Chapter 162: Replacement...
With her disguise complete, Jessica turned toward Anna one last time. "Remember what I said. Lock the door. Don’t come out until someone I come to seek you out, can you recognize my voice?"
Anna nodded severally. "Be careful," she whispered.
Jessica didn’t respond. She simply gave a tight smile and unlocked the door, slipping back into the hallway like a shadow—quiet, invisible, and deadly.
Anna felt cold all over as she stood in the dimly lit room. The scent of stale perfume and cheap cologne lingering in the air. She hadn’t anticipated encountering such a situation today.
Her hands trembled as she sat on the edge of the couch in the empty room Jessica had pulled her into just moments ago, her thought swirling with emotions. She dare not make the slightest noise or whimper she still wanted her life.
Today, she had been assigned to serve two older men—men old enough to be her father, if he were still alive. Their names didn’t matter, but their power and wealth did. They were filthy rich. Men already accustomed to getting what they wanted, no matter the cost. She found herself grappling with a mix of fear and resignation.
She couldn’t compete with them as she had nothing, . Just a sick mother lying on a hospital bed with tubes and machines keeping her alive. Her mother needed medication, constant care, and, most of all, surgery—one they couldn’t afford.
She had knocked on every door, begged every relative, cried through long nights, and even worked three jobs at once. Nothing had worked. She hadn’t planned to end up here.
The Gray Jones club and bar popularly referred to as 24 Hours All Night club was her last option as introduced by a someone. A place where girls sold smiles, charm, and sometimes more—to survive.
Jessica had promised to come back for her. Anna knew better than to believe in promises out of her experiences for the past years. But still, something about that woman: her eyes, her strength, her confidence—sparked a small flame of belief inside Anna.
Anna knew she shouldn’t be trusting her but then what else can she do then praying and hoping she wouldn’t forget.