Distant moaning echoed through the narrow halls as the night deepened. Clients were beginning to leave the bar downstairs, but many of them were heading upstairs instead, disappearing into the exclusive V.I.P. rooms. My final task for the night was pole dancing, and the girls backstage were helping me prepare."Make her makeup thicker," one of them said, her tone serious. "She needs to be unrecognizable."I thought I would struggle to fit in here, but I was surprised. These women, who looked intimidating at first glance, hid a quiet kindness behind their painted masks and guarded expressions."If they can’t recognize you, they won’t follow you outside," another girl added, adjusting my lashes."But that means I’ll have to look different every night?" I asked hesitantly."Exactly. That’s even better," she replied, handing me a revealing red outfit. "Here. Put this on and go make yourself some money."I took the outfit, exhaling deeply as I shut my eyes. Just dancing. That’s all this wa
It took a lot of convincing for Sebastian to finally agree with my plan. I admit it was crazy, but it was my best bet for gathering evidence. I can’t risk having Letty grab the proof for me. Davide’s eyes are already suspicious of her. One wrong move and it can cost Letty her life.My only choice without risking Letty is to feed myself to the wolves.“Are you sure about this?”I removed my jacket, revealing a sultry outfit underneath. Sebastian clenched his jaw and looked at me intently from the car’s mirror, ogling me with a thirsty gaze. “I still don’t think this is a good idea, princess.”“You suggested that we should be sneaky,” I looked directly at him from the mirror.“Why do we have to target Davide Hail, too? We can go straight for Damian if that’s what you want.”“Our client availed our services, Sebastian. It’s in your oath not to refuse them, right?”He rolled his eyes, took a pair of earpieces, and leaned closer to me.“You better not have too much fun in there, princess.
Davide’s eyes widened with sheer terror, the whites of them practically bulging out as if he'd seen a ghost. He grabbed my arm in a panic, yanking me toward a shadowed corner of the restaurant.“What the hell are you talking about, Kierra?” he hissed under his breath, his voice trembling with both fury and fear.I tilted my head and smiled sweetly, yanking my arm free from his grip with a little too much force. “What’s with you being defensive all of a sudden?” I asked innocently, though my tone dripped with sarcasm.He released me reluctantly and immediately ran a hand down his face, clearly trying to calm himself down. His fingers trembled slightly as he pinched the bridge of his nose.“If you ruin my reputation, I swear to God—”“You swear to God what?” I cut in, raising a brow in mocking amusement. “You think there’s still a God out there who listens to you?”I took a small step forward, my heels echoing faintly on the marble floor. My smile turned wicked.“If I ruin your reputati
Tobias stared at Sebastian with keen eyes.“I’ve only been here for a few days, but I’m noticing some things outside.”Sebastian crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at the kid, “You observe too?”“Not just outside, but inside too.”He wondered what the kid had found.“I saw your stash,” Tobias expression became serious, unlikely for a child of his age. “Why do you need that much guns for?”There was a moment of silence between him and Sebastian. He was shocked that the kid was even able to enter the prohibited space. “You’re not supposed to see that,” he told him with an amused smirk. He didn’t think the kid would have the guts. “Who are you really, Mr. Sebastian?”A crooked smile was all the devil gave him for the child to feel instant fear. The same fear he had felt when he was taken to the bloody secludes of Susan’s manor. The boy took a step back. All of a sudden, the air shifted.“I may have taken you out of that hellhole, but I’m not that much of a saint either.”“You ki
I was dizzy hearing all the details from Letty.Hearing her torturous story has made me reminisce about the one I suffered under Davide’s hands, too. I, too, was a victim of his abuse when I was under Damian’s roof.He never believed me.Damian even told me at some point that Lily was not his but Davide’s, which destroyed my heart. Even if his own brother had hurt me, Damian turned a blind eye and never reprimanded him. He talked with Davide, but the abuse never went away.In fact, Davide liked it more that it became riskier.A pathetic sex addict.He was filthy and debauched. It hurt me even more to drive Letty back into Davide’s brothels. She insisted on coming back, or else it’d grow suspicion. I wanted to take her away, to keep Davide’s hands from ruining her again— but it could cost Letty her own life.Letty discreetly walked back into the brothel— her prison._________________________I returned to the mansion, where Sebastian waited for me in the living room.“You’ve arrived,”
I was assisting Sebastian at work today when I suddenly received a call from an unknown person. I ignored the number several times, thinking it was a spam call, but it finally got to the point where I, too, was getting curious as to who was behind it.Excusing myself, I leave the company building and enter the entrance to pick up the call. “Good evening, who is this?”“Am I speaking to Kierra Evans?” the voice behind it said. A woman’s. For some reason her voice sounded a little muffled, like she was eating her own words.I looked around me, suspicious. “Yes, why?”“Oh, thank goodness.”“Sorry, why did you call?” I demanded an answer, straight to the point. “I was busy.”“I apologize…” the voice was timid, and it made me feel a bit bad for scolding her on the other side of the line, but truly— I don’t have all day. “Who is this, and what do you want from me?”“My name is Leticia,” she introduces herself shakily. I could hint at the nervousness behind her voice. “I heard about your s