Chapter 5

"Mr. Miller, excuse me?" Hanna asked with a furrowed brow.

"I'm offering you the chance to be my fuck buddy or bed partner. Which word is hard to understand?"

Hanna didn't know how to respond to Ethan. Just last night, she had been thinking about how to follow through with the agreement she had made with Belinda. And now, there he was, inviting her to be his sexual partner.

It would make it easier to fulfill what Belinda wanted—she was willing to pay 2,000,000 dollars in exchange for a baby. Hanna shivered at the mess she was getting into.

"I'll pay you 60,000 dollars for six months," he said when she didn't respond immediately.

Hanna stared at the handsome man. His mother would be paying her, so should she also get paid by him?

"Don't tell me you think it's too small. It might not even last six months. I might get tired of you in just one month."

Hanna thought it would be a waste to refuse the payment, but it seemed like double compensation from Belinda and Ethan. It felt as if she was taking advantage, and she also feared the consequences.

"100,000 dollars," Ethan said.

"Ah, okay," she answered quickly before he could raise the amount again. She decided she would donate his money to other cancer patients. After all, Belinda was already covering her sister's treatment.

"Okay, sign the contract tomorrow. You're mine for six months," he said.

She felt as if she were signing away her life. Suddenly, she feared ending up in prison if something went wrong.

"Mr. Miller, why do you need to pay someone to sleep with you? I'm just curious. You're handsome and wealthy, so many must want you."

"I don't need to explain to you why I do what I want to do. Do you have a boyfriend now?"

Hanna didn't expect the question. She didn't want to admit she had never had a boyfriend and risk being laughed at.

"I used to. Many. But now I don't have a boyfriend. I broke up with them," she boasted.

She wasn't exaggerating—she had many suitors.

"I don't want you to be in a relationship with anyone while we have our agreement. You'll also get a check-up to make sure you're clean."

"Mr. Miller, I don't have any diseases."

"I'll only believe it if a doctor says so. And I don't want you to get pregnant, so we'll go to the doctor tomorrow to get you the appropriate contraceptive. You're not the one I want to be the mother of my child."

Ethan's words stung.

Hanna just nodded. She felt trapped between Belinda and Ethan. She wanted to back out but needed to fight for her sick sister and her family's future.

***

Hanna was still in a daze when she got home. She found her mother, Valerie Crow, folding laundry and kissed her hand in greeting.

Her sister, Betina Smith, who had cancer, was lying on a folding bed. Her hair was falling out from chemotherapy.

Her two younger siblings, both still in elementary school, ran to her. They eagerly took the plastic bag she brought home with leftover food from her outing with Ethan.

"Mom, where's Lester?" she asked, looking for her third brother, who was always out. He was 18 and loved hanging out with friends.

"He hasn't come home since he left for school this morning," Valerie replied.

"Please eat first. The food I brought home is delicious," Hanna said, not bothering to look for her father, Edgar Smith. She knew he was probably drinking again.

Hanna peeked out of their shanty's window, a sense of desperation washing over her. She desperately wanted to escape poverty and was ready to face whatever consequences her agreement with Belinda and Ethan would bring.

Edgar arrived with Fausto Davis, the wealthy owner of the large plastic factory in their area. Fausto had been persistently courting her, but she never considered him despite his wealth. He was even older than her father. They had a significant debt to him, as she had borrowed money from him last month for Betina's chemotherapy session. He had immediately given the money.

Edgar whispered to her, "Take good care of Fausto. We have a huge debt to him. Marry that man, and our financial problems will be over."

Despite her reluctance, Hanna faced Fausto and accepted the flowers he handed her. He sat beside her, his perfume smelling like an old chest, which hurt her nose.

"Hanna, I came here to ask for your hand in marriage from your parents."

Hanna's eyes widened. "Fausto, I have a boyfriend. I'm sorry, but I can't accept your proposal."

Fausto looked at Edgar, seemingly asking for help to convince her.

"Hanna, you will marry Fausto, whether you like it or not," Edgar claimed.

"Dad, I don't want to get married. Mom, I will only marry a man I love," she said loudly, which Fausto didn't like.

"If that's the case, pay back the money you owe me. 20,000 dollars."

"20,000? We only borrowed 2,000 from you last month."

"That's just your debt. What about your father's debt from gambling losses?"

Hanna held her head, blood rushing to her face. She trembled with anger at her father. They barely had enough to eat, and yet he still gambled.

"It's simple. Marry me, and your debt will be erased. I'll even help you further. You have three days. If you don't pay me, I'll have you and your father arrested."

Hanna wanted to beg him, but he grinned like a demon.

Edgar lectured her harshly, while Valerie remained silent despite Edgar openly selling her.

"Dad, why are you using me to pay your debt? What kind of father are you?"

Hanna was shocked when his hand struck her cheek.

"You ungrateful brat! I raised you when you were little. It's time you repay me."

"I'll find money to pay the debt. I won't marry that old man!"

She knew whom to ask for help.

***

Early in the morning, Hanna was wiping Ethan's desk and opened all the cabinets to dust them.

When she opened the first drawer, she saw a picture frame. It was a photo of Ethan and a beautiful woman. Perhaps she was his ex-girlfriend. They weren't far apart in terms of beauty. The woman looked wealthy and educated.

"Who told you to touch that?" a deep voice said from behind her.

Startled, she dropped the picture frame, breaking it. She quickly picked it up, cutting her hand in the process.

"You're so clumsy!" Ethan said.

She was surprised when he put her finger in his mouth and sucked the blood. She felt electrified, her stomach churning as she felt his warm mouth on her finger and smelled his fragrance.

He took a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around her wound. "Go to the clinic."

"I'll clean up first. I'm sorry."

"Terry will handle it. Leave now. You're getting on my nerves," he snapped.

Hanna left his office, smiling despite her slightly stinging wound.

After her visit to the clinic, she was still smiling. Her smile faded, however, when she remembered she needed to ask him for 20,000 dollars as an advance payment for being his sexual partner.

Soon, she returned. "Mr. Miller, can I talk to you?"

"I'm busy. Get to work and don't bother me." He seemed to be in a bad mood.

***

The next day, she returned. "Mr. Miller, I really need to talk to you."

"I have a meeting with some investors tomorrow." He walked past her.

Hanna was about to follow, but Terry signaled her not to.

An idea sparked in her mind: she would ask Belinda for an advance.

Hanna headed to Belinda's office, but the secretary said she was out of town. What bad luck!

It was her last day to get the 20,000 dollars.

Hanna mustered her courage and waited for Ethan's break. She watched him outside the conference room, almost scrubbing the tile design off the floor with her eyes.

"Mr. Miller, I'll get straight to the point. I need 20,000 dollars. Give it to me right now." She followed his large steps.

Ethan shook his head. "So you've been bothering me for days because you need money? Let me remind you that you haven't even started our agreement."

"Mr. Miller, I'm reminding you that you're the busy one, so we haven't started. I've signed the contract, so you should pay me. I really need it."

"Why do you need 20,000 dollars? Shopping again? Buying luxuries?"

"Just give me the advance payment, Mr. Miller." She couldn't tell him the reason because employees were passing by and looking at them.

"Don't bother me now. Wait until I decide to give you the payment."

Hanna's world felt like it was collapsing. She was in deep trouble. If she didn't return the money today, the police might arrest her and Edgar.