Clarissa froze, staring at Pierce in bewilderment. "What... What do you mean by saying this?" she asked with her lips trembling slightly with nervousness.
Pierce sighed, then swallowed his saliva as if preparing to speak. He stared at Clarissa intensely, then pressed their fingers together.
"I want you, I realized that I loved you from the first time I saw you," he said very gently. "Since the first time we met, I couldn't sleep well because I kept thinking about you...I always thought about how to free you from that brothel because I want to have you, to make you happy….although I don't know if you will love me back, I keep trying to plan very carefully so that I can take you away from the brothel and lead you to a more decent life like a normal girl."
Clarissa was silent with an unexpected look because it turned out that Pierce loved her and had always thought about her since the first time they met. It looked like she had always thought about it, always hoped for it but had time to feel pessimistic. she didn't know what to say because there was still some awkwardness and of course, she wasn't used to dealing with this kind of situation because before she had always been the subject of insults and abuse.
Pierce throw away Clarissa's hair to slightly cover her cheek, then tucked it behind her ear.
"Do you want to accept me as your love?" he asked.
"I… I don't know," Clarissa replied nervously, then swallowed her saliva and lowered her head. There is a sense of wanting to accept the man but there is a fear because he might just charm her, make her fall in love, and finally she is only left. After all, she is just a whore girl.
"Have you been in love with other men all this time? Do you have a boyfriend or do you have a crush on someone else?" asked Pierce.
Clarissa shook her head.
"Then what makes you hesitate? Am I less attractive to you?" Pierce asked again with a slightly disappointed look. "Am I not worthy of you... Maybe I'm not as handsome as your customer?"
"No, that's not true at all," Clarissa answered, looking up sadly at Pierce.
"So what?"
"I don't know... I think I think this is too special," Clarissa said with her face bent and her eyes teary. "I never imagined there would be this kind of situation in my life because I'm just a prostitute. You're too perfect, I don't feel right for you... I still can't believe that a perfect man like you wants me who is just a whore..it's hard to believe... Very hard," she continued.
"But the truth is, it's like this. I want you no matter what your background is," said Pierce with a sad look at Clarissa. "Never think that you are lowly because of your status as a prostitute..that's not true at all because you never wanted to be a prostitute, right? That's why I brought you here because this will be your place... You're not going back to that brothel again."
"But ..."
"Believe me….I sincerely do all this and I will never hurt you or deceive you," Pierce said then took his wallet which was tucked away in his trouser pocket. He opened the wallet and showed his ID cards. "You must understand that I am here with you at all costs. my honesty...I intend to change your fate because love makes me blind and wants to make you happy with me... I beg you to believe me..."
Clarissa fell silent with her face bent, staring at the identity cards lined up in Pierce's palms. She felt trust in the man, and it was time she could be free from Nicole's rights. the girl thought that if he might only love her for a moment, at least she could go far and not have to go back to the brothel, but she couldn't deny that she was reminded of Daisy who also needed freedom.
"Please, trust me," Pierce said pleadingly.
"I trust you, but I feel like I can't be free without my friend," Clarissa said sadly.
"Your friend?" Pierce frowned and remembered that Clarissa and Daisy were often seen together when he came to the brothel. "Do you mean Daisy?"
"Yeah... she's my best friend...I and her are like brothers and we promised each other that we would leave the brothel together. He doesn't want to be free without me and I can't be free without her either," Clarissa explained.
Pierce smiled faintly, looking at the very worried Clarissa.
"Why are you even smiling?" Clarissa asked curiously.
"You don't have to worry about her because she will be free like you...It's just that she's free because Mr. Alexander paid Madam Nicole a lot of money to redeem her, unlike you," Pierce explained casually but ended by bending his face. "I told my friend to buy you with him using a fake name. I did that on purpose so that when you don't come back to the brothel, Madam Nicole and her people won't be able to find you or suspect that I hid you because I didn't buy you earlier."
"But your friend could be in danger," Clarissa said, immediately remembering Gery's face.
"You don't have to worry because he's probably on his way to London right now. He's not an American... He's only here for work," Pierce explained. "You don't have to worry about him because he'll be safe. Maybe, for now, you'll just be in this apartment or its surroundings, and still have to hide from Nicole and her people. But I promise one day I'll make you feel free. ....free to go anywhere with me without fear of them catching you again...."
Clarissa was silent with emotion because of happiness and did not expect that Pierce was so serious about releasing her. Even though they had never known each other before, had never talked... Previously they just stared at each other from a distance and it turned out that that gaze carried love that made the man willing to do anything to set her free. .without feeling the clear droplets falling from her eyelids, the girl cried because she was finally free from the shackles of the world of prostitution or sex slaves.
"Don't cry," Pierce said, shaking his head and wiping Clarisa's tears with his thumb.
Clarissa shook her head and said, "I just… I just didn't think my wish would finally come true. I was able to be free together with my friends and I found the love that was previously impossible for me. It's a miracle ... it's like God's answer to my prayer."
Pierce smiled in relief, glad that Clarissa was happy with what she was doing.
"Don't be sad anymore, from now on don't be sad anymore," he said and hugged the girl.
Clarissa cried as well as smiled and felt comfortable in Pierce's arms. Her inner goddess seemed to be dancing, celebrating her freedom, and of course happy that she had finally found the man of her dreams.
Pierce let go of his arms and then looked at the carpet. "Now let's go in. We'll see a new place for us," he said.
Clarissa nodded, and slowly stepped onto her feet that were not wearing heels anymore. Pierce closed the door for a moment then took her hand and led her to continue walking across the flower-strewn carpet. The girl smiled and occasionally wiped her tears that just dripped because she was too happy. After all, she suddenly felt like she was being treated like a queen while before she was used to being treated like a slave.
.