50. Please let me leave alive.

Despite the allegations against Briella, it did not hinder her rapid ascent. Calls from various major advertising companies in the Philippines continued to pour in, as well as offers from famous fashion designers abroad. The best news came when the renowned cosmetic brand in Paris, France, reached out to her again. When Madam Zeyna learned of her return to modelling, she immediately called her and initiated a video call to discuss her contract. Briella didn't decline, and the following month, she would be heading to Paris to sign the contract and formally announce her role as the brand ambassador. A week had passed, and Briella's hand had begun to move, but Braun still refused to allow her to return to the Star Agency. Only Chelsey would occasionally come by to update her on what was happening there. It had been days since Matilda showed up, and Xander seemed troubled by the ongoing protests from employees and company stakeholders. She continued to pressure Xander, and Braun even provided her with a lawyer to reclaim the money she had lent to Xander. News also spread about his deception towards her due to the pictures circulated by Chelsey showing them together. Briella chose not to include the child in Matilda's womb, knowing it was also a victim of its parents' deceit. 'Briella, do you really not know where Matilda is?" Chelsey asked her. She visited Briella that afternoon to convey a message that Cecile wanted to talk to her about the emerging issues with Xander's company and himself. She knew the company wouldn't last long, and it would eventually fold. She took a deep breath, debating whether to tell her friend the truth or let her speculate on Matilda's whereabouts. 'So you knew, and you didn't want to tell me?" Chelsey's eyes questioned her. 'I just found out. Janice and I talked, and she apologized for everything. If not for her PR, people would still look at me poorly," she explained. 'D-Did they do something to Matilda?" Chelsey's eyes widened in shock. 'It's a long story, but to make it short, yes. Janice said there was an agreement, and Matilda violated it, so she punished her," she replied. 'Jeez, Briella. Your husband will be home tonight, and there's plenty of time to gossip. So, spill the beans. I want to know everything and what happened to that btch," Chelsey said. She stared at her friend for a long moment before deciding to tell the story. She knew it would surprise her, but she had no choice because she knew Chelsey wouldn't stop until she knew everything. 'Okay, I'll tell you everything I know, but I hope whatever you hear stays between us," she said. Chelsey nodded and mimicked, zipping her lips shut with her fingers. 'Janice is bisexual, meaning she likes both genders equally. Matilda found out and used it for her gain. She wanted the spot for the magazine issue, thinking Janice would give it to her. But when she found out it went to me instead, she found a way to ruin me. She asked Janice for six million and even used their video together to smear my name," she recounted. 'Whoa, wait...I don't get it," Chelsey said, clearly not understanding. 'So you're saying Matilda is bonking with Janice for six million?" She furrowed her brow. 'Bonking?" 'Oh, you don't know that? Slept, I mean had sex!" Chelsey explained, further wrinkling her brow. 'What?" Chelsey rolled her eyes and sighed, then shook her head. 'Right, you probably don't know because you didn't grow up in the streets. I mean, she had sex!" She nodded and suppressed a laugh. When Chelsey got like this, she just wanted to laugh endlessly. 'Yeah, that's right," she agreed. 'Matilda had bonking with Janice," she repeated, biting her lip. It's a good thing Braun wasn't here because if he were, his eyebrows would probably shoot up, and he would glare at Chelsey. 'Wow, seriously! Janice agreed to give that much money to Matilda just for that?" Chelsey raised her eyebrows in disbelief. She shook her head. 'No, that's not the reason. Janice gave Matilda the money and made her sign a Confidentiality Contract, but Matilda ignored it, so she's suffering the consequences now." 'What do you mean, suffering? Did Janice imprison her?" Chelsey asked in surprise. She looked at Chelsey thoughtfully, debating whether to tell her the truth about Matilda. If she did, it could endanger her friend's life because if she wasn't careful with her words, Chelsey could suffer the same fate as Matilda. 'Brie, I'm waiting," Chelsey urged. She took a deep breath before speaking. 'Do you know what a fetish club is, right?" she asked. Chelsey nodded and suddenly stopped, her eyes widening, seemingly anticipating what she was about to say. 'Don't tell me Janice sold Matilda to a 3M's?" she guessed. '3M's? Isn't that four M's?" she asked in confusion. What did that mean again? Matured Man, Rich, Easy to Die? 'That's different!" Chelsey exclaimed. '3M's means Mature, Rich, Pervert! It's worse than 4M's, seriously!" 'How did you know that?" she asked, amused. 'Duh! 3M's is relentless. It's constant sex—like, for real, 24/7 sex, and maybe even with sex boosters drugs! Oh, poor Matilda dealing with such people!" Chelsey explained, shaking her head. 'While 4M's, maybe they can't even get it up anymore. They probably can't even handle one round of sex!" 'Sex Boosters drugs?" she asked. Her stomach hurt from holding back laughter. She didn't know where Chelsey got her knowledge of such things, maybe from watching Korean dramas. 'Oh my God, Briella, you don't know what it is?" she exclaimed. 'It's a supplement to make a man's bone harder and thicker!" She was about to continue when they both heard a loud voice coming from the open door. 'What nonsense are you teaching my wife?" 'Oh shit, what a boner!" Chelsey exclaimed in surprise. She burst out laughing as Chelsey fell off the sofa. She still held her stomach and almost cried from laughing at the reactions of the two men who had just arrived. She didn't expect Braun to come back from work early, and she certainly didn't expect them to hear what she and Chelsey were talking about. 'Luigi, I want you to take this woman away from me," Braun ordered Luigi with a deep breath. 'She knows how to come here alone. I'm sure she also knows how to go home alone," Luigi retorted with a scowl, glaring at Chelsey, who slowly got up and held her hips. 'B-Big Boss, next time, could you learn to knock first so I know when to stop talking," Chelsey said. Braun's expression darkened further, and it was evident he was on the brink of exploding with anger. 'Yes, I forgot. I said I was leaving," Chelsey said, and despite the pain, she managed to run to the door but stopped in front of the two men blocking her way. 'Excuse me, please let me leave alive. Hee-hee," Chelsey said while bowing and clasping her hands together. *** Matilda nearly spat at the two grinning guards as she exited that infernal club. Despite her difficulty, she hastened her steps away from them, fearing the club's beastly manager might call her back again. She felt disgusted with herself; no matter how much she bathed and scrubbed her body, she still felt the sticky saliva and semen of the men who endlessly used her. 'Prepare yourself, Briella! I'm not done with you yet!" she said angrily, clenching her fists. She disappeared for a week, oblivious to the world's happenings, with no TV and no permission to use her phone, per Janice's instructions. The manager said it was part of her punishment for violating their agreement. He even suggested she should be grateful that Janice and the other owners didn't kill her. She took a deep breath. She wanted to report the place to the police, but doing so might erase her existence from the world. She had experienced almost every kind of sexual encounter with different men. What if Xander found out what happened to her? Would he help her and still accept her? Xander loves me! As long as I carry his child in my womb, I still have him firmly in my grip! When a taxi passed by, she quickly hailed it and asked to be taken to Xander's house. When she arrived, the entire house was dark. She didn't know if he was inside or on vacation. She rang the doorbell, but after standing outside for several minutes, the door remained closed. In frustration, she pounded on it loudly. 'Xander! Open the door, don't keep me waiting here for long!" she shouted. After a few moments, the lights in the living room turned on, and less than a minute later, the door opened. They were both surprised to see each other. Xander's hair was unkempt, and he clearly hadn't shaved, with thick moustache hair covering his face. 'What happened to you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He laughed and winced as he breathed in. 'Where the hell have you been?" he asked her. 'So much has happened since you disappeared. Have you run out of money and are coming back to me?" he said sarcastically. 'What are you talking about?" she said, intending to enter, but he blocked her and didn't let her pass. 'I'm tired, Xander. I'll explain later when I've rested properly. I'm really tired and—" 'Who cares about that? You left me, didn't you? Well, don't expect to enter my house again." He slammed the door shut, and no matter how much she pounded, he didn't open it again. 'Miss Matilda, w-what happened to you?" Jovert asked as he opened the door. 'Can you let me in first?" she replied sharply. Furrowing his brow, Jovert opened the door wider. Matilda's expression was tense, and she repeatedly knocked on Xander's door, but the man seemed unfazed by her threats and didn't let her in. Luckily, she knew where her assistant lived, so she decided to stay there temporarily. She hesitated to enter the small apartment, and upon stepping inside, she grimaced at the unpleasant smell. Three children were playing while Jovert's wife was holding a small child. She winced; she couldn't stay in such a place. One of her pet peeves was being around many children, and it was evident that the whole house lacked air conditioning, with only two large stand fans visible. 'I thought you were coming in?" Jovert asked, furrowing his brows. She shook her head. 'I change my mind, and I'll probably stay at a hotel." 'I-I'm sorry, this is all—" 'But I need money. I lost my bag, and Xander won't let me stay at his place. Did anything happen while I was away?" she interrupted, extending her hand in front of Jovert. She noticed Jovert's pallor and hesitation. 'Is there a problem?" she asked with raised eyebrows, disliking his reaction and the evident reluctance to help her. 'Miss Matilda, I haven't earned anything these past few days since you've been gone. A-And also, you still haven't paid me my salary from last month. We only have enough money for milk and food—" 'Can you just—!" she snapped at him, glaring at her assistant as if she could pierce him with her gaze. 'I need money for a hotel; I'll pay you back tomorrow. Your family won't starve for one night, right?" Jovert paused at her words, but she didn't pay attention. She needed money, and she couldn't stand staying in a place like this. She needed to rest in a nice room and soak in a hot bathtub. She didn't bring anything with her; when the manager said she could leave, she immediately ran to the elevator and out of the casino. She didn't even care about her bag anymore, afraid that Janice might change her mind and prevent her from leaving that infernal place. 'I'm waiting, Jovert. I'm fcking tired, give me the money. I'll pay you tomorrow when I get home," she scolded him impatiently. Jovert took a deep breath and excused himself briefly. He didn't take long to return, carrying some money. She quickly took it and was about to turn away when she remembered something. 'Can I use your phone too? I'll return it to you tomorrow after I've bought one," she said. He quietly went back inside their house, and when he returned, he handed her the cell phone. 'Goodbye, see you tomorrow." That's all she said before leaving, quickly hailing a taxi without looking back. She had herself taken to the nearest hotel, and although she was irritable because she didn't get a luxury suite, she had no choice but to endure the cheap hotel room. She only had five thousand pesos with her, and that wasn't enough for a night's stay if she had to choose another place to sleep. *** Matilda woke up to the continuous ringing of the doorbell, irritably getting up without bothering to fix herself. She was wearing a robe, poorly tied, exposing her cleavage and even her thighs because of its short length. She had nothing else on her body because she had to wash her clothes to wear them now. 'What is it?" she snapped at the man outside her hotel room. 'Good morning, Ma'am. We want to inform you that you only have thirty minutes to leave the room," the staff member replied. She fully woke up and raised an eyebrow. 'Are you kidding me? You're kicking me out this early in the morning? What kind of hotel is this?" 'Ma'am, what you paid for last night was for twelve hours only," the staff member politely explained. 'If you want to stay longer, you'll need to pay again and—" 'Never mind, I'll check out," she cut him off, glaring at him. She was about to close the door when he spoke again. 'I need to check the things inside, Ma'am," he said, glancing over her. Her blood boiled, and without hesitation, she slapped him. 'You pervert!" she exclaimed. 'I'll definitely call the Management! Your staff here are so rude!" she shouted, slamming the door shut. She didn't let him finish speaking and quickly closed the door. Seething, she adjusted her robe and hurried into the bathroom to fix herself. She was sick and tired of men who only saw her as an object! If Xander weren't going to help her, then she would act on her own and rid her life of that damn brat who had been a nuisance from the start! Because of this brat, my life has become a mess! The moment I get rid of you from my life, I'll come back to crush those who mocked me! Briella Montanez, brace yourself because I'm coming for you, you b*tch!