Dangerous Arrangement

Jasmine stared for a moment at the shards of glass scattered across the floor, the result of her clumsy hands accidentally knocking over a glass. She slowly lifted her gaze and found a man already standing right in front of her. His presence asserted authority, while another muscular figure remained in place, as if to show who their leader was.

“What do you want?!” Jasmine exclaimed, her hands clenched tightly, trying not to be intimidated by the men facing her alone.

“Tell me your name,” said the man Jasmine assumed was the leader. His gaze was sharp, and his tone full of menace.

Jasmine didn’t want to reveal anything about herself to the stranger who had barged into her house, so she didn’t answer.

Her uncompromising stance only made the man smirk as he took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one. As time passed, he smoked calmly in front of the woman who looked at him disapprovingly.

“Is it that simple, you can’t say it?”

A bespectacled man suddenly stepped forward, presenting a mysterious document. “Here’s the data you requested, Mr. Hawthorne.”

The man with the intense aura of power, now known to Jasmine as Mr. Hawthorne, read the document in his hand. “Hiding it won’t do you any good. I can have my henchmen find out about you, Jasmine Everhart.”

The bespectacled man swiftly took over the document as Mr. Hawthorne handed it back, then he slowly retreated.

Cigarette smoke lingered in the air as Mr. Hawthorne dropped the cigarette he had only taken a few puffs from and stomped it out.

“Where is your father?”

The sharp question left Jasmine shocked and confused. “Why... my father?”

“Let’s cut to the chase,” said Mr. Hawthorne firmly. “Your father ran off with my money, and I don’t know where he’s hiding now. Do you know where your father is?”

“No way...” Jasmine muttered in disbelief.

Mr. Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean no way?”

Jasmine swallowed hard. “My father would never steal someone else’s money. H—he...!”

Jasmine’s vision swirled, somewhat dizzy from the situation forcing her to confront these men alone. Her heart pounded, and sweat already soaked her body.

Jasmine tried to focus, striving to defend her father’s good name. “My father is not that kind of person!” she declared loudly.

Mr. Hawthorne moved forward as Jasmine stepped back. At that moment, she cried out as her foot stepped on the glass shards, causing her to freeze in place.

Mr. Hawthorne grabbed Jasmine’s chin. “So, you mean I’m hallucinating?”

Jasmine used both hands to try to free herself. It wasn’t easy because the more she struggled, the stronger his grip became.

“I hate people who steal from me the most. Now, all you need to do is pay your father’s debt before I run out of patience.”

Jasmine whimpered, and tears already began to fall from her eyes, landing on Mr. Hawthorne’s fingers. He harshly released his grip.

Jasmine held her cheek, trembling. She knew she needed to end their meeting by any means necessary. “I—I don’t have any money right now, but if you give me time to pay it off—“

Mr. Hawthorne sneered. “Can you come up with a hundred thousand dollars overnight?”

“One—one hundred thousand dollars?!”

Jasmine’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. It was impossible for her to gather that amount overnight. Besides, why would her father run off with that much money?

Somehow, Jasmine felt guilty about this incident, remembering her father working hard alone to make sure they had a good life. She knew he worked hard to send her to college, and maybe he stole the money to make their lives better.

Jasmine sighed, still unable to believe her father would resort to such a bad method. “Please give me one week. I promise I’ll pay off all my father’s debts to you,” she pleaded.

“Don’t try to fool me. Even if you had a lifetime, it would be impossible for you to pay it off. Do you think I don’t investigate my workers? Your father is a hopeless man who begged me to support his only daughter. Now he’s forgotten his roots, and you want me to trust the daughter of a traitor?”

Jasmine immediately knelt at Mr. Hawthorne’s feet, undeterred despite her bleeding foot. “Mr. Hawthorne, please give me a chance,” she whispered.

Mr. Hawthorne looked down at Jasmine, begging with tear-filled eyes. Perhaps the old him would have felt pity, but now things were vastly different.

“You must pay it back right this moment.”

“W—with what? We have nothing of value.”

Mr. Hawthorne’s expression turned cruel. “With your life because that’s the only thing valuable enough to repay it. You will stay by my side and do only as I command.”

The silence felt heavy, as if absorbing every word that left Mr. Hawthorne’s lips. Those words struck Jasmine like a bolt of lightning.

How could I stay by this horrible man’s side for an indefinite time? Jasmine thought to herself.

“Miss Everhart, I should warn you that defying my words is equivalent to asking for death.”

“I..."

“Let me tell you the only way to escape from me.”

Mr. Hawthorne slowly knelt, one knee on the floor. He lifted Jasmine’s chin with a touch of his thumb and forefinger. “Your father is your last way out if he’s still alive.” The corners of his lips lifted into a smirk.

Jasmine shivered, almost unable to breathe. The terrifying gaze and sharp words pierced straight into her heart.

“Take this girl away, without the glass and blood on her feet,” Mr. Hawthorne ordered.

Mr. Hawthorne stood and exited the cramped house. His presence commanded respect from his henchmen, who couldn’t enter and had to wait outside.

Mr. Hawthorne waited in the car for a while. Jasmine entered after her feet were treated and bandaged by the bespectacled man who introduced himself as Mr. Hawthorne’s secretary.

With a soft rumble, the engine started. The cabin door closed, and Jasmine tried to create as much distance as possible from Mr. Hawthorne in the passenger seat. The car moved after receiving Mr. Hawthorne’s command, carrying them into a tense silence.

Jasmine stole glances at the man beside her, though uncertainty still clouded her mind. After deliberating for a long time, she finally spoke up, “Where... are we going?”

“Pinnacle Heights Suites.”

“W—what... P—pi...?”

Mr. Hawthorne sighed. “Pinnacle, Heights, Suites.”

Jasmine tried to understand Mr. Hawthorne’s lip movements, attempting to grasp their destination.

Mr. Hawthorne noticed the confusion on Jasmine’s face. He turned back to the road, saying, “I don’t know why I should have to pronounce it for someone like you.”

“What do you want me to do at that place?”

“You’ll find out later.”

Jasmine bowed her head, suppressing the fear that continued to envelop her. In the confusion creeping into her mind, she wondered what awaited her ahead.

“Am I going to work to pay off my father’s debt?” That was the only thought occupying Jasmine’s mind now.

Mr. Hawthorne looked at Jasmine sharply, his expression reflecting disapproval. “Don’t make me repeat myself. I don’t like it.” His voice filled the cabin with an increasingly thick dark aura.

Jasmine lost the courage to speak further, so she just bowed her head or let her gaze drift out the window.

After some time, the car’s wheels passed through the gate and stopped in front of a building. Someone opened the door for them, first Mr. Hawthorne and then Jasmine, the newcomer.

“Follow me,” said Mr. Hawthorne, his steps steady towards the front door of the building.

Jasmine walked behind him, entering the building’s interior, which exuded an exclusive aura. The receptionist bowed upon noticing Mr. Hawthorne’s arrival. There, Jasmine saw the words Pinnacle Heights Suites affixed to the wall, reminding her of the conversation in the car earlier.

“Why?”

Mr. Hawthorne’s deep voice broke her reverie. Jasmine shook her head and followed his steps leading to the elevator.

Ding!

Mr. Hawthorne strode out of the elevator, with Jasmine following hesitantly. The dim light of the corridor greeted them, the elegant accents on the walls seemingly absorbing the silence. The soft carpet muffled their footsteps, adding to Jasmine’s anxiety.

Mr. Hawthorne opened the penthouse door, using a smart sensor that automatically detected his presence. The door opened smoothly. The sophistication that Jasmine witnessed left her agape.

As they crossed the threshold, the atmosphere of luxury enveloped them. Soft lighting embraced the room, illuminating the elegant furniture and art displayed gracefully in the penthouse. Jasmine was captivated for so long that she didn’t realize Mr. Hawthorne was now standing in front of her, observing her eyes’ movement.

In a firm voice, Mr. Hawthorne declared, “From now on, until your father is found, you will stay in this penthouse.”

Confusion immediately overwhelmed Jasmine. “What?”

“Don’t think your presence here is for leisure.”

“Understood!”

Mr. Hawthorne frowned. “Understood? You haven’t even been told what work you’ll be doing."

Jasmine scratched her temple. "That’s... because I wasn’t allowed to ask."

Mr. Hawthorne pointed at Jasmine's face with a serious expression. "You’re here to be my mistress, to serve me. That’s why you’re here."

"Mis—tress?"

As if unable to fully grasp the situation, Jasmine was too late to be shocked. Her pupils trembled as she slowly took a step back. "No, Sir... I—"

Mr. Hawthorne laughed broadly, instilling fear in Jasmine’s eyes. "Don’t be so surprised, Miss Everhart. I’ve only just begun."

Jasmine understood the meaning of a mistress, a term that implied an extramarital relationship and was considered unethical. At that moment, she was being demeaned, while the man standing before her looked very satisfied with that terrifying laugh.

In the darkness of the room, Jasmine's body was thrown onto the bed as if cast into a nightmarish dream world. She quickly sat up and edged backward, keeping a wary eye on one direction—Mr. Hawthorne, the man who was a threat to her.

"P—please... don't...!" Jasmine pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Mr. Hawthorne loosened his tie and then stepped onto the bed. "Thomas must understand the consequences of his actions. He will lose the happiness of the daughter he fought so hard for."

"My father will come! He will come and bring you the money, we just need to wait a little longer—"

Jasmine's words stopped as Mr. Hawthorne gripped her shoulders, making her lose contact with the bed she had just sat on. The man's body loomed over her, his sadistic gaze growing closer and shaking her very existence.

"Stop saying impossible things. Your father will not escape my grasp when he returns!"

"I will do anything, except become your mistres