Chapter 1

January 12th, 8:07 PM

I gasped for air. My hands were stained with crimson. My brother - Yahya - faced me, splattered with gore, a blade in his grip.

The corpse lay between us. His lifeblood seeped into my mother's cherished white rug. A shiver ran through me that had nothing to do with the chill outside.

"Clara~" Yahya whimpered. I met his gaze. He was quivering and weeping in terror as the blade slipped from his fingers.

As scared as I was, I felt no hatred or disgust for him for what he had done.

I stretched out my arms. He sprinted into my hug.

He sobbed while I hushed him, stroking his hair. Trying to be brave for him.

"Don't worry about anything, kiddo... Everything will be okay." I lied through my teeth.

***

January 20th, 11:09 AM

I sat across from the eleventh agent I had approached for a job.

His secretary - a blonde - had been ogling me for a while now.

"Miss Clara, I hope you realize. It's not easy to find a job in Seattle with the credentials you have." Mr. Stanley said, sounding bored out of his mind.

"I can do any job, sir, even waitress or anything - I just need money.!!" Clara pleaded with a fake grin.

Mr. Stanley snorted. "Fine, Miss Clara. I'll see what I can do and let you know if I find any position." He said in a tone that meant 'Get out of here now or I'll make you regret it.'

I sighed and thanked him before leaving his office.

I had barely reached the main road when someone shouted my name.

I turned to see the blonde secretary running towards me. "Hey!!" She said with a bright smile.

"Hey," I said.

"Um, I'm Richa. I overheard your conversation... You need money, right?" Richa said.

"Yes!" I said, my ears perking up at the mention of money. Of course, I needed money to escape with my brother to another country before he ended up in jail. But I wasn't going to tell that to Richa.

Richa lowered her voice to a whisper as she said "I have a job for you. It'll pay you more money than you can ever imagine."

My eyebrows twitched. "What? Are you going to deal drugs or something?" I asked. At this point, I wouldn't hesitate to do that either.

"No no! Nothing like that, don't worry!" Richa assured me with a fake laugh.

I waited for her to go on. So she did. "You can have all the money for yourself in just one night!" She made it sound like a lottery.

I finally realized what she was implying. "Are you crazy? You want me to sell myself! You know what, just leave me alone!" I hissed and shouted at her. I could feel my face burning.

I tried to walk away but she caught up with me. "Just think about it, Clara! One night and you can be rich. Our client only wants a virgin. I've been looking for a willing woman for a week now!" I stopped in my tracks.

"How do you know that I'm a virgin?" I challenged her. She looked taken aback by my question. But she quickly recovered.

"It's very obvious. But don't worry about it. Our client is every woman's fantasy. You won't regret it!" Richa pressed me.

"You are disgusting!" I told her. I walked away again but this time she grabbed my arm.

"He's willing to pay five hundred thousand dollars for just one night." She told me.

Five hundred thousand dollars?

I wondered. It could be enough for me and my brother to live our whole lives. It would only grow more when I started to earn. All our problems could be solved. Just one night.

"Yes, Clara! Think about it! We can even negotiate the price!" Richa exclaimed.

I forgot how to breathe. The solution to all my problems was right in front of me.

"How-How much can we negotiate?" I whispered, avoiding the smirk on Richa's face. She knew she had almost hooked me.

"About a few more thousand dollars!" She said.

"Who's your client?" I asked.

"I can't reveal his details... But I promise you. You'll be amazed when you see him." She assured.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I have a feeling" She teased.

I huffed. "So is that a yes?" Richa asked.

I nodded. She cheered loudly. "A very smart choice! Come with me!" She said as she dragged me towards a cab.

"What now??? I can't - I'm not ready - I mean -" I stammered on which she interrupted.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll be as ready as ever. And about your looks. I'll help you with your makeover!" She said just as a cab pulled up in front of us.

"Richa, I have a brother at home. He's alone. I can't leave him like that!" I explained.

"You have a brother?" She asked.

Didn't I just say that? "Yes," I said.

"Is he younger, what about your mom and dad? Surely they'll be there to look after him while you're away?" She asked as we got into the cab.

My heart skipped a beat when she said dad. I quickly hid my reaction with a sad smile. "I never had a father. My mother left us when we were kids. I've taken care of Yahya and myself on my own."

She gasped. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know. I hope you're okay on your own." She asked.

I nodded, looking at my lap. Silence fell in the car. It dragged on too long so I broke it. "Can you please let me talk to him before we go there?"

She nodded. "Of course!"

My heart started pounding. The only thing keeping me from running away was the thought of Yahya. I just hoped everything worked out for me. Not only for my sake but for Yahya's sake. After all, I am the one who got him in this problem.

God! Please let it work out, it's do or die for me.