years

orking a temporary gig for the catering staff. He spotted me across the room, a predator zeroing in on its prey. By the end of the night, he' d already bought my father' s struggling b

es

d too little, looked me up and down. Her gaze was sharp, dissecting. "Mrs. Mercado,

t was part of the humiliation. "I need a job," I st

. "And your husband? The billionaire tech

aze head-on. "But his money comes wi

s depend on the client, and the... service requested. It' s discreet, high-paying, and requires a certai

his was it. The precipice. "I' ll t

ed me a form. "Sign th

ightly, my phone vibrated. Adam. His caller ID a s

dear. Wouldn' t want him to worry, would we?" Her

answered. "

p. "Mark said you left the building and haven' t b

, my voice wavering slightly. "Th

you a thousand dollars. Don' t go wandering

e. My monthly allowance was $500, which he' d refused. Now, after making a public display of my destitution

ant your charity." I ended the call abruptly, my finger trembling as I hit 'decline' on the incomin

"Feisty. I like that. Come, let' s

t scent of expensive cologne clung to the air. The other women, equally stunning, wore masks that hid their fa

y a grotesque mask, pointe

chment settled over me. I was a vessel, a blank canvas. This w

ip burned down my throat, dulling the edges of my burgeoning shame. I drank until the room spun, until th

ng. My stomach lurched, and I barely made it to the restroom before violently emptying it

up onto her forehead, offered me a tissue. Her eyes, though tired, held a s

s. But he keeps me on a leash. A very short, very tight leash." A bitter

Billionaire, my ass. He spends millions on his

liation far better than my socialite "friends." "He has money," I repeate

' d grown accustomed to. I hated it.

r was crisp, clean, a stark contrast to the foul taste in my mouth. Before I left,

ore than I' d ever seen in my life, far more than Ad

er. My eyes were bruised, my hair disheveled, but a flicker of something new igni

ms. The thought was intoxicating. As the car pulled away, I glanced back a