Step-mother.

The man who had just kissed Claudia appeared to be in his late fifties.

He wore blue shorts and a red shirt.

He sucked on Claudia's lower lip, making her stomach churn in disgust.

The eyes of Claudia widened in horror, and her fingers curled into tight fists as she fought the overwhelming urge to shove him away.

All she wanted was to push him off and vomit.

Seconds later, Mr. Harold pulled away, though his hands remained on Claudia cheeks, giving them a gentle pinch.

“Your father is such a jerk,” he muttered, his eyes trailing over her from head to toe.

Claudia said nothing. She was too stunned! Too repulsed by what had just happened.

She wanted to scream but she just nodded, like a good girl.

“Did he just kiss me?” she wondered, her brows furrowing in disbelief. “Did my dad actually sell me to this old man? Someone old enough to be my grandfather? And why would a man his age want a virgin wife?”

Tears threatened to roll down from Claudia’s eyes, but she held them in. She didn’t want to upset her so-called husband and risk being sent back to her father’s house.

“Besides, he seemed like someone who would love me genuinely… right?”

“Eve, take my precious baby to her room,” Mr. Harold said, pulling his hand away from Claudia’s cheeks as he turned his gaze to Evelyn, giving her a soft nod.

Evelyn returned the nod, then gently took the wrist of Claudia’s right hand. “Come on,” she purred warmly, leading Claudia into the mansion.

The moment Claudia stepped inside, she was welcomed by the astonished beauty of the sitting room. The elegant interior design was breathtaking.

“Go and freshen up, then meet me in my room,” Mr. Harold said, directing his words at Claudia.

She gave a forced nod and shut the sitting room door behind her.

Evelyn led her toward the staircase, and they climbed to a hallway lined with several locked doors.

When they reached a particular door, Evelyn opened the door and stepped inside. “This room belongs to you and Mr. Harold will be waiting for you at the last room at the end of this hallway,” she said.

Claudia trailed behind Evelyn, stunned at the sight of the large bed in front of her.

When she lived with her father, Claudia had always slept on a worn-out bed that looks like what was taken out of the dumpster.

Claudia exhaled loudly. “So… so the man who just kissed me is Mr. Harold, right?” she asked, stuttering.

Evelyn nodded. “That’s correct. He’s your husband, and like you heard earlier, he wants you to get dressed and meet him,” she explained. “Also, you need to wear what’s inside the gift box on the bedside table.”

Claudia nodded. “Thanks,” she whispered and with that, Evelyn excused herself out of the room.

As soon as the door closed, Claudia wiped her lips with the back of her hand and rushed into the bathroom to rinse her mouth.

‘Fuck,’ she cursed beneath her breath.

After washing her lips, Claudia let out a loud sigh.

Claudia had wanted to wipe her lips but refrained, fearing Mr. Harold and Evelyn  would see it as disrespectful.

Now that Claudia felt a little less disgusted, she let out a shaky breath.

“Does my husband want me to freshen up so he can consummate the marriage? Or should I try to find a way to pay off my father’s debt?”

Claudia shook her head, disagreeing with her inner thoughts. ‘I can’t even afford a proper meal, so paying Mr. Harold is a hard task. Besides, I won’t mind being his wife, as long as I live in this beautiful mansion,’ Claudia thought.

With that in mind, Claudia took a quick bath and then wrapped a white towel across her chest.

She headed straight to the bedside table where a gift box wrapped in a red ribbon lay waiting for her.

Claudia opened the box and pulled out a pair of red g-string panties and a matching red bra.

“What the hell,” she spat with her face twisted into a frown as she slipped into the underwear.

Once dressed, Claudia walked back to the bathroom, grabbed a white bathrobe, and slipped it on to cover herself.

Then, she packed her hair into a neat ponytail and stood still, pondering for some time being.

Exhale!

‘You can do this, Claudia. It’s just sex… and it’ll come with a life of freedom,’ she whispered to herself while making her way out of the room and down the hallway where Evelyn had directed her to.

The moment Claudia opened the door, she froze.

A young, handsome man with damp black crew-cut hair sat at the edge of the bed wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs.

A smug smirk curled his lips.

His chiseled chest boasted a mesmerizing six-pack, and his legs were spread wide, a thick bulge pressing against the fabric of his boxer brief, straining to be set free.

“Umm… I think I’m in the wrong ro…”

“Come over here, baby,” the young man whispered, cutting Claudia off mid-sentence as he rose from the bed, closed the distance between the both of them before grabbing Claudia’s wrist.

“I’m going to take such good care of you tonight that all you’re going to remember is begging me to go harder on you,” he added seductively, pushing Claudia gently onto the bed, drawing a soft gasp from her lips.

Claudia was too mesmerized by his striking features to speak. Her words failed her, leaving her tongue-tied but deep down, confusion churned within her.

‘Did my father sell me to Mr. Harold, this man… or did he sell me into prostitution? And is that why they insisted on a virgin?’

Questions swirled through her mind, but not a single answer surfaced.

The handsome young man climbed onto the bed on all fours, caging her beneath him.

He leaned in, his lips brushing against her neck as he began to nibble gently at her skin.

“Sebastian!” a young lady yelled in rage as she stormed into the room and yanked the handsome man’s towards the other side of the bed, forcing him to sit opposite Claudia.

Claudia quickly sat up too, tightening the robe around her body.

“What the hell, Sebastian? I told you I was coming! You couldn’t wait?”

Sebastian shifted his gaze from the angry lady to Claudia, clearly confused. “I thought… aren’t you… wait! Who the hell are you?” he asked the lady.

She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “The girl you messaged half an hour ago to meet you up."

“Oh,” Sebastian murmured, then turned back to Claudia. “So who the hell are you, then?”

“Umm… I’m… I’m Mr. Harold’s wife,” Claudia stammered, feeling a rush of awkwardness.

She had genuinely believed Mr. Harold wanted her to sleep with Sebastian.

‘Isn’t that why he told me to get dressed and come to this room?’ she questioned silently, her stomach twisting with confusion and growing anger.

“Wha… what the hell!” Sebastian’ snapped,’eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you… are you my stepmom?”