"Show her face!" Ross ordered coldly.
Tory yanked the hood off Harper's head. Her hair clung to her damp skin, eyes tightly shut from the throbbing pain in her head. A sharp slap cracked across her cheek, and her eyes flew open with a gasp.
"What the hell!" she snapped, only to be met with another stinging slap that made her head whip to the side.
"Harper!" Ross's voice cut through, rough with betrayal.
"Boss!" she croaked, tasting blood in her mouth.
His eyes burned with fury. "What the hell did you do?"
She blinked through the sting. "How?"
"How? Why did you save Quincy?" His voice was low, dangerous.
"I didn't save Quincy. I was trying to save myself instead." Her voice was hoarse but defiant.
Ross's jaw clenched. "What are you talking about?"
Harper spat out a bit of blood and glared. "Were you not going to kill us together and tell everyone it was some random assassin? That Quincy died and your guard got hurt too?"
Ross's brows twitched. "So you caught on."
"I definitely did! I'm not stupid." Her chest heaved with restrained anger.
Ross sneered. "But saving yourself and saving Quincy is an offense. You won't be able to get yourself out of this situation. It involves Logan, and he doesn't forgive."
She chuckled bitterly. "What would you do? Take my organs out and sell it because you need to recover your money?"
Ross took a threatening step closer. "I definitely need to recover my money. Logan wouldn't let you go after offending him like this. And I also can't suffer loss, darling. But taking your organs in this kind of situation will cause trouble."
His voice darkened. "You messed with me, Harper. You will pay with your life."
She stood tall, fists clenched. "Kill me!"
"Well, I won't. I'll make your life more miserable… for betraying my trust, Harper!!" His voice thundered across the room.
"What should we do, boss?" Tory asked cautiously.
Ross didn't hesitate. "Take her into the car. I'm selling her off."
"Boss! You can't do this to me!" Harper screamed as Tory grabbed her by the arm.
Ross looked back, cold and unmoved. "Being too smart just puts you in trouble, Harper. You have to deal with it."
"Boss!" she screamed again, but he was already walking away.
Tory dragged her roughly out of the room and shoved her into the backseat of a black SUV. The slam of the door echoed like a verdict. A moment later, he returned to Ross.
"Boss, trying to save Harper might put you in trouble. She offended Logan."
Ross paced, hands behind his back. "What am I supposed to do? Kill her?"
"I didn't mean that, sir… but Logan will definitely ask of her."
"Then we tell him we got rid of her while chasing her. Don't let others find out that she was taken by me."
Tory hesitated. "But boss, this is risky. You need to let go of Harper at this point. She'll bring nothing but trouble to you."
Ross stopped pacing, his face softening. "I can't let go of her. I don't know how I got so attached to that little girl… that it became so hard to watch her get killed like that. I just can't bring myself to harm her."
"Do you need her for any reason? She can't even help you out with Logan anymore."
Ross exhaled, his voice quieter. "Yes, she can't. She made a promise to kill me someday. I wonder if she's gonna do that."
"Boss…"
"After sending her away, I'll take on another branch and leave the city for a while."
"Will Logan allow that?"
"He should know how it feels, handling all this business without me," Ross muttered, then walked out.
—
Tory drove for hours under the blanket of night. They finally entered a bustling, high-end city as dawn approached. Towering skyscrapers stood like silent giants, their glass windows catching the early light. He drove through a massive gate into a private estate where five identical luxury buildings stood side by side like kings.
He parked at the farthest one and opened the car door.
"Bring her down."
"Yes, boss." Tory opened the back, grabbed Harper's arm, and dragged her out. Her knees buckled, but she didn't cry. Not in front of them.
Ross led the way down a dark corridor. Halfway in, a red light glowed on the wall.
"Access code," a robotic female voice said.
He input a series of numbers, and the door hissed open.
"Untie her."
"Boss?"
"Do what I said."
Tory obeyed, pulling off her restraints. Harper glared at both men with rage and silent fury. She rubbed her sore wrists and took in her surroundings cautiously.
"This is not a place that you can escape just because you feel like it," Ross said without turning, his voice calm but ominous.
They took an elevator up. When it opened, Harper's eyes widened — the floor looked like a palace. Gilded accents, velvet rugs, grand chandeliers. At the entrance, security stopped them. Tory handed over his gun, and Harper, after a moment's hesitation, dropped her hidden knives with a soft clatter.
A stunning woman greeted them, her gown hugging every curve. "Good day, sir!"
Ross's tone turned flirtatious. "Good day, sweetheart. You look so beautiful."
"Thank you, sir. Welcome to the courtesan house."
"Indeed."
"The madam awaits your arrival."
"Please, lead us in."
They were taken to a back room. It was sleek — part office, part parlor. A tall chair swiveled slowly to reveal Madam Fransisca, a woman in her 50s who oozed wealth, power, and poise. Her smile was slow and knowing.
"Welcome, Ross."
"Good evening, Madam Fransisca."
"It's been a while."
"I haven't been here for so long."
"Afraid to get a companion?"
"You know I'm not at that level yet, madam." He smiled sheepishly.
"Well, I guess you're working hard to get there."
"Sure I am."
"Why are you here today?"
Ross gestured at Harper. "For this child."
"Does he need help?"
"I am selling her off, of course."
"Her?"
Harper suddenly spoke. "He! He mistakes me for a girl sometimes."
Fransisca studied her. "Oh. You do look too pretty to be a boy."
"It's just a mistake."
"Ross, why do you wanna sell him off?"
He leaned in and whispered. Fransisca listened carefully, then looked Harper up and down again.
"You definitely know that once she came in here, she belonged to the courtesan house forever."
"Sure, I do."
"She is not noble enough to become a courtesan if you are trying to make her one."
"She can become an escort for the courtesans."
"She is claiming a boy — how can she become an escort?"
"She will find where she wanna be by herself."
"I'm not gonna spend money on anything that won't be useful to the courtesan house."
"She is definitely useful. She can fight well."
"We don't lack guards."
"I know, right? Just think of it as doing me a favor. Logan won't be able to touch her once you buy her off."
"No problem. How much is she?"
"I got her for $300k."
"What? That's a first! Is she important?"
"She will be," Ross said, grinning.
Fransisca stepped closer, cupping Harper's face in her perfectly manicured hands. Her eyes searched hers deeply.
"She will be disaster."
"I'm a boy."
"Okay. He will be a disaster, Ross." She smirked. "The trouble that I wanted the world to feel."
"Looks pretty tough. I would pay double for him."
Ross's smile widened in victory. She handed over a stack of crisp bills.
"We are increasing our money this month. You need to pay double for your access code or your account will be frozen."
"But I don't do anything here aside from seeing Logan."
"Close your account, then. You won't be able to come in anymore."
"Oh my, the courtesan house is so strict!"
"As it should be, darling. You can leave now."
"Alright, madam."
"Tory, let's go." And with that, they left.
Harper stood there, lost for a moment, a lump rising in her throat.
"How old are you?" Fransisca asked.
Harper blinked. "Why do you need to know?"
"I need to make you part of the courtesan house officially."
"This is a courtesan house? Like a prostitution business?" she asked, disgusted.
Fransisca banged the table hard. "A courtesan is a courtesan and not a prostitute!"
"It's all the same."
"Shut up! Watch your mouth here. There are some words you can't use in here."
"Sorry, ma'am."
"It's Madam Fransisca."
"Yes, Madam Fransisca."
"You belong to the courtesan house now and you have to obey our rules and regulations."
"Yes, madam."
"Name and age."
"Harper Walker. I'm 17 years."
"You are a Walker?"
"Yes, madam."
"You look familiar."
"Oh."
"Yes, but never mind. You can start to work as a cleaner."
"What? A cleaner? Why should I do that?"
"Do you wanna become a courtesan then?"
"Of course not!"
"You ain't even worthy! Why do you think I would make you a courtesan in the first place?"
"I don't even want to! But I can't work as a cleaner."
"You can try out working in the lounge and take care of the bar."
"Same thing as being a cleaner."
"Jesse!"
"Yes, madam!" The same beautiful woman walked in.
"Explain things to him in a way that he will understand it."
"Yes, madam."
"Most importantly! Whatever happens in the courtesan house stays in the courtesan house. Secondly, you are not allowed to go into the other buildings under the Shield Hotels unless you are a courtesan and got an invitation."
"Where are the Shield Hotels?"
"You are inside the Shield Hotels' 5th building, which is the courtesan house!"
"A hotel with 5 buildings?"
"Yes."
"That's great."
"Yes, it is. Now follow her. She will show you your room."