Olivia emerged from the bath and dried herself with a towel. She wrapped the towel around her body as she staggered into her room, her mind clouded with thoughts. The dungeon raid her guild had scheduled was just days away, and her supplies were running low. She needed to visit the market to get those restocked.

  But upon entering the dimly lit room, her train of thought was interrupted, and she paused in her steps. Damien was still there, sitting on the bed, waiting for her. Olivia deliberately stayed in the bath longer just to avoid seeing his face again, but there he was.

  “Took you long enough.” He spoke with a smirk that made Olivia’s stomach twist.

  “Why are you still here, Damien?” Olivia replied.

  “I wanted to give you something.” Damien got up from the bed, half-naked and only wearing a pair of trousers. His muscles glistened with sweat as he rose. Damien’s body was lean rather than bulky, each muscle finely sculpted as if meticulously carved from marble. His fwless physique, paired with his chiseled jawline and deep brown eyes, made him an object of desire for every woman, except for Olivia. She knows exactly how much of a monster Damien is. Beneath the facade of a handsome young man, he is a predator who takes great pleasure in exploiting and torturing defenseless women. Damien has toyed with numerous women in this way and discarded them when he lost interest. Olivia knows this because she is one of his pythings.

  He pulled out a ft rectangur box from his backpack, which he had left in a corner of the room, and handed it to Olivia. "It's a gift for you.”

  “Gift?” Olivia hesitantly took the box in one hand while holding the towel with the other.

  “Yeah, it’s been a while since I gave you a gift. I hope you like it.” He shot Olivia another smirk. “Open it!”

  Olivia stood still with the box in hand. Her mind raced.

  “Open it!” Demien said again, this time a little bit more forcefully, and it startled Olivia.

  “I… I will. Let me get dressed first”.

  “In case I was unclear, that wasn’t a request.” Damien’s tone was full of malice. “Open it. NOW!”

  Olivia felt as though her legs were starting to give out. She was afraid of him, afraid of how much power Damien had over her life. With trembling hands, she opened the box. Inside was a bck colored revealing dress. Olivia had seen women wearing such dresses in brothels and dance bars. The silky smooth top half of the dress was transparent, designed for viewing pleasure. The lower part of the dress covering the groin area was made from the same material, but the fabric was a bit denser and less transparent, leaving some elements to the viewer’s imagination.

  “Go ahead. Wear it!” Damien’s menacing voice startled Olivia once again.

  “What? Why?” Olivia tried to gather up courage and protest.

  “Because I told you to,” Damien replied.

  Olivia could protest no longer. She took the transparent garment with trembling fingers and retreated silently to the bathroom. Minutes ter, she came out wearing that perverted lingerie.

  Olivia stood in the dimly lit chamber, trembling as she faced Damien. The thin, almost ethereal fabric hugged every curvature of her body, deepening her humiliation. Her breasts were on full dispy through the thin yer of the fiber. Every breath she took seemed to tighten the garment’s grip around her body. It also heightened Olivia’s awareness of Damien’s intense gaze upon her. She could feel his eyes lingering over her form, savoring every detail of her helplessness.

  "You look stunning in that dress, Olivia," Damien murmured.

  Olivia clenched her fists in anguish. "Why are you doing this to me? Haven't you humiliated me enough?"

  Damien’s smirk widened. He stepped forward towards Olivia. “What are you talking about? I bought you brand-new lingerie.” Damien checked her out by encircling Olivia and hugged her from behind. “I wanted to see how it looks on you. You definitely look very sexy in this dress.” His fingers trailed along her bare shoulder.

  Olivia flinched as Damien’s hand roamed all over her body, starting from her colrbone, to her breasts, to her stomach, and continued towards the nether region. Olivia felt her stomach twist in disgust.

  “Please… stop,” she whispered, tears stinging in the corners of her eyes. Her ears and cheeks were turning bright red. She stopped Damian’s advancement by gabbing his hand tighyly.

  “And what if I don’t?” Damien’s voice darkened as he gripped her waist tightly with his other hand. "What are you going to do, Olivia?” His hand moved lower and squeezed her buttocks with force. Olivia let out an involuntary gasp of pain.

  “That's the sound I want to hear,” he whispered against her ear. “I know you enjoy it a lot when I py with your body. Just half an hour ago, you were letting out those beautiful moans as I was ravaging you. You can’t hide your feelings from me.”

  Olivia forcefully broke free from his grasp. She tried to cover herself with her hands, but Damien approached and opened her arms. “Don't hide them, Olivia. Let me see those puppies.”

  “You… you are the worst human being I have seen in my entire life. I hope you die a painful death.” Olivia screamed, gritting her teeth. A spark of defiance fred in her chest.

  “Aww. Don't be so mean. Trust me, there are much darker monsters in this world. I am nothing compared to them." He tilted his head, pretending to think. “So, should we go for another round?"

  “Never! I already did what you asked me to do. Now leave!” Olivia spat out, resisting her urge to cry.

  Damien clicked his tongue. “Sorry, what was that? I did not hear it properly. Can you please repeat it?” He took his ears before Olivia’s mouth, expecting a response. Hearing nothing, he spoke slowly in a sinister tone, “For a moment, I thought you were ordering me to leave.”

  Olivia squeezed her eyes shut. "Please, Damien. Please stop humiliating me. I beg of you." Tears fell from the corners of her eyes.

  Damien’s lips curled into a wicked grin. "Begging is a good start.” He released Olivia’s hands, sat down on the couch, and leaned back. “Do you know how much it costs to keep your brother alive? Four gold coins! That's the cost of the mana purification your brother needs every week. Without it, he would face a slow and painful death within a week.” He paused briefly and continued, “As far as I recall, it was you who came to me, asking for help. You told me you'd do anything for me if I kept him alive. I'm keeping my end of the bargain. So, if you dare to show me that attitude of yours, be ready to start begging on the streets.”

  The weight of those words crashed down on Olivia like a tidal wave. "I... I already let you do whatever you wanted with me. You've pyed with my emotions and used me like a toy. What more do you want?" she sobbed.

  “It’s true. I really enjoyed our time together,” Damine ughed. “But what can I do? I can't stay with one single woman for too long. It's just not in my nature. I don't feel that much… what do they call it… attraction… for you anymore. That’s why I’ve come up with a pn.”

  Olivia listened in horror as Damien expined, “You see, Mr. Hastewood is an important client of mine. He is investing a great deal of money in my business, so I had to comply when he requested a night of fun, with wine and women. I was searching for an attractive girl who could satisfy him. Then I remembered about you. You would be the perfect match for him.”

  Olivia recoiled in disgust. "You bastard! I’m not sleeping with anyone for you."

  Damien’s expression darkened. “Oh, you will. You have to. Let me remind you if you’ve forgotten. For the past six months, I have spent forty gold coins to keep your brother alive, and out of which you have managed to return only twenty. Ignoring the interest, you still owe me twenty gold coins. You have to repay that somehow.” He looked straight at Olivia’s mortified face.

  Damien got up from the couch and cupped Olivia’s chin, making her look into his eyes. He whispered, “Don't worry, I’ll be there with Mr. Hastewood. I can’t leave you alone with a stranger, after all. But I promise I’ll just watch. I won’t touch. Hahaha…” He ughed loudly.

  “You’re a monster,” Olivia choked out in tears.

  Damien suddenly grabbed a fistful of Olivia’s wet hair and yanked her head back. Olivia cried out in pain as a result of this sudden onsught. Damien ignored her cry and hissed in her ears, "Yes, I am a monster. If you dont want it to happen, then pay up, bitch. Your tears mean nothing to me. I know you are going for a dungeon raid. I will give you two weeks to return and pay me back. If you can’t repay me by two weeks from now, I’ll start selling your body. And I will make sure that you suffer. So you better prepare yourself."

  Tears streamed down Olivia’s face in pain, yet she remained silent. Damien suddenly released her, grabbed his shirt, and stormed out of the room. Olivia stood frozen. She could hear his footsteps receding, the main door creaking open, and then smming shut.

  The world's weight crushed her chest as Damien finally left. Olivia id on the floor, curling into herself, wrapping her arms around her trembling body. Invisible hands seemed to choke the very life out of her. This world seemed too painful to live in.

  Olivia broke down in tears. Tears streamed down her face as she sank into the shadows of the room. The darkness enveloped her silent sobs. Olivia’s thoughts drifted to her brother—his frail body on that bed, clinging to life. She remembered her promise: “I will find the cure for this curse. Till then, I will keep you alive. I will not allow you to die.”

  Olivia recalled her conversation in the guild room when she had opposed the raid the previous day. A derisive ugh escaped her as she reflected on her words. Risky? Not enough information? How could she have been so naive? She had forgotten that she had no choice. Regardless of the danger, she needed to participate in the raid to obtain resources from the dungeon. This was the only way to safeguard her brother's life and her own from predators. If she were to die doing it, so be it. It would be better to die once for real than to die like this every day, piece by piece.