With a sharp pain piercing through my lower abdomen, I lifted my head and glanced at the man in the bathroom. Unlike others, even though he was nearly thirty, he maintained an excellent physique. His broad shoulders and well-defined muscles shone in a golden tan, even his perky buttocks were not spared from this wheatish hue. Feeling my burning gaze, Xavier turned his head and shot me a cold glance.
With a slight parting of his thin lips, his voice oozed mockery, "Another round? Not satisfied yet?" Looking around the room filled with the aftermath of our fierce "battle", the air filled with an ambiguous atmosphere, I felt slightly dazed, like in a dream. Fortunately, Xavier didn't expect an answer. He proceeded towards the bathroom. Attempting to get up and leave, the pain ripping through my body caused me to collapse back onto the bed. After lying there for about twenty minutes, I started to gather the strength to pick up my clothes scattered all over the floor. Bare-bodied, I differentiated between his and my clothes from the cozy carpet. As I bent over to pick up my lace underwear, the bathroom door suddenly opened. Xavier seemed surprised to be greeted by such a lovely sight, but he quickly composed himself. A mocking curve played upon his lips, and his eyes were filled with amusement. Probably, he presumed I was baiting him for another round! My thoughts were momentarily clouded by his smile. Putting it aside, I calmly picked up my underwear and, without showing any hesitancy, put it on right in front of him. This action elicited a chuckle from him. His gaze fell on the bed, where our bodies intertwined moments ago. With a flicker of his eyebrows, his deeply carved features even made his ridicule appear attractive. "Are you girls still sensitive about this kind of thing these days?" His long finger pointed at a patch of glaring red on the sheets. A shiver ran down my spine as I immediately knew he was referring to the hymen. Although I felt a bit uncomfortable, I still managed to smile and say, "Some clients care, so I occasionally visit a hospital to restore it." Xavier nodded, "Seems like I wasted your money this time then." "It's no issue, anything for Young Master Ashford is not a waste. Transfer the money to the account of Pearl's Mansion later, and till we meet next time." Having finished these words, I had already fastened the last button of my coat. After showing an agreeable smile to Xavier Ashford, I left this luxurious presidential suite. On the way back from the famous spot to the Pearl's Mansion, I dozed off in the taxi. When I got out of the car to pay, the driver gave me a couple of extra glances, a hint of ambiguity and wickedness in his eyes. Indeed, a woman visiting Pearl's Mansion at this time usually isn't an upstanding lady. It's time for me to introduce myself, I am the owner of Pearl's Mansion, or as everyone knows me, Madam Rosewood. I took over this mansion from my mother's hands when I was eighteen. It's been eight years now, the business can be considered good, managing hundreds of girls, and the size of Pearl's Mansion has doubled from the time when my mom handed it to me. But I don't think all the credits go to me. My mom played an indisputable role. She was the most famous streetwalker in the red-light district in the 1980s. She was not only beautiful but also talented. She could join a man in their bedroom endeavors and also provide advice on life and work. This differentiated her from an average streetwalker and laid a solid material and network foundation for the establishment of Pearl's Mansion. However, my mom was very laid-back, just like her sudden capricious desire to transform from a streetwalker to Madam Rosewood and establish Pearl's Mansion. After she met her lover, she decided to entrust the Mansion to seventeen-year-old me. However, it's against the law for minors to do this kind of work. So, my mom endured for a year and made the managerial rights of the mansion my eighteenth birthday present. Even now, I remember the moment when the clock struck midnight, as my mom threw the transfer contract onto the head of my bed, the relief on her face. When I returned to the mansion, most of the girls had already rested. Those on duty were on external assignments, and those not on duty had gone home. Only Anna was sitting at the bar counter, casually listening to music and drinking, since she had an unexpected visit from Aunt Flo and missed a good opportunity. Anna and I have a good relationship. When she saw me come back, she immediately approached me sneakily. "Hey! I heard you were taken away by Xavier Ashford last night?" I gave a nod, there's no need to deny these types of things. Anne clapped his hands with gusto, "Wow! Evelyn Quinn, the red-braised pork that all the wealthy ladies and young mistresses in our capital swoon over has finally landed in your bowl!" I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his comment, "Are you trying to laugh me to death so you can inherit the Pearl's mansion? It was merely a one-night stand, you are overthinking." What he said was actually quite accurate - all the ladies in the capital were indeed secretly admiring Xavier Ashford because he was simply exceptional. As the second son of the revered Ashford family and the grandson of General Dawson Ashford, endowed with alluring looks and elegant stature, Xavier Ashford was a man with irresistible charm, from his hair strands to the toe tips. But that doesn't include me. For me, this man was just a passing-by customer. Admittedly, a special one, given I had lost my virginity to him. I'm not in love with him. I am merely a hostess in a nightclub, and he is the cream of the crop. I knew it was never going to be possible for us. Again, Anne sneakily edged closer to me with a mischievous grin on her face, gossipy curiosity peeking out from her eyes. "Tell me, what is this Xavier Ashford, over whom half the capital's maidens are going crazy, like in bed?" His skills in bed... I didn't know how to respond to Anne's question and simply lowered my head, gesturing towards my own shaking legs. In a bout of surprise, Anne leaped up and yelled, "No way! Your legs are still trembling until now?" I nodded, "I came back right after it finished, you know he doesn't like women sleeping in his bed." The women in the capital were all too familiar with Xavier's habits. Once done with his pleasure, not staying in the same bed was his rule, and another rule was that he never slept with the same woman for more than a month. This may seem harsh and weird, but it's really not hard to understand. For someone of Xavier's status, who does not wish to get married and does not want to create troubles such as gossip or illegitimate children for himself, he would rather have a gold-digger by his side who is after his money than a foolish girl who won't stop bothering him with her genuine feelings. To Xavier Ashford, romantic affairs are merely a moment of pleasure, a matter of mutual convenience for men and women. Anne assumed that I was thinking about this and sighed, "Ah, Evelyn, maybe you don't need to be upset. You're not like those women. What if Xavier Ashford is attracted to you?" I'm not upset, and I'm not like those other women longing for Xavier's affection. What I cannot handle is his vigorous energy in bed, hence my somewhat pale face. But I don't need to explain this to Anne, she's always caught up in her own world. I chuckled and flicked her little head, "Perhaps every woman he chose thought the same." But I didn't, I accepted the reality. Even when Xavier Ashford, a senior, rescued me from the clutches of a naughty child when I was eleven, my feelings for him were only gratitude and never romantic. Maybe I was too young to understand the fluttering of heartbeats, or maybe I naturally believed that we were two people walking on parallel tracks. Xavier Ashford, this man to me, the first moment of closeness is also the countdown to parting. After saying goodbye to Anne, I went back to my room and fell asleep. By the time I opened my eyes again, it was dark. I must have been really tired last night, as I slept the entire day. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was seven o'clock, which meant I didn't even have time for dinner. I hit the bathroom, took a bath, put on my makeup, and it was exactly eight o'clock. The city's street lamps and neon lights intertwined to create a painting. The night of the entire city of Casper City has begun...