At the mercy of the billionaires

I woke up to loud music blasting in my ears, and suddenly I remembered where I was. Isn't this the 100th time this week? I asked myself as I made my way to the bathroom. Liam was having another house party with his friends and whoever he felt like showing off daddy’s money to. I used to flinch whenever those bass notes pierced through the wall, but now I'm used to it. I stared at the all-white luxury bathroom I stood in and wished I had this under normal circumstances, the sound of my grumbling stomach brought me back to reality. I forgot I hadn't had anything since morning and it was currently past 6pm. I quickly peed, rinsed my face, and made my way to the room scanning for anything edible, disappointed that there wasn't, I wished there was a way I could be invisible to go downstairs and grab something from the kitchen. A louder grumbling from my stomach sent me racing to the door, I cracked the doorknob and made my way down the stairs with my fingers brushing the walls for balance. I could see the disco light coming from the living room, and voices yelling “SHOTSSSSS” startled me, a few more steps and the smell of alcohol and weed filled the air, stinging my eyes. My eyes scanned the room in search of Liam, satisfied he wasn't in sight I made my way to the kitchen and pushed the door. Of course, there he was thrusting deep into some random girl like he was trying to crack her ribs wide open. Her nails dragged across the counter leaving visible marks, bottles shaking at each shove. Seeing this felt like a normal Tuesday, disgusted I quietly made my way to the fridge to grab some food wishing the kitchen was big enough for him not to notice. Too bad a bottle of water gave me a way by falling just when I was about to close the fridge. They both turned towards me and I could see the look in his eyes, they held both anger and “get the hell out”, before I could open my mouth to let words out “GET OUT” he yelled! Startled, I ran out of the kitchen before he could say another word leaving behind the very thing that brought me to the kitchen. DAMN! I sighed Headed towards my room I noticed an area filled with edibles in the living room, everybody was too drunk to notice me. I walked past two people making out on the couch and quickly grabbed a box of doughnuts and disappeared into my room. Halfway through my second doughnut my mind drifted to when it all started. Three months ago, At the nightclub where I worked with my cousin Sophie. Liam had a party with his friends and I was asked to serve them. For some unknown reason, he picked up interest in me but I wasn’t interested because he was clearly not my type and whenever I saw him, he was halfway drunk. Initially, I thought he was a normal customer being annoying but he didn’t give up. Every time I said no to him the look in his eyes was uncomfortable One night, the club was filled as usual with different people. It was another busy day. My hands shook as I carried tray after tray delivering drinks to different tables. Sophie was busy at the other side of the club so I had to cover for her and take drinks to the VIP section. When I walked in, Liam was there smiling down at me, irritated already, I quickly dropped the drink and turned to leave when he held my wrist and whispered Please sit for just a minute in a calm and friendly tone like he wasn't the same person who had been disturbing me for weeks now. I wanted to withdraw my hand from his grip, but my manager was walking around, scanning through and he gave me a look, so I had no choice. I settled into the leather chair with my sights fixed on the entrance wishing someone would need my services and rescue me from here. He handed me a drink and nudged me to drink up, I told him I couldn't drink since I was working and he begged me to take a few sips which I complied with without a choice. I noticed Sophie walking past the VIP, and everything else was a blur. I woke up hours later, and the first thing that hit me was the smell. A sharp mix of citrus and expensive cologne that definitely wasn't mine. Then the sheets, cool and smooth against my skin way too soft to be anything from home. My eyes blinked slowly and heavily, as if they didn't want to open. Which ceiling and gold decor? This was definitely not my room I thought. Immediately, I jerked upright and it felt like I had been on a rollercoaster, my stomach twisted like it was trying to warn me something was off. My dress wasn't sitting right on my body, zipper halfway done like someone got tired of doing it. My hair was a mess like I fought with a tornado. I swallowed hard; my throat felt dry I scanned across the room, nothing made sense. I couldn't remember much, just pieces— The VIP lounge, the drink and a feeling that something was wrong. Before I could utter a word, a low laugh rolled across the room, lazy and familiar enough to make my blood go cold. Liam. He was sitting on a sofa across the room with a cup of coffee in his hands and his shirt was halfway buttoned. He stared at me like he had been waiting for me to wake up for a while. “There she is” I heard him say, his voice sounded too calm and friendly “Sleeping Beauty finally woke up” I opened my mouth to talk but the sharp pain in my head stopped me dead tracks He dropped the cup of coffee he held on a side stool, stood up from the sofa, and tucked his hands in his pocket while he walked towards me. My heart was racing so fast that it felt like I could have a heart attack. He finally got to the bed, sat at the edge and poured me a glass of water. I emptied the entire glass immediately, the water felt like life support in my throat. “You were out for a while,” he said, casually, like we were bonding about a nap on a long car ride. “You scared me a little.” His eyes didn’t match his voice, for some weird reason he felt like he was enjoying every bit of what was happening. I tried again to speak, to ask what did you do, but my tongue felt thick, like it was dipped in glue. My brain fired sparks but none landed long enough to form a sentence. “What… what happened?” It came out small, shaky, and I hated that he heard it. He reached into his pocket, and I wondered why. He brought out his phone and said “ohh you know I’d do anything for you yeah?” I looked silently he shrugged while still operating his phone and suddenly the TV came on and I gasped! “You had a good night.” He whispered A cold wave shot through me. Panic hugged my ribs and squeezed. “I…… I don’t remember……” “Of course you don’t.” His smile finally stretched full grin, teeth and all. “That’s kind of the point.” There I was, an explicit picture of me I can’t even bring myself to describe. Nahh it was baddd! He swiped his phone and another picture displayed on the screen, then I realized he was controlling the screen from his phone. Another slide. Another picture. With each slides the pictures became worse than the previous, my whole dignity was on display and he was watching without remorse. Liam just sat there, calm as ever, like he was showing off vacation photos. “You don’t want these getting out, do you?” he asked quietly, voice sugar-sweet but sharp underneath. My mom’s face flashed in my mind — her tiny frame on the hospital bed, hand clutching her chest the last time she got bad news. This would kill her. I forced my eyes up to his and he tilted his head like he already owned the answer. “So, here’s what’s gonna happen,” he murmured, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “You’re going to stay close, quiet and mine until I decide what happens next and always remember nobody says No to me.” I didn’t say yes. I didn’t say anything at all. But silence was enough for him. He stood up, straightened his shirt, and smoothed his hair like he had a meeting to get to. “Good girl,” he added on his way to the door, smile still stuck on his face. The second it closed behind him; the tears finally came. Hot. Silent. And never-ending. The floorboards downstairs creaked loud enough to snap me back to reality. For a second I shrugged it off, thinking maybe the house was just settling again. But then a man’s voice blasted through the silence—sharp, angry, impossible to ignore. “WHO BROUGHT THIS INTO MY HOUSE?!”