Now all the cryptic words he had spoken the day I woke up in his house made sense. He expected me to sell myself to him.- Of course, things will extend a little beyond the bed. I also need someone to accompany me to certain places. - He said it impersonally, as if he were in a business transaction. - And you will also have to take on this role when necessary. But I'm willing to pay very well for these services. A price well above the average for this type of business. What's more, you'll be able to go to places like this, with me, of course. And I'll take care of all your personal expenses inside and outside the agreement. Then when the time comes, we'll undo the deal.I stared at him, feeling my heart in my throat. He spoke as if he was already sure of my consent to the disgusting deal. A cake of tears got stuck in my throat, because I had been foolish enough to think that maybe all his effort was for a more noble cause. How could I be such an idiot? Had I learned nothing from Steph

I spent longer than I really intended in the bathroom. The fact was that in there, I could let out my tears and my despair. There was no one watching and I didn't need to be strong. It was just me and my pain.I let the water envelop my body, so that the heat concentrated on my muscles and relaxed them little by little. I tried to keep my eyes closed at first, but the images of David in the hospital bed filled my mind in such a way that I realized that staring at the bathroom tiles would be better. Black. White. Black. White.The feeling of guilt put almost unbearable pressure on my temples, creating a throbbing pain. If I hadn't been so preoccupied with making money, I would surely have noticed some evidence that things weren't going well with my brother. Over the last few days he'd seemed down and when I was at home, he stayed in his room almost all the time. all the time in his room. But that wasn't unusual. David loved to stay in his room with his movies, series and posters of ar

The steel and glass façade of Imperium Enterprises resembled its president. Beautiful, refined and impersonal. I had to take a deep breath before entering the building and concentrate on the real reason I was there: my brother. The dark marble floor was spotless and executives in different colors of suits crossed the lobby. Some of them gave me curious looks, probably wondering what such an off-beat girl was doing there. I tried to ignore the attention and concentrated only on the low rumble of my footsteps.There was a c-shaped bench near the elevator entrances. A brunette woman with serious brown eyes gave me a surprised look when she saw me standing in front of it.I opened my mouth to speak, but she beat me to it:- What can I do for you? - her smile was polite and cordial.I put my weight on my left leg, nervous about the situation, and considered giving up, but the image of David in the hospital bed dominated my mind once again.- I came to talk to Mr. Mason. - I looked firmly i

Damien smiled and kissed me quickly. Then he pulled away.- Your first appointment with me is next Sunday. I have to attend a golf match with some investors. It will be an afternoon at the club. - He opened a drawer and put the contract away. Then he took out an envelope and handed it to me.- What's this?- It's your credit card. You'll need something new to wear. Appearances count for a lot at this kind of event, Ellen.- How could you make a card for me without knowing if I would accept it and without any documents of mine? You... - I started to speak but stopped when I noticed a solitaire diamond in the middle of the black card with gold edges. - Good God! What's that? It's a...- A diamond. Yes. I think it's only 0.235 carats. It's a decoration from Dubai First. - Damien smiled, amused by my countenance. - I made your card with the help of my manager and the information I have about you. It's not hard for someone like me to get that kind of favor from the bank branches.- Here. -

I hung up the phone and sat down on the sofa. Julia wanted to go home, but I barely stayed at our house myself and Julia needed a routine and a schedule. It took me more than half an hour to convince her to stay at my aunt's, but in the end my arguments were convincing. Even more difficult was convincing Baby that I couldn't go out with her anymore. She was dying to know what we were going to do and was a little disappointed when I said I couldn't go anymore. But I consoled her by saying that we'd have another chance.Luckily, Arianna didn't need any explanation. She was working and so was Jenny. My aunt took my place at the hospital with David as soon as the morning arrived and all I had to do now was wait for Damien's driver.I cast my eyes around the room and my attention was quickly caught by the portrait of my mother on the bookshelf. I stood up and approached the picture. She looked beautiful and we had all taken that picture together on the twins' twelfth birthday.I held the p