Lucy’s POV
He was utterly dissatisfied when the door swung open unexpectedly. His secretary tried to get his attention, but all he did was stare blankly at me.
"Your meeting with Mr. Harrison is ready, sir—"
“Fine.”
He then told his secretary to shut the door. I let out a sigh of relief because I thought I was going to be able to get away from him, but he grabbed the back of my arm and turned me around to face him. Then he leaned in for the roughest, worst kiss I've ever had.
His insistent kisses caused me to moan, and when he cupped my breast, I gasped for air. Then he kissed me passionately and then muttered, "You're such a bad kisser, Lucy. Just kiss me back..."
“N–No!”
"Okay, fine... You want more than just a kiss, right?" He pushed me against the wall, kissed and sucked my neck sexually, which made my eyes and mouth hang open.
"Ughh…" I pushed him away with sharp eyes. Then I slapped his face, “I hate you.”
"Don't forget that you inherited an overwhelming debt. Therefore, pay it with your useless body or else you’ll end up just like your dad."
“So, it seems like your plan all along was to have an annual f*ck session? That's why you want to marry me: so you can have sex with me legally!?" I shot him a piercing stare.
He leaned close and said, "Miss Hansley, you are so smart. Unfortunately, you only know one percent. Dig a little deeper."
Then he left me, speechless.
As I slumped helplessly on the floor, my breath became ragged, and tears streamed down my cheeks. Damn. Is this really my fate? Do I have to marry that man to pay off the huge debt?
I drew a deep breath and went outside as if nothing had happened. I need to calm down right now, or I'm going to lose this game. I paused for a moment and then called an Uber. After five minutes, my ride just showed up.
When I arrived at the empty mansion, I pulled out my phone and called my friend, Annie for help.
“Hi, Annie.”
“Hey? Lucy!” she said happily.
“Uhm, is the job you told me about last week still open for me?"
“Hmm, yes. Do you want to go for it?” she asked excitedly.
“Uh, yeah. I have to pay rent–”
She cut me off, “W–What?”
"It turns out I have to wait a year to sell the mansion. So, I need a job so I can pay my bills."
"All right, I'll send you the address tonight. Please be on time," she said with a yawn.
"Thanks, Annie!" The call ended with a sigh of relief, and I smiled happily.
*****************************
8 p.m. at the Paradisus Club, the newest club in New York City. Yes! I have a degree in interior design, but I work in a club because no one wants to hire the daughter of a bankrupt fraud. That's right, my dad ran a big hospital. He was accused of fraud and made a mistake that he could never fix, which is why he had a heart attack and left me in a terrible state.
Annie happily waved her hand and said, "Here, you don't have to worry about money. If you know how to trick the rich people, you can make a thousand dollars in tips in just three hours of work. And tadaaa! Easy money!"
She smiled and led me into the locker, saying, "And if you do well tonight, my boss will call you tomorrow!"
I nervously chewed on my bottom lip as I gazed at the cute outfit, fearing that I would appear like a stripper. I still don't have a choice, though. Because it costs too much to live in New York, I have to stand alone, or I'll have to crawl on the ground!
"Thank you, Annie. Thanks a lot for your help... How are your parents doing? They know what you do for a living?" I asked as I put on my outfit.
"Well, I failed three years ago," she said with a roll of her eyes and a shrug.
"I'm sorry about that. But look at us now; we're back together." I sighed in sadness.
She laughed and said, "Uhm, three years ago, someone got me pregnant, I have to stop my studies even though it's painful for me. I have to find a way to support myself since my parents are no longer going to help me. Now I'm here, and I didn't blame them for what took place. This is my choice, and I'm glad I worked hard to raise my daughter on my own."
“I’m proud of you.” I patted her shoulder and she hugged me.
“I’m proud of you too. You tried to live despite what happened to your family. But don’t worry, you have to start over again to build yourself. I’m sure your father didn’t mean to give you problems before he left.” she said.
I wiped my tears away and said, "Yeah, I would be doing what I love to do now if I hadn't depended on him my whole life. It's too bad that I only act when it's too late.
"At least now you have a chance to do better." She took me to the counter and handed me a serving tray of drinks.
“Lucy… you have to give this to table number five.”
I looked around, “Where?”
“There…” Annie pointed to the last table in the corner and it looked like the man was alone.
“The VIP table is right there. Don't worry—men will only touch you if you let them. So far, no woman has been abused in this club."
I slowly walked over to the customer and put the drinks on his table. Although it was dark when I finally got a good look at him, my eyes grew wide with shock, and he stared at me from head to toe.
He tensely raised an eyebrow and asked, "Lucy, what the f*Ck are you wearing?"
As I timidly stepped back, my fearful lips quivered, and I stammered out, "A-And you... W-what are you doing here?"
He stood up, towering over me, “Follow me.”
I followed him inside the private room and he locked the door behind him. He let out a deep sigh as he looked at my outfit.
"Oh, so my bride works in a club?"
"Arman, I'm not yours. I'm free to live my life however I choose—"
He grabbed my arm and said, "Lucy, I own you! Did you forget about the deal you signed today, huh? Even if you work in a club all your life, you cannot pay me billions!"
“Don’t touch me!” I wiggled my body trying to get away from him.
"No, the way you dressed right now—I'd rather see us through to the end of what we started!" Pushing me down on the table on all fours, he slowly took off my underwear.
As his warm palm pressed against my legs, a scream of terror escaped me.
He stopped when he saw me weeping and begging him to stop. This is the first time I've met a man who is so ruthless and heartless. He liked seeing me hurt, but eventually, he stopped touching me and stood up with his lips pursed.
“Let’s go home.” he said.
“W–What?”
“From now on, I don’t want you to work in this filthy place. You don’t belong here! You are mine now, Lucy! So let’s go home…”
Lucy’s POV"No! I'm not going with you. I'm here because this is where I work!” “Really?” Arman scoffed. “I refuse to follow your orders unless we get into a legally binding agreement that binds us to one another. I’ll wait for your lawyer to give me the f*cking copy of our agreement." I said with a firm voice.He stepped forward with a dark expression, “You are really testing my patience, Lucy.” I didn’t budge when he leaned in to meet my eyes. “And now you give me the idea of owning you legally….” We heard a loud click on the door, and a man with blonde hair stood there, staring at me from head to toe. "Are you the new girl?"Annie was behind him and answered, "Boss Leo, she's the one I was talking about. She's my friend..." The blonde man frowned at me as he asked, "So what are you doing here with our VIP customer?"I bit my lower lip in shame, “Uh—” Arman interrupted me and turned around to face the owner, "I want to buy this club." Annie and the man called Leo were taken a
Lucy’s POV Arman Romano has become the center of attention. The whole group jumped back in fear when they saw Arman with a gun. Everybody screamed in shock when Arman pulled the trigger and shot the floor twice. It scared me, too, when his burning eyes met mine. Thomas slowly released my arm. His hand was shaking with fear as he stepped back and left with his friends in panic. Jane stood there with stunned eyes and said, "Lucy—" Arman cut her off, “You have one second to get out of my club.” Jane’s lips trembled, she lowered her head as she was escorted by the guards outside. In the moment when Arman approached me, his unblinking gaze remained fixed on me, leaving me bewildered. After that, he grasped my arm, his icy fingers brushing against mine. He declared, "I'm done with this game with you, Lucy." Annie really wanted to help me, but I could tell from the look in her eyes that she couldn't do anything for me. She is scared and not sure what to do at the same time. She on
Lucy’s POV"And your dad is here too?" I whispered the question. He covered my mouth with his hand and said, "Let's go..." "What in the bloody hell are you doing?" I can't believe the man I saw earlier wants to use the window to leave with me. He took my hand and pushed me up the window, telling me, "We're not staying here." “Well, tell me one reason why I should jump the window?” “Because you look like a hooker right now. I don’t want them to see you wearing a club uniform.” he said and pushed me outside. And I let out a gasp of pain when I felt my back on the ground floor. I cursed Arman under my breath and glared at him as he jumped out of his window. He reached out to grab my hand, but I pushed it away and glared at him, "My back hurts—Whoaaa!" I felt like a bag of flour in his arms. As his powerful arms encircled me, he scowled at me, but I averted my gaze and pursed my lips in response. “Hey, put me down!” He whispered calmly, “I can’t just put you down, woman!” Upon ope
Lucy’s POVArman fixed his intense focus on me and abruptly drew me near him.I gasped as I looked up at him, confused. Arman fixed his intense focus on me and abruptly drew me near him.I gasped as I looked up at him, confused. He asked his friend with a smirk, "What's wrong with getting married to her? I wanted to marry her more than anyone else.”Ray smirked, “So you’re not marrying Camila?” And who’s Camila?Arman’s expression darkened, “No, not her. You know how much I loathe that woman.” “And one more question—” Arman shut the door in front of Ray’s face and locked it with a deep sigh. He closed his eyes tightly and let go of my waist. “Don’t you ever touch me like what you did earlier.” I grimaced and silently went to the bathroom. “Hey, I’m still talking to you–” I closed the door, then sighed softly. I noticed myself when I looked in the mirror. My round, dark circles under my eyes are the result from not getting enough sleep recently, I still look pretty, though. "L
Lucy’s POVThe sound of gunshots engulfed the entire area, and then my nightmare began. There were also bullet holes everywhere, and I had no idea what the f*ck was going on. I have never experienced anything like this in my entire life, and the thought of it made my entire body qualm. Arman dragged my feet and he took me with me to the window. I glared at him and said, “No, not the f*cking window again!” He said, “We have to jump, or else, we die together!” "N–No… Don't make me jump! This is not a f*Cking movie where you can jump and yet come out alive!" I kicked him out of the way and shambled frightenedly to the door. He couldn't help but follow me down the hall after I ran away from him. "Lucy!" he yelled out. But I'm stubborn; I'm not going to jump. I would rather run than jump the window again. I took a deep breath and tried to open the door to the exit because I needed to run down some long stairs. He kept calling my name, "Lucy!" Until the sound of another gunshot pierc
Lucy’s POVI held my breath as he grabbed my hand and slowly put the diamond ring on my finger. When he was done, he looked at me and said, "It fits perfectly." As I sigh, I look at the ring and think about what happened a year ago. Everyone seemed so happy when Peter asked me to marry him. It was like a scene from a fairy tale. It was a big surprise when Peter asked me to marry him on my birthday. My stepmother, father, and both of his parents were there. It was like a magical night for me, but it was not until Peter got really into Jane, my cousin. They kept seeing each other behind my back until they got the chance to be together because my father died, and Peter had an opportunity to call off our upcoming wedding.I sighed and smiled gloomily. It's funny how fate works sometimes because now I'm engaged again, but to the man I hate.“I’m engaged again.”“Uh, I remembered that you threw the ring on your ex-fiance’s face—” I glared at him, “Don’t mention him anymore.” "I underst
Lucy’s POV “Yes, I’m marrying him. What’s the problem?” Aunt Cecille mocked me, “You are just like your mom.” "Yes, she is just like her mom," Jane said with a snout. She put her hand on my collar, trying to fix it with a fake smile on her face, "Because you're poor now, you have to marry someone wealthy so you can get back on top?" “Don’t drag my mother’s name here.” I warned them and I pushed Jane away, glared at her and said, “Take your filthy hands away from me, Jane.” Jane scoffed and glanced at the manager, “I want that f*cking gown, if I have to pay double or thrice, I can give it to you!” I smiled at Jane and said, “You sound so desperate, Jane. No wonder you have my ex-fiance.” Aunt Cecille snapped back, “He chose my daughter because she’s better than you!” "I understand. Well, you know what? I don't need to waste time here fighting with just one bridal dress. Take it if you want it." At that point, I grabbed my black bag from the chair and got ready to leave, bu
Lucy’s POV“You’re lying.” he said. "What's the point? You like to hurt people and I saw what you did today. My slap mark isn't much different from the guy you murdered today, is it?"He walked up to me and towered over me with his height. I stepped back, put my arms around my chest, and tried to block his stare. He dipped his head to meet mine and grinned, saying, "I hate it when someone tries to mess with my pet."“Then try to work hard, Arman.” “Yeah. So speaking of our agreement…” he closed the door behind his back. He locked it with a sigh and he looked at me, “Kneel down and pleasure with your sweet little mouth.” We looked at each other, and I held my breath. I had no idea this day would come when I had to do what he wanted. I hung my head low and bit my bottom lip in disgust. "Lucy, get down on your knees," he demanded one last time. Then he unzipped his trousers and said, "I don't like to repeat myself…" "I never agreed on our contract that I wanted to sleep with you!