Chapter 29

The man with her turned on the light, scattering it throughout the room. And an old man appeared to her, his handsomeness unmistakable despite his white hair. Even though the old man's gaze on Alondra was not tinged with desire or malice, she was still terrified. The man she was with has already left, but she appears to want to go out with him again. And Alondra didn't know what to do first, so she simply stood in front of him with her two hands clasped. It was as if she were standing in front of a crowd of people who were all staring at her, but he was the only one she could see now. She is perspiring from her brow to her neck. She doesn't know, but she appears to want to escape to their home in the province.


She wanted to cry and tell her mother what she was going through right now. She became a coward when she noticed this old man staring at her. She just sat there waiting for the old man to do something, but her legs hurt and he couldn't stand up from where he was sitting.

"Sit down, sweetheart; don't be afraid of me; I won't hurt you; just close the door," he said.

Alondra swallowed some more and told her to shut the door. So her eyes became mischievous because she didn't believe what he said if he wasn't going to hurt her. Because all of the men who come here have bad intentions.


"Sit here next to me; I can assure you that I will not do anything to you; I'm not here to do what's on your mind; I just need someone to talk to because I'm sad right now," the old man said.

Alondra noticed that the old man's statement was genuine and that his heart was present, so she sat down next to him on the couch. He handed her a glass of drink for no apparent reason, but where she used to accept whatever was handed to her, she now refuses. She has learned through experience that it is difficult to trust people she has just met.
"Take it; it's not alcohol; it's just juice, so you won't get thirsty during our conversation, and I have no intention of getting you drunk right now," the old man laughed.

And she also thought that maybe their handler did not fulfill that Dianne and Ciara would be waitresses first.
So she took a glass of juice when she realized that this old man was not lying.
"Do your parents know that you work here? Why did someone like you choose this kind of life? You're beautiful if you only spend your time here." the old man said.
Alondra was speechless. She didn't know whether to tell him the truth or not. But she should keep there's no point in telling the truth if the people she met are pure liars.
"Will anything change if I don't work here or there with someone else? The money is easier in this job." Alondra replied with sarcasm in her voice.
"Really? I know you were forced to come in here because when our eyes met earlier, I felt fear and doubt," he said.
Alondra's tongue twitched. Because she was caught off guard. No matter what she does to hide her true feelings, they'll still come out. And she was very thankful to this old man who turned out to be kind and not after worldly things.
"Do you have a daughter?" she asked out of nowhere.
The man burst out laughing.
"I'm single. I'm thinking that I might never get married. Because I was devastated when my girlfriend married someone else because I left without telling her goodbye. And seeing her always makes my day bad because I don't think she will talk to me properly." the old man replied.

Alondra laughed. This old man is even better; his only problem is his love life, whereas they are always struggling to make money. And the longer they talked, the more at ease she became. Because this old man is very talkative, the fear she felt earlier is gradually dissipating. She had no idea that night was approaching. She saw the old man stand up.


"Thank you for your time, Alondra. I hope by the time I get back here you won't be here," he said and placed a thin piece of paper on the table.
"What is it, sir?" she asked taking the paper.
"That's for you. A check. For changing your life. Don't waste your life here. Use that money for your education and build a good life." the old man said.
"I can't accept it," Alondra said, hesitant if she accept the money or not.
"Take that. I'm leaving," he said then went out the door.
Alondra was left alone inside as she stupidly looked at a small piece of paper with a large amount of money written on it. A few minutes later, she left the room with a big sigh.

While Alondra was walking on the highway, she could still hear the music on the other side. So she decided to take a peek first because she was curious about what the inside looked like. She noticed that the light around her was dim.

There are numerous dancing women in the center wearing only bikinis, as well as male customers cheering. Alondra's brow furrowed as she noticed the other women cradled in the man's lap, as if they were content for the men to kiss them. They were crying earlier when they were all in the same room facing the bar owner, but they are now overjoyed.

They accepted their fate with ease. Even Alondra will change her mind if they make a lot of money in one night. She took out the check from her pocket. Perhaps the old man misplaced the money he gave her earlier. Because of the large sum he gave her, her eyes almost watered. And he noticed Ciara and Dianne in the distance, who were very serious about serving drinks to customers. When they saw her, they waved. But she made no attempt to approach them. She was about to walk away when the four of them caught up with her.


They looked at her as if they wanted to ask what was happening to her there. But Alondra chose to remain silent.
"How are you doing while I'm gone? Didn't our handler force you?" she asked.
"Not yet. So far he just told us where the five of us will sleep," answered Dianne.
"It's good if he's okay to talk to. Where are we going to sleep? I want to sleep first." Alondra said.
Dianne walked first and he followed they turned to the Hallway and he saw the brown door. She opened it with the key and they all entered together.
"Did they give you something we can wear? We can't sleep like this, we'll be wearing it, I'm already catching a cold," answered Alondra.
She saw Ciara stand up and open the big closet. She took a dress and gave it to her.
"Thank you, Ciara," she said but she noticed that Ciara was not herself.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Alondra asked.
"I'm scared. No matter what I do, I'm still scared. I can't keep calm while we're still here. Earlier, many male customers requested us, but because of what you said, we can breathe easy but how long? How long can you cover for us?" Ciara said crying.
"Reassure yourselves. As long as I am here with you, nothing bad will happen to you. I will not leave this place until I take you with me." Alondra answered assuring them that everything is okay.
But she doubted that she would not know what to do next if the owner decides for their lives.
"All I know is we can't get out of here until someone pays big to get you out of this hellish place," Dianne said.

Alondra sighed as she dressed. She didn't want to think about anything because she was afraid of going insane. A month later, she spent her entire life inside the bar. No matter how much she hoped for more men like the old customer she had become, fate had other plans.

She slept with all kinds of men. She didn't even cry because she couldn't do anything no matter what she tried. She'd saved a lot of money, but she wasn't satisfied because her body was her investment. Every stroke and hold of the men on her body results in the death of her entire dream.

She wanted to scream that she would be killed right now rather than expose her body to any man in this manner. It's a good thing Ciara and her underage companion were still able to hide in one month, but she hopes it won't get to the point where they become like her.

Every day, she struggles with tiredness and apnea, as well as body pain. But she chose to disregard it. And all of her roommates admitted to her what was going on. She's grown up in the last month. Her previously soft personality is hardened by her work. She was daring and fierce that vulnerability was gone in her system.

Without a doubt, she resembled the other professional escort girl they were with at the said bar. Men are pampered and lulled to sleep. She was now in their room because she had finished with her last customer for the evening.


She was alone because Dianne was still outside serving drinks. She was sitting on top of the bed while staring at the money scattered and she was smirking. If she thinks about it she hates herself since she gets all this money because she sells her body and even her soul but she is left with no choice. If her family finds out about her work, they will surely disown her. They see her as a good daughter and sister to her only sibling. But she was deliberately trapped in a place where if she didn't keep up, she knew she wouldn't be able to get out. It's good that they have a chance to roam around the city when it's morning because they only come out at night. Maybe Madam Gretchen has become complacent with them because she knows they have no plans to escape. Will anything change in her life if she runs away now that she has money? Since she is here again, she will make the most of it because she is already dirty and her two feet have been buried in the pit for a long time. Alondra suddenly turned around when her phone that was on the dresser suddenly rang. She suddenly stood up to pick up her phone and looked at the caller, she saw Mathilde's name on the screen, so she suddenly dropped her phone and fell to the floor. Good thing it didn't break. She was confused about whether to answer her call or not because she didn't know what to do. But she chose to answer because Mathilde might need money for school. She stopped herself from crying because when she was talking to Mathilde she was sure to start crying. So she answered it.
"Hello, sister. Are you busy today? Did it take you so long to answer my call? Or are you sleeping because it's ten o'clock at night." said Mathilde on the other line.
Alondra bit her lip to stop herself from crying. She missed her voice for several weeks. She wanted to hug Mathilde because she went through a lot in the past few days.
"I'm a little busy with my work. Also, I'm sorry that I didn't call right away when I got here. Is there a problem?" she asked.
"Nothing, sister. We're just saying hello." Mathilde answered, obviously happy that she talked to her.
"Thank you. I'm fine here. What about all of you there?"
"We're okay here. I'm happy with my studies and my mother and father's business has always been successful," answered Mathilde.
"It's good then. I'm happy for you. Do you want to come here to the city tomorrow? You'll just come home in the afternoon because you still have school." Alondra said to Mathilde.
She wanted to see her sister's gentle face so that somehow she would have more courage to fight all the work in the following days.
"Really?" Mathilde said happily on the other line.
"Yes. It's like you can see the whole city. That's what I told you before, right? I'm gradually making all your dreams come true." answered Alondra.
She slowly wiped the tears flowing down her cheeks. No matter what she tried to control, she couldn't stop from crying.
"But I don't know how to travel alone," answered Mathilde, obviously sad.
"Take Hebrew with you. You two will leave the city tomorrow."
"Alright. I'll just tell him. Maybe he won't agree because he's busy with his work."
"That will come with it for sure. Because tomorrow is Sunday so you won't have school and so will his siblings."
"Okay. Thank you, sister."
"Welcome."
"I love you," Mathilde said.
"I love you too. Take care."
After Mathilde hung up, she put her phone back in her bag along with the money she had saved for a month. Tomorrow she and Mathilde will meet so she will prepare so that she does not collapse in front of her. She fell onto the bed and covered herself with a blanket. She plans to sleep early so that tomorrow she can get rid of all her tiredness. The door opened but she didn't bother to get up.
"Are you still awake, Alondra?" asked Dianne.
But she didn't say a word. The bed she was lying on sagged and a hand hold her back. Alondra felt relieved when she felt a soft hand of Ciara on her back.
"We cooked some hot soup for you," Ciara said softly rubbing her back.
"Let's not disturb her, she may have already fallen asleep." she heard Genevieve say.
"I'm sorry. If it wasn't for you catching all the customers that are meant for us, you wouldn't be tired like that. I can't quite imagine how many men have already.."
Ciara couldn't continue what she was saying because she started to cry.
"What are you, Ciara? We've been here for a month and you're still crying? Can you stop crying like that? I'm going to get even weaker. If you think about it, I should be the one crying because I'm always tired of my body at work." Alondra answered and got up from the bed.
She found them guilty upon looking at her. This girl felt guilty when they see her struggling.
"You make a drama right there. Everything will be okay. Where is the soup you cooked for me?"
Lianne gave it to her and she immediately sipped it then Alondra felt better when the hot soup rich her stomach. The three of them were staring at her.
"Do you want to eat too?" Alondra asked.
"Were done. And we're out now because someone has taken over our shift today." Lianne answered.

"It's good. How are your jobs here? Have you all saved up? Or do I need to appoint you as dancers?" Alondra said, laughing.
"Not funny. We know how customers lick the dancing women in the middle. This place is like trash. I don't know why the administrator allows this." answered Dianne.
"I'm just joking. We don't have the guts to petition this place. We'll just wait until we can leave this place." answered Alondra.
While getting dressed in front of them.
"How about your money savings, do you have a lot?" she asked with a laugh to light up the atmosphere.
"Yes. But we've talked a lot about what we can do to get out of this place," answered Dianne.
"We'll think of a way. For now, we'll go to bed early."
"Okay."

They went to their respective beds and fell asleep. Before going to bed, Alondra turned off the lights. Then she lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. Alondra awoke earlier than her roommates the next morning. She will not bring them with her when she and Mathilde meet again, possibly the next time they go out in the city. She took a shower first, then exited the room. She could see Dianne and the girls still sleeping soundly. They are also sick of being waitresses. It's no joke that their work has caused them to stay up later than usual.

She got dressed and left the room carrying the sling bag that Daisy had given her before and she hadn't changed it yet because she hadn't had a chance to go out of the city yet. In the hallway, she ran into Madam Gretchen. When their gazes met, she smiled.


"How early do you wake up?" she asked.
"I'm going somewhere in the city. Is that okay?" Alondra asked.
"Of course and thank you for what you have done for this bar. Do you know how much money has been saved for you? You are great because all our customers here want you." Madam Gretchen was smiling as she looked at him.
Madam Gretchen just thought that she was happy with what she was doing during her one-month stay here. But she preferred to remain silent.
"You're welcome."
"By the way, the boss called you to the office," said Madam Gretchen.
"Okay."
Alondra wonders what she needs from her. For a month they didn't even see each other every day. She knocked when she reached her boss's office.
"Come in," her boss said from inside.
So Alondra immediately opened the door and went inside. Her boss smiled at her but even though she didn't want to, she smiled at her out of respect.
"Have a seat. We just met now even though it's been a month here at my bar. And they're right because you have such a unique beauty that many customers are obsessed with you." her boss said while laughing.
Alondra was not happy at all. Seeing this haughty beast smile at her as if they were friends.