Claudette, swaying unsteadily, leaned against the wall, muttering fragments of words while staggering forward. Her hair was in a mess, and her clothes were disarrayed.
"Help... Is anyone there?"
Back in the private room, Dr. Martin had forced Claudette to drink far more than her tolerance. The lascivious old man had even drugged her in secrecy!
Just when she was about to be compromised, she managed to wriggle free from his clutches and escape narrowly.
She hadn't gone far when her shaky legs gave out, and she crashed onto the ground.
At that moment, a pair of glossy dress shoes caught her eye. To her, it felt as though her rescuer had arrived.
She clung onto the stranger's feet and whimpered,
"Please...help me..."
The stranger bent down to offer his aid, but halted abruptly when he caught sight of Claudette's face.
He took a step back in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"
Claudette's mind was a chaotic mess. She squinted at the face in front of her through her hazy vision. However, she was unable to make anything out.
"Save…save me… He…he's after me…"
The man glanced behind Claudette, then quickly helped her up and rushed her into the nearest private room.
In the pitch darkness, the distant noise outside could be heard faintly in the room.
Claudette's body was burning up. It felt as if a myriad of ants were gnawing at her from the inside, causing an unbearable itch.
She bit down on her lower lip as her body was gently nestled in the man's arms. She was desperately trying to restrain the impulsive urge that was about to burst out anytime.
"Mmm..."
A barely stifled moan still escaped her. Claudette clutched the man's arm as she struggled to remain standing.
Noticing her odd behavior, the man asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Claudette's voice took on a seductive tone.
"Mmh... Someone drugged me..."
While she spoke, her petite hands wandered mischievously along his body as she felt him up.
The man immediately grabbed her hand. "What are you doing?!"
Claudette sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
"I'm so uncomfortable... Mmh... Are you the boss here?"
"Please help me... I... I'll pay you by the hour... You have my word..."
In the dark, the man's eyes shimmered with intensity.
Unfortunately, Claudette was delirious and did not notice this. She pressed her body up against him, starving for physical touch.
She even lifted a leg to rub against his lower body as she let out a displeased murmur.
"Mmh... I told you I'm uncomfortable... Are you even a real man?"
When the words left her mouth, the man pulled Claudette into his arms.
"I'll show if I'm a real man!" he said resentfully.
After wrapping Claudette up in his coat, he took her away.
The club had a hotel upstairs. Upon entering the suite, Claudette impatiently tugged at the man’s shirt.
In her urgency, she even ripped a button off.
She held the man's face in her hands as she studied him for a while under the light. Her cheeks were flushing scarlet.
"Why do you…look so much like...that damnable first love of mine?"
Claudette got on her tiptoes and kissed him without waiting for him to respond. Her burning lips left imprints on his neck and collarbone.
"I can't stand this..."
The man's body temperature was much lower than hers. The soothing chill on Claudette's skin left her desperate for more.
Her initiative shattered the man's self-restraint.
Grabbing Claudette's chin firmly, he spoke in a tense voice.
"Look at me clearly. Who am I?!"
Claudette tried to open her eyes wide, but the drug had started to take effect. Focusing on her vision was now an impossible task.
"You're a...'gentleman'... It's okay, I don't mind that...you're a...knockoff..."
"Mmh..."
As soon as she finished speaking, the man pressed his lips fiercely against hers.
This kiss was like a supermassive storm, blowing away the last of her rationality in an instant.
She discarded her already wrinkled blouse on the carpet beside their feet. They tossed the rest of their clothes all over the floor as they made their way to the edge of the large bed...
Soon, the man's heavy panting and the woman's soft moans rang out harmoniously within the room.
This continued until the first light of dawn, then gradually subsided.
When Claudette opened her eyes again, she felt as if she had been run over. Her entire body ached.
A certain area in particular throbbed with an unbearable soreness, accompanied by a tearing sensation.
Claudette thought back to last night. She had once again pleaded with Dr. Martin to operate on her father. Instead of agreeing to her pleas, that old b*stard drugged her and dismissed the others in the room.
After that...
She remembered kicking the old pervert and running away, then found a man to help cure herself.
The sound of water in the bathroom and a crimson stain on the tattered bed sheet were proof that her memory was correct.
Claudette was horrified.
She scrambled out of bed, ignoring the discomfort in her body. After picking up her clothes, she hastily dressed herself.
Before she left, Claudette opened her wallet, only to discover there wasn't much cash left.
Most of her money had already been spent on this trip to Freedonia, so she left the largest denomination, a 500 euro note, on the bedside table.
She placed it under the man's phone, worried that he might not notice it.
Just then, the sound of running water stopped suddenly. Claudette, however, grabbed her bag and hurried away.
This absurd night would be better off buried in her memories...
Two days later, Claudette returned home to Janestown. She rushed to the hospital to visit her father as soon as she landed.
The nurse, upon seeing her, presented her with the bill.
A hopeless feeling washed over Claudette as she stared at the numbers.
She tried calling her stepmother, but no one answered. After trying several times, the call finally got through.
"Why aren't you paying my dad's medical bills? Don't you get that he relies on these imported medicines to keep him alive?!"
Claudette's voice trembled as she was overcome with anger.
The difficulty of the surgery was too high. None of the doctors here dared attempt it.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have had to fly out to Freedonia to beg that old b*stard.
It was one thing to not have found a specialist to perform that surgery, but if they stopped administering the medicine...
Claudette didn't dare think about the consequences.
"Do you think the Bacon family is as rich as we once were?!" her stepmother's voice came coldly through the phone.
"I've told you this before. The company is on the brink of bankruptcy. Your father's astronomical medical bills aside, even the villa we live in will have to be sold soon to pay off our debt!"
Claudette's mind went blank. She had no idea that the family business was in such dire straits.
Her stepmother continued to berate her.
"Because of that, the workers all scattered. I've been exhausting myself trying to fix things, but all you know how to do is ask for money! The simplest and quickest solution we had was to arrange a marriage for you, yet you called me crazy!"
"If you think you're so capable, solve it yourself. Your father's life is now in your hands." Her stepmother added.
Claudette ended the call.
Her heart twisted in pain as she watched her father through the ICU's glass window.
He was all she had left. She couldn't imagine abandoning him.
When she dialed her stepmother's number again, her eyes still held traces of fresh tears.
"I agree to the blind date."
