The day seemed to crawl by, each tick of the clock weighed down by the mystery looming over Maya, Riley, and Leo. They hadn't spoken much, each lost in their own thoughts about Elena, about the disturbing clues they'd uncovered. The pieces of the puzzle remained scattered, and every new hint only added to the tangled mess.
The final school bell rang, and just as they were packing up, a younger student rushed into their classroom, looking apprehensive. "Um… Maya? Riley? Leo?" she stammered. "There's a woman outside. She said she needs to speak with you. She said it's about… Elena."
They glanced at each other, eyes wide with surprise and unease. They hadn't been expecting anyone, especially not someone claiming to know about Elena. Who could this woman be?
They followed the student outside, where they saw her: a tall, strikingly beautiful woman in her forties, standing by the gate. Her face was sharp and elegant, but her eyes were cold, her expression set in a way that gave her a nearly unapproachable air.
The woman didn't waste a moment. As soon as she saw them, she spoke. "You three. You're her friends, aren't you? You're looking for Elena."
The tension in the air grew thick, and Riley took a tentative step forward. "Who… who are you?" she asked. "Why do you want to know about Elena?"
The woman's lips twisted into a faint, humorless smile. "I'm her boss," she replied coolly. "I used to work in nightlife. I found clients for her—men who were willing to pay a lot for her company. Rich men, older men." She paused, letting the words sink in, her gaze never faltering. "They wanted her because she was young. Too young. But that's exactly why they paid so much."
The three friends stared, stunned, as her words hung heavy in the air, each one more unbelievable than the last. Maya's throat went dry, Riley's fists clenched, and Leo's face twisted in anger and disbelief.
"No… no, that's impossible. Elena isn't like that!" Riley finally burst out, her voice a mixture of shock and denial.
The woman's gaze didn't waver. "You think you know her, don't you? You think you know what she's been through. But you have no idea." She sighed, a hint of bitterness seeping through. "She came to me. She wanted money, said she needed it so badly that she'd do anything to get it. She even said that if she didn't get it, she'd take her own life."
Her words hit like a punch to the gut. Maya's head spun, the weight of what she was hearing nearly too much to bear. Elena—her friend, her classmate, someone who'd always seemed so full of life—had been hiding so much pain, so many secrets.
Leo's jaw clenched. "If she was so desperate… why didn't you help her? Why didn't you stop her?"
The woman's face hardened. "You think she wanted help? She asked me for money, and I gave her a way to earn it. And she took it, without looking back. It wasn't my job to stop her—it was hers to make her choice." She folded her arms, her expression as cold as ever.
"Then why are you coming to us?" Maya demanded, her voice barely concealing her anger. "Why are you here now, asking about her?"
The woman's icy gaze softened, just a little. "One day, I caught her looking at a photo of you all together—a picture of the four of you, standing outside this school. She was smiling in that picture, but when I saw her, she was crying, staring at that memory. It was clear she was holding onto something. That's how I knew you were her friends, and that's why I came to find you. She hasn't come to work, and I want to know why."
Riley shook her head, still reeling from the revelation. "You mean she was… she was crying over us?"
"Yes," the woman said simply, her voice almost devoid of emotion. "I don't know where she is, and frankly, I don't care about her reasons. But I came to see if you knew where she went. It's business, after all."
The trio stood in silence, the weight of what they had learned pressing down on them. Elena hadn't just been hiding her struggles—she had been struggling alone in a darkness none of them had seen, a world they couldn't have imagined.
"I didn't think this was who she was," Maya murmured, her voice thick with guilt and regret. "She didn't tell us any of this."
The woman shrugged, unmoved. "She probably didn't want you to know. Maybe she was ashamed. Or maybe… maybe you were her escape, her illusion of a normal life."
The trio stood in silence, the weight of what they had learned pressing down on them. Elena hadn't just been hiding her struggles—she had been struggling alone in a darkness none of them had seen, a world they couldn't have imagined.
The woman looked at each of them in turn, her gaze lingering a moment longer on Maya. "Look, if you're that eager to find her, come to the district tonight. I won't be waiting, but maybe you'll find something. She left things behind—letters, a bracelet, maybe something else."
They exchanged glances, feeling the pull of her words and the gravity of her suggestion.
As she turned to leave, Maya called out, "Why are you even helping us?"
The woman didn't turn back, but her voice drifted over her shoulder, laced with the faintest hint of something softer, though it was difficult to tell. "I'm not helping you. Just clearing up my business."
With that, she walked away, leaving them standing there, unsure of what awaited them that night—but certain that they had to find out.