Semua Bab A DEBT PAID IN FLESH AND SECRETS: Bab 111 - Bab 120

 The cold morning air hit my face the moment I stepped out of the back exit of the club. After the heavy, suffocating warmth of the master suite and the private rooms upstairs, the outside world felt shockingly real. The breeze carried the smell of wet pavement and exhaust. I pulled my thin jacket tighter around my chest, keeping my head down as I walked down the narrow alleyway that led to the main street.My body still felt exhausted from the long hours with Andreas, but my mind was fully awake. The skin on my wrists still felt slightly warm where the leather cuffs had been, a constant physical reminder of what I had given up to find a moment of peace. I needed to move. I needed to feel like I was doing something instead of just waiting in his bed like a captive while the world moved around me.When I reached the corner of the block, I stopped behind a tall metal trash bin. I peered around the edge, my eyes scanning the main road. The street was mostly e

 The lower hallway behind the main dressing rooms was completely dark. The only illumination came from a single bulb hanging by a wire at the far end of the corridor. The air down here smelled like old bleach and damp wood, far away from the expensive perfume and clean floors of the upper levels.I kept my steps light, my sneakers making no sound against the floorboards. I needed to reach the old manager’s office at the back of the basement. That was where the old records were kept, the papers from before Andreas took over completely. I needed to find a trace of my past. I needed to know if my family's name was written down in those old books.I reached the middle of the hallway when a large shadow stepped out from the recess of the linen supply room.I stopped immediately, my muscles freezing."You are a long way from the third floor, dancer," Val said. His voice was low, dripping with a venom that had been building up for months.

 The clock on the wall showed exactly midnight when I slipped out of my room. The hallway of the third floor was completely quiet, the dim wall lights casting long, thin shadows on the carpet. My jaw still rubbed painfully against my collar every time I turned my head, a sharp reminder of Val's fists from earlier.I walked slowly down the corridor until I reached the heavy door of Andreas's private bedroom. I didn't knock. I just turned the brass handle and stepped inside, closing the wood softly behind me.The room was dark, except for the pale moonlight coming through the large glass window. Andreas was sitting on the edge of his massive bed, his shirt off, unlacing his heavy leather boots. He stopped the moment the door clicked, his head snapping up. His dark eyes found me in the shadows instantly."Arthur," he said, his voice deep and rough from the late hour. "What are you doing out of bed?""I couldn't sleep," I whispered, walking over

 The VIP dressing room was completely quiet, save for the low, rhythmic thud of the bass vibrating through the floorboards from the main stage downstairs. I stood in front of the wide mirror, my chest rising and falling as I wiped a line of sweat from my forehead with a small towel. I was wearing my black practice gear, my feet bare against the smooth wood of the floor.My body was aching from the fight with Val, and my jaw still throbbed every time I moved my head too fast. But I couldn't stop moving. I had been practicing my routine for over an hour, pushing my body through the turns and the drops, trying to burn away the heavy anxiety that had been settling deep in my chest all morning. Dancing was the only time my mind went quiet, the only time I felt like I had control over my own skin.The door opened softly, and Bella walked in, carrying a fresh bottle of water. She stopped, looking at me with a worried frown as I finished a slow turn and dropped my

 The screen of my phone glowed brightly in the dark corner of the back hallway. I stared down at the long string of numbers, my thumb hovering just a small distance above the glass. The text from Marco was already gone, deleted into nothing, but the digits were still burning a hole in my brain.My heart was beating fast against my ribs. I wanted to type out a reply so badly it made my fingers shake. I wanted to ask him the one question that was tearing my life apart. Do you know where Asher is? Did you see him before Andreas threw you out?But the fear froze my hand completely. Andreas had eyes everywhere in this building. His enforcers ran the security lines, and his surveillance network covered every single phone signal bouncing off the club's routers. If Dino’s tech guys flagged a message to a blocked number, or if Andreas saw me typing in the dark, the whole world would come crashing down on my head.A sudden creak from the floorboards nea