Chapter 3
Sam smiled. “Hey, isn’t this our dear Anna? The princess in town? Oh, I forgot you are not anymore, Wait, look at you. The stall uniform, really? I thought you were here for fun”
The second he finished, the whole VIP room crupted in laughter,
My fingers tightened around the cart’s handle. I took a slow, quiet breath. So much for a clean escape. They’d seen me, and they were clearly in the mood to humiliate me,
Fine. If I couldn’t run. I’d have to face it. Maybe if I played along, I could even walk away with some tips.
These days, with debt collectors hounding us, my dad talking about giving up, my mom crying constantly, and my brother lan working himself to the bone delivering food. What good was pride anyway?
I pushed the cart toward their group and put on my best professional smile, even though it felt stiff and awkward.
“Well, what a coincidence. Since you’re all here,” I said, trying to sound light and playful, “how about giving me some support? If you like your drinks, don’t forget my tip”
Sam just shook his head, a mocking “tsk” slipping out with a laugh,
I remembered how this same guy used to follow me and lan around, constantly sucking up to us.
Now, with my family’s downfall, he couldn’t wait to play the big man. I swore, I wanted nothing more than to wipe that snug look right off his face,
But now wasn’t the time for pride. Cash was king. So I just stood there, holding onto my smile.
Sam leaned forward, oozing fake sympathy, “Wow, Is this really the same Ms. Thompson who used to look down on everyone? How the mighty have fallen.” He clicked his tongue again.
Another wave of laughter rolled through the room.
Then Leo, another one of Charles‘ hangers–on, chimed in with a nasty grin. “You mentioned support, huh? How, exactly? Must be the oldest way, right? Come on, let’s see what you’ve got. Otherwise, how do we know you’re worth our money?”
I gripped the bottle in my hand tighter and shot a glance toward Charles. He just sat there smoking, calm and detached, as if he couldn’t even hear their disgusting comments. Or maybe he just didn’t care.
I looked down, quietly placing bottles on the bar. “You’ve got the wrong idea,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “I’m talking about the drinks. For old times‘ sake, order some premium drinks and help me get my commission.”
Sam snorted, “What, you’re that desperate?” He slapped a bank card down on the counter. “There’s ten grand on this. Crawl on the floor, beg me, and it’s all yours. Do we have a deal?”
The room exploded in laughter and rowdy whistles the second he finished. All eyes were on me, hungry for a reaction.
Even Charles was watching. His expression was neutral, but his eyes were deep and impossible to read.
I stood frozen. Then Leo tossed another card down next to Sam’s. “Fine. Let’s make it thirty thousand. Beg and spend the night with us. Then the money’s yours.”
I stared at him, completely stunned. Sure, my family was ruined, but in his eyes, I should still be Charles’s wife. How could Leo dare say something like that right in front of him?
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Unless… unless Charles had already told them we were divorced. Unless he’d made it clear he hated me now, and they had his permission to humiliate me.
“What’s wrong?” Leo taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. “I thought you were desperate. If you can’t swallow your pride, what are you even doing here? This is good money. How many ‘clients‘ would you need to see to earn this much otherwise?”
I was broke and would swallow my pride. But it didn’t mean having no self–respect. The look on his face made me sick.
I snatched the card for thirty thousand and flung it right back at him. “You think you can buy a night for that? If you’re so generous, show me what you’ve got.”
I knew Leo. He was all talk. He was broke, lazy, and notoriously cheap. He used to constantly mooch off me and Ian and never bought his own girlfriend a decent gift.
Getting any significant amount of money out of him was nearly impossible. For him to throw around that kind of cash just to insult me? He must have really despised me. It made me wonder if I’d really been that awful in the past.
The room howled with laughter. “Whoa, Leo, you’re so stingy. You think thirty thousand is enough for a night with our former princess? Have some class.”
Leo’s face flushed a deep, furious red. He shot me a venomous glare. “Actually, I think that’s more than she’s worth.”
Ignoring Leo’s sneer, I picked up the $10,000 card and turned to Sam. “So, you’re serious about this? If I get down and beg you, this money is really mine?”
Sam looked caught off guard, like he never actually thought I’d consider it. Just like Leo, Sam’s all talk and no wallet. That ten grand was probably his entire life savings.
He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly less sure of himself. “Come on, Ms. Thompson. We all know how proud you are. You’d never actually do it. Stop joking around.” He reached out, trying to snatch the card back.
I moved my hand just out of his reach and kept my voice steady. “I’m not joking. Begging for ten thousand dollars? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.”
Sam’s face tightened with irritation. He glared at the card, clearly regretting his stupid stunt.
Leo, on the other hand, was loving it. “Then what are you waiting for? Let’s see it. Get down on all fours and show us how you beg.”
My pride was long gone. All I could see were the debt collectors at our door, my mother’s tear–streaked face, my father’s hollow eyes, and Ian working himself to exhaustion. I took a sharp breath. “Fine.”
I started to lower myself to the floor–but before I could, a strong hand wrapped around my elbow, stopping me. Startled, I looked up and met Charles’s intense, unreadable gaze. My heart stuttered.
In a calm but commanding voice, he said, “Everyone out. Now.”
The room cleared in seconds. Those rich kids scrambled toward the door, not one of them daring to look back. On his way out, Sam snatched the $10,000 card right out of my hand. Classy.
Charles fixed me with an intense stare. “That desperate for money, are you?”
I yanked my arm back and took a step away from him. “Let’s not pretend you don’t know, Mr. Bennett.” After my family’s downfall, we’d been drowning in debt, and it was the talk of Jelasburg. There was no way he was unaware.
“Mr. Bennett?” He chuckled darkly, rolling the name around in his mouth like he was tasting it.
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I had no idea what was going through his head, and I wasn’t in the mood to figure it out. I gestured toward the bar. “Your drinks are here, Mr. Bennett. If you’re happy with my service, a tip would be appreciated.”
He just watched me, his expression completely unreadable.
I offered a thin smile and turned to leave, not actually expecting a thing.
“I’ll give you 3.5 million,” he suddenly said.
I froze mid–step, whipping my head around to stare at him. “What?”
Charles closed the distance between us, his eyes burning into mine. “I said, I’ll give you 3.5 million. For one night. With me.”
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