Virgin?

“Stay in the room. Don will come over soon. One warning, don't make any funny attempts.” Fox declared and threw Rivera on the tiled floor.

Before Rivera could process it, the door had been shut.

Rivera's brain was sluggish for a few seconds, yet her body trembled out of trauma.

The events replayed in her brain over and over again like a broken record.

Tears welled in Rivera's eyes, and she collapsed onto the floor, sobbing.

No matter the treatment, Rivera always believed she had a family, that she had a home.

It turned out that Rivera was just an adopted orphan.

No wonder they never made her feel at home.

Rivera's shoulders shook, and her body trembled as the tears fell past her eyes.

As time ticked, the drug washed out of her system, and she slowly regained control over her body.

After what felt like 30 minutes or an hour, Rivera sat up.

Rivera wiped the tears quickly. Her eyes glistened with hatred and determination; she had to make them pay.

She had to make the selfish Sylvester family pay!

Rivera shook her head to snap out of her chaotic thoughts.

If she wanted revenge, she had to escape first! And to escape, she had to be calm.

Rivera finally paid attention to the room.

The room was a tall, large room designed in white.

It had tall doors and tall windows. Huge chandeliers and simple designs graced it.

There was a king-sized bed, a closet, a skincare section, etc.

It seemed the room hadn't or had hardly been used.

Rivera weakly stood up and grabbed her head, feeling a bit dizzy.

Rivera rushed to the door and tried to pull it open, but she couldn't, no matter how she tried.

She bit her lip and rushed toward one of the tall windows. She peered through it and discovered that it led to a balcony.

From the angle she stood, Rivera couldn't find a single soul.

Her heart skipped in joy. Jumping from this spot seemed to be the perfect way to escape.

Although the mansion was tall, if jumping down could guarantee her escape, Rivera didn't mind the pain.

Rivera's hand flew toward the window, but before she could pull it—

SLAP!

Rivera screamed, and she collapsed on the floor, her hand gripping her red cheek.

She didn't hear any sound, so how? Chills ran through her spine.

Rivera’s heart skipped upon making contact with raging dark eyes. She gulped.

“Do you know what I hate most?” Vespertine's chilling voice ruthlessly invaded Rivera's ears.

“Disrespectful slaves.” A contemptuous expression plastered his impeccable face.

Vespertine raised his hand and calmly fixed his wristwatch.

He took a seat on the chair and raised his index finger.

Whip!

Suddenly, a leather whip landed on Rivera's back.

“Ahhhhhh!” Rivera screamed. Her body curled up in a fetal position, her hands failing to protect her body.

Whip!

“Ahhhh! Please. I'm sorry. Please. I'm so sorry. Forgive me.” Rivera screamed, hot tears streaming down her face profusely.

Whip!

“First rule. Trying to escape is a criminal offense. Regardless of what identity you held minutes ago, you're nothing but Don Vespertine's slave now, capisce?” Shadow calmly explained.

“Yes, I understand. I understand. I was wrong. I promise I won't—Ahhhh!”

WHIP!

“I'm so sorry. Please. Please.”

It was after Rivera was given 25 strokes or more that Vespertine raised his hand.

Shadow stepped back.

Rivera hiccupped and cried, trembling. Her body was lacerated with red marks.

Vespertine glanced at his watch. “Get her prepared. Tonight she'll be bid on.”

A shiver traveled down Rivera's spine. Bid? Bid on? Does this man even have a heart?

“It's best she's a virgin. She would sell better with her pretty face. Quite a good deal.” Shadow stepped forward.

Virgin? Rivera froze. Was she about to be turned into a prostitute?

She trembled. No! No! She can't! She can't suffer this type of humiliation.

It's worse; she and her rights had been sold to Vespertine.

The last thing is losing her whole integrity. Rivera would rather die than be a prostitute.

Vespertine turned to leave.

Rivera reached to grab Vespertine's legs. She didn't know where she got the courage; all she knew was she couldn't be a prostitute!

Before Rivera could touch Vespertine, he kicked her away, his face contorting in a frown.

Rivera quickly knelt and clasped her hands together. “Please, sir. I'm innocent in all of this. I'm not a Sylvester; I was roped in. Please. Can you let me go? I promise I'll do whatever you want...”

“Whatever I want?” Vespertine's brows arched as if he had just heard something funny.

His gaze fell on the naive face with a taunting look. “Assemble all the money in the world in my office, can you?”

Rivera's face paled. She hesitated and shook her head. “No.”

Suddenly, a determined look appeared on her face, and she explained, “But I'm innocent in all this. I didn't spend any of the gambling fees. I've worked my butt off for the family. I...”

“Enough.” Vespertine coldly interrupted, unfazed.

“Had Arthur won the money, would you tell us he wasn't your father? But since he didn't, you were quick to toss him out. You all are a selfish bunch of people. I've never seen a selfish family like yours.” Fox sneered.

The father was quick to sell his daughter out, and the daughter wasn't worthy either.

“No. It was... It wasn’t.” Rivera's face paled.

If they knew what she went through, they wouldn't speak like this.

“Sir. I'm not selfish. I'm really not. I've taken responsibility for the Sylvester family. Mrs. Sylvester had been diagnosed with heart disease for years now, and I was the one working to pay for the drugs. I paid Megan's school fees. I paid the rent, the bills, the feeding expenses. Mr. Sylvester even steals my salary to gamble. I suffered in the family, yet I never got an iota of affection from them. Can...”

“You shouldn't be late by even a second.” Vespertine cut off and walked out of the room.

“Yes, Don.” Shadow and Fox bowed respectfully.

Rivera became anxious. “I... Sir...”

Fox looked at Rivera. “Don isn't interested in pity plays; you might as well conserve your energy. He might waste your life if you continue. Obedient girls enjoy life easier.”

Rivera's face paled. Would she have to become a prostitute?

To save her life, should she keep quiet and let her life be dictated by these people?

Then what's life if she loses her moral integrity? She should rather die!

Unlike Fox, Shadow was not patient. He roughly pulled Rivera up and dragged her out of the room.

The grand passage was long and empty, if not for Rivera, Fox, and Shadow.

It took a while to get out of the big mansion.

Rivera noticed that the sun was beginning to set.

There were a lot of people outside the mansion. Some people were unpacking guns, while some were carrying boxes.

Some women walked around half-naked.

Meanwhile, some women were naked with chains wrapped around their necks. Some men were touching them indecently.

“If you displease Don, you will join those naked women. They are playthings with no dignity. They can never leave,” Fox explained.

Rivera paled. Rivera had always believed that she was thrust into the cruelty of the world very early and that there's nothing she hadn't seen before.

But seeing it now… life is far more wicked than she could ever have thought.

Suddenly, a man slapped one of the naked women and ordered her to bark like a dog.

Rivera's scalp turned numb. Things were cruel, very cruel here. What sort of place did she get into? Did the government know about this?

“The government, huh?” Fox laughed coldly.

She had mistakenly said her words aloud.

“Your president has to bow to Don if he wants to live. What more a governor?”

“Enough talking!” Shadow ruthlessly cut off and dragged her faster.

Soon they arrived at a building named HOSPITAL.

After different turns and walking, Rivera found herself in front of a thirty-year-old man. He was in a white shirt and trousers.

Rivera's eyes widened, recognizing him. He was one of the famous doctors in the country, known for fighting for the poor.

It turned out that he was also a member of the mafia.

Rivera suddenly found everything ridiculous. Life had been feeding her nonsense all this time.

“Diagnose her. See if she's a virgin and if she has any sickness. Prepare a prevention pill. She can't get pregnant for at least a year. That's a loss,” Shadow said.

Rivera's blood turned cold, and her face paled. Things were actually worse than she thought they would be.

The doctor nodded calmly. His eyes fell on Rivera's pale skin filled with whip marks. “Do I need to prepare ointment for the bruises?”

“No. Don wants to teach her a lesson.”