Chapter 2 Nothing left to lose

It was nighttime when Bella arrived at her dump.

Her heart dropped the moment she pushed the door open.

The place was turned upside down.

"What is this... who did this?" she asked rhetorically.

She had been fired, and now even the miserable place she called home had been raided by thieves.

Her mind flew to the little money she had kept.

She rushed to the spot where she had hidden it, her hands already trembling even before she got there.

She found nothing, not even a penny.

Her chest tightened.

She checked again, fingers digging into the corner, moving things aside, hoping she was wrong. But there was still nothing. The money she had saved for rent was gone.

Then she looked toward the pot.

It was empty.

Even the little food she had kept for herself was gone too.

Bella's knees gave out. She dropped to the floor, her body shaking violently as the tears she had been holding back finally broke free.

A scream tore out of her chest, as she cried like something inside her had snapped.

"I hate this place... I hate this life," she sobbed. "I am exhausted, Father. I am exhausted, Mother. Why did you have to leave me? Your daughter is in pain. I am a woman with no livelihood."

Her laughter came out broken, soaked in tears.

"The rich have it easy."

For a moment, her mind drifted back to the man she had turned down earlier.

"Maybe I should have gone with him," she whispered bitterly. "A night for money doesn't sound so bad anymore. Maybe it's time I go extreme-because if I keep living like this, I might starve to death.

She scoffed weakly.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, the way she always did, Bella forced herself to stand and walked into the bathroom.

She turned on the water and stepped under it, letting it run over her skin as if it could wash away everything she was feeling.

The water was a little itchy against her skin, but she had no choice.

She endured it in silence, then shut it off and returned to her room. Bella lay down on her makeshift bed, staring up at the ceiling, her mind circling the few options she had left.

Nothing good came to her.

Then, slowly, an idea formed.

"I'll go back to Manhattan. I won't give up," she murmured.

She pulled out the money she had left and counted it carefully.

"This should be enough... enough for the train that'll take me there tomorrow," she told herself. "I can sleep on the streets if I have to. Beg for jobs. If I'm asked how much for a night, I'll take whatever I can. I don't care anymore."

She nodded in finality, but her heart refused to settle.

Her eyes drifted toward the door, fear creeping in-the fear that someone might break in while she slept.

Suddenly restless, Bella got up and rushed to the door, dragging her heavy water gallons across the floor and placing them against it. She checked the lock twice, then a third time, just to be sure.

Only then did she return to her bed.

Despite the fear still coiled tight in her chest, exhaustion claimed her, and she drifted into sleep.

********

(HOTEL)

In the blue light of the hotel room, Lucian's naked body loomed, his face hidden behind a black mask as he fucked a stripper's pussy mercilessly.

He had the woman pinned against the wall, thrusting into her with relentless force. Her weak attempts to move with him faltered; she wasn't bouncing as he demanded.

"Take that cock like the bitch you are. Bounce on that dick," Lucian growled, slapping her ass hard. The sharp impact drew a scream of pain from her lips.

"ohh...shit, fuck ahhh"

He took a slow drag from the cigarette dangling between his fingers, then exhaled a cloud of smoke directly into her face. She choked, coughing violently as the harsh fumes burned her lungs.

"T-that's enough, sir," she stammered, her voice trembling. Fear overshadowed any trace of enjoyment...she was genuinely terrified.

But Lucian didn't care. To him, she was nothing more than an object for his pleasure, a rag to be used at his whim. She had no right to dictate when he was done.

He dropped the cigarette to the floor, crushing it under his heel, then effortlessly lifted her and carried her to the bed.

Throwing her down, he resumed his brutal pace, pounding into her raw. His hands clamped around her throat, squeezing just enough to make her eyes roll back in a mix of fear and reluctant pleasure.

"Pathetic slut," he sneered, his voice laced with disdain. "I was told you were the best at this. Why are you so fucking dull?"

He didn't slow down, driving into her mercilessly until tears streamed down her cheeks.

As his release built, he pulled out abruptly-he wasn't repeating past mistakes. With a low groan, he spilled his thick, milky load across her stomach and onto her pink nipples, rubbing the tip of his cock to ride out the final spasms.

Satisfied, he climbed off the bed, lit another cigarette, and took a long, satisfied drag before exhaling slowly. Opening his cupboard, he pulled out thick bundles of cash and tossed them onto her battered body.

She weakly pushed herself up, heading toward the bathroom.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" His voice cut through the air, cold and dangerous, laced with the haze of smoke.

"I... I need to clean up," she whispered.

"In my room, sluts don't get to bathe." He said it casually, as if it were the most ordinary rule. "Get dressed and leave. Let my cum dry on your skin. Let everyone know you were fucked by a billionaire."

Disgust flashed across her face, but his menacing aura left no room for defiance. She obeyed, pulling on her clothes with trembling hands and limping out of the room.

Lucian picked up the phone and called room service to clean up the mess, then headed to the shower.

*******

It was morning, and Bella was already dressed, ready to leave, when she heard a knock on the door.

The knock turned into loud, aggressive bangs.

"Bella, open this door right now!"

Her heart skipped. It was the stupid landlord.

"Fuck. The money... How do I explain?"

"I said open the door, Bella. You are leaving. I've had enough of your rubbish." he banged the door harder.

Before she could react, the lock gave way, and the landlord stepped inside. He scowled in anger, his big belly peeking out, his face as shrewd as he was.

"Good morning, Mr. Andrew," she greeted, swallowing hard.

"Save your greetings, bitch," he snapped. "Pay up. I've given you enough grace."

"The price is too high for this place," Bella shot back angrily, which only worsened things. "It's unfair to collect that much for this... this dump."

"What should it be then? A five-star resort?" he mocked. "Oh, I see, you don't have the money. Then pay with your body. I've heard stories of how slutty you are, roaming the streets sucking cocks for cash. Give me more than that, and you'll never worry about rent again."

Disgust churned in Bella's stomach. It was true, she did what she had to survive... but this time, losing the dump felt better than giving him that.

"I will never give you that pleasure," she said coldly. "You hear me? I will leave this place. You can have it. I may be hopeless , a common slut , but I won't do what I don't want to do. You won't get that satisfaction from me. Just give me until tomorrow, and I'll be gone."

The man laughed. "Then give me some money if you want to stay today and leave tomorrow or lose the fucking ego."

Bella stared at him, then fished out the little money left in her bag and handed it to him. "I promise. Tomorrow morning, I'll leave."

The landlord smirked as he took the money, his hand grazing hers. She jerked away immediately.

"You better not be here by ten a.m. tomorrow," he warned, dragging his eyes over her body. "Or I'll do worse."

He slammed the door behind him.

Bella left immediately after, determined to get her hands on anything or anyone that could help her survive.

******

It was afternoon. Bella was exhausted. Every place she tried had turned her away...even as a waiter, they said they had enough staff. She glanced at a nearby park and noticed children laughing and playing, obviously with wealthy parents.

She entered the park and sat on a bench, dropping her "Help me, I need a job" poster beside her. She watched the kids, letting their laughter, their innocence, their complete cluelessness about the world, bring her a small measure of peace. She closed her eyes, trying to breathe, trying to forget her own troubles, but sleep pulled her under before she could fight it.

In a far corner, Lucian's nanny pushed a stroller. She thought maybe if the baby saw other children, she would calm down. It worked, the baby quieted as other kids played peek-a-boo with her.

Suddenly, the nanny's phone rang.

"Are you serious?... Okay, I'm coming!" she exclaimed.

Without looking back, she rushed off, hailed a taxi, and left the child behind.

When Bella opened her eyes again, it was getting dark. A loud wail had woke her, and despite everything, she felt thankful...otherwise, she might have slept straight into the night. She realized she had accomplished nothing, yet she had slept like a fool.

"But wait... if every other child is gone, whose baby is crying?" she whispered, fear creeping in.

She stood, a little uneasy.

Could it be a ghost? she wondered. Impossible, she told herself, trying to reason. Looking at the sky, she guessed it was around six, what ghost would come out by this time?.

The cries grew louder, insistent. Bella's heart thudded as she spotted a stroller, and a man approaching it. He didn't look like the child's father... something felt wrong.

She grabbed a wooden baseball bat from the corner and stepped closer, ready to defend the child.

"Is that your child?" she asked, making the man turn, startled.

"Yes... she is my child," he said, scooping the girl up. But the baby continued to cry.

"You're lying," Bella said. "If she were yours, she wouldn't be crying like that."

The man's eyes flashed with anger. Before she could do anything, he pushed her to the ground and ran off with the child.