As I opened the door and stepped out, Adrian called again.
“Wait—Number 18. Haven’t we met before?”
I froze, my shoulders tensing.
“Mr. Walker, I don’t understand what you mean. You’re a big boss, and I’m just a new hostess. How could we have met?”
I put on a strong local accent and raised my voice. The lounge fell silent for a moment, but before I could say more, loud voices echoed from the hallway.
“I want her! Who the hell are you to cut in?”
“She’s mine. I picked her first!”
Two guests were fighting over a hostess. In the chaos, I slipped away.
Later, I pretended I had a stomachache and begged Emily Smith to take my place in Adrian’s lounge.
“Fine, but you owe me two days’ worth of fried rice. Yours is too delicious to resist.”
I agreed, watching her enter Adrian’s lounge and not come out again. Finally, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Staring at my reflection in the glass door, I wondered—had he recognized me?
I remembered back at the Bennett estate, when I was still treated as the real daughter. Adrian often came with Mrs. Johnson to work. With him helping, Mrs. Johnson had more time to run her food stand selling fried rice.
Her fried rice was so good that I begged her to teach me. I learned perfectly. For that, I was truly grateful to Adrian’s mother.
Even now, I spent my free time running a small food stand myself, and business was decent.
Back then, Adrian had the face of a sweet puppy, which my adolescent heart adored.
I ordered him around constantly—fetching drinks, cleaning up—and when he apologized timidly, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Once, I made him hand-wash my clothes, forgetting to take out my underwear. He blushed furiously the whole time, while I scolded him with a red face of my own.
Then, for a long while, he stopped coming with Mrs. Johnson.
I asked Mrs. Bennett about it and learned that Adrian had a younger sister, Olivia, who was born with a congenital heart disease. They still hadn’t found a donor, and the treatments were overwhelmingly expensive.
Mr. Walker worked day and night to save for the surgery, sleeping only three hours a day. Before he could raise enough, he collapsed and died at work.
The family’s situation went from hard to unbearable.
I begged Mr. Bennett to help Olivia get a donor and used all my savings to cover her treatment.
Mrs. Johnson no longer had to juggle two jobs, and she was so grateful she practically overfed me.
Adrian still came by after school to help.
But no one else knew that he and I had struck a deal.
I would cover Olivia’s medical expenses. In return, Adrian had to be my secret lover.
More precisely—my bed partner.
I gave him my first time, and he gave me his.
We were both so inexperienced that during our first time, he couldn’t even find the right place.
I ordered him around in everything, and he never once said no.
Among our circle, people whispered that he was my pet dog—a very obedient one.
I laughed every time I heard it.
Once, lying in his arms, I asked if he’d be willing to be my little puppy forever.
