47. Suck up to survive!

Xander and Matilda were lying side by side in the latter's room. Just after their passionate encounter, Matilda received a call from Janice. She immediately turned off her cell phone and placed it back on the table beside the bed. 'Who was that?" Xander asked, turning towards her. 'My informant," she replied, quickly getting up. She needed to meet Janice because she had also threatened her. She couldn't ignore the woman because of the money given to her; they had an agreement, and Janice wouldn't just give such a large amount if she didn't need her. 'Where are you going?" Xander asked, puzzled. 'Aren't you tired yet?" 'I need to meet and pay my informant. It wasn't easy for him to spy on Briella. I want to thank him personally," she answered and headed straight to the bathroom for a quick shower. In less than ten minutes, she emerged from the bathroom and picked out clothes to wear. Xander was still lying in bed, seemingly about to sleep, so she made no further noise. She quietly left the room and went straight to her car. Janice had given her an address and wanted to meet there. It took her over an hour to reach the location Janice had mentioned. A casino? She got out of the car and handed her keys to the valet. The building had four floors, each illuminated with different coloured lights, creating a beautiful sight. Two large security guards blocked her way, raising her eyebrows in question. 'Don't you know who I am?" she asked them, but they seemed not to hear her and remained blocking her way. 'Please show your passcode," one guard said. Her eyes widened, and she faced the two with hands on her hips. 'My companion is inside, and her name is Janice Ortega. She told me we're meeting here. Don't tell me you don't know her?" she retorted with raised eyebrows. The guards looked at each other, and one turned to grab a walkie-talkie and spoke to someone. When he returned, he said emotionlessly. 'I'm sorry, Miss, there's no Janice Ortega checked in here," he told her. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she quickly took out her cell phone to call Janice. It rang several times before Janice answered. 'Hello? Where the hell are you? Are you playing games with me?" she blurted out immediately. 'Where are you?" Janice countered. 'I'm at the entrance of the casino you mentioned. They're asking for a passcode and saying you're not—" 'Let me talk to the guard," Janice cut her off. She sighed heavily and handed the phone to one of the guards. 'Someone wants to talk to you." The guard took the phone and listened to Janice, but she couldn't hear the conversation as she hadn't put it on speaker. Shortly after, the guard returned her phone, and she noticed a change in his demeanour towards her. 'Let's go. I'll take you to her," he said, then signalled his colleague and gestured for her to follow. She followed with her head held high, feeling like a VIP that needed to be attended to. Upon entering the casino, she couldn't help but marvel at the luxury inside, certain that everyone there was a millionaire or billionaire just looking to have fun and entertain themselves. She also noticed women in formal attire but clearly identifiable as prostitutes and escorts. 'This way," the guard said, leading her into an elevator. She wanted to stay and perhaps find a millionaire to exploit for money, seeing nothing wrong in snagging one for the night that might even lead to her fashion show. But the guard, who looked at her blankly, seemed not to entertain her thoughts and briskly entered the elevator. She thought they were going up, but to her surprise, he pressed a button and swiped a card, and the elevator began moving downwards. Is there an underground casino here, too? She couldn't ask her companion, who clearly didn't want to talk, and after a short while, the elevator stopped. Before the doors fully opened, she could already hear loud music. She was greeted by a smiling man, who she assumed was the Manager due to his formal attire. 'Welcome to XHaven, Miss Jimenez. Please come with me. Someone wants to see you," he said, leading her through another door. XHaven? She looked around, puzzled. The place was dimly lit, just enough to see several women dressed in nighties and straps, some with red ribbons around their necks. What kind of place is this? As she entered the room, she saw Janice with two other women, busy pleasuring each other with sex toys in front of them. She was stunned and couldn't help but swallow hard at the sight. The man with her closed the door, and they all looked at her. 'Well, do I need to tell you what you need to do?" Janice asked with a grin. She took a deep breath. 'This will be the last time you're using me as your toy, Janice. We both have our secrets—dark secrets to hide so—" 'Oh, you're not," Janice interrupted. 'Because you see? You violated our rules, and you have to be punished," she added, looking at the women in front of her. 'Darlings, you can begin." 'What?" she exclaimed, confused and alarmed. The two naked women stood up and approached her. Without warning, they tore her clothes while one slapped her hard. Her head reeled from the slap, but all she could do was glare at them. 'Janice, you bitch! What do you think you're doing to me?!" she yelled. Janice laughed seductively, stood up, and slowly approached her. She was wearing a robe, and her well-shaped body and full breasts moved with her. 'I told you, you need to be punished. No one dares to leak any activity of anyone involved here. You agreed to my terms, remember?" Janice said with a smile as she came closer. 'You wanted to be a model. Well, we need one, and you'll do it on a live show. Isn't that what you want? To be noticed and fantasized about by people?" 'So, you mean that's what Briella did too, that's why you took her as a model for your company? You're disgusting!" she said. Another hard slap came from Janice. 'You're pathetic! To get what you want, you pass on the filth you're involved in to others. Don't compare yourself to Briella because no matter what you do, you're just a leech from a dirty stream, trying to suck up to survive!" Janice scolded her. 'And what do they call you? Holy? Do you even see yourself?" she retorted, wanting to tear Janice's hair out in her rage, but she couldn't because the two women were holding her tightly by the arms. 'Well, they call me the Dominant Beast here. Do you know why?" Janice approached her. 'Because I love controlling bitches like you." She signalled the two women, and what they did next shocked her, making her fear what might happen to her. Janice took a document for her, and she saw her signature on it, the agreement they had when she was given two consecutive payments of two million. 'You will stay here until you've paid back the money I gave you. Don't worry. If you become popular, your departure from this place will be hastened," Janice said with a grin. 'What? I'm not a prostitute like those—" 'Be careful with your words, babe," Janice cut her off. 'Just to make everything clear to you, Briella is not my girl. She's off-limits, and if anyone dares to touch her, they will suffer like... you." She didn't understand what that meant. Off-limits? That woman? Why? Was one of the perverted owners of this club backing her? With a wave of Janice's hand, the two women quickly moved as if they were well-practised in what they were doing, effortlessly tying her hands behind her back and placing something in her mouth to prevent her from speaking. 'Enjoy your first show," Janice said with a smile, leaving her with the two women who looked ravenously at her body. One of them pushed her onto the bed, and she fell face down, groaning in pain, especially when she felt as if the bones in her arm were breaking as the rope was pulled mercilessly to turn her around. She screamed and called out Xander's name, but what could her boyfriend, who had no idea what was happening to her now, do? Briella! This is all your fault! If only you had remained submissive and obedient to Xander, I wouldn't have ended up in this situation! ---- 'Be careful," Braun cautioned as he assisted her in getting out of the car. They had just returned from Mongrel Medical Group or MMG, and her hand operation had just concluded. She didn't need to be confined there, so it was better for her to go home with Braun. She had never been comfortable in hospitals because of unpleasant memories associated with such places. 'Do you want to eat something? Are you feeling dizzy? Does it hurt? Do you want cof—" 'Braun," she interrupted him. 'I'm fine, calm down," she added, chuckling. Braun took a deep breath and helped her sit on their balcony, squatting in front of her while looking at her bandaged hand. 'Can you stop thinking about this? I promise I'll be careful next time," she said, holding his handsome face. 'It's not your fault. If your jerk of an ex-fiancé hadn't pushed you, you wouldn't be like this," he said with a dark expression, moving to sit beside her. He embraced her, leaning her against his shoulder, and she closed her eyes. She wanted to breathe amidst all the chaos of the day, feeling the weight on her and just wanting to close her eyes and rest her mind. 'I know you're not fine, wife, and I just want to tell you that I'm always here for you. You can talk to me about everything that causes you pain and grief," Braun softly said, kissing her head with love. I'm not fine. She looked up at the sky; not many stars were visible, and even the moon seemed to be hiding, refusing to show itself to them. 'Wife, it's okay if you want to cry. It's not wrong to cry over their deception. Sometimes, it helps you to accept everything and move on," he said, lifting her face and meeting her gaze. He smiled at her and lightly kissed her lips. She inhaled sharply, immediately feeling peace in her mind because of the gentle and comforting kiss he bestowed upon her. She smiled as he pulled away. Resting her head on his chest, Braun wrapped his arms around her to protect her from the night's chill. 'Can we stay like this for a while, hubby?" she asked him, slowly embracing his body with both hands. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth emanating from Braun's body. She didn't hear any response, but she knew he agreed with what she wanted—moments of silence passed between them. She didn't want to mention what had happened earlier because she knew it would only upset and hurt Braun more. Her strength was not enough; she needed to excel in her job as a model and prove herself to her husband. Until she could prove herself, she wouldn't fully accept her role as Braun's wife. Silence once again dominated between them until she heard him humming a song from a famous singer. 'I want to make you smile whenever you're sad. I carry you around when your arthritis is back. All I want to do is grow old with you . . ." She smiled at his smooth voice, discovering yet another talent of his that others might not know. His voice was clear and had a soothing effect that could calm anyone who heard it. 'I'll give you medicine when your tummy aches. I'll build you a fire if the furnace breaks . . . that could be so nice, growing old with you . . ." Instead of calming her, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Her heart raced, and even the butterflies in her stomach couldn't stay still. But she preferred to feel that way rather than dwell on negativity and drown herself in thoughts that didn't need revisiting. 'Braun, you really know how to calm me down," she whispered. 'And I'll miss you. I'll kiss you. I'll give you my coat when you are cold. I need you, I'll feed you, and I'll even let you hold the remote control. So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink. I'll put you to bed when you've had too much to drink," he whispered in her ear. 'I will be the man who grows old with you," he murmured in her ear. She couldn't hold back any longer and smiled as she opened her eyes and faced him. He smiled back at her, looking into her eyes, and she sighed, caressing his face. 'Do you know how lucky I am to have you, President Braun?" she softly spoke to him. Braun remained silent, gazing into her eyes. She looked into his grey eyes as if promising true happiness and love. She smiled and couldn't help but shed tears. 'What's happening to me? Why am I becoming so emotional?" She took a deep breath and did everything to hold back the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, but it seemed her tears had a mind of their own and refused to listen, continuing to fall. 'All of my life, I always thought of giving everything I have for the love of my life. Even if I see that it's wrong, I'll still do it because I believe that when you love someone, it feels like you're on a roller coaster. It's scary, but because you know that's where you'll find happiness, you'll ride it and ignore the fear gripping your heart," she said. 'You don't know what's waiting for you at the end. Will you still be happy, or will you be hurt? No one knows what's waiting for you after the long, tiring, and exciting ride. And that's how life works. If you hope, you'll surely get hurt," she added. She sighed deeply and smiled sadly. 'When I met Xander, I thought my life would be perfect with him. I chose him over my family, my career, and everything. I believed in him because he asked me to marry him. I turned my back on my happiness because I wanted to fulfil his happiness. I convinced myself that once he proved himself, he would think of me and the promises he made to me." She felt his fingers wiping away the tears from her cheeks. He didn't speak, just listened intently to her. It was as if he was given her time to release all the pent-up grievances in her chest over a long period. 'And then, finally, we're getting married. I was so happy because it meant all my efforts and sacrifices in his company would bear fruit. But it turned out to be just a nightmare. I woke up one night..." she bitterly smiled as she remembered the night she found out about Xander's infidelity and her supposed friend Matilda's deceit. '...they're doing some immoral things in front of me . . ." she exclaimed, anger rising in her chest. 'I was hurt," she said, biting her lip to hold back a sob. 'He tricked me and made me believe all of his lies and nonsense. They tricked me and used me, and for that, I'll never forgive them. Even if I have to make a deal with Satan to make sure they pay for their deception, I'll do it." What happened to her was truly painful, and her heart was shattered as she listened to their laughter, insults, and, worst of all, their moans, as if they were slapping her in the face, telling her she was just a toy to them, used for their selfish desires. 'Are you still bleeding?" Braun finally asked her. She smiled, shaking her head. 'No, I'm totally healed, and I found someone who helps me do that... I found you." Braun smiled meaningfully at her. 'Wife, just get rest. By the time you recover your hand, everything will be better. No more pests will surround you. You don't need anyone from hell to do that. You only need me, my Queen."