Love Game Sold To The Heartless Billionaire

“Dad, stop it, please!” she pleaded.

“You wish for this! You should’ve prepared the money I need!”

“Dad, no! It hurts!”

Her father pulled her hair that made her cry more. A devil-in-disguise as her biological father punched her in the stomach.

She could only gasp with pain as she fell to the cold, tiled floor. Whimpering due to the excruciating feeling from her stomach after being punched by her own father, Michelle had no strength to fight anymore.

As tears kept shedding on her face, she recalled how her life became miserable after her father turned into a gambler; multiple debts were passed on her to pay, the threatening words from the loan sharks where he borrowed from and paying the high interest that completely ruined the plan she had in life. She was only twenty-two, yet had a handful shits on her plate because of her addict father. She was tired of it!

“I’m telling you this, Michelle!” Her father’s voice thundered inside the little apartment where she bunked with her best friend, Megan. “I need the money by tomorrow! It’s just a simple request to save your father’s life! Don’t be so selfish!”

Selfish. That was how her father saw her whenever she couldn’t give the money he demanded. He thought she was selfish, not even knowing that getting it wasn’t something that could be easily done. In fact, she had to sell herself just to pay his over-the-neck debts!

Michelle sat upright when her father finally left the apartment. Her arms had bruises after the beatings she got from her own father; the pain was evident yet the reality that her father didn’t see her worth was way upsetting more than the physical abuse. She was just a daughter who wanted to be loved; who wanted to be treated fairly by her father; to be taken care of just like the normal daughters out there. However, that wasn’t the case given to her.

***

“My goodness, Mich! What happened to your face?!” Megan rushed towards her as soon as her best friend saw the bruises on her face.

Michelle was sitting in front of the little vanity mirror, trying to cover her bruises by applying makeup tricks. She needed to go to work... for the last time, as she decided to end her misery. Her savings should be enough to pay off her father’s handful debt. After that, she would live a new life. She wanted to be selfish for once and her father had no right to say a thing about it.

Megan looked at her worriedly. “Did your father come here again? Did he do that to you? I think we should report him to the cops!”

“There’s no need, Meg. I’m fine,” she said, offering her a thin smile.

“No, you’re not! You’re abused, for the love of God, Mich! Look at yourself!”

Michelle let out a sigh of defeat, and spun on Megan. “I swear this will be the last time that you’ll see me with all these bruises. This time, I’ll do what I want without thinking about him.” She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I have enough of his shit.”

Megan’s expression softened and embraced her. “God, I’m so disappointed in your dad. He’s lucky to have you. He should see your worth.”

“I’m disappointed in him too.” She sighed, blinking her tears away.

***

Michelle took a few deep breaths as soon as she arrived in the familiar stripper’s club. She worked as a stripper in that place, not only to support her education, but also to pay off her father’s debt. Sure, the work wasn’t the typical job of someone who had taken a professional business course in college, but she had no choice three years ago. This was the only job that could give her the money she badly needed.

“Let’s give one last look at this filthy place,” she uttered, surveying the outside appearance of the club before going inside.