One The Deal

Samantha finds herself in a dark corner of a room, her feet and hands bound with a rope. The tears have dried on her face as if she had exhausted all her tears to shed. That monstrous man paid her off to the syndicate.

Several women were in that same room, all subject to the same grim fate. They engaged in a conversation Samantha could not understand, but she preferred to remain alone in the corner, waiting for her destiny to unfold.

From what she could gather, some of them had been here for quite a while. It had only been two days since her shameless and drunken stepfather, a gambler, used her as payment. His debts had piled up so high that she ended up being the currency to settle them. Her mother passed away last year; she fell ill because of that beast who would come home inebriated. Sometimes his rage would be directed at both her and her mother. She never knew her real; father; her mother told Samantha that he abandoned them when she was young. Anger surged within her at that memory—if only he hadn't abandoned them, Samantha wouldn't have ended up like this. If he had stayed, she and her mother would be leading a happy life, and she would still be alive. The stress and troubles probably led to her mother's illness, ultimately resulting in Samantha’s dire situation.

Tears welled up slowly in her eyes, despite thinking they had already dried. It seemed there was still more to come. Samantha almost believed she had no tears left to shed in this wretched existence! Why did this have to happen to her? Why? Frustration made Samantha clench her fists tightly, exhaling sharply to control the tears that threatened to escape their hiding place. That's when Samantha noticed Kath, a woman who had also fallen into the clutches of the syndicate and had been there for a week since her father sold her, much like most of them who were either sold or used as payment for debts.

"Samantha," she called her name, capturing her attention.

"Why?" Samantha asked. Among all the women there, she felt more comfortable with Kath.

"We've been discussing escape. Do you want to come with us?" she replied, catching Samantha off guard. The idea frightened her, considering the potential consequences if they were caught.

"Come with us, Samantha. They'll either exploit you as an object of desire or sell you to older men," Shane interjected. Her words sent a shiver down Samantha’s spine.

"O-okay," Samantha hesitantly answered. She was willing to do whatever it took to escape this place; she didn't want to experience what Shane had described.

"I have a spray. We'll use it when the guard enters, but first, we need to remove the ropes from our hands and feet," Shane explained their plan. They all nodded in agreement.

Following her instructions, they immediately began helping each other untie their ropes. Samantha’s heart raced, and a sense of dread consumed her. They heard footsteps drawing near. Although Samantha hadn't fully freed her hands,

she had managed to release her feet. Sweat formed on her brow as the footsteps grew closer, indicating multiple people were approaching. In an act, they pretended to return the ropes.

The door swung open, and they composed themselves. Samantha wasn't mistaken; there were now five men in the room. Two of them appeared to be wealthy older men, likely here to choose which girl to purchase. Her hands trembled suddenly.

They were instructed to stand, and fortunately, their ropes were positioned at the back, making it less obvious that some of them had already freed themselves. There were seven girls for them to select from, and Samantha swallowed hard as the first old man approached her.

He even touched her face, and instinctively, Samantha closed her eyes as he leaned in to smell her neck, causing her knees to weaken.

Samantha wanted to curse him for his actions, but fear still held her back.

"Mr. Chaves, you know the deal, payment first before anything like that," said a man named Ace. He was also the boss, but someone higher up was orchestrating all these illegal activities.

"Haha... I know, it's just that she looks so beautiful and fresh, but I'll look at others first," said the old man, walking away and stopping next to Gwen.

Fear was evident on Gwen's face. If their plan failed, two of them would be chosen.

The old man continued walking, approaching other women until he faced Shane.

"That's what I like, smiling at me," he said with a grin to Shane.

He's such a pervert! Samantha wanted to strike him. She looked at Shane, who was still smiling at the old man, when she suddenly sprayed him in the eyes.

"Arckkkkkk... my eyes!" the old man screamed, clutching his eyes.

Chaos erupted, and the women started freeing themselves, launching attacks against the men. Some men fled from the room, and Samantha followed suit, even though her hands were still tied.

Samantha screamed as someone grabbed her hair.

"Son of a bitch, where do you think you're going!" Ace angrily shouted, tightening his grip on her hair. At that moment, Samantha unexpectedly delivered a powerful kick. That caused the man to loosen his grip to her.

"I-I'm sorry, really sorry," Samantha quickly apologized and made her escape.

"You're in trouble! I'll catch up to you!" he shouted in anger, still writhing in pain, holding the area Samantha had hit.

Samantha hurriedly ran until she reached a bar. Wait, a bar underneath our room explains the late-night noise—a realization from her.

"There she is!" Samantha heard one of them say as they chased after them.

Samantha spotted Shane emerging from the bar, so she quickly followed them.

When Samantha reached outside the building, she couldn't see Shane anymore. Where could they be? Samantha decided to hide among the bushes, she noticed. She could hear footsteps approaching, and she let out a sigh of relief.

Samantha glanced at a car with its door open. Additionally, she caught sight of the car's owner, who had his back turned and his phone resting on the passenger seat. She approached slowly and quietly, slipping inside through the open door.

Samantha made her way to the backseat and concealed herself. She felt the door being closed, and the person walked around the car before getting into the driver's seat. Shortly after, she heard someone approaching the driver's side with the window open.

"Did you see a girl around here, sir?" a man asked, further escalating her anxiety. What if he spots her? Samantha pressed herself against the side, trying to remain hidden.

Samantha noticed someone peering through the window, but fortunately, the car's window was tinted.

"Don't you dare look there!" he scolded the man. "I haven't seen anyone, and I'm not hiding any girl for you." His voice carried a tone of anger.

"Sorry, sir. Let's go over there," the man said, and Samantha let out a sigh of relief as they moved away.

Samantha felt the car starting to move, and she glanced slightly through the window. Her eyes widened as she saw Shane and Kath being captured. This couldn't be happening!

Gradually, the building faded from her view, and Samantha couldn't help but feel a mixture of sympathy for the captured duo and gratitude for escaping that dreadful place.

"Fuck! Who are you?" the man suddenly exclaimed.

Samantha turned towards him as he noticed her presence, and her anxiety resurfaced, especially after seeing his disdainful look. He promptly halted the car.

"Please, don't take me back there. I don't want to return to that place," Samantha pleaded with desperation.

"Maybe you're the girl they were searching for earlier, huh?" he questioned. Samantha nodded, and she could sense his anger intensifying.

"Please, don't hand me over to them. They'll sell us... I don't want that kind of life." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Perhaps you have some debt with them. That’s why they took you?" he asked, his deep voice carrying a hint of accusation. Samantha immediately shook her head, allowing the tears to flow from her eyes, fearing that he might return her to that place.

"No... my uncle used me to pay off his debts to those people. I didn't want or choose any of it. Please, I'm begging you. I'll do anything you want..." Samantha choked on her words and swallowed. "Just don't take me back there. Please," Samantha pleaded.

Several seconds of silence hung between them, and she anxiously awaited his response, praying that he would agree.

He let out a heavy sigh. "On one condition."

"What condition is that?" Samantha asked, her voice filled with anxiety.

He turned to her with a serious expression that made her gulp. "Be my slave."