Lara Toward the end of the day, I'm actually getting the hang of it, which impresses everyone, including myself. I knew before I stepped foot in the club that I wanted this badly and now, I'm actually proving that I do. By no means am I perfect, but it's the start of something, especially considering that it's my first time ever doing something like this. "Bravo!" Medwin says while clapping his hands. I bow dramatically, unsure of what else to do apart from staring at him and thanking him for the hundredth time. All the girls in the club cheer me on and honestly, I feel comfortable here. I have support, at least, and have no complaints about the girls. It seems everyone is here for work and they have their own clients, so there’s no need for competition. Everyone’s successful in their own way. Otherwise, Ambrose would never keep them here. When we climb off the stage, Ambrose is there. He hands me a paper cup filled with ice-cold water and I down it gratefully. He tells me, “You

The next few days go by in a jiffy.I can hardly believe that I’ve been here for five days already. It’s insane. It feels like only yesterday I stepped through that heavy door and found myself in completely unfamiliar territory. Now, I know the names of almost everyone here, and I’m getting way better at the dancing part. I took ballet classes when I was younger. Could that be why?After our third dance, Ambrose calls me down from the stage. He’s dressed in a red silk shirt which makes his skin even paler than it already is. I get closer to him while rubbing my sweat off my skin with a hand towel. All of us carry one around. “You’ve been doing great,” he informs me. “I’m very impressed by your progress, Lara. I think you’re going to do great during your opening.”“Thanks,” I say genuinely. “I hope I do a good job and don’t disappoint you.”“You’ll have your chance sooner than you think,” he states. “I thought that maybe you’d need a few more days but I think you’re ready, and guess

LaraI don't care how bad it looks. I don't care that I'll be fired, which is a shame because I've fought so hard to be in this position. I made a huge sacrifice and became adapted to this environment. I was completely unfamiliar with it and managed to thrive despite everything. I close the door and hurry away from it. I move as quickly as I can in these heels. I don't care about who's watching; I just want to reach the dressing room in the back and get dressed so I can get out of here."Lara?"It's Ambrose. I don't stop and turn around to see where he is. I just keep going. I reach the room, and thankfully, it's empty. Nobody needs to see me panicking like hell. The door behind me opens, though, bringing my fantasy of being alone to an end. "What's wrong?" Ambrose asks as he storms toward me. His face is a mask of shock. "Why did you leave him alone in the room? Why did you walk away?" He then pauses and takes a good look at me. "Why do you look so pale?"I try to bring his face b

LaraAmbrose comes into the room just as I'm putting my bra on. His eyes are wild and filled with concern. "What happened?"I shrug and point at the money. "He put this here and left.""Do you think he recognized you?""No, I don't think so. I don't know? I would've noticed it.""Why would he leave so abruptly after waiting for so long?"Ambrose is asking me all these questions but I don't have the answer for him. I don't know. I'm wondering the same thing and have no way of finding answers. I don't know if I'm in danger. I feel very strangely about all of this. He asked me my name, though. Was he expecting me to say Lara? Maybe I'm being an idiot for assuming that he didn't recognize me. Why wouldn't he?"What do we do now?" I ask him after a while."I don't know, Lara," he states before looking at me. "I have no idea. The choice is entirely up to you. I'm going to let you decide. Whatever you decide will be good enough for me. I can't force you to face this situation. It's not fair

LaraAfter I tell Ambrose the offer Dexter made me, he’s pensive. I keep waiting for what he’s going o say because I don’t know where’s this is going to go. How will Ambrose deal with the matter? I know that Dexter said that he’d find out if I told him but that would only be in the case that Ambrose tried something against him. Which Ambrose won’t do. “Who would’ve guessed,” he says. “I planted you here to keep an eye out on him and he’s trying to do the same with you.”I ask, “Is there a reason for him to want to have me spy on you?”“Not that I know of,” he replies without missing a beat. “It’s confusing, actually. I’m not sure what I’ve done to get the attention of the authorities.”“But he suspects of something, or he wouldn’t ask me.”“If you can, I want you to find out what it is,” he tells me. “I hate to put you in this position but it seems Dexter didn’t give you a choice. He’ll kill you either way.”I shudder at this. “He didn’t recognize you at all? You’re sure about tha