. "There are certain things you won't understand. Follow the rules and perhaps you'll make it out alive."

"Perhaps?” Rivera scoffed. “People who believe you are dumb."

"Including you?” his smile widened.

She bowed her head and chuckled in a more self-deprecating manner. “Don’t I look like one?"

If she wasn't dumb, she wouldn't have fallen into this hole she was in. All her life had been nothing but a joke.

The office instantly fell silent, and the silence was so thick that a butter knife could cut it.

Harvey's smile disappeared and his eyes fell on her bowed head for a second. She was really a different one.

Harvey began to diagnose her accordingly.

Soon, he turned around to prepare an injection.

Seeing the needle in his hand, Rivera drew back and eyed him warily.

"Shhh." Harvey raised his index finger and placed it on his lips. "Pain reliever. It’d numb the pain for four days. By then it'll completely subside.”

He took a step forward and whispered, "Keep this a secret or we'll both be punished for breaking the rule."

“You broke the rule." Rivera stared straight at him, her voice sounding quite different from earlier.

Harvey's eyes evaded the strong current emanating from her blue eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I guess.”

Rivera sucked in a breath and stretched out her hand for him.

Harvey wiped the surface before injecting her, his actions gentle. “Thank you for being a dumb fan."

Rivera looked down at her knees with mixed feelings.

Despite being so harsh, Harvey was the first person to ever care and show her warmth since she arrived there.

"Come in." Harvey faced the door the moment Rivera put on her clothes.

Fox and Shadow stepped into the office.

"I've sent her list to the pharmacist. She's good to go. Just malnourished.” His eyes fell on the whip marks tracking down her bare arm. “And then there's her bruised skin..."

"That's none of your concern, doctor." Shadow cut him off and pulled Rivera up roughly.

If it were before, just a touch and her whole body would be on fire.

Even though it had just been one or two minutes, the pain had subsided a lot.

Rivera turned to Harvey but before she could give a grateful nod, Shadow had already pulled her out of Harvey's office.

This time they exited from an entirely different door than the one they came in from.

His grip and roughness made Rivera wince in pain.

Rivera stopped and tried to shake him off. "What the hell is wrong with you? Did you even have any bit of compassion flowing through your veins? Or is exercising your masculine power on weak people the only way to satisfy your ego..."

Fox’s eyes dilated slightly.

Shadow’s eyes turned cold. "Masculine ego?" He pushed her by the shoulder, causing her to hiss.

“So what?" Shadow looked at her condescendingly and pushed her shoulder with each word. “What can you do about it? You're just a slave. I control your fate, and if I wanted to suit my masculine ego, I could whip you again. So you better help yourself keep your mouth shut. Call yourself feisty as long as you want, but God help me, I have no patience for people like you."

Rivera's body shook and her teeth bit into her lips. She parted her lips.

“And if you're not satisfied, just say it and I swear, you will join those bits of disgrace." Shadow interrupted. Even though his voice was calm, there was no denying the threat.

Rivera forcefully swallowed. She pressed her lips together and kept her hands behind her. She followed as Fox and Shadow walked ahead of her.

Soon, she was led into a massive courtyard that beheld a sprawling castle compound, at the center of which stood what seemed to be a majestic European palace.

With soaring limestone columns, massive arched windows, and intricate stone carvings of mythical beasts above the door, it featured a sweeping double-sided marble staircase leading up to the main entrance.

They passed through one of the heavy doors and soon Rivera found herself in a massive room that looked exactly like the backstage of a high-end fashion show.

There were professional makeup stations, mirrors lined with studio lights, designer gowns, and hair stylists.

There were a lot of girls sitting by the makeup stations, being prepared by makeup staff or hair stylists.

After doing a quick count, she found out that the girls were twenty in number.

A breeze of cold swept over Rivera and she trembled. This was an entirely different world.

Various expressions covered the girls' faces; calm, nervous, sad, unfazed, despair. Some even had swollen red eyes.

An alluring girl with dyed red hair, brown eyes, and a star nose hoop catwalked over while winking and wiggling her ass at Shadow.

She leaned forward and flirted, "Shadow love. What are you doing here? Here to tap this ass?"

"Is there anything to tap?" Shadow rudely spoke and directly pushed Rivera into the nearest makeup station. "Get her ready. Don't treat her marks and don't cover them up," he said, and walked out.

“What a jerk!" Rivera cursed under her breath and glared at Shadow’s retreating figure.

The girl glared and nodded. "Yeah. He's an unfeeling jerk."

She turned to Rivera and placed her hands on her hips. Her voice was husky and alluring. It was just like she was the epitome of seduction. "Hey, I'm Candace. My nickname is Candy."

Rivera looked at her. "I'm Rivera."

"Nickname? Not a lot of people pay attention to names." Candy twirled a strand of red hair with her pinky finger.

"Uhm. Just call me Vera if you want." Rivera whispered and looked around.

The room was really massive and tall. So massive that she looked so small and insignificant like an ant.

Just the exact feeling she had in front of Vespertine de Vil.

The wall paint was cream, and the chairs came in all ranges of color. There was a huge ceiling and chandelier, along with floor-to-ceiling emerald velvet curtains.

The floor was polished dark marble.

An uncomfortable feeling sank in, so Rivera shifted her position, grateful for the injection that had completely numbed the pain.

Candy sat opposite Rivera. "That must hurt really bad. Back when I was whipped, I couldn't have decent sleep for three days and nights or more. The hardest part was that the pain seemed to increase by the second. Yet my whipping seemed to pale in comparison. How many was that?"

Rivera's gaze shifted to her hand placed on her thigh. “I couldn't count."

Gratitude flowed in her heart. She needed to thank Harvey next time. She had underestimated his help.

"I have never heard or seen a newbie whipped on the first day. More so, being placed for bidding on the first night. You're different, Rivera.”

“And my body is paying for it." A bitter smile appeared on Rivera's face.

Candy stood up. “Come with me. Let's get to the shower so you don't finish late. It's almost time."

Rivera nodded and stood up.

Candy led Rivera to a door at the other side of the room.

The bathroom was huge and luxurious with a spa-like communal bathroom area and vaulted ceilings that trapped the steam and made the air thick. The room was covered with dark marble. It had deep soaking tubs, walk-in rainfall showers, and a steam room.

Candy led Rivera to a white marble tub at the center of the room. "You're lucky. The girls have all taken their baths and cleaned up. Take off your clothes, Vera." Candy walked toward a drawer, leaving Rivera at the tub.

It was then that everything began to sink in. After getting into the water, she would be…

Rivera began to panic. She couldn't. Couldn't…