Chapter 02

ALICE'S POV

Getting to the hotel, I met the receptionist who was a young girl named Melissa. We knew each other well, because I have been working at the hotel for almost six months now.

“ Hey! You are soaked. You will get sick ” Melissa's worried voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I shook my head, smiling “ It's nothing. Don't worry! ”

Moving past her with the fake smile still plastered over my lips, I sighed out and shivered slightly. Melissa was right, I could catch a cold and I did not have any money to treat myself The thought seemed awfully funny to me.

With the money still in mind, I changed my clothes into my usual red and white uniform and started cleaning the rooms one by one. My hair dried up on their own, but I felt sticky and gross to even myself.

Castillo Hotel was one of many hotels that fell under Castillo chain of hotels. Castillo's were currently the most rich people in the country with a wealth that everyone dreamed off. They had everything. Fame. Power. Money. And all Undescriable pleasures of life.

I had heard that Martin Knight Castillo who was the CEO of all the Castillo Corporation handed that position over to his twenty nine year old son, Damien Knight Castillo, who came back from abroad recently. No one had seen him at the hotel yet, but I heard the rich people talking about how handsome, cruel and heartless he was.

He was called a double edged sword among people. If cultivated in the right way, it could tear the enemy apart and if used in the wrong way, it would leave the one holding it, shredded. I did not understand what they meant by it at all and I was not hoping to find out either. The chance of meeting someone like Damien Knight Castillo was zero out of ten for me. He was not someone of my league.

Everyone badmouthed him and often repeated an incident, that happened a month ago. They used to say that an employee tried to talk back to Damien Knight Castillo in a meeting and he beat him to death in front of everyone. After that, the employee went missing and even his body was not found yet. A shiver ran down my spine and I shook my head at this thought crossing my mind again.

Leaving the trolley, I decided to go to Melissa to ask for some free coffee. I did not have money to buy it for myself.

When I approached the reception, Melissa was talking on the telephone “ Ofcourse, Sir! I will make sure of it. ” Saying this to whoever was on the other side, she placed the receiver down. I have observed her expressions, that screamed seriousness “ Is everything alright? ” I asked in a worried tone and Melissa smiled at me, sheepishly.

“ Everything is alright. Just an event down in the basement hall today. We staff people are restricted to go there. ” Explaining to me, Melissa gulped and clenched her hands into fists. “ Let me guess! You came to ask me for coffee again. ” Rolling her eyes, Melissa picked up the receiver when I smiled leisurely.

Everyone would think of me as shameless, but I was helpless to the point, I did not care about terms like dignity, shame, self-respect and honour anymore. I was desperate and desperation can make humans do anything. Anything they could and could not do.

Lost in my thoughts, I missed out on what Melissa was saying. As the telephone ringed, Melissa picked it up hastily “ WHAT?! I am sorry, Sir. I am really sorry, Sir. I will fix it somehow. Believe me. ”

I frowned as I noticed the sweat that started forming on Melissa's forehead and the fear that clouded her eyes. Putting the receiver on its place, Melissa's shoulders slumped down.

“ Is everything...alright? ” I inquired with the same question again, while rubbing my hands together awkwardly. Why did Melissa look so scared and hysteric? I was failing to understand it.

Hearing my smooth and small voice, Melissa's eyes brightened up with an idea. It was not good and it was not right what she was about to do to me, but it was necessary if she wanted to live herself.

“ Alice?! ” Melissa moved around the reception counter and stopped in front of me. Lines of worry etched upon my forehead because of the look in Melissa's eyes. Melissa was staring at me like the world was ending and only I could save her.

“ You are a virgin, right? ” The weird question made me gulp, wondering where this conversation was even going. “ What does it have to do with you, Melissa? ” I shook my head, getting irritated by all of this now.

“ Do you want to earn some quick money? ” The next question almost made my eyes pop out of their sockets.

Now, it was my turn to look at Melissa like she was my saviour. I have not heard words more sweeter than this in my whole life. Even Archer's ' I love you ' did not sound this good. My head moved up and down rapidly on its own.

Yes. I needed money. And lots and lots of it right now. No matter what I had to do, I needed money.

It was scary what desperation could turn a person into.

“ Are you willing to do something that's immoral? ” Melissa's next question made me fall deeper into the pit of confusion. “ What do you mean by this? Please tell me clearly. ” I let out and dragged my tongue across my lower lip, before nibbling on it due to nervousness.

“ Are you willing to sell your virginity? ” It was like a bomb was dropped over my head. A scoff left my lips and I shook my head. Melissa was not serious right? But the look on her face screamed dead-serious.

Seeing this, I could say only one thing “ WHAT THE FUCK! ” I screamed out and turned around to move away from Melissa, who looked like a creep to me now.

“ Alice. Alice, listen! ” Before I could run away, Melissa grabbed my wrists and held me in my place “ You need money and you will get it. You just need to spend one night with someone and you will get a huge amount of money. ” She tried to woo me, but I pulled my wrists away with a jerk “ You are stupid to think that I will do something - something like this. ” The look of pure disgust was present of my face, as I tried hard to stay rooted on that place even for a moment more.

Sneering at Melissa who glared at me, I stormed away from there. My heart was beating faster and cold sweat coated my body. What was wrong with Melissa and all this selling virginity thing? Placing my hand on my heart, I stared out of the glass wall of the hotel. The lights were shining so brightly outside that it mesmerised me for longer than it should have. I wish, I could just stand here and stare at those bright light for the rest of my life.

' You just need to spend one night with someone and you will get a huge amount of money. ' The words echoed in my mind and I had to close my eyes and inhale deeply to get rid of these weird thoughts.

Suddenly, the phone inside my pocket vibrated and my body jumped up with my eyes going wide.

Cringing, I took out the phone and saw the caller Id, before picking up the call “ Yes, Mom. ” My voice was dead tired with the inner conflict taking a toll on me.

“ The hospital staff is asking me to take your father home tomorrow morning as we haven't paid the room's deposit. ” Claudia's robotic voice informed me as I slumped down against the wall.

' You just need to spend one night with someone and you will get a huge amount of money. ' The words taunted my condition again and I hanged up the call.

Sitting there, I stared at the wall in front of me for a while before pushing myself off the floor.

If fate was messing around with my life, I should mess around with my own life even more.

Stupid, right? But always plausible. The best way to comfort yourself.

Pursing my lips, I rushed back to Melissa “ How much money? How much money are we talking about? ” Just like that clean and straightforward, I threw the question at Melissa who smiled at me sultrily.

This was wrong, my mind screamed but I pushed that thought away.

This was not about wrong and right. It was about money. And money was never wrong or right. It's just money.

And just like this, for the next hour, what Melissa told me shocked me to the core. This made me realize that what I agreed upon, was not just a simple one night trade. It was not just a prostituition deal. It was something far more sinister than that.

It was an auction where many men were going to place their own price on my pure - untouched body.

It was an auction that was held at the Castillo Hotel's basement today.

Standing a few floors above, I never knew what happened underground behind the curtains of the rich society.

But today, I was going to find out.

And I was going to find everything out in the most horrible way possible.