Breaking the Heart

Chapter 8 Preparing the Bait

The "preparation" Lena mentioned caught me completely off guard.

Under her special instructions, I was sent to the club's luxury spa department, a place usually reserved for wealthy women who visited the lounge.

The lavish beauty treatments and massages were impressive enough. But she also insisted that I undergo intimate care.

"Nancy, you can't embarrass Siren Lounge," Lena reminded me. "Mr. Thorn almost never entertains important guests here."

While the therapist prepared the treatment, I hesitated for a long time before finally removing the last piece of clothing.

The moment she saw the tattoo between my thighs, she gasped. "Miss Nancy, this tattoo is incredibly delicate."

It was a small fox, vivid and lifelike. Its fluffy tail curled outward toward my lower abdomen, while its head seemed to disappear inward, leaving the rest to the imagination.

But I didn't see beauty in it. All I felt was pain. Endless pain and darkness swallowed the distant memories buried deep in my mind, leaving my expression colder than ever.

"It's just for show," I said flatly. "Let's start the treatment."

The young therapist stared at it for a long moment. Then she suddenly asked, "Nancy… don't you think this tattoo is meant to cover a scar?"

My hands tightened around the bedsheet, and sweat gathered in my palms. For a moment, I almost got up and walked out. But I endured it. I even smiled.

"You noticed," I said lightly. "I got hurt when I was young, so I had to get a little creative. Don't tell anyone, okay?"

She laughed knowingly. "I get it. Men love things like this. Nancy, you're really clever."

"Honestly, before you came along, quite a few girls even tried to get plastic surgery to look like Elara. They all wanted to climb into Mr. Thorn's bed. But none of them ever succeeded." She looked at me seriously. "I think you will."

******

Today was the day Kaelan mentioned—the day I would serve the important guest.

All day long, I felt restless. I didn't know who this guest was or what kind of test awaited me.

But from the conversation between Kaelan and Aldric, I had already understood one thing. If I passed their test tonight, I would finally enter Kaelan's seaside villa.

Honestly, I wasn't afraid of the test. As long as I behaved like a normal woman working in a nightclub—not like myself. And definitely not like Elara.

Ever since Kaelan first saw me at Siren Lounge, every meeting between us had revolved around the same question: Was I Elara?

What worried me more was that once I entered Kaelan's villa, contacting Caelum would become even harder. By evening, I couldn't hold back any longer and called him.

"Cael," I said quietly. "I'm about to go to Kaelan's place."

The other end of the phone stayed silent for a long time. "Nancy," Caelum finally said, "I don't know why you insist on staying by Kaelan's side. And I know I can't stop you. But I promised I'd help you, and I will."

A strange mixture of sadness and warmth filled my chest. "Thank you, Cael," I said softly. "But listen to me. This isn't the time to confront Kaelan head-on. You have to learn to wait. So…"

Caelum cut me off. "You said your business isn't mine to interfere with. Then whatever I do, you don't interfere either." His tone sounded calm and confident.

Five years ago, when I found Elara, I had also been trapped in that basement. It was Caelum who risked his life to rescue me.

There were many people I couldn't trust. But Caelum wasn't one of them.

"Alright," I said quietly. "I trust you. Wait for my good news."

"I'll be waiting," he replied.

My mood lifted immediately. As long as I could enter Kaelan's house, I would be one step closer to what I wanted.

Caelum seemed about to say something else. Just then, Lena walked over. I quickly hung up.

"Nancy," Lena said, "let's go. Mr. Thorn will be here soon. The guest should arrive any minute too."