With every mile the car moved, my fear grew heavier. The farther we went from Matthew, the more my chest hurt and hands trembled. My voice quivered as I asked, "What will they do to him?"
He didn't say a word. His eyes were on the road while his expression was unreadable. The silence between us started to kill me, making it harder for me to breathe. Fear bound around me like a tight rope, cutting it deeper with every turn of the car.
We finally reached the villa, but I didn't move. I needed answers and the confirmation that Matthew would be safe. Furiously, he stepped out of the car and dragged me out, ignoring my questions, and then he drove off.
After a few days, I overheard one of the guards say Matthew was beaten up badly and was left in a bad condition. The news crushed my heart, and I called him to hear his voice, but as usual, my calls went unanswered, so I left another message on top of the pile of already sent messages.
"Matt! Please text me. I just want to know that you are safe and doing fine."
I waited for his reply but didn't receive any. Then I browsed the articles about AcadM, hoping to see any new news, but it was the same. Everything related to AcadM was falling apart, including the value that it earned, and according to our law, the founder of AcadM was likely to go to prison or pay a large fine, including the ban from the business circle, unless any miracle happened.
Matthew provided fake reports to Mr. Wolfe to earn his trust and investment. I didn't believe it when Mr. Wolfe told me before, but it truly happened. However, the other frauds were all fake. He had never done anything.
I texted Matthew again, "Matt! Are you there? Please, text me back."
Frustrated, I called him again, but his cell phone was switched off. As I kept trying him again, losing my mind, I received a call from the hospital.
"Ms. Yung! I am calling to remind you of the bill that needs to be paid in a week for the patient who's admitted here. The primary contact, Alex Emerson, who took care of the payments, is not reachable."
"Oh!" My throat was parched. I didn't have a single penny in my hand, let alone the money for the hospital bill.
"Please finish the payment by the end of this week."
After she cut the call, I fell on the bed, not knowing what to do. Even though it was not a big amount, I had no source of income to pay, and Mr. Wolfe was not at all willing to change his mind. Even if we requested early discharge, as Mira was almost recovered, there was no place where she could stay.
Even though we inherited a small house from our parents, I had to sell it to support her treatment and our basic needs before.
When I thought of the ways to arrange money, I heard the noises from outside, making me realize Mr. Wolfe had entered.
Mustering up the courage, I walked to the main hall to talk to him. He quickly glanced at me, but ignoring me, he walked to his office room.
"Mr. Wolfe!"
As he halted his steps, I walked to him. Standing in front of him, I said after taking a deep breath, "I… I need money. I need to pay the hospital bill."
"I think you've forgotten that I stopped paying for your sister's treatment."
"I remember. I violated the rules, and you've been punishing me, but…" I glared at him. "I need money. Please, help me."
Self-respect? I lost it a long time ago.
"If you think your teary eyes would change my mind, then you are wrong. I don't fucking care about your sister anymore."
As he started to walk away, I shouted, "If you don't pay for my sister's treatment, then why the hell am I serving the contract?"
His angry gaze fell on me, but I didn't stop. I continued shouting, "I am sleeping with you, I became a whore, and I even signed that bloody contract because I need money. If you can't give me that, then for what am I staying here and getting undressed whenever you tell me?"
"Language, Elira!" He gritted his teeth and then gripped my jaw fiercely. "Stop calling yourself a whore."
I pushed his hand away, shouting, "Then what am I?"
He shook his head, disappointed, and again continued to walk away.
"At least, let me work. What part of 'I need money' can't you understand?"
He let out a frustrated sigh as I didn't stop yelling at him. Probably, I was the only person who could yell at him and live another day.
"Please! Let me work somewhere. I want to earn money. It's… it's killing me from inside."
Taking his long strides, he reached me, shouting, "You can't go around working for other people when you signed a fucking contract with me."
Holding my forearm, he made me look into his anger-filled eyes. "I swear I am going to destroy the place where you work."
"Why do you always destroy things that bother you? Why don't you try viewing the things from others' eyes? You may realize the reason and purpose."
He narrowed his eyebrows, but his anger didn't fade.
"Please, let me work. Not for me. But for the poor girl, who has no one but her elder sister."
Holding my wrist, he dragged me to his car and drove off. During the drive, he called someone and only said, "I need everyone out. Right now."
"Where are we going?"
The roads felt familiar, and I didn't want to believe it. My fingers trembled in nervousness, and my eyes widened as he stopped the car at Hydes.
Before I even questioned anything, he dragged me inside. There was no one except the manager. A sense of nostalgia hit me as we both looked at each other. Even though I wanted to greet him, I couldn't do it when Mr. Wolfe dragged me to the strip section.
There was none in any of the sections except us both.
"You want to earn?" He pushed me to the dance floor, and he took his seat. "Then work here. Only for me."