Julie broke away from Catherine, wiping the side of her eyes. She neither answered nor said anything. Only a bitter smile curved on her lips as she looked down.

Catherine didn't bother digging deeper and just gently tapped her on her shoulders.

"Alright. I've got a lot of work to do. After all, you didn't come by just to cry," she said, and Julie passed it off with a weak laugh.

Catherine then walked over to her shelf and looked around her display of expensive alcohol.

"You must be in luck tonight, little snow white. Your visit was timely. We currently have guests in that room, and though they're steps below Mr. William's league, they weren't half bad."

"I guess the heavens hadn't abandoned me yet," Julie said incredulously.

"You bet. Well, I guess this would suffice." Catherine picked out a bottle and showed it to Julie.

"Those bastards wouldn't be able to say no to you with this one," she said and smiled at her.

"I owe you one, Catherine."

Julie's heart swelled from the kindness this woman had always shown her.

"Don't sweat it. It's on the house. Stay here, and I'll go and fish you a good patron right away." Catherine winked and then left Julie alone in her office.

Julie relaxed on a couch, feeling at ease knowing Catherine would surely strike her a good deal. But the relief was only momentary when she grew nervous as time passed.

The clock on the wall had ticked ten-thirty, but there weren't any signs of Catherine returning yet. Julie started to think that scoring work and money might be impossible for her tonight.

She stood cradling her head and was about to message Catherine and tell her that she was leaving when the devil suddenly barged back in. And as soon as the door creaked open, Julie heard her cussing like thunder.

"Those jackasses! They're so hard to please these days! They kept on yapping about pure and naive girls! Are their brains ornamental? Would a girl like that even work here?! Bunch of dumb asshats!"

Julie stood there in shock throughout her ordeal. Someone must have pissed Catherine off. The woman just couldn't stop swearing.

"These are too slutty. These are fake virgins. Well, why don't you go to the fucking Buckingham Palace and snag yourself a princess, prince Charming?" Catherine spat, burning with sarcasm.

Julie didn't even have the time to calm her down. Catherine immediately dragged her into the dressing room before she could react. As they went in, Catherine rallied the other girls to help her get dressed.

The girls dolled Julie up and put her on a sailor-style school uniform. A white shirt with striped lapels, a pleated navy skirt with knee-high white socks, and a pair of square-toed black brogues. She looked just like a schoolgirl.

'Did they say pure and naive?' Julie thought, almost laughing at this ridiculousness.

After putting on lipstick and fixing her hair, Catherine dragged her into the lounge she had talked about earlier.

The lounge was illuminated mainly by dim lights and was full of men in suits, but those elegant clothes couldn't hide the ugliness rotting in their minds. They looked at her like wolves when she entered, and their gazes followed along as she and Catherine went further inside their den.

Catherine smiled at those men and pushed Julie towards a man in his thirties standing at their center, puffing a cigar.

"Mr. Thompson, this is Julie. She's a college student who had to take part-time jobs because of a few difficulties at home. She wasn't a professional," she said, pitching Julie out.

Julie glanced at Richard Thompson. He looked fairly attractive and refined, which gave Julie the impression that he must be much gentler than Kelvin.

'At least He didn't look like a pervert.' Julie sighed in her heart.

Richard looked at Julie's pink cheeks and her cute body. His facial expression softened upon seeing something he liked, and he asked, "What's your name? How old are you?"

Seeing the smile on Richard's face, Catherine felt relieved and quietly left the lounge.

"Twenty-one," Julie flatly answered.

"You don't look like a twenty-one-year-old. It seems like you're the same age as my daughter." Someone commented and smiled.

"What are you saying? You animal!" Another cracked out.

Richard also smiled and fiddled with Julie's hair. "Ignore them," he said and continued to ask, "Where are you studying?"

Julie answered his question and the questions after that. Richard's scrutinizing gaze changed to interest with each answer she gave.

Richard put off his cigar and slid his hand around her waist for a cuddle. "Have you ever been in love?" he hoarsely asked, laced with suggestive intentions.

Julie tensed up. Her body shuddered nervously upon their sudden close contact, arousing the men around her with this reaction.

Richard ran his fingertips across Julie's face. The softness of her skin flicked something inside him.

'This girl's skin was tender,' he thought.

Julie clutched her clothes with one hand and felt her heart beating like a drum.

Suddenly, the lounge's door burst open, and a sturdy shadow of a man entered, slowly approaching them. The drumming in her heart ended with a loud bang as the man's face gradually became more apparent.

Richard drew his hand off her and welcomed their guest with a smile, "Kelvin, what brought you here?"

Julie froze as if she had fallen into an ice cave. Kelvin broke up with her only yesterday, and now she was here. Somehow, she felt scared to death.

Kelvin didn't answer Richard's question and flopped down on the seat next to him.

Julie shrunk to the corner, letting her hair cover most of her face. Betting on sheer luck that Kelvin wouldn't recognize her. After all, didn't Catherine say she was lucky tonight?

Richard chatted with Kelvin for a while, though Kelvin didn't seem to respond enthusiastically to any topic. However, he noticed Kelvin's interest in the girl beside him was sky-high.

Richard looked at Julie and smiled. "Julie's pretty young, and she's probably shy," he noted, wrapping one arm around her shoulders.

Julie still kept her head down and didn't dare to look Kelvin in the eyes. But that somehow tugged a little on Richard's dark side. Well, of course. Why wouldn't he have that kind of side? No refined gentleman would attend these shady meetings after all.

His voice went cold as he asked, "What's the matter? Don't you know how to say hello to Mr. Williams?"

Julie had no choice but to raise her head. She looked pale as a ghost. And with a shaky voice, she whispered, "M...Mr. Williams."

Kelvin's lips slightly arched, forming a stiff smile on his face while his hands fiddled with a copper lighter.

An ominous silence broke over them, and it started to confuse everyone in the lounge. Moments later, Kelvin closed the lighter and pinned his gaze on Julie.

"What did you call me?"

"What did you call me?"

Kelvin's voice shook Julie to her bones, making her hitched. She caught her breath and raised her voice slightly, but it still dwindled by the end.

"Mr. Williams..." she said.

Kelvin smiled and casually leaned back in his chair without taking his eyes off Julie.

"You didn't call me that in the Andersons' mansion that day." He chuckled in mockery.

Julie's heartbeat quickened, and she didn't know where to look.

'Damn it! Coincidence or not, this mad dog's here to bite me!' she indignantly thought, clicking her tongue.

Surprise and confusion riddled Richard's face, and he looked at them in doubt. "Do you know each other?" he asked.

Kelvin stirred the pulley of the lighter and lit a cigarette.

"Ask Julie. Let her tell you the proper way to call me," he casually noted, setting Julie's seat on fire.

Richard looked at Julie profoundly. Demanding clarity with his silence.

Cursing Kelvin in her head, Julie steeled herself and endured the pressure. Left with only one escape route, she forced herself to do as told.

"Un–Uncle," Julie stuttered, hiding her face from shame.

Taking the win, Kelvin blew a cloud of smoke with a smile. "She's quite the prankster, isn't she?" he said as he slowly stood up and looked at Richard with a warning gaze.

"Thompson, I hope you don't mind," he calmly said, but it came out with heavy meaning.

The two men paused, staring at each other for a second before Richard laughed it off. He understood clearly despite Kelvin not saying anything more.

"Go ahead," he replied, taking a shot of rum.

Kelvin snuffed out his cigarette and scolded Julie like a stern elder. "How wild you are! Get out of here!" he said and headed out first.

With her head down, Julie stood up and obediently followed Kelvin out of the private lounge. They walked away a little further until Kelvin stopped and faced her.

"Tell me, what's going on?" he growled.

His eyes bore holes through her being as he looked at her outfit with intense judgment.

Julie pursed her lips and talked back, "It is as you can see."

Still, she didn't look at him.

Kelvin scoffed. "Aren't you afraid that Dylan Anderson won't let you go if he finds out?"

At this point, Julie stubbornly looked up and sneered at him, "Do you think he's qualified to control me?"

Kelvin laughed in exasperation. "You've abandoned yourself to vice." he snarled.

Julie felt attacked and humiliated. He knew nothing about her apart from them frolicking in bed. Who was he to judge her?

Affronted, she snarled back, "Mr. Williams, you and I already called it quits. You don't have to meddle with my affairs, so mind your own business, okay?"

With that, she turned and left without looking at his expression.

Kelvin watched Julie go away in disbelief. Even when they broke off their arrangements, Julie never talked back to him like that. Somehow, he felt a little annoyed.

Julie should have seen how those scumbags inside saw her. There wasn't a single one who didn't drool over her. Even Richard Thompson was fond of her.

'She wrapped herself up with that tight and short cosplay rags. If I didn't come tonight, would she stay with Richard?' Kelvin furiously thought.

"She's good at pretending to be both pure and sexy. Of course, ordinary men couldn't escape from her seduction," he scoffed.

Kelvin lost his interest in Julie after discovering her relationship with Dylan. But her uncharacteristic attitude to him tonight re-aroused his interest in her.

Recalling her defiant look as she talked back at him riled him up, making him smile in mischief.

Meanwhile, after Julie left Kelvin, she returned to the dressing room, huffing in anger. She took off her makeup, trembling in rage, and changed back to her clothes.

Since her business tonight got spoiled by Kelvin, she didn't want to stay here any longer. Just then, when she opened the door and was about to leave, she saw Jimmy standing outside waiting for her.

Julie pretended not to know nor see him and walked her way out. However, before she could get further, Catherine appeared like a fog and grabbed her arm.

Startled, she jolted and glanced at Catherine. She was smiling at Jimmy, but her eyes bore a glint of seriousness.

"Mr. Jimmy, are you looking for Julie?" Cheery, she asked.

Jimmy gently nodded and said, "Ms. Jones, Mr. Williams is waiting upstairs."

"Who wants to go upstairs? Let him wait as he wants. I'm not coming!" Julie released her arm from Catherine's grasp and walked off.

Waiving Catherine away, Jimmy glanced at his wrist and checked the time on his watch. "Miss Jones, you'd better not keep Mr. Williams waiting. You know his temper."

Julie stopped in her tracks, looked at Jimmy, and pursed her lips. That was a good threat that had her sit on the fence the second he said it. In the end, she nodded and followed him to Kelvin.

After leading her the way, Jimmy left Julie before one of the deluxe rooms at Feast. She didn't hesitate to walk in as soon as she got there, and the moment Julie opened the door, she found herself flooded with darkness.

Still, a bit of light from the floor lamp illuminated the room enough for her to see the man inside.

Kelvin sat on the couch next to the lamp, drinking. Half of his body was shrouded in the shadow, and Julie couldn't make out any of his expressions.

Julie stood still and didn't speak. Both of them were gauging each other in silence until Kelvin beckoned her.

"Come here."

However, Julie didn't move, annoying the hell out of Kelvin. He heavily put his glass on the tea table beside him and scowled.

Julie flinched, and though unwilling, she sauntered toward him. The second she got closer, Kelvin yanked her down to sit on his lap and took her arms.