Chapter 3 Price for One Night

“Oh, isn’t this Ms. Duffy, Mr. Humphrey’s wife? What? You came for drinks? Eh? If it’s drinks you want, why are you in a uniform?”

Laughter erupted. I tightened my grip on the cart handles and took a deep breath. It didn’t matter; they’d seen me, and they meant to humiliate me anyway. I couldn't escape. I might as well bite the bullet and try to sell them alcohol. Perhaps I could even get a tip.

The creditors were pressing harder, my dad constantly threatening suicide, my mom crying daily. Quentin had become a deliveryman just to make ends meet. How could I possibly care about insignificant self-esteem or pride now?

I walked toward them, pushing the cart, maintaining a stiff yet courteous smile. "Small world. Since you're here, why not buy something from me? If you like it, a tip would be nice."

Zane smacked his tongue and shook his head, laughing. This guy used to flatter Quentin and me constantly, his tongue coated in honey. Now that my family was broke, he thought he could strut around. I wanted to whack his face! But this wasn’t the time for willfulness; the tip was crucial. I kept my smile in place and said nothing more.

Suddenly, Zane leaned in, gloating. "Well, well, is this still the haughty Ms. Duffy I know? It's only been a while since I saw you. How did you end up like this? How sad…"

Everyone howled again. Reese leered at me. "You want us to buy something from you? Buy what? In a place like this, don't tell me you're referring to your body. Haha. If you are, you'll have to strip yourself first so we can examine the product. If it's bad, we can't pay. Hahaha."

Grabbing a bottle of wine, I turned to Reynaldo. He was smoking silently, as if his companions' obscene remarks didn't register. Or perhaps, he simply didn’t care.

I looked down, placing the bottles of wine on the counter. Then I smiled. "Guys, you misunderstood. I was referring to the wine. We're acquaintances, after all. For old times' sake, if you want wine, please buy it from me. Then, I can get the commission."

"Why, you're so strapped for cash now?" Zane slammed a card onto the table. As if discussing charity, he said, "There's five thousand dollars in this card. Get down. Bark like a dog. Then, the money is yours. What do you say?"

His words triggered another fit of laughter and mocking whistles. Onlookers stared, intrigued. Even Reynaldo looked at me, his face calm, but his eyes too deep to decipher.

Seeing I didn't move, Reese also flung a card onto the table. "Here. Take this fifteen thousand dollars, too. Bark like a dog, and spend the night with us. Then, you can take both bank cards."

I looked at Reese, petrified. My family might be poor, but I was still Reynaldo’s wife. How dare Reese say that in Reynaldo’s presence? Unless Reynaldo had told them about our divorce and expressed his hatred for me, they wouldn’t have dared to humiliate me like this in front of him.

"What? Don't you want money? If you can't forsake your self-esteem, how can you make money?" Reese scoffed. "We're offering a high price. On the street, you'd have to solicit many times to make so much."

Yes, I desperately needed money. What was the point of holding onto impractical self-esteem? But there was still a bottom line. Reese's evil, frivolous smile nauseated me.

I picked up his card, threw it back at him, and raised my voice. "You think fifteen thousand dollars is enough to spend one night with me? Try 1.5 million dollars!"

I knew Reese. He came from an ordinary family, idled around, and liked to pretend to be generous, but in fact, he was petty. When he lived off Quentin and me, he was even too miserly to buy a purse for his girlfriend. Making him pay 1,500 dollars would be like killing him. The fact that he was willing to spend 15,000 dollars just to humiliate me proved how much he loathed me. "Was I so unlikable?" I couldn't help but wonder.

"Hahaha. Reese, you're too stingy. She's the daughter of the formerly powerful Duffy family, after all. How can you only offer fifteen thousand dollars for one night with her?" someone ridiculed.

Reese’s face flushed. He glared at me and commented disdainfully, "I'm already offering too high a price."

I ignored him. Instead, I picked up Zane’s card and asked, "You mean it? If I bark like a dog, the money is mine?" Zane was surprised I'd take it seriously. He was as cheap as Reese; most likely, the 5,000 dollars was all he had.

"You're always arrogant and conceited," he said awkwardly. "How can you possibly bark like a dog in front of us? You're kidding me." He tried to take the card back.

I moved it away and said seriously, "I'm not kidding. It's just barking. How hard can it be? A few barks and 5,000 dollars is mine. It's easy money. Why would I refuse?"

Zane looked rueful, staring at the card, wishing to snatch it away. Reese smirked. "Then, bark. Let us see how the formerly powerful Ms. Duffy waggles her tail like a dog."

I pushed my pride aside. All I could think of were the hideous faces of the creditors, my devastated parents’ tears, and how hard Quentin worked. I took a deep breath. "Alright."

Before I could drop to my knees, a big hand elevated my elbow. I turned my head in confusion. When I saw Reynaldo's intense eyes, my heart pounded.

"You all go," he said coolly to the men. Too afraid to upset him, everyone moved toward the door. As Zane left, he didn't forget to snatch his card back from me. It was absurd.

Reynaldo fixed his eyes on me. "You want money so much?"

I withdrew my elbow from his hand and moved away. "Mr. Humphrey, question asked, and question answered." After the collapse, my family was deep in debt. Everyone in Freybourne knew it, and of course, so did he.

"Mr. Humphrey?" Reynaldo repeated with a chuckle. I didn't know what he was thinking, nor was I in the mood to chat with him. Pointing to the bottles of wine on the counter, I said, "Mr. Humphrey, this is the wine you and your companions ordered. I delivered it. If you're satisfied with my service, a tip would be fine."

Reynaldo stared at me silently. I couldn't figure him out. When I mentioned the tip, I wasn't actually hoping to get one from him. Smiling, I turned to leave. Suddenly, Reynaldo said, "I'll give you 1.5 million dollars."

I stopped in my tracks and looked at him in disbelief. "What did you say?"

He walked up to me and looked me in the eye. "I'll give you 1.5 million dollars. Spend the night with me."