"Her name is Eva Lane. Twenty years old. Lives in a crumbling studio with her ten-year-old brother. Parents dead. No relatives. Works double shifts here to stay afloat."
The voice belonged to Damian Voss, Enzo's right-hand man efficient, ruthless, and currently standing in the dimly lit VIP corridor of Velvet Room, phone pressed to his ear.
"She's clean. Never been in trouble. Not even a parking ticket. No boyfriend, no social life. You said you wanted innocent..." He paused, then added with a slight smirk, "She's a virgin."
There was a beat of silence.
Then Enzo's voice crackled back through the line low, amused, and dark.
"Perfect."
Downstairs, Eva wiped a spill off the bar, her arms trembling with the weight of the day. Her manager's voice still echoed in her head..."They're threatening to expel Noah if the fees aren't paid by Friday."
Friday.
Three days.
Three hundred dollars she didn't have.
And then rent was due next week. Again.
A sour heat curled in her stomach.
"Eva."
She turned, startled, as Carl the night manager beckoned her with a wave.
"Boss wants to see you," he said, eyes unreadable.
She blinked. "Boss?"
"VIP Room Two. Go now."
She wiped her hands on her apron, confused. "Why? I don't even..."
"Don't ask questions. Just go."
Something in his tone chilled her. Something in the way he didn't meet her eyes.
She walked through the narrow hallway behind the bar, heart thudding, until she reached a door marked PRIVATE – STAFF ONLY.
She stepped inside.
The room was warm and low-lit, sleek leather chairs and mirrored walls creating a strange intimacy. A man in a dark tailored suit leaned against the far wall, arms folded. He wasn't Enzo but he had that same predatory stillness.
"Miss Lane," Damian greeted with a nod. "Take a seat."
Eva hesitated.
"I'll stand," she said cautiously.
He gave a short smile, then got straight to it. "Mr. Stone would like to make you an offer."
"Mr. Stone?" she echoed, confused.
"He owns this club."
Her stomach flipped. She'd seen him upstairs tonight. That commanding presence. The way his eyes had locked on her.
"I don't understand," she whispered.
Damian stepped closer, voice calm, cold.
"You're struggling, Eva. You can't afford your brother's tuition. You're three weeks behind on rent. Your electricity got shut off last month. You're drowning."
She stared at him, throat tightening.
"Do you want to help your brother or not?"
Her voice cracked. "What are you offering?"
Damian's lips twitched like he was suppressing a grin. "Twenty thousand dollars."
The world tilted.
"What?"
"One night," he said. "No strings. You'll be discreetly escorted to a hotel room. Afterward, you'll leave. You won't see Mr. Stone again. The money will be wired to your account before morning."
Eva felt the walls close in around her. Her knees nearly buckled.
"You're... you're asking me to sleep with him?"
"No one's asking, Miss Lane. We're offering. You can walk out now. Keep waiting tables. Watch your brother get expelled. Or…" He leaned in. "You can fix it all. Tonight."
Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away.
"Why me?" she whispered. "There are girls who'd line up for this."
"Because you're clean," Damian said bluntly. "Untouched. Innocent. That's what he wants."
She flinched like he'd slapped her.
Silence stretched.
Then: "Do I have a choice?"
"You always have a choice," he said smoothly. "But make no mistake there's a reason you were chosen."
Eva swallowed hard. Her thoughts ran wild Noah, alone at home, needing everything she couldn't give. His bright eyes. His stupid dinosaur drawings. His tiny voice asking, "Are we gonna be okay?"
Her pride screamed at her to walk away.
But desperation… desperation was louder.
Her voice barely came out. "I want it in writing. The money. No tricks."
"Of course," Damian said, pulling out a crisp envelope. "Sign this agreement. The funds transfer is immediate. Your bodyguards will ensure you arrive safely."
Bodyguards.
She was in over her head.
"You'll have five minutes to prepare," he added. "Everything else will be handled."
Eva's hand shook as she reached for the pen. Her vision blurred.
Noah's face flashed behind her eyes again.
Then she signed.
...
Five minutes later, Eva stood in the back hallway, wrapped in a silk robe someone had handed her.
She stared at her reflection in a smoky wall mirror.
This couldn't be real.
This wasn't who she was.
And yet... here she was.
A knock sounded. Damian appeared again.
"Room's ready."
She took a breath.
And another.
Then nodded.
As they walked down the silent corridor, Eva whispered to herself.
It's just one night. One mistake. One lie.
For Noah.
At the hotel suite door, Damian stopped.
"Final chance to walk away," he said.
She met his gaze, chin trembling.
"I'll do it."
He nodded, pushed the door open
And the air turned electric.