Married To The Cruel Duke

4

Elena’s POV

“How dare you, Elena?!”

My cheeks hurt from the slaps I had received from my mother the moment I had stepped into the house.

“How dare you disrespect my household?” My father barked, anger filling his face. “All you do is find ways to make people talk! You bring all sorts of shame upon us. What kind of a child are you?”

Behind them stood my sister, smiling and looking pleased at the state I was in. I was kneeling on the ground, soaked from the bucket of water they had poured on me because they claimed I was coming from a man's house and that I was not stepping a foot into their house until I was clean or at least tell them whose house I slept in.

“Who knows, mom. Maybe she went to her farmer boyfriend.”

I had no boyfriend, much less of anyone I was interested in, so I was confused about what she was talking about. I wanted to defend myself, but I knew I couldn't. If I tried to, I would be beaten and thrown out of the house. I had no one and no place to go so I had to keep my mouth shut.

“So, we don't take care of you enough, aye?” My mother asked and laughed. “You now go around whoring yourself for what? Money? Clothes? Food? Don't we give you all of these things?”

I clenched my fists as my heart burned inside my chest from anger and sadness. They didn't care about me. The clothes I wore were hand me downs from my sister, the food I ate was what was left of the meals I cooked, and the little money I had were changes from the errands I ran for them. It was embarrassing how an adult like me lived like a pauper.

“You know what?” My father said, scowling deeply. “Get out! Leave this house. You are not to come back until tomorrow. Your presence disgusts me.”

“Father, plea–”

“Out!” My mother yelled at the top of her voice.

I bit the insides of my cheeks and rose to my feet. With one last look at them, I walked away, head bowed and heart heavy. I kept walking until I got to the market square.

As I passed the stalls selling fresh foods, my stomach grumbled. I didn't have my purse with me, so I knew I wasn't going to buy something to eat. With a heavier heart, I walked around the place, going further into the bustling metropolitan town.

After a long walk and feeling lightheaded, I stopped at a park and sat on one of the benches. The sun was the only thing giving me energy as I basked in its warmth, ignoring the hunger biting me in the stomach.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw a woman sit beside me. I turned my attention to her and saw she was holding some stacks of colorful flyers. I tried to make out the words on it but decided to mind my business.

“Hi!”

I flinched at the cheery and loud voice coming from the woman beside me. I hesitantly faced her and saw she was talking to me and smiling widely. She waved to me and leaned toward me.

“Hi,” I said back with an awkward smile.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Great,” she replied. “Are you looking for ways to make quick and easy money?”

I blinked, shocked at how straight forward she had been.

“Excuse me?” Was this woman being serious?

“Sorry, that came out too odd.” She chuckled with a wave of her hand. “Actually, my brand entertains guests. It's like an ushering agency and we landed our first gig. I'm short on staff… well, entertainers and this event is a huge one. It's worth thousands of euros. So, I was wondering… Are you willing to work for me? You can decide to only work as a contracted entertainer for this gig and go your way after.”

I eyed the woman, taking her in. She was young, probably a few years older than me. She didn't look sketchy, but it was hard to tell if she was being genuine or not. At the same time, I needed some money. The labor I did back at home didn't pay me and now, it seemed as if I had the opportunity to do something.

“What kind of job is it?”

“As an entertainer, your job is to please the hosts or guests at an event. You will be more like a plus one to them. Your duty is to give them what they want.” She handed me a flyer and pointed at it. “There are different categories and the pay for each. If you're interested, you can choose whichever type of entertainer you want to be.”

I looked at the flyer. My eyes widened at the pay of each category. Grade one’s pay was €50 per hour. Grade two was €100 per hour and the third grade was €250 per hour. I looked up at the woman. I was interested in this, and I didn't care if I should think twice about it. If I ended up getting trafficked, I wouldn't mind. It would be better than working tirelessly for my family.

“The third grade. What is it about?” I asked, my interest high.

“Well…” She cleared her throat. “That particular grade comes with…Uh, s****l favors.”

“Oh.”

“Yes.”

I thought over it. I was a virgin. I have never been with a man before even though I've dreamt of doing such things with a man before. I read books, explicit romance books that gave me an insight of what s*x was like, so I wasn't exactly that innocent. This job seemed like the one thing I could do to get money, save up and leave my family for once.

“What kind of s****l favors?” I asked, trying to weigh my options.

“Uh… Well, it can be s*x, hand jobs, and other related things… Look, I don't want to force you into anything you don't want. Plus, if you're interested, you can go for the other grades.”

Sex, hand jobs and what else? I really needed this money and if this was legit, I could easily get a job that could pay me well then leave the country or maybe the town for good. This was my only chance. I didn't care if my family would disown me, or if people would call me names. Nothing good has come out of me being a good girl or being modest.

“I'm in.”

A shocked look crossed her face and body.

“What?! You… look, you don't have to–”

“I said I'm in. When and how do I start?”

“Wow.” She cleared her throat. “Okay… The event is tonight. Outfits are already prepared and… wait, how old are you?”

“Twenty-five.”

She nodded. “Why don't you meet me at the address on the flyer. It's my store. Come to my store at seven to prepare, then we'll leave for the event at nine.”

“What type of event is it?” I asked as I folded the flyer.

“It's a bachelor party. Our host is from one of the royal families, so it's a huge event even though it's private. The hosts are from the Draconhart family.”

My heart stopped beating.