MEGAN
“Holy fucking shit, it’s real.” I keep my eyes glued to my laptop screen, confirming the number of zeros I can see on my bank balance.
There’s really ten thousand dollars in my account, and it came from
Cristiano Rivera.
Cristiano, as in Cristiano from last night, and Rivera, as in one of the biggest property developers in the US. When I saw his surname listed on the transaction, I looked him up and was completely blown away to find out who he is.
The Riveras also have strong mafia connections, which is no surprise. I suspected it from last night.
This is unreal. I can’t believe he paid me so much for allowing him and his friends to play with me.
I’m beyond shocked. So shocked I’m afraid to look away from the screen in case the money disappears.
I woke to the notification on my phone that the money had been deposited. When I saw how much it was, I grabbed my laptop and logged into my account to check I hadn’t gone crazy.
Initial payments are supposed to go through the club, but there are exceptions for special people. It’s obvious Cristiano is one of them. He would need to be, to be allowed my bank details. That means he knows my full name too and might be aware I’ve been recently widowed.
It’s possible. It’s also possible he might not know because I didn’t get the chance to use my married name. Everything to identify me is still in my maiden name, and thank God my name has been kept out of the media. But, when dealing with men like Cristiano, such things might be irrelevant. Men like him could find out pretty much everything about me by clicking a button.
It doesn’t matter. I don’t care if he knows I was married or that Hunter died. No one knows the fine print of what I’m left dealing with regarding Hunter’s debtors and the shit.
When I see Cristiano tonight, I’ll have nothing but gratitude for him. I’m not supposed to show how thankful I am because it messes with the fantasy, but I have to thank him.
This money means I’ll be able to pay Hunter’s asshole debtor, Bill Rodriguez, a little over twenty thousand dollars this month. I’ll drop off the money I have later on my way to work and make another trip in a few weeks when I get paid from the club.
Bill came knocking on my door mere moments after the cops came to deliver the news of Hunter’s death.
The last time I went to his office, I experienced that make-or-break moment that made me realize I had no choice but to go back to the Dark Odyssey.
After paying the asshole the thirty thousand dollars I had in the savings account Hunter didn’t know about, I had a thousand dollars left to pay my rent. Bill wanted me to choose between giving him the money or sucking his dick.
When he forced me to my knees to shove his cock down my throat, I gave him the money. That was only two weeks ago.
After I spoke to Mimi and got my job back, I was able to make the agreement with Bill to pay back ten grand a month for the next two years.
Two years' salary from the club won’t pay everything back, but it will get my foot through the door for opportunities like last night.
I’ve also deferred my training placement at UCLA with the hope that I can get back on track by the end of my penance.
Maybe then I’ll be able to fix things with Paige too.
I met Paige Marchesi in my freshman year at Rutherford University. She was my very best friend and like a sister to me. Having come from a background of hardship similar to mine, she easily became the one person I shared all my secrets with.
The breakup of my six-year friendship with her was my biggest mistake.
She was right about Hunter, and I didn’t want her to be.
We fell out last year after he proposed. Paige didn’t trust him and saw the evil in him I couldn’t see. No one was more against my relationship with him than her.
At the time, I thought she didn’t want me to be happy, and I said some unforgivable things to her.
After Bill gave me the rude awakening about Hunter’s dirty dealings, I contacted Gibbs, the private investigator I met through James, Paige’s husband.
Gibbs is an unconventional P.I. used by a lot of people in the criminal underground. James knew him through his mafia connections. He hired Gibbs to help me find my stepfather, who disappeared after my mother died and took my inheritance. I always believed my stepfather had something to do with her death.
I was eighteen years old when she died and left with nothing but the clothes on my back. Gibbs never found my stepfather but was able to get evidence that showed he was still alive. It was way more than what the police found because it gave me a lead to continue my search whenever I get the money again.