Chapter 280:

Julie’s POV

I was crouching under that massive wooden desk, curling into myself as if trying to vanish into the dust motes. My body was trembling with an uncontrollable violence, my hands pressing against my mouth with a painful force. I was terrified that the sound of my gasps or the chattering of my teeth would betray my location to that hag. In that moment, when I felt my soul was about to depart from sheer terror, Robert’s firm, resonant voice cut through the haunting silence of the room, striking back at Olivia: "What are you doing in my office, Olivia? I didn’t give you permission to enter."

A brief silence ensued before I heard her obvious confusion. Her tone shifted instantly from threat to cheap sycophancy as she replied: "Mr. Robert... my apologies. I only wanted to ask if you wanted me to prepare additional girls for tonight’s party; the customers are increasing."

Robert responded with an icy coldness that signaled total preoccupation, as if her very presence annoyed him: "No, Olivia. Stick to the girls whose names I’ve already specified; those are the ones the clients requested by name. Now... leave."

Her voice came back submissive and defeated: "Yes, sir. As you command."

Then came the sound of her footsteps retreating gradually until the door clicked shut behind her. The weight of the terror inside me didn’t lift; it doubled. Now, I was trapped in one room with the man I feared and loved at once, and I couldn’t crawl out from under his desk because I would have to explain all of this. Suddenly, his phone rang with a monotonous tone, and from my spot, I caught a glimpse of his polished black shoes advancing toward the chair behind the desk.

I crawled with cautious silence, like a snake trying to escape a hunter, toward the farthest dark corner under the desk. Fortunately, the desk was large enough to hide an entire elephant without being noticed.

Robert settled into his chair, and I heard the sound of his breathing before he answered the call in a friendly tone I wasn’t used to hearing from him: "Yes, my friend Lorenzo... welcome." Silence followed for seconds as he listened to the other side, then I felt my heart pound with a violence that nearly tore my ribs when he uttered my name: "Yes... her name is Julie." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

I froze in my tracks, the blood turning to ice in my veins. My God! Who was he talking to? And about what? He continued with a soul-killing coldness: "I already sent you her photo so you could see for yourself what I was talking about."

Why was he sending my photo? I felt a chill run from my toes to my heart, as if I were turning into a stone statue.

Suddenly, a light laugh escaped him that shook my being, and he followed mockingly: "Stop the nonsense, Lorenzo. You know me well... I don’t fall into the trap of love so easily. That’s why my decision is in the right place."

The words fell on my ears like lightning bolts burning everything in their path. Was I in a nightmare? Was this the man who was holding me to his chest and swearing his love just hours ago? He added, laughing with a dismissive contempt that stung me: "She’s a poor thing; she doesn’t know a thing about what’s going on around her... I told her I was preparing a surprise for her, and she believed every word. She has no idea what I’m planning."

My heart was tearing apart with every letter he spoke. He deceived me; he used my feelings as bait! He continued in a confident, indisputable tone: "I want you to come tomorrow, Lorenzo. Don’t be late." Then he added crudely: "You’ll definitely like her, I guarantee it... she’s actually far more beautiful than the photo, her features are rare."

My facial muscles spasmed as I tried to prevent my tears from falling and making a sound. What was this monster talking about? He said with a firmness that made my limbs shake: "How can she refuse? She won’t even have the option to refuse. Even if she tries to rebel, I’ll force her."

My God, he’s going to force me! Olivia was right in every word she said. He never loved me; he was just fattening me for the slaughter! I placed both hands over my mouth to stifle the scream of terror and betrayal that wanted to tear from the depths of my throat. Robert concluded his talk with words that were the final nail in the coffin of my rosy dreams: "As I told you, my friend, tomorrow you have to be here, and we’ll agree on the final price then."

That sentence confirmed all my fears. I was naive, foolish, and stupid enough to believe that cheap performance. I felt as if the ceiling was collapsing over my head, and that all my memories with him every kiss and every embrace were nothing but a filthy illusion painted by a master hunter.

There was a sudden knock on the door. Robert straightened up and said in a commanding tone: "Enter." Ron stepped inside, and I heard his steady voice: "Sir, Mr. Sterling is waiting for you in the upstairs restaurant. He’s insisting on meeting you now."

Robert replied as he rose from his seat, making a slight noise with the chair: "Fine. Tell him I’m coming right now."

As soon as I heard his footsteps fade, then the sound of the door closing and the office becoming completely empty, I emerged from my hiding place, my body shaking like a branch in a storm. I didn’t look back; I ran toward my room with a madness driven by despair. Once inside, I slammed the door and locked it violently, threw myself onto the bed, and burst into a bitter, chest-wrenching sob a sob my heart had never known before. I couldn’t comprehend that this treachery came from the man I gave everything to... how could he be this ungrateful? How can a human sell a heart that loved him with such coldness?

I don’t know how much time passed while I was drowned in that vortex of shock and denial. The seconds passed like blades tearing what remained of my soul. My haunting silence was interrupted by the sound of a food cart creaking over the marble, then the door opened for the cook to enter with her cold, routine features. She placed the plates on the table in absolute silence and left without uttering a word, as if she didn’t see the human wreckage sitting before her. In that moment, my body suddenly jolted; a single idea ignited in my head and spread like wildfire: escape.

I thought for a second about turning to Max, but I quickly backed out, my body trembling with horror. I wouldn’t drag him down into the abyss with me. Robert has eyes in every corner; his cameras count breaths, and he would find out and kill him. I left my room with cautious, agitated steps, sneaking like a frightened shadow. I knew this was the perfect time; Robert was now immersed in his work, either behind his desk weaving his conspiracies or watching the customers in the theater hall.

I reached the secret door the door that was yesterday a symbol of his trust in me and today was the key to my survival. I entered the numbers with trembling fingers that could barely feel the touch. Once the lock opened with its metallic click, I ascended to the restaurant, and from there, I burst into the street as if fleeing a raging hell. I began to run like a madwoman. The cold air lashed my face violently, and my heart hammered against my chest with consecutive beats that almost broke my ribs. I ran and ran until I felt a sharp pain tearing the muscles of my legs; only then did I wave to a taxi that stopped cautiously in front of me.

I leaned toward the window and said to the driver in a panting, broken voice: "Please... can you take me to this address for free? I... I don’t have any money now." He glanced at me with indifference and replied coldly: "I’m sorry, miss. I don’t provide free services." I gripped the edge of the window in desperate pleading: "Fine, I promise my brother will pay you as soon as we arrive... please don’t leave me here!" He studied my terrified face for a moment, then nodded and said: "Fine, get in."

My destination was Steve’s apartment; the only safety left for me. I sat in the back seat, my body still shaking violently, my mind unable to stop replaying Robert’s words on the phone. How could he deceive me with such perfection? How did he make me believe I was "the only one" while he was pricing me like a piece of furniture in an auction?

Finally, the car stopped in front of the building where my brother lives. I got out eagerly and told the driver: "Wait for me here for just a few minutes; I’ll bring the fare." I ran up the stairs, my heart ahead of my feet. I began knocking on his apartment door with force, one knock after another, with a silent scream in my heart: "Steve, open up! It’s Julie!" But there was no answer. I knocked and knocked, despair gnawing at my heart, but the apartment was drowned in a suspicious silence; it was completely empty. I collapsed onto the floor in front of the door, completely broken, my breath coming out as shattered gasps laden with bitterness.

Suddenly, the lock of the door in the opposite apartment moved, and a dignified man with a long, trimmed beard and calm features stepped out. As soon as his eyes fell on me, he lowered his gaze to the ground quickly and turned his body back inside, calling out: "Salma... put on your hijab and come immediately; there is a girl outside." After a few moments, a woman wrapped entirely in black stepped out; a wide cloak covering her body from head to toe, and a niqab that showed nothing but her eyes.

I was terrified by the sight, so foreign to me. I retreated, asking in a trembling voice full of fear: "Who are you? What do you want from me?" She approached me with calmness and steadiness, saying in a gentle voice full of tenderness: "Don’t be afraid, my daughter. We won’t hurt you... my name is Salma. What happened to you to make you cry like this?"

I tried to stifle my sobs and said with difficulty: "I... I’m looking for my brother, but he’s not here... and the taxi driver is waiting for the fare downstairs, and I have nothing." Salma turned to the man who was still standing with his back turned, looking at the ground with dignity, and said: "Omar... there is a taxi waiting downstairs. Go and pay him his fare." The man nodded and said in a calm tone: "Fine, I’ll do it immediately," then rushed down the stairs.

I looked at her with intense shame and lowered my head: "I... I’m so embarrassed by you. I don’t know how to thank you." Salma placed her warm hand gently on my shoulder and said: "It’s alright, my daughter. People are for people... come with me. Come into my home and rest a little until your brother returns. Sitting here is not good for you."

I said with clear hesitation: "I don’t want to be a burden on you. You’ve done so much." Salma smiled behind her niqab I felt her smile through her eyes and said: "What are you talking about? You are like my daughter... come in."

She helped me up and led me inside her apartment. The moment I crossed the threshold, I inhaled a strong, deep scent a blend of incense and Oriental perfumes whose beauty I had never smelled before. Art pieces hanging on the walls caught my eye, featuring artistic calligraphy in a language I didn’t understand, but it looked sacred and beautiful. She led me into a small, tidy room with a comfortable sofa and said in her calm voice: "Sit here. Take your breath."

I sat on the edge of the sofa, my body still tense, while my eyes watched her clothing with an indescribable curiosity. Why does she hide herself like this? Why all this blackness and mystery? I couldn’t help myself, so I asked with a curiosity mixed with wonder: "Forgive my question... but why do you wear this clothing? Why do you cover your face and body like this? I don’t understand the meaning."