To my parents, I was their obedient and kind daughter.

To my students, I was their gentle and understanding piano teacher.

To my audience, I was the star performer at the cabaret.

Of all these different identities, my favorite was by far the last. I enjoyed the hungry gazes that fell on me, searing my skin like flames. I enjoyed the juxtaposition between my different identities, never tired of playing different roles. In a sense, I was born to act, and I was passionately devoted to each of my identities.

So, won't you come watch me dance?

Just as I was opening the door to leave, Vincent stopped me from where he was sitting on the couch. "Where are you going, this late at night?"

I turned back and saw him holding a cup of water, staring at me unblinkingly.

I gave him a soft smile. "To a little gathering, that's all."

He seemed to have more to say, but I walked out and shut the door before he had the chance to.

The moment I stepped out, I took off my heavy coat, revealing my skimpy camisole and hotpants. As I walked down the stairs, I felt a heated gaze coming from above. Scoffing internally, I flicked my hair and got into the car that would take me to the cabaret.

When I was almost there, I deftly pulled out a mask and put it on my face.

The moment I stepped out of the car, excited screams filled my ears. Some people whistled at me, and I walked up to them, allowing their gazes to consume me.

Who in the world would have guessed that I, the woman who was well-known for being obedient to a fault, was the star of the cabaret?

Standing on the stage, I saw the men in the audience reach their arms toward me with frenzied expressions, clamoring for me.

A sense of unrivaled satisfaction surged through me as I felt their gazes devouring every inch of my body, and it made me feel like I was being violated in the most intoxicating way.

My breath grew heavier as I took out a rose that I'd prepared beforehand, pointing it towards them as I smiled seductively, scanning each and every one of them with my gaze.

"My dearest patrons…" I drawled sultrily, before tearing the rose petals off the stalk, pressing the crimson petals on my lips.

At that, their screams grew even louder, and some even tried to rush onto the stage, not being able to contain themselves any longer. The bouncers managed to stop them, but one of them shouted at me, eyes maddeningly red. "Odile! I love you! I love you so much!"

I didn't pay him any heed, continuing my movements as I spoke with my ruby lips. "I hope you will have a good time tonight…"

"God, she's so hot!"

"Right? This is great, man!"

"I'm going to sleep with her someday! Hah, I'm sure she wouldn't even resist with a personality like hers, right?"

"Hahaha, got that right!"

Hearing their unabashed words, my movements started to become even more daring. With a fluid motion, I took off my camisole, leaving a thin bra left on my upper body.

Hooking it with a single finger, I threw it to one of the men watching below the stage. He pounced onto it like a predator hungry for prey and buried his face into it, inhaling it as if he was intoxicated.

On second glance, I finally noticed that this was a familiar face — He looked like the father of one of my piano students. A few seconds later, he looked up and met my gaze.

"I know you," he mouthed silently, his grin wide as if he was confident that I would be afraid.

My trembling intensified, but not from fear.

No, this was excitement. I'd finally found my prey for the night.

After the performance, I stood backstage, waiting for the man to arrive. Footsteps approached me from behind, but I didn't move a muscle, calmly continuing to smoke my cigarette.

Wrapping his arms around me, he trailed his hand up my thigh. "You little minx, I'm sure you wanted this when you were on stage, huh?"

I turned and pressed the cigarette to his lips, reaching to take off my mask with my other hand. He couldn't tear his gaze from me as I reached to wrap my arms around his neck, nibbling on his earlobe. "Are you married, sir?"

His rough breathing echoed in my ear as he gripped my hand, panting, "Don't worry, I'm divorced. I know the rules around here, you lot don't mess with married men."

His hand moved even higher up my thigh, his fingers teasingly making their way deeper. I didn't resist, tilting my head back with a soft moan.

Taking this as provocation to continue, his movements became erratic, and he even buried his face in my chest.

"Who else have you touched like this before?" I asked, tapping at his shoulder playfully. "How do I compare to them?"

"You're the best…" He muttered, lifting my leg as his fiery gaze met mine. "Odile, you don't know how captivating you are on stage."

Satisfied with his answer, I chuckled lowly and silently allowed his actions.

And so, the night unfolded in a rush of passion, sweat, and ecstasy.

When I arrived at remedial classes, there were still children who weren't present yet. I took the chance to tie my hair up in a bun at the toilet, before changing into an everyday white t-shirt and jeans. Then, I adjusted my expression in the mirror until it seemed gentle and kind enough.

"Miss Odette, you look so pretty today!" A boy praised me while lying in my lap, and I leaned down to ruffle his head with a gentle smile.

Then, I turned to look at the pure gazes of the children, affixed on me, before raising my finger and pressing it on a key. "Alright, let's begin."

During a short rest, I went outside to fetch some water, and the man from last night was watching me from a distance.

His gaze was so brazen that even my colleague realized, and the guitar teacher walked towards me and blocked me from view, before leaning down and asking, "Is that man your new prey?"

I didn't grace him with a reply, only tipping the water I'd just fetched slightly towards him. He didn't budge, however, and only reached to grab my arm.

I pushed him away gently, before ducking under his arm and leaving the scene.

After the class ended and the children left, that man pushed the classroom door open as I'd expected. He seemed quite sad as he grabbed my wrist. "Why did you act like you didn't know me?"

I cursed internally. I'd thought that a man like him who frequented cabarets would have moved on from me quickly, but he actually fell for me.

Calling him an idiot in my mind, I slowly pulled my hand out of his grip and replied in a drawl by his ear, "Sir, I might be Odile at night, but now I'm your child's piano teacher."

Me giving him some semblance of attention seemed to pacify him, and he smiled at me before walking out the door.

Soon after, a knocking sound was heard, and the guitar teacher from earlier came in. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he pressed me on the piano with fervor. "Odette, it's been ages since you called me."

I loved him, and how he always respected our boundaries.

Tapping his lips with my finger, I whispered, "Well, I did today, right?"

Then, I turned my back towards him and put my hands on the piano.

"What do you want to hear today?" I pressed the keys slowly, without any rhyme or reason to them. "I can play anything for you."

He reached inside my shirt and caressed my smooth back. Feeling his finger hook onto my strap, I immediately knew what he was trying to do, raising my arms and allowing him to strip my shirt off my body.

Then, he laid his body on mine, the rough fabric of his clothes slightly uncomfortable against my bare skin.

"Croatian Rhapsody, please." He breathed heavily as he reached toward my jeans. "That was the song you played the very first time we met in this classroom, right?"

Hearing his request, I placed my fingers in position before playing a melody fluidly. As I played, he moved his body against me sensually, grabbing the back of my neck with one hand while rubbing the front of my body with another.

As the melody reached its climax, I could hear his breaths become more and more labored. Meanwhile, any sound I made was hidden within the melody too, and no one else could hear it.

"This is the best…"

I could feel his excitement radiating from behind me as his grip became even more forceful, making me whine louder in response.

"You really are so horny…" I could feel an electric current from behind my neck, his warm breath hitting my skin. "Odette, do you think people know that this is how you truly are?"

I closed my eyes, relishing in this moment.

"Not as well as you do… I'm sure…" I panted, my words slurring. "You know… What I'm like the best, right…"

He grunted and leaned his head against my shoulder.

I reached behind myself and caressed his broad shoulders, and the feeling of skin against skin was nothing short of transcendent and intoxicating.

Because of that man, I decided to stop teaching this remedial class. I hated it when men mixed the identities between my day and night, because it made this much more difficult for me. I even stopped going to the cabaret, too.

That man must have managed to get my contact number from the person in charge of the remedial classes, and he continued to message and call me in a frenzy.

"Where are you? Why did you leave!"

"Do you have someone else?"

"I should've killed you ages ago! Is leaving men so hard for you?"

I didn't really care much as he flooded my notifications with hate, but soon enough, he started to change gears, pleading with me to reply to him. He told me he was wrong, and said that he loved me. He even swore that he'd relent after I met him once, and that he'd never bother me again after that.

That was the point where it stopped becoming entertaining for me, so I replied, "Sir, it's game over."

After that, I plucked the chip out of my phone and snapped it in two before throwing it into the bin, like I'd done hundreds of times before.

"Odette." Vincent knocked on my door. "Mom and Dad are waiting for you to eat."

I got off the bed and walked out in a pair of sandals, yawning as I did. When I walked past Vincent, however, he grabbed my arm and reached to point at my neck, his tone dangerously low. "What is this? Are you going to tell me that it's a mosquito bite?"

I reached toward the place he was pointing at, feeling a slight sting on my skin. It was probably a mark left behind by the guitar teacher, that little shit. He always tried leaving marks on me whenever we got together.

I tugged my collar upwards to hide the mark and tried to walk away, but Vincent's grip still remained as strong as before. "I asked you a question."

Annoyed by his stubbornness, I shook his hand off.

"It's whatever you think it is, Vincent." Reaching to tug my collar on the other side downwards, I looked at him with a wry smile. "You want a shot at it too, big brother?"

As expected, he stepped back, as easy to deal with as ever.

With light steps, I walked towards the table, where my father served me a bowl of soup that I accepted with thanks. As I was sitting down, my mother motioned for me to serve a bowl for Vincent, too.

Standing up, I served up a bowl of soup and placed it in front of him with a smile. "Here, big brother."

My mother nodded in satisfaction, before turning to my father. "These two aren't related by blood, but they're as close as actual siblings!"

Oh, we were close alright.

I chuckled as I stirred my soup, feeling Vincent's gaze almost penetrate my clothes.

After we finished eating, my parents left for work, leaving just the two of us at home. As I turned around to go back to my room, Vincent grabbed my arm again. His brows were furrowed as he looked straight at my face. "Does your mother know what you do?"

"What are you, a child? Are you going to tell on me?" I countered.

He paused for a bit, before he finally managed to squeeze out a single sentence. "I was just worried about you… You should be careful, if not…"

"Vincent," I cut him off, asking, "Do you know when I'm the most obedient?"

Looking at his confused expression, I reached toward his topmost button and spoke with a low, sultry tone. "I'm the most obedient…"

I slowly unbuttoned his shirt and completed my sentence. "When I'm in bed…"