Chapter 1 Save me

Bianca runs through the streets of a dubious part of New York City, her head turning every moment to see if her pursuers are still after her.

Bianca can't believe that once again she's been led astray by her father's schemes.

Finally her feet reach a busy avenue, full of nightlife, New York in its essence, the city that never slept.

Bianca looks back once more, startled to realize how close Thomas's henchmen are to her.

It's at that moment that her body collides with a solid wall, as her head turns forward she realizes that it's not a wall but a man, his strong, defined arms wrap around her waist to stop her fall, his ice-cold blue eyes stare at her.

Bianca senses that whatever they've injected her with is about to take effect, so staring into those cold eyes once more, Bianca says pleadingly:

"Help me," and as soon as the words leave her mouth, she faints completely.

Hours before...

Bianca is busy attending to a demanding client, who has already made her take off several models of clothes that never fit, Bianca knew this was happening because the client in question wore at least two sizes more than the one she insisted on ordering.

However, Bianca was known for being patient, in fact everyone had a habit of taking advantage of her, her friends at work always left the most difficult customers for Bianca or the cleaning jobs at the end of the working day, her manager always put her to work on Sundays so she wouldn't create a fuss with the other employees.

But Bianca had a reason for being like this: her mother, Tereza, was terribly ill and her father and older brother were two scumbags of the worst kind, sucking everything out of them, until two years ago they sold the house that had been left to Teresa as an inheritance when she was still young by her parents, leaving her ill and without a roof over her head.

At that time, Bianca was forced to drop out of fashion design college on a scholarship to work and support herself and her mother, while her father and brother disappeared into the world, leaving her with her mother who became even more cruel and bitter.

That afternoon, almost at the end of working hours, Bianca's cell phone rang insistently in her pocket. With a squeeze on her heart and the fear that it might be news about her mother, she approached the manager. His face was serious and tense as she asked him to answer the phone. He sighed, clearly annoyed, but consented, with the proviso that she would have to do the final cleaning one more time because of this.

Bianca didn't like the idea, as it was already the fourth time that week that she'd had to stay overtime to carry out the cleaning tasks, while the other saleswomen seemed to answer their phones all the time without consequence. However, she just nodded and answered the phone with a "hello".

On the other end of the line, her father's unmistakable voice spoke:

"Bianca, come to this address I'm sending you. I've found some money to pay back the money I borrowed from your mother."

Bianca couldn't help but grumble bitterly:

"Stolen, you mean."

Her father, with his explosive temper, shouted across the line:

"Do you want the money or not?"

Bianca thought for a moment, looking at the store that was still full of customers, at the clothes scattered around the fitting room and at her work friends who didn't even seem to notice her absence. She knew that accepting her father's offer was risky, but her mother was ill and needed expensive medication, much of which she couldn't afford.

With a resigned sigh, Bianca finally agreed:

"Okay, send me the address."

Her father quickly passed on the location, and Bianca hung up the phone, feeling a weight on her chest. She hurried to the manager and explained that something had come up and that she had to leave early. The manager looked at her in surprise, as Bianca had been working there for a year and had never asked for time off. With a serious expression, he agreed:

"Go ahead, but you'll have to come in on Sunday to make up for it."

Bianca thanked the manager with a forced smile and hurried out of the store, worried about what her father was planning this time and the possible consequences of his decision. She knew she was about to get involved in something dangerous, but her mother's health was at stake, and she was willing to do anything to protect her.

Bianca approached her father, trying to ignore the growing sense of panic taking hold of her. However, he ignored her completely, turning to the mysterious man accompanying her.

"So, Thomas, didn't I say she was beautiful? I didn't lie, did I? She's worth every penny of what we agreed," her father said with a cynical smile, making Bianca even more upset.

Her father's words made her realize the reality of the situation. She was in the middle of something sinister and, as she looked around, she realized that she was completely surrounded by hostile-looking men. Her heart began to beat faster and panic overtook her.

In a fit of desperation, Bianca shouted at her father:

"What are you up to? I came for Mom's money. Give her her money back and I'll leave!"

Everyone around her started laughing, except for the man her father called Thomas. He didn't laugh; instead, he stared at her intensely, as if assessing every detail of her. His piercing eyes sent shivers down Bianca's spine, making her even more nervous and unsure of what was to come.

Thomas finally spoke, his eyes still fixed on Bianca:

"Your father assures me that you're a virgin, is that true? How can a beautiful woman like you, aged twenty-four, be a virgin?"

Bianca's panic was now mixed with anger and shame. It was true that she had never had any intimate experience; her life had always been dedicated to fixing her father's and brother's mistakes and looking after her sick mother. There was simply no time for Bianca to be interested in boys or anything else.

Thomas, seeing Bianca blush, let out a cruel laugh and continued:

"God, it's true, you're a virgin. I was very lucky. I'll be careful with you, and if you're nice, maybe I'll even let you be my wife."

Bianca took three steps back, her eyes wide with fear. Again, she screamed:

"What the hell is going on here?"

Her father at least had the decency to look away when Thomas said:

"Your father sold his virginity to me."

Hearing those shocking words, Bianca's legs felt like they were about to give way, but she stood firm, mustering all her strength. It was at that moment that her brother sneaked up and injected something into her neck.

Bianca let out a scream of horror when she felt the sting, and Thomas just laughed, saying:

"Relax, it's just a very powerful Chinese aphrodisiac. You'll be begging for me in no time."

With a final surge of courage, Bianca kicked her brother between the legs, causing him to fall screaming in pain. Without a second thought, she ran, her legs moving frantically like never before in her life. She knew she had to escape that nightmare as quickly as possible.