Chapter 3.1 Sean : The deals

Finally, today ended, though not smoothly because of the incident earlier with that man named Caleb.

Dang! The memory from before flashed back into my mind.

How could he do that to me? Is he insane?

I stared into the mirror, my eyes landing on the red marks on my neck and stroking it.

“That crazy man...” I grumbled, clenching my Jaw.

"Hey Sean, what are you doin'? Hurry up, we need to clean up!" One of my coworkers called from behind the door.

"Hah, okay...." I sighed a little and stepped out while placing a white cleaning cloth over my shoulder

All that was left was cleaning the customers’ dirty dishes.

I started collecting all the dishes from the tables and carrying them back to the kitchen.

“Sean.”

A young man around my age tapped my back.

“Your pay for today.” He handed me an envelope.

His name was Daniel, one of my college friends. He was also the one who helped me get this temporary job at the restaurant, replacing another employee who was on a month-long leave.

The pay was decent for daily needs, and I could save the rest.

“Ah, thank you…” My smile widened as I accepted the part-time payment.

“Don’t forget to come again tomorrow,” he said while walking away. “I’m leaving first, Sean…!” He waved from the restaurant entrance.

“Yeah…!” I waved back at Daniel.

The restaurant became quiet because most of the workers had already gone home. Only me, the cashier waitress, and the restaurant manager remained.

My attention focused on the wooden tables I was wiping one by one with a cloth and spray.

“Even this table looks smoother than my life…” I muttered quietly, laughing bitterly to myself.

Maybe I should just quit college…?

My thoughts drifted again.

Honestly, I was currently taking a one-year break from college to reduce expenses.

The plan was to work and save money for a year first.

But…

That hundred million rupiah payment that had to be settled now…

“Tch… what am I supposed to do? I already promised I’d find a solution…”

Without realizing it, I stood there squeezing the cleaning cloth in my hand until a man’s voice suddenly called out from behind me.

“Sean, what are you standing there for?”

My body jolted when I heard the firm voice of the restaurant manager.

“Sorry, sir. I’ll clean everything immediately!”

Without turning around, I hurried my work. Moving from one table to another until everything was clean.

“Phew… done…” I said while looking around at the tables shining from afar.

My focus suddenly broke when I heard footsteps approaching.

“Sean…”

A man with a deep voice tapped my shoulder.

Andrew, the restaurant manager, stood behind me. His face looked serious as he stared at me.

Did I make a mistake?

“Yes, sir? Is there something else I need to do?” I asked quickly, secretly hoping there wasn’t a serious problem.

“Come with me to my office for a moment,” he ordered flatly.

He didn’t wait for my answer and immediately turned around toward his office.

Damn.

My heart pounded hard as I followed him from behind and entered the room.

Cold air hit me the moment the door opened.

“Close the door and sit down…”

I gave a small nod and followed his order.

The atmosphere felt rather quiet.

He didn’t speak immediately and only observed me for a moment.

His gaze was too intense, making me slightly uncomfortable, so I lowered my eyes a little.

But even after waiting for a while, no words came out of his mouth.

So I finally gathered my courage.

“Sorry, sir… why did you call me here? Did I make a mistake today?” I asked, trying to guess.

Ah, suddenly I remembered that incident. Could that man have complained after finishing his meal?

“No, your work was good today…” he replied with a faint smile.

“Oh, thank goodness that’s not the problem…” I quietly sighed in relief.

But if it wasn’t because of that, then what was the problem?

My brows furrowed slightly, and the tension still hadn’t disappeared.

“I heard about your situation from Daniel…” he said while leaning back.

“He said you need a large amount of money quickly…” He glanced at me.

“Yes, that’s true. My family’s condition really isn’t good right now…” Whether I liked it or not, I admitted it.

What was the point of hiding it? Daniel had probably already told him everything.

“And honestly, I’m confused right now… because today I somehow need to get one hundred million rupiah…” I added.

“I see…”

He nodded slowly while tapping his fingers against the table.

“Actually, I might have a way…” He fell silent again, staring at me more deeply. “But I don’t know whether you’ll agree or not…”

“Just say it, sir. As long as it’s something I can do, there’s no reason to refuse,” I answered quickly without thinking twice.

Andrew, the man in front of me, let out a low chuckle and smirked.

“Sean, have you ever had sex with someone else or with your partner?”

My body jolted slightly. The question was completely unexpected.

Should I answer?

What did that have to do with the solution he wanted to offer me, huh?

“I… have never gone that far with anyone…” I replied while briefly looking away before meeting his eyes again.

His smirk widened further.

“Good. He’ll definitely pay a high price for you…” he said in an enthusiastic tone.

Pay a high price? I still didn’t understand where this conversation was heading.

“Can you explain first what exactly you mean?” I asked directly.

He opened the desk drawer and took something out from inside.

“Take it…” He handed me a business card.

I stared at him for a moment before looking back at the card with the name James Winston written on it.

The name felt familiar.

“This card… what is it for…?” I asked while taking it and examining it.

Ah, right. This man used to be one of my father’s business partners.

“He’s a diamond businessman who’s currently rising fast. Everyone praises him, but behind all of that, there’s a secret he hides…”

The man took out a cigar from his pocket and lit it.

Thin white smoke immediately spread through the room along with the thick, piercing smell of tobacco.

“He likes young men… especially someone like you, Sean…” His gaze traveled over me from head to toe. “And he’s willing to pay a lot just to sleep with a young man… millions to tens of millions for one night…” he added while taking a drag from the cigar.

Smoke escaped from his lips.

“If you’ve really never done ‘that’ before, he might even give you twenty to thirty million for one night…”

“You’re selling me?” I snapped loudly. I slammed my hand onto the table and stood up.

But he remained calm. He didn’t even look offended by my reaction.

“I’m only helping you, Sean…” he replied lightly. “Think carefully… where else can you get that much money so quickly, huh?”

Damn it. He was right.

But if I had to do something like that…

“If you can satisfy James, he’ll recommend you to his acquaintances. From there, you can earn even more money…”

His explanation made my whole body shiver. Wasn’t that basically the same as becoming a sex worker?

“Well, it’s up to you… I’m only opening the path for you…” He leaned back and blew cigar smoke upward. “So? Will you accept it or not? If you’re willing, I’ll immediately send you his room address and contact him first.”

That choice felt like an ultimatum between life and death.

I stood there clenching my fist, crushing the business card in my hand.

My emotions churned violently, and my chest felt hot… and painful.

“Fine… I’ll go meet James. Just send me the address…” I stared at him sharply.

“Good, now you’re thinking clearly, heheh…” He chuckled softly. “You can leave now. I’ll contact him first, then send you the address,” he said while taking out his phone.

“Whatever…”

It was better for me to leave anyway. That way, I wouldn’t have to hear whatever he was about to say on the phone.

I immediately walked out and passed several night-shift workers who had just arrived.

They looked at me strangely.

Not long after leaving the restaurant, my phone vibrated.

That man had probably already sent the address.

I read the message from him.

He had written the address of a luxurious hotel that was quite famous in this city.

Hotel Marion. VIP Room Number 10. James.

“Tch…!” I immediately locked the phone again and shoved it back into my pocket.

Should I really go there?

My once steady steps slowly became slower.

I stood silently by the roadside for a moment with my head lowered.

Deep down, I couldn’t believe it. Was I really going to do this? Could I really go through with it?

For a brief moment, my father’s face crossed my mind…

It felt like I was betraying everything he had taught me all this time.

He had never raised me to become someone like this.

And my late mother…

Would she forgive me…?

My breathing suddenly became heavy. I tried to take a deep breath before slowly letting it out.

“If everything really has to be this way… then I won’t complain…”

In the end, I went to the hotel using an online taxi.

The trip only took around twenty minutes from the restaurant.

I got out feeling slightly nervous the moment I saw the towering building standing magnificently beneath glittering lights that gave off a glamorous impression.

It was easy to guess that the people who came to this place were those earning hundreds of millions every month.

For a moment, I swallowed hard.

“Sir, the fare…”

The driver’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I jolted slightly and turned toward him.

“Oh, right. Sorry…” I said while handing him several bills.

“It’s alright, thank you, sir. Hope you have a wonderful night!”

The yellow taxi quickly drove away.

For a few seconds, I watched the taxi until it disappeared from sight. My gaze shifted back toward the towering building.

The decision had already been made. I couldn’t turn back anymore.

“Hah… let’s just get this over with…!”

One deep breath was enough to restore the determination that had nearly crumbled apart.

I immediately walked toward the building and entered it.

The atmosphere inside felt completely different.

The moment I stepped in, cold air and the soft scent of jasmine immediately welcomed me.

The lobby area was rather crowded since many guests were sitting around. Maybe they were just chatting or waiting for someone.

I decided to keep walking while searching for the receptionist area that I still couldn’t see clearly because of the crowd.

But from afar, I suddenly caught sight of someone who looked familiar…

“Oh, come on… seriously…? Why do I keep running into him…?”

Caleb.

The man who had brought me to his apartment and the same man who came to the sushi restaurant earlier that morning was there.

He was sitting in the hotel lobby with several other people.

Fate really seemed to be playing games with me.

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