Chapter 154 - 154

"You are lucky Ian is nothing like me." Seth hissed as he repeated his words, making the Juans look towards Ian.

They seemed hopeful that Ian would be able to get them out of their predicament. 

Camilla was confused with why these people thought that someone who's life they had ruined would help them. Did they really think that people were that kind? Most of the world did not have the luxury to be kind or forgiving, that was the truth.

"You owe a debt, that's not something we can change." Ian told the mother and daughter in a cold tone. "But what we can give you is a choice, it's not much, but it is still a choice."

Manuel's sister nodded slowly as she processed Ian's words.

"This is stupid." Her mother hissed as she snapped. "I'm sure we can speak to our creditors and come up with a way out of this. It can't be the end." 

"You are being delusional, woman." Camilla suddenly spoke up, catching everyone by surprise.

It wasn't just because she had been silent the entire time, but also because she was normally the calmer and meeker member of their circle of friends.

"What did you just say to me?" The mother asked as glared at Camilla.

"It seems she doesn't respect your position, Camilla." Seth said with a laugh as he waved a guard over. 

The large man pulled the older lady to her feet and threw her to the floor, catching everyone by surprise.

Camilla wanted to stop Seth's orders but she knew this was all part of the image he needed to portray, it also may help in breaking the stubborn woman. 

"Kneel to her." Seth ordered in a booming voice.

"She's just an assistant." The woman said.

"Mom, you know that's not how it works." Her daughter said in a quiet voice. It was clear that the daughter now understood their situation.

"She is nothing compared to us!" The woman shouted. "She is scum, her family is nothing!"

"I might be scum, but I'm not the one that is on my knees in need of help to protect my child. You really are blind, woman." Camilla hissed, standing up for herself. "If it weren't for me these two men would have let you be whored out on the streets!" 

The woman and her daughter looked at Seth and Ian, both men nodded, it was the truth. Even if Ian wasn't for the whole prostitution idea, he wouldn't have stopped it if Camilla hadn't spoken up.

"You have her to thank for your opportunity to make a choice." Seth pointed out.

"Sorry." Manuel's mother said as she knelt and bowed to Camilla.

"Better, pick her up." Seth ordered.

One of his men quickly and roughly pulled the older woman to her feet and pushed her to sit on the couch.

Camilla sighed and sat back down, relaxing against the soft velvet cushion of the couch. 

"Are you ready to hear your options?" Seth asked. "Will there be no more arguments?"

"Yes." Manuel's sister answered for her and her mother.

"Good." Seth said with a nod as he took out three folders from his drawers.

Seth looked at both women and observed their body language. It was clear that they were both nervous and anxious. From the mother he could sense some disdain on her end, apologizing to Camilla was something she didn't want to do but had to.

"As we mentioned earlier your debts are too high for you to do anything, so your creditors have asked us to make you work for that payment." Seth began as his eyes continued to watch their expressions.

"The first option that has always been what our clients ask is for you two to sell your bodies for sexual favors every night on the streets." Seth explained quite casually sending a chill up Camilla's spine.

It seemed that Seth was used to dealing with these kinds of things, something that should not have come as a surprise to Camilla. 

"I refuse to let my daughter be sold like a whore." Mrs. Juan declared as she heard the first option.

"Not like a whore, Mrs. Juan." Ian said with a light chuckle. "As a whore." 

What he said made Seth's men laugh. He was right, she was not going to be sold off in the streets like a whore but as a whore, a common prostitute, a life that the Juans would never have imagined for their daughter.

"And it's not just your daughter, Mrs. Juan." Seth added as he grinned maliciously at the older woman. "You as well."

His statement made the older lady gasp in shock. It seemed that she hadn't realized that there was a market for older women in the prostitution market.

"And what if we reused, what if we fought off any attempts for men to use us?" Manuel's sister asked.

"There are ways to break you." Seth said with a shrug. "But if you still remained uncooperative, we would kill you and sell your parts." 

At first Camilla thought Seth was joking, but when she got a glimpse of his expression she realized that he was serious, that was how they dealt with people that refused.

Camilla was in shock that her friend could be so brutal, so cold, so heartless. She knew it was the way things were done in the underworld, but couldn't he do something to change it. 

Ian sensed her distress from the other end of Seth's desk. He gave her a worried look, before finally signaling to Seth that they might need a break for him to speak to Camilla, to calm her down.

The other man nodded and Ian got up and spoke to her in a low voice so that others could not hear.

"Are you fine, do we need to take a break?" Ian asked as he checked up on his friend. 

"No, I was just taken by surprise." Camilla told him as she shook her head.

"I told you, you don't need to be here." Ian told her.

"I want to be here, we can continue." Camilla said with a nod as she glanced at Seth.

Seth's face remained expressionless as he continued to mask what he truly felt.. Camilla hoped that her friend was still there and that he would be willing to speak once they were in private once more.