CHAPTER 1

**Outside Madam Alora's House:**

Janet said, "Come, Lara. Let's go inside."

Lara responded, "No, Janet. You didn't tell me we were going to a hotel."

Janet frowned as she stood at the gate of her madam's brothel. She had traveled to her village to bring Lara, hoping to help her escape poverty.

Janet replied, "Lara, I can't keep standing out here with you. If you don't want to go inside, you can stay out here alone. I have a lot of work to do, and Madam Alora has been calling me since morning."

Lara frowned. She was a light-skinned beauty, very attractive, and she knew exactly where Janet had taken her. She knew Janet's parents were poor and lived in the village. Despite this, she couldn't help but admire Janet's beautiful dresses, which contrasted sharply with the rags she usually wore.

Lara replied, "I need to go back home to the village. I cannot go in there with you."

Madam Alora stepped out and saw Janet standing by the gate. She remembered that Janet had taken permission to travel to her village to bring her best friend to the city. Janet had promised that her friend was beautiful and super attractive.

It was 6:30 PM, and soon most of her regular customers would arrive. She only had four working ladies inside: Janet, Sophia, Edith, and Mimi.

Madam Alora preferred younger women, as older ones often proved stubborn and demanded to know her secrets. Besides, most of her clients were young men who preferred the company of younger women.

Madam Alora asked, "What's going on, Janet?"

Janet replied, "Good evening, Ma. This is the friend I spoke to you about. She doesn't want to come inside and has been standing outside the gate since we arrived."

Madam Alora sighed. "Hmph. Alright. You go inside. I'm coming."

Madam Alora walked out, dressed in a black short gown that barely reached her knees, revealing her thighs. She wore red slippers and walked majestically towards the gate. Her eyes widened as she saw the beautiful woman standing outside with a tattered travel bag.

Lara greeted, "Good evening, Ma."

Madam Alora replied, "Welcome. Why are you standing out here by the gate? Come inside."

Lara replied, "No, Ma. Is this not a hotel?"

Madam Alora frowned and forced a fake smile. "No, my dear. What do you think a hotel is? Have you been to one before?"

Lara said, "No, Ma, but..."

Lara peeped inside the gate and saw some women dressed in revealing clothes. She gulped and shook her head. "Please, Ma, help me call Janet. I need to go back home to the village. I cannot go in there."

Madam Alora's eyes narrowed. She had been receiving calls from wealthy men requesting beautiful young women to warm their beds. Seeing the beautiful, unmade-up woman standing outside her gate, she shook her head. "Do you have the fare to go back to the village?"

Lara sniffed and stared up at Madam Alora. "No, Ma."

Madam Alora said, "Then you will have to work for it. Are you coming inside or not? And mind you, this is not a hotel. I gave Janet money to travel to your village and bring you here. She spoke about you begging her to come with her to the city. Now you're here and want to go back to your village. How ungrateful of you to come to my home and insult me without even saying thank you."

Lara held her travel bag and apologized, "I'm sorry, Ma."

Madam Alora replied, "Keep your sorry to yourself and come inside now! Or I'll ask my guards to lock the gate."

Lara stood speechless for a moment, unsure of what to do. She finally pushed the gate open and walked in, hearing the faint sound of music from the mansion. She followed Madam Alora, who walked majestically towards the house and into the beautiful living room.

Madam Alora called, "Janet!"

Janet replied, "Yes, Madam."

Madam Alora said, "Show your friend to her room and prepare her."

Lara refused. "No..."

Madam Alora asked, "What do you mean by 'no'? Aren't you going back to the village? I don't have time to waste. Move with Janet now, or I'll have my guards throw you out this minute."

Lara gulped and looked at the other young women standing in the beautifully decorated living room, with its golden chandelier, seats, and curtains. The room was painted off-white. Janet spoke to her, "Come, Lara. Let's go."

Lara hesitated but finally followed Janet, knowing the beautiful woman wasn't joking about throwing her out.

They walked into a pink-painted room, and Janet kindly took Lara's tattered travel bag. "Lara, I know you're finding it hard to believe what I do here in the city, but it's not prostitution."

Lara responded, "Liar! You're lying to me. You should have told me before. I told you I don't want to sleep with any man for money. I don't want to lose my virginity until I'm married."

Janet said, "Hmm. I'm sorry, Lara, but what's the point of you keeping it? You, your sister, brother, and mother could barely feed yourselves, and your father is old. Your mother knew this before she ran to him and married him. And knowing he already had a family, did she think about her virginity or any of you that she brought into this world?"

Lara yelled, "Shut up! And don't you dare insult my mother!"

Janet responded, "I'm not, Lara. I'm only being honest with you. Look, I'm using the latest iPhone, and I have a car here. Do you think I have all that by keeping my virginity?"

Lara replied, "Shut up, Janet! That's you and not me. If you had told me before that it's prostitution, I wouldn't have followed you here. Now your madam said I have to work for my transportation fare to go back to the village. And how will I work for it? If it's with my VJ, I cannot sleep with a man for money, so it's best you borrow me the money and let me go back to the village tonight."

Janet burst out laughing and replied, "No, Lara, you're not going anywhere. I wish I could borrow you my money and give it to you for free, but you see, any money I get from going out, my madam takes 70% and gives me only 30%. And it's not even enough for me to take care of myself, let alone give to you."

Lara frowned. "You should have told me before, Janet."

Lara began to sob.

Janet apologized, "I'm sorry, Lara. Let's hurry up and bathe before it's 8 PM, so we can eat and have some time to prepare before we leave."

Lara replied, "Leave me alone. I'm not eating or preparing to go anywhere with you. You wicked person."

Janet smiled and walked past Lara to take her bath in her bathroom. The room was hers, and since Lara was new, her madam hadn't given her a room of her own in the executive mansion.

Lara continued to sob. A few minutes later, Janet stepped out, tying a white towel around her chest, with water dripping down her body.

Janet said, "It's your turn now. Go in and bathe."

Lara replied, "No, leave me alone. I'm not going anywhere with you."

Janet yelled, "What has come over you, Lara?! If you don't hurry up, be ready to leave as my madam has a short temper."

Lara sniffed and, not having any other choices, she walked towards the bathroom door and stood by it.

Lara asked, "Where's the towel I will use?"

Janet responded, "There are still about five clean towels in there. I hardly use them, and although we have dry-cleaners who wash our clothes, I'm sure they're still clean."

Lara stomped her feet and angrily walked into the bathroom to bathe.

The bathroom was beautiful, a stark contrast to the local outdoor bathroom they used in her village. They were truly very poor. Her mother had married an already married man with grown-up children, and they were not close. Her mother was very fair and almost white in complexion, making Lara fair as well, but her younger sister, Esther, was black like their father, while her younger brother, Amos, was yellow like her.

They could barely afford food in the village, and her mother later sold fruits in the village square. Her aged father didn't care about them anymore and only used her mother to satisfy his sèxual urges, resulting in their existence.

Lara knew that Janet was right, but she vowed not to sleep with any man until she got married.