I have a secret about my body.

When I'm intimate with someone, my private part emits a fragrance. Despite being married to me for a decade, my live-in husband has never smelled it.

One day, my family goes bankrupt, and I'm forced to become an escort. He looks at me imperiously as I kneel on the floor. He says coldly, "I'll pay you a hundred thousand dollars to let me smell you once."

Kenneth Smith, my manager at the cabaret, told me he'd left me an important client. For that, I used the makeup I'd purchased before my family had gone bankrupt to give myself a makeover.

Unexpectedly, I saw a familiar man as soon as I entered the room—Neal Gray, my ex-husband.

He'd originally been my family's live-in son-in-law and had taken charge of all the household chores. Even our maids had ordered him around.

He was a familiar face, but it was odd to see him in an expensive suit and not the hired help's uniform he'd always worn in my house.

"Sasha is one of our newest escorts, Mr. Gray. I hope you'll forgive her if anything she does isn't to your satisfaction," Kenneth said.

Neal glanced at me but didn't say anything. It was as if he didn't even know me.

Kenneth hurriedly pulled me forward at that. I pursed my lips before saying awkwardly, "I'm sorry for what happened in the past, Mr. Gray. It's all my fault. Let me drink to you as an apology."

I picked up a shot glass of the strongest liquor from the table. Then, I shut my eyes and downed it. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Neal sitting there like nothing had happened.

His face was devoid of emotion. The rest of the people in the private room didn't dare speak when they saw him like that.

He would never have dared treat me like this in the past. In fact, he hadn't even dared to raise his voice at me. Even if I were the unreasonable one, he would've had to get on his knees to beg for my forgiveness.

Everything had changed, and our statuses had been flipped.

I smiled shamelessly. "Should I have a few more glasses as punishment, Mr. Gray? I can do it if it'll make you happy. Maybe you'll even give me some tips."

I picked up another glass and downed it. I was about to have my third when Neal couldn't stand it anymore. He snatched the glass from me and threw it onto the floor.

"That's enough! You wouldn't be standing here if you really knew where you'd gone wrong!" he snapped.

Silence descended upon the room. Nobody knew why Neal, who was known for being gentle, was suddenly being so nasty to an escort like me.

I was the only one who knew the answer—when he and I had been married, I'd made him get on his knees daily so I could punish him. I never let him off the hook, even if he hadn't done anything wrong.

I slowly got onto my knees and picked up another glass of liquor. Neal snatched it away again. This time, he splashed the drink onto my face. "You can drop the act—you know what I want. I'll pay you 100 thousand dollars to let me smell you once."

I wasn't the only one taken aback by his words. Everyone else was, too. They had no idea what he was talking about, but I had no idea why he was so obsessed with this.

Fortunately, Kenneth was quick to react. He led everyone out of the room, leaving Neal and me alone. I only returned to my senses when it was just us. I said, "Please stop teasing me, Mr. Gray."

Neal looked at me seriously and repeated his words.

His family had gone bankrupt the day after we'd married. Our marriage was nothing but a business deal—naturally, my family scorned him. I had no feelings for him, so I hadn't stood up for him, either.

Just like that, he became my family's live-in son-in-law. At the time, I was an heiress who was used to getting her way, so I berated and beat him whenever I was upset about anything. I'd never slept with him.

Surprisingly, Neal had never gotten mad at me for my bad behavior. On the contrary, he'd been compliant and accepting.

Who would've expected the tables to turn? Just five years later, my family was the one to go bankrupt. Meanwhile, Neal had revived his family's company from the dead with his hard work and talent. It had even become one of Gildenstone's top companies.

I'd asked him for a divorce because I'd been unable to stand the disparity in our identities. He'd been unwilling, so I'd asked one of my best male friends to put on a cheating act with me.

Neal had signed the divorce agreement, his eyes red. He'd also said that he would never forgive me.

So, now that he was saying something like this to me, what could it be but an insult and humiliation?

100 thousand dollars was a lot—I couldn't imagine how much liquor I'd have to drink to earn that much. I was unwilling, though.

"You must be joking, Mr. Gray. Is it fun to tease me when I've already fallen so far? Please let me off the hook," I said.

Verbal humiliation would be better than physical, after all.

Neal sneered and gripped my neck. "Don't tell me I can't smell you when others can, Elisa Camden. Reject me today, and I'll tell everyone in the city not to hire you tomorrow. I'd like to see how long you can hold out!"

He gnashed his teeth, and I looked at him, finding him unfamiliar.

After my family went bankrupt, everyone around me took the opportunity to kick me while I was down. They knew about my relationship with Neal; none of them wanted to risk offending him by helping me. Even my friends kept their distance, and I'd only gotten this escort job after begging many people.

I clenched my fists but didn't dare take my anger out on him. I only asked tentatively, "Can't you just let me go?"

Neal's face became devoid of emotion again, but there was no masking the disgust in his gaze. "Let you go? This wasn't the way you reacted when I begged you to do the same, Ms. Camden."

He stalked toward me, oppressing me with his presence. I was so frightened that I fell backward onto my butt.

He looked at me imperiously before bending down and gripping my jaw with a curl of his lip. "I'm just informing you of my decision—it's not up for negotiation.

"100 thousand dollars for me to smell you once, and that's that. I'll send my driver to pick you up in a few days, so remember to dress well, Ms. Camden."

With that, he left. I remained on the floor, unable to wrap my mind around the situation.

Everyone knew Neal and I had married to form an alliance, but few people were aware we'd known each other since we were children.

He'd always been a nightmare that had refused to leave me alone—he was always better than me in everything we did.

As a child, everyone had thought I was a genius. However, everything had changed once Neal came into the picture.

He was the typical child that every parent wanted—he came first in every test and exam we sat for, and I was always second.

When sitting for our college entrance exams, I'd deliberately asked around about the colleges Neal wanted to apply for. I wanted to apply for those he wasn't interested in, so I could be further away from him.

But for some reason, I'd still run into him on my first day of college. "What are you doing here, Neal?"

He hadn't answered me. Instead, Mom had grabbed his hand like they were family and said warmly, "I'll leave Ellie in your hands."

She knew who he was because even his family's company, Gray Corporation, was a level above our company, Camden Group.

For God's sake!

Neal's mother, Lena Myers, had smiled. She'd been about to speak when Neal stopped her. He said to Mom, "Don't worry, Mrs. Camden. Ellie and I are good friends, so I'll make sure to take good care of her."

Good friends? Who the heck wanted to be friends with him?

I didn't know whether Mom's words had left an impression on Neal, but he started bringing me all my meals regardless of the weather. He brought me an umbrella in the rain and cared for me when I was on my period.

Everyone thought we were an item, as did I. However, on Valentine's Day, I saw a photo of him with another woman.

Everyone asked me what was up with that, but I had no idea. I'd called him, wanting him to explain the situation to me. But when the call connected, I hadn't known in what capacity I was questioning him.

I'd hung up and blocked his number. From that day forth, I'd stopped talking to him. Every meal he bought me went into the trash.

Later, I'd heard about him going abroad. Even later, Dad made me marry him in a marriage alliance.

I'd been unwilling because I'd felt like he was always better than me in everything, including our relationship. He'd played me like a fiddle. Still, one often had no choice.

Surprisingly, fate had other plans. Neal's family went bankrupt the day after we married. That was when I started being nasty to him, even getting physical with him.

He would only smile at me, though. I took that look to mean smugness, which pissed me off. Perhaps our relationship wouldn't have deteriorated so much if he'd gotten angry at me.

I shook my head at the thought of our past. That was all it was—the past.

Neal was now a high and mighty CEO, while I was an escort who was heavily in debt.

Just then, my phone rang. "What's wrong, Dad?"

"Your brother's being beaten up, Ellie! Hurry up and come home!" he cried.

My ears buzzed at that, and I ran home like a madwoman. There was chaos when I got back.

My brother, Elijah Camden, was covered in blood. Dad wasn't doing much better than him. Mom was cowering in a corner, not daring to move.

I suppressed my fear and asked, "What's going on, Dad?"

He sighed and said in resignation, "It's all your accursed brother's fault!"

Elijah spat on the floor at that. "I wouldn't be like this if not for you, would I? I was sunbathing in Altalia—look at what's happened now! I told you this is an opportunity to make money, didn't I?"

Dad was infuriated by that. He snarled, "You call gambling and taking a loan from loan sharks an opportunity? Why do I have an ingrate like you for a son?"

Elijah sneered and staggered to his feet. "If not for your failed investment, I wouldn't need to resort to this!"

Just then, the loan sharks charged into the apartment. The man in the lead practically drooled when he saw me. "Well, well, well. I didn't expect you to have such a beautiful sister, Camden. I wouldn't have beaten you up if I'd known!"

He stalked toward me, wanting to grip my jaw. I dodged him, making him curl his lip in displeasure. "I guess this means you don't care about your family's lives."

"We lived in a civilized and law-abiding society. I'll call the cops on you if you dare touch me!" I snapped.

He laughed. "The cops? Your brother will be the first to be thrown behind bars if you do that. He owes us money and is refusing to pay us back, after all!"

Elijah immediately clung to my legs when he heard that. "You have to save me, Ellie! Have you forgotten about everything I've done for you?"

I glared at him. Before I could speak, the loan shark continued, "Spend a night with me, and I'll give you guys a few more days to gather the money."

A figure burst into the room before I had the chance to say anything. It was Neal, and he punched the man in the face. The latter crashed onto the floor.

Neal glared at him icily, looking like he was one step away from murder. "How dare a slug like you dare to make my woman sleep with you! You're asking for trouble!"

The man spat and was about to go on a rampage, but he scrambled backward at the sight of Neal's face. It was almost as if he'd seen the devil. He didn't even say a word as he fled with his lackeys.

Neal turned to me. All he said before leaving was, "I'll pick you up tomorrow."

Silence descended upon the living room once he was gone. No one cared why he'd suddenly shown up, nor did anyone wonder what he'd meant.

Elijah had quietly left at some point. Meanwhile, Dad said, "You have it rough."

Then, he and Mom went to the hospital, leaving me alone at home.

I looked at a photo of Neal and me, which I'd yet to put away. I sighed in resignation. It looked like I would have to spend my life under his oppression. It was time to accept my fate.

…

Time flew. I tossed and turned the whole night, unable to fall asleep. Shortly after the sky turned bright, someone knocked on the front door. I got dressed and answered it. Unexpectedly, it wasn't Neal.

"I'm Mr. Gray's driver, Ms. Camden. He sent me to pick you up," the man said.

My face was devoid of emotion as I followed him to the car like a puppet on strings. We soon arrived at our destination, and I was dazed as I got out of the car.

The place was the home I'd lived in before my family had gone bankrupt.

The bodyguards stationed at the entrance brought me to my room. I noticed the furnishings were almost identical to how they'd been in the past. The only difference was that a photo of Neal had replaced a family photo without him inside.

I knew someone had bought the place after we'd gone bankrupt, but I'd had no idea it was Neal.

"You're here. So, what do you think of the place? Is it familiar?" He approached me with a glass of red wine.

I subconsciously backed away. Even if I were an idiot, I knew what he wanted to do to me that day.

Neal wasn't angered by my actions. All he did was pull out a chair and sit down. "Do you remember what once happened here?"

He threw his wine glasses on the floor. As it shattered, my mind was taken back five years in the past.

Neal had just scored a huge project for his company. He'd wanted to bring his colleagues over for a meal and had begged me for a long time. I'd been in a good mood that day, so I agreed.

However, when I'd seen his female colleague clinging to him and pouring wine for him, I'd flipped. The blood had rushed to my head, filling me with anger and irritation.

I'd grabbed the wineglass from the woman and smashed it on the floor, uncaring what the others thought. "Do you think you're a big deal now that you've won this deal, Neal? You'll never be more than my family's dog! That's all you'll be, whether in life or death!"

Neal had been stunned. Then, his face had flushed from the humiliation.

I'd chased his colleagues out and said icily, "Since you like wine so much, lick it clean before you go to bed."

I jolted when I remembered that. I knew Neal wanted to get revenge on me, but I didn't expect him to start from there.

When he saw my reaction, he said, "I guess your memory isn't too bad, Ms. Camden. Let's begin, then."

He pointed at the floor. Tears filled my eyes. Though life had been hard as I'd worked hard to earn money to pay off my family's debts, the thought of having to kneel on the floor and lick the wine made me feel…

I smiled self-deprecatingly. Why hadn't I considered how Neal would feel when treating him like this in the past?

I slowly crouched and pressed myself to the floor. I was about to start licking when he lifted my face with his foot. "Hold it."