PROLOGUE 3 "THE KINDEST MAN SHE EVER MET"
"ARE you nervous, Venus?" Lara was asked by the driver of the van that would take her to the party she was going to.
Delfin is the old club driver who she thinks is the same age as her father. And like her Papa, the old man was soft-spoken. Meaning to say, kindness is evident in the tone of his speech.
She nodded as she glanced at Delfin for a moment, after which she turned her gaze back outside the window.
"I-I don't know if I can do what they will ask me to do," she said in a broken voice but she still held back from crying.
Lara heard the heavy sigh released by the old man. "That's up to you," he said with a meaningful glance as she looked right at him.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
He just shrugged. "Did you know that the police caught the three men who sold you here? Your father immediately reported to the authorities," he said, giving her another meaningful look.
She never spoke again after that. The truth is that she doesn't know what the old man wants to tell her but running away after this is actually included in her plan.
That is despite that Nati has threatened her that there is no place in the world where she can hide when she does that. But Lara still doesn't believe that.
*****
"HEY, dude? What took you so long? We're getting bored here!" from inside the box, that's what Lara heard from the man she knew had paid Nati a large amount of money.
This is the man she knew her manager thought would be her customer, but it was a mistake. The man paid for her as a gift to a friend of his who is actually celebrating his birthday today.
The corners of her eyes quickly warmed up. Until now, she still cannot believe that this is happening to her.
And she doesn't even seem to know herself because until now she still seems to be in a state of shock. Unable to speak or even utter a word and say no.
"All right hurry up and I'm sure you'll like my gift to you!" he even added.
Just a few moments later, Lara was surprised when the top of the box suddenly opened. She winced and then quickly hugged herself.
"Miss, are you really serious about your outfit? Isn't there a sexier replacement for that?" he asked her.
The man looked really rich and educated in the way he speaks. But even so, Lara still couldn't help but feel angry.
He refers to the modern professional women’s coat and tie that she is wearing.
The truth is that Nati really advised her to wear sexy clothes. The king that people like her usually wear to work. But her stomach couldn't handle it, so eventually, her manager said ...
"I think that's better, to make it easier to convince him that you're still a virgin. From the look of it, I know he's going to get rid of all that one by one," Nati said.
Lara shook her head.
"P-Please, listen to me, this is not really my job, please allow me to go home," she begged, her voice slightly broken.
She saw the corner of the man's lip rise. "Miss," he said. "I mean, Venus, right? You know what? That line is very common. Then another thing, I paid a huge amount of money to your manager, so you just have to do your job," he said as he also returned the cover of the box.
From what she heard, Lara burst into tears.
She was not prepared for this and not in this way she wanted her to lose her virginity which should have been only for the man she would marry. But what exactly should she do? Just in the case will she be able to escape?
That's when she wore the black eye mask that Nati had given her earlier. Only now did she feel sorry for herself.
My God, I hope that man is kind. I hope he agrees not to touch me and not to do bad things to me!
But she knew that was impossible.
She knew it was unlikely that she could leave this place without that man getting what he wanted from her.
The pounding in Lara's chest intensified when she heard a loud noise outside the box. What those men were waiting for had come, and it was the end of everything for her. The eventual destruction of her whole being that she had long kept.
"Joaquin, happy birthday dude!" the familiar voice of the man speaking to her earlier.
Lara's tears flowed unceasingly at that very moment.
What will she do?
Will she dance in front of these men and take off her body covering one by one? She is masked yes and the newcomer will not recognize her face but what about the others? As well as the man who paid Nati and ---
It was then that everything that was playing in her mind was cut off when suddenly...
"Hey! What are you doing? Get to work! Don't forget, I paid your boss the exact amount of money that she wants!" the man growled at her.
She shook her head consecutively and then cried even louder. "I-I can't, please, leave me alone," she pleaded.
Lara saw in the man's face the reflection of intense hate, but despite what she saw, she was still surprised when he grabbed her arm tightly and then forced her to stand up. That was the time the box completely collapsed.
"Dance! You were told to dance!" the man scolded her.
Only then did everything become clear to her.
She was right, only men were in the room. They are all in business suits and are obviously rich and came from respective families.
But out of her sight, they were no different from any man she had seen going in and out of nightclubs. No matter how well-dressed they were, it still wouldn't change the beast she knew was lying on their bodies.
"Dance!" the man shouted at her again and then tightened his grip on her arm.
But she really can't. Her muscles trembled as she cried harder and then shook her head one after another.
"I-I'm really sorry sir, I'm not what you think I am, please don't force me. Please have mercy on me," she begged to try to pull her arm back from the man.
"Stop the drama! How are you going to pay me? Huh? Will you give me back my money ---," then the man didn't finish the other thing he wanted to say when the other man she thought had a birthday approached them.
"That's enough, can't you see? She's so scared of you?" he even reprimanded his friend.
"She's getting on my nerve!" he said. "Why? Are you still a virgin?" suddenly the man turned on her.
From what she heard the man say, Lara's patience finally reached its peak. And perhaps that included her mixed resentment and anger for the three men who took her and also for Nati, she had enough reason to slap his cheek with her free hand.
"How dare you! Pig! You don't know me so don't talk to me like that! Why? Do you have any idea what they did to me, huh? You're an animal!" her furious cry.
When the man who was going to slap her was ready, the man who had just arrived earlier intervened.
"That's enough, I'll be the one to talk to her," he said, hugging her to make sure that his companion wouldn't hurt her. "Come on, let's go in there, let's go inside the room," then he turned to her.
For some inexplicable reason, Lara's feet moved spontaneously and they seemed to have a mind of their own that followed the direction in which the man guided her.
"T-Thank you, y-you're so kind, s-sir," she said after the man sat her at the foot of the bed and then handed her a glass of water.
He just nodded. "Do you want to eat? Are you hungry?" he asked her.
Her stomach churned quickly at what she heard. But was it right for her to receive anything from him?
"Don't worry I won't put anything on the food and drink that I will give you," he said as if guessing the reason for her silence.
Lara did not speak and remained silent while staring at the man. She just followed him with her gaze until he came out of the room. Not long after, he returned with food and drink that he had placed on the small table in the room.
"Just eat, I'll leave you first, okay? Don't worry, you're safe as long as I'm here," he said in a tone that she felt she could rely on.
When the man came out Lara stared at the food on the plate once again. She hadn't eaten yet so her stomach made another noise. Then she thought, maybe she can eat that without falling into a deep sleep. Because she thinks that man is the knight in shining armor sent by heaven to rescue her.
Because other than her father he is the kindest man she had ever met.
