ROSIA'S APARTMENT.
"I prepared your favorite dish today, and I know you will like it," Rosia said.
She was a tall, light-skinned girl with beautiful eyes, light pink lips, and a little dark blonde hair. Her curves could make any man lick his lips.
Rosia was a call girl. Her entire teenage years had been spent as a prostitute, but no one had the right to judge her. Any girl who had been through the same ordeal as she had would not have achieved what she had.
"Come to the dining table and enjoy your meal. I have to get ready for work, okay?"
Tonia sluggishly stood up from the bed and headed straight into the bathroom to freshen up.
Just then, Rosia received a call from her boss, Madam Sweet, who owned the brothel where she worked. At that moment, she remembered her appointment with a wealthy client. However, she disconnected the call, hurried to her room, and began getting dressed.
She slipped into a mini sleeveless blue gown that stopped above her knees, revealing her thighs. After applying a little makeup to enhance her beauty, she turned to the mirror and was satisfied with her appearance.
As she was leaving the house, she met Tonia at the dining table.
"Sister, are you leaving me again? I feel so lonely whenever you go out at night," Tonia said, her voice filled with sadness. "And what kind of job keeps you out until midnight?"
"Honey, remember I told you I work in a restaurant? I'm always on the night shift, so you have to stay alone tonight, alright?"
"Alright… it's just that I always miss you. The house feels empty without you around," Tonia replied in a shaky voice.
"Don't worry so much. Just go to bed. I'll be back before you even realize it."
They hugged and bade each other goodbye. As Rosia walked out of the house, guilt crept into her heart. She hated lying to her sister about her real job, but she had no choice. No one wanted to hire an uneducated woman.
"I would do anything for my little sister," she thought. "She's all I have in this world, and I won't let her go through the same nightmare I endured."
At the mention of her past, memories flooded her mind.
••• FLASH BACK••••
Some years ago…
Rosia recalled playing a video game on her mother's phone when she suddenly heard a loud crashing sound. Everything became blurry, and before she knew it, she lost consciousness.
When she woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar environment. She looked around and realized she was in a hospital. In front of her stood an average-height, handsome man in a white lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck and glasses resting on his nose. He was examining her, so she immediately knew he was a doctor.
"Where am I?" she asked weakly.
"Calm down, dear. You're in the hospital. You were in an accident," the doctor replied. "But don't worry, you'll be just fine, okay?"
"Thank you, sir," she said with a faint smile, which he returned.
A severe headache throbbed in her head from the injuries she had sustained, making her vision blurry. Despite the pain, one thought dominated her mind—her family.
"Please, where is my family?" she asked, panic creeping into her voice. "I want to see my mom right now!"
"Calm down, dear. Your family is fine, and they are receiving treatment just like you," the doctor assured her.
Before she could ask any more questions, a nurse rushed into the room, calling for an emergency. The doctor's attention was needed urgently, so he left with the nurse, leaving Rosia alone in the ward. Before long, she dozed off.
The next morning, she woke up, but there was still no sign of her family. As she was contemplating how to find them, a nurse entered and informed her that she was free to leave. However, before her discharge, she had to see the doctor.
She knocked on his office door.
"May I come in?"
"Yes, come in. Please, have a seat," the doctor said.
"Are you the first child?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," she replied.
The doctor sighed heavily. "What I'm about to tell you is very delicate, and I need you to handle it with a mature mind, even though I know you are still underage. Please, you have to be strong."
Rosia's heartbeat quickened. "Yes, sir… but what is really the matter? Are my family members still alive?"
The doctor hesitated before saying, "Yes, but only you and your sister survived the accident."
"You must be joking, doctor… It's all a lie," she murmured, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Take it easy, dear. I know it's painful and hard to accept, but that's the truth."
Rosia froze. It felt as if the ground beneath her had disappeared. The weight of his words crashed over her like a tidal wave.
"What do I do? Who do I run to for help? Who will take care of us now? I can barely take care of myself, let alone my little sister," she thought.
Their relatives lived far away, and even if they were close, would they be willing to take on the responsibility of raising two orphaned girls? A million questions raced through her mind, but there were no answers.
She walked out of the doctor's office without saying another word and headed straight to Ward B, where her five-year-old sister was sleeping innocently.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched her. "How will I take care of you? Our parents are gone, and now we are left alone in this cruel world. We have to fend for ourselves, but I don't even know how to begin."
She sat beside Tonia and cried, unsure of what to do or who to turn to for advice. But no matter what, she had to be strong. She had to survive, at least for her sister's sake.
After their parents' funeral, the family elders decided that Rosia and her sister would live with their aunt, Jane. No one asked for her opinion.
Jane was their mother's younger sister. She lived in Boston, England, with her husband and two children. With no other options, Rosia and her sister moved in. But life under Jane's roof was far from what they had hoped for.
They were treated as maids. At first, Rosia endured it for her sister's sake. However, she soon noticed her uncle, Sam, behaving strangely around her. He was a banker at one of England's most popular banks, a well-respected man in public, but a monster in private.
One night, as she slept, Sam tiptoed into her room. She was shocked to see him sneaking in like a thief. He clamped a hand over her mouth before she could scream. That night, she lost her virginity to her uncle.
It didn't end there. He continued to abuse her, threatening to kill her if she ever told anyone.
Summoning courage, Rosia eventually confided in her aunt, hoping for justice. Instead, she was thrown out of the house—along with her little sister.
Homeless and abandoned, they wandered the streets until they found shelter in an unfinished building. Life became even harder than they had imagined.
••••••
Lost in thought, Rosia was startled by the driver's voice.
"Hey, ma'am! Get down, we've arrived at the last bus stop!" he called, tapping her arm.
Snapping back to reality, she realized she had been lost in her memories for nearly an hour.
"Yeah… Thank you," she murmured, stepping out of the vehicle.
She adjusted her dress and walked straight toward Madam Sweet's brothel, a place disguised as a restaurant but operating an illegal business behind closed doors.