CHAPTER 3 – A Dark Room in the Corner of the city

“Sir, please... I’m just working here... please let me go,” Nadine Wilson pleaded in a trembling voice. Her face was pale, her lips white. Tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks. “I swear I won’t say anything. I’m not a spy, I’m just... just a cleaning lady. Please...”

Her small body was dragged roughly by the man who hadn’t even mentioned his name since the beginning. He yanked her hair hard, making her scalp feel like it was tearing apart. Nadine winced in pain, her breath ragged.

Nadine had no idea where he was taking her. One thing was certain—this was no longer the restroom area of the nightclub in the Montmartre district where she had just started working that day. Around her, old Haussmann-style buildings stood silently as the man opened the door to a classical-style house that looked abandoned.

No words were exchanged. Nadine was thrown into a dark room. The stench of dust and old wood assaulted her senses. Then... click.

The lights came on.

She squinted against the glare, then widened her eyes in shock at the unusual interior. The room was luxurious—leather sofas, a Victorian-style fireplace, and bookshelves lined with old books filled the space. Yet the cold, ominous atmosphere swallowed all that luxury whole.

“Sir... I swear... I’m nobody. I only work here because my father is sick and needs treatment. I wore a hat that night to avoid attention, because my friend told me this place was dangerous.” Her voice was soft, but filled with sincerity. “I promise, I wasn’t undercover... I’m just an ordinary girl.”

Justin Kennedy—the man—looked at her with piercing eyes. His blue gaze narrowed. Nadine could see the hatred and suspicion dancing in them.

“You think I’m stupid?” he asked coldly. He yanked her arm, lifting her off the ground, making her stand unsteadily.

One of his fingers jabbed her cheek roughly. “Who sent you that night?”

“No one, Sir. I came on my own... I needed the job...” Nadine replied between sobs.

Smack.

The slap was so hard that blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. The world spun. Her head throbbed, her ears rang. She would’ve collapsed if the man hadn’t grabbed her arm again—only to slap her once more.

“Please... I just want to go home,” she whimpered, blood staining her delicate lips.

Justin’s breath was heavy. His eyes stayed fixed on Nadine, as if he was trying to read her mind. His hand encircled her neck, pressing gently at first—then more forcefully.

“Speak. Now.”

Nadine gasped for air. Her tears poured down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, and in her mind, she saw her mother’s face, her father lying in a hospital bed, and her younger brother still in school.

I’m not ready to die...

Crash!

Suddenly, Justin’s hand released her neck. Nadine collapsed to the floor, coughing violently, gasping for air with ragged breaths.

“You’ll regret this for the rest of your life if you don’t talk,” he said, still standing before her with that intense gaze.

Nadine trembled, her eyes vacant. Not only from fear, but from the humiliation. She had been honest. She had begged. Yet this man still saw her as a threat.

“If I really mean nothing, then why are you holding me captive?” Nadine dared to speak. Her body trembled, but there was determination in her eyes. She wasn’t a doll. She was human.

Justin was silent for a moment. His expression shifted, seemingly intrigued by her bravery. Then... he laughed.

“A little woman like you has guts, huh?”

Nadine didn’t answer. She just stepped back slowly, keeping her distance. She knew this man was dangerous. But one thing she was sure of—she had to survive. No matter what it took.

No matter how much the young woman begged, Justin didn’t care.

“Let me go,” Nadine said as Justin grabbed her wrist.

“I won’t let you go. I’ll make you regret it for the rest of your life... for daring to play games with me,” Justin said as his hands began to touch her body.

In the blink of an eye, her life shattered. The purity she had always guarded and protected was ripped away—by a man Nadine didn’t even know.

Even though she had lost her dignity, the only thing Nadine still hoped to keep was her life. She desperately wanted to stay alive. Her father, mother, and younger siblings were waiting for the money she would send home.

***