Chapter 1: The Weight of the World
Janine Pascua had learned to carry the weight of her world on her narrow shoulders long before she was ready. Ever since her father died in a construction accident four years ago, she had become the sole provider for her family. She was just twenty-one, but life had forced her to grow up too fast. Her mother, once a vibrant woman full of laughter and warmth, was now a fragile shell bound by medication and fatigue. After a mild stroke, her condition worsened. Daily maintenance meds were essential, but even walking across the room left her winded. Janine never blamed her—she just worked harder. She had two younger siblings: Kyle, who was in his final year of university, and Sheila, still in high school. They were her reasons for pushing through every exhausting shift and sleepless night. Janine juggled jobs like a magician—waitressing in the morning, clerical work in the afternoon, and sometimes selling handmade crafts online just to make ends meet. There were days she didn’t eat just so her family could. But nothing could have prepared her for the phone call that came one rainy afternoon. “Your mother collapsed,” the voice on the other end told her. “She’s in the ICU. We need you at the hospital.” The next hours were a blur. She sat by her mother’s bedside as machines beeped and tubes fed her what her body could no longer provide. The doctors said it was severe hypertension, triggered by stress and missed doses. She needed close observation and possibly long-term care. As Janine clutched her mother’s hand, her phone buzzed again. It was Kyle’s university. She stepped outside the sterile room to answer it. “I’m sorry, Ms. Pascua, but unless we receive payment for Kyle’s remaining tuition, he will not be allowed to graduate.” The words struck her like a blow to the chest. Her knees buckled. She leaned against the wall and cried silently, the pressure of everything finally catching up. Desperate and out of options, her mind drifted to a conversation she had buried long ago. Tina. Tina was an old friend from college. A year ago, she had offered Janine a way out—a job at a private club where the clients were rich, demanding, and always willing to pay for what they wanted. Tina had said it was easy money. But the job involved intimacy, and Janine had turned it down immediately. It went against everything she believed in. But now? Now her mother was in the ICU. Now her brother’s future was at stake. Now there was no one else to turn to. With trembling hands, Janine called Tina. “You sure about this?” Tina asked, concern heavy in her voice. “It’s not just a job, Janine. It’s a different world.” “I have no choice,” Janine whispered. “I’ll do it. For my mom. For Kyle.” That night, Janine stood at the doorway of their tiny home. Sheila was curled on the couch, eyes puffy from crying. Kyle sat beside their mother’s bed, his hand resting gently on hers. “Take care of her,” Janine told them, forcing a smile. “I have a job. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but I’ll call.” “Where are you going?” Sheila asked, concerned. “Somewhere that pays better. Just trust me, okay?” “You sure Janine?” Kyle asked. “Yeah, I need this to save our Mama” then she smiles. “Just be safe, okay?” Kyle walked towards her and hugged her and she answered him with a nod. She left before they could ask more. The club was in the heart of the city, discreet and draped in luxury. Janine felt small stepping inside. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Velvet drapes covered the walls. It smelled like expensive perfume and danger. Tina greeted her with a tight hug and pulled her into the dressing room. “You can back out now. It’s not too late.” Janine shook her head. “I’m doing this. I need this” Tina handed her a red leather mini dress—tight, revealing, and completely out of Janine’s comfort zone. She hesitated but changed silently. The fabric hugged her body, accentuating her curves. Her lips were painted deep crimson, and a glittering black mask covered half her face. “Rules,” Tina said, serious now. “Don’t speak unless spoken to. Don’t be rude—clients come first. Don’t be picky—if he pays, you stay. And most importantly, never take off your mask. It protects you.” Janine nodded, her heart pounding. Tina led her to a private hallway and opened the door to one of the VIP rooms. Inside, he sat like a king on his throne. The man was striking—tall, broad-shouldered, with a sharp jawline and eyes that seemed to see through everything. He wore an expensive suit, black on black, and held a glass of scotch in his hand. He didn’t smile, but his eyes narrowed with interest when he saw her. Janine froze. She had expected some drunk businessman. Not… him. Theo Lucas Guevara III. The billionaire. The tech magnate. The man whose face was on magazines, whose name moved markets. He wasn’t just rich—he was powerful, influential, untouchable. What was he doing here? He said nothing at first, just gestured to the seat across from him. Janine sat, legs crossed, her fingers twitching slightly. “What’s your name?” His voice was low, smooth like velvet. She remembered the rules. “Speak only when spoken to,” Tina had said—but did that apply to questions? “Rose,” she said quietly, giving the alias Tina had prepared. He smirked. “Fitting.” For a moment, there was silence between them. Then he leaned forward, his eyes locked onto hers. “You're new here?” he said. “Yeah” “Knell” he firmly said with his cold eyes looking at me. “What?” She was confused for a moment but still followed what he said. To her surprise Theo unbuckles his belt, moves down his zipper and shows his might in front of her face. She was shocked, she was blushing under her mask. “Suck me” he commanded. But Janine just looked at his cock with her eyes wide open. She was hesitant as the fact that she doesn't know what to do and the other fact that his friend is thick, long and almost look like can ripen her mouth wide open. “Are you just going to stare at it?” He said out of frustration, he's hard and he needs to release but this woman is just looking at him. “I…I think i can't do this, that wouldn't fit in my mouth” out of his expectation the woman is hesitant and backing out but he couldn't let that happen his hard and this woman is making it even harder. With that sassy look, that red lips and the body of a goddess. He's hard and he needs a warm now. “In case you forgot you're already paid for this Rose” then he grabbed her chin and made her look into his eyes. “And I don't care about your opinion, I already settled my payment and now you need to take responsibility for it” and he smiles at her. Janine’s breath caught. He was right. But she was here anyway. Because she didn’t have a choice. This is for saving her mother and for her siblings' future. She took a deep breath before grabbing his manhood and started licking its tip.A week passed like a fleeting breeze. Each day, Janine woke with a strange sense of balance—visiting her mother in the hospital during the day, then returning before seven in the evening to Theo’s penthouse, just as he asked. It was odd how it no longer felt suffocating. Maybe it was because, for now, he didn’t push her, didn’t cross the line she had drawn around herself. Maybe because every time she stood in front of her mother’s hospital bed, she knew she’d made the right sacrifice.She found herself wondering what went on in Theo’s head. Why this sudden freedom to see her mother? Why did he come home earlier these days and eat the meals she cooked without complaint? What game was he playing now? And why did she feel oddly safe when he pulled the strings—as if all she had to do was follow, and everything would be fine?It was confusing, unsettling… yet it was a relief, too.On a warm Friday morning, Janine packed her mother’s favorite fruits along with some freshly baked bread she m
Janine arrived back at the penthouse a little later than she intended. The soft click of the front door echoed into the quiet. She thought she might find Theo in his study, perhaps busy with work or simply ignoring her again. But to her surprise, he was in the living room, sitting on the couch with a drink in hand.He looked at her—no frown, no sarcasm, not even a mocking raise of his brow. Just a glance. Then he stood up, set his glass on the side table, and walked away without a single word.It was...strange.Janine blinked. No cruel remarks, no interrogations, no possessive accusations. Just silence. And oddly, it felt heavier than all the words he’d thrown at her before.With a tired sigh, she went to her room, slipped out of her clothes, and changed into her soft cotton pajamas. The silence lingered in the air like an unanswered question.When she stepped out of her room again, she was surprised to see Theo still awake, this time sitting at the dining table. The maids were gone f
Janine visited her mother again that day. She had asked Theo for permission, and to her surprise, he agreed with only a brief nod. His driver was waiting for her in the parking lot, patient and quiet as ever. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the anxious energy running through her body. She had one goal today: to spend peaceful time with her mother without letting anything else interfere. When she arrived at the hospital, her mother’s eyes lit up like the sun. “How are you, Ma?” Janine greeted her warmly, leaning in to kiss her on the forehead. Her mother’s fragile smile sent a wave of relief and tenderness washing over Janine. “Better, thank you, Janine,” her mother said, her voice soft but steady. The smile on her face was a balm for Janine’s weary soul, easing some of the weight she carried in her heart. Janine smiled back and pulled up a chair closer to the bed. She started to peel a crisp apple, cutting the slices thin and neat. The small, simple gesture made her feel l
Janine was still angry. Her chest was tight with resentment from their last confrontation—Theo’s possessive outburst, the harsh words that left her feeling small. She wanted to leave, to be far away from the suffocating hold he had over her life. But she knew she couldn’t—not now, not yet. Every time she thought of packing her bags and disappearing, she was reminded of her mother, still weak in the hospital, and her siblings, who relied on her to make sure they had a chance at a future. If she left Theo now, she would break the contract she had agreed to—no money for her mother’s medicine, no money for her siblings’ school fees. She knew she could work herself to exhaustion in some other job, but there was no guarantee she’d earn enough to cover everything. That was the reality she faced. Some would say she was stupid for staying, that she should fight for her dignity. But dignity didn’t fill stomachs or pay hospital bills. For Janine, staying was the only choice she could live with
After leaving the bar, Theo drove around the city in a haze. The alcohol had numbed some of the anger swirling inside him, but not all of it. Mark’s teasing had only reminded him of the mess he’d made with Janine. She was in his penthouse, behind a closed door, probably crying. And he was the reason why.He parked outside the building and sat in the car for a while, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. In his mind, all he could see was Janine’s face when she’d looked at that man—Javier. Theo didn’t want to think about what they’d been talking about or how she’d smiled at him.Stay away from him, he thought. Stay the fuck away from him.When he finally made it up to the penthouse, the place was silent except for the pounding in his head. He went straight to his office, pouring himself another drink, the burn doing nothing to dull the unreasonable jealousy raging in his chest. He couldn’t let it go. Couldn’t let her go.Meanwhile, Janine sat on the edge of h
Theo’s mind was a mess. It was such a tangled knot of jealousy, rage, and something he didn’t want to name—something softer, something that felt too close to fear. He took a breath and forced himself to calm down, stepping away from Janine’s door because he knew if he didn’t, he might say something he couldn’t take back—or worse, he might do something he’d regret.He needed space. He needed to breathe.So he grabbed his keys and left the penthouse, his footsteps echoing in the hallways. He drove without thinking, the city lights blurring around him. He didn’t care where he was going—he just needed to be away from her, from the way she looked at him with those hurt, accusing eyes.He found himself pulling up to the bar his friend Mark owned, a place he’d gone to countless times before. Tonight, though, it felt different—like even the familiar neon lights couldn’t chase away the storm in his head.He walked in like he owned the place, ignoring the curious glances and the way the music s