CH 4: Red Gown

Jennifer’s POV

“A rich man came to pick you up, intending to get you out of here and then marry you. You are lucky. What have you done to him? What magic did you use? It’s impossible for a rich man who comes from a wealthy family to marry a prostitute? This is impossible, Jenny. We are just tools to satisfy their lust. When they are satisfied, they will dump us. Maybe you are dreaming or are not aware that the magic you used on it will soon evaporate and disappear.” A girl said while blowing cigarette smoke in my face. I closed my eyes and held my breath. I didn’t like the smell of cigarette smoke.

Almost all the women at Pleasure Brothel smoke, drink alcohol, and are addicted to cosmetic surgery, so most of them have slightly odd-looking faces. Their faces looked scary under the lights, even though they covered them up with makeup.

Seeing their reaction, maybe I should tell the truth because I was not good at lying. When my lips parted slightly to explain a few things to them, Carol came towards us from the direction of the living room.

“What are you guys doing? Do you want to kill her? Disperse and return to your bedrooms. Now!” Carol shouted with wide eyes, her index finger pointing at them.

The girls got scared. One girl took her hands off my neck and left. They rushed back to their room on the second floor. While I tried to breathe smoothly even though I was coughing a little.

Carol came up to me and asked, “Jenny, are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“No, they didn’t hurt me. I’m fine,” I replied, as I breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall. Luckily, Carol came in time to save me, otherwise, I don’t know what they would have done to me.

Since a long time ago, some of them never liked me, especially since I became a star here. I was once framed and almost raped by some men hired by them, luckily a shop owner who was live close to the scene saw something wrong with me. He called the police and worked up the courage to approach us. He shooed away those men and took me to the nearest hospital after he saw bruises on my arms and blood on the edges of my lips.

Many things have happened during this year. The most relaxing moment for me was when I lay in bed at night. I always cried and mourned my life. God was unfair to me. I blame Him for everything that happened in my life. As time went by, I grew to be strong to face the cruelties of life.

Carol hugged me, stroked my back, and said, “Sorry I’m late.”

I shook my head left and right while returning her hug. “No, you are not late. You came just in time. You have saved me. Thank you.”

Carol let go of the hug, and she smiled. She’s one of my best friends at Pleasure Brothel.

“You will soon be out of this brothel. Live a happy life. Ah, one more thing, don’t forget me,” she said.

Her words made me sad. A year with her through difficulties made us close like siblings. She was there when I needed someone to lean on and when I realized we were going to separate; it made me feel so lost. I’d love to take her with me, but of course, it’s impossible,

“I will never forget you, Carol. I promise I’ll get you out of here one day,” I said as I caressed her pretty face. My eyes watered a little, and I tried hard to hold back tears.

Suddenly, Jason’s room door opened. “What are you guys doing there? Jenny, have you packed your things? Don’t make Mr. Harris is waiting.”

I turned and the first thing I saw was Samuel. My heart beat a little faster when I saw his face. I felt like a teenage girl courting a teenage boy, but of course, we weren’t teenagers anymore.

“We are saying goodbye. And I’ve packed all my stuff. I’m going to unload mine now,” I replied. As I turned around, Samuel held my steps and said, “You don’t need to unload your things. Let Leo do it.”

I stopped and stood beside Carol again. Leo went up to the second floor and unloaded some suitcases and my bag. Before leaving, I hugged Carol and Jason. At least, they have been considered as family.

“Let’s go now,” Samuel said. I nodded and walked beside him, out of the brothel, waving hands to them.

On the way to the mansion. Samuel suddenly said, “Leo, at the fork ahead, turn left. Take us to the boutique.”

“Okay, sir,” Leo replied.

I just kept quiet and looked out the window. The morning view in Valxina City was exquisite.

A few minutes later, Leo’s car stopped right in front of a boutique. We got off and went inside. Two women greeted us at the door. Then, a woman wearing a different uniform from the other two women approached us.

“Welcome, sir. Is there anything we can help with?” asked the middle-aged woman. She still looked beautiful at her age. Her makeup was light but made her face look younger. She was tall and slim. Her voice was soft and her perfume was very fragrant.

“Please choose some evening gowns for her,” Samuel said. One of his hands pointed at me.

“M-me? What’s the evening gown for, sir?” I asked, a little surprised.

“For tonight’s event at my grandfather’s mansion. Come with her and next time call me ‘Hun’,” replied Samuel. He chuckled.

The woman took me into a special room. There hung many dresses of various models that look luxurious and beautiful. She and another woman fetched some evening gowns for me.

I put on a red gown with some Swarovski gems on it, then the middle-aged woman opened the dressing room curtains and asked me to turn around to show Samuel the gown.

I turned around and said, “What do you think?”