Chapter 6

Josie Cohen POV:

The sterile scent of disinfectant hit me first, sharp and suffocating. Then I saw him. Bennie, lying still and pale on a hospital bed, wires and tubes snaking from his body. His head was swathed in bandages, and his arm was in a cast that looked too big for him. My heart was ripped open.

"Bennie!" I gasped, rushing to his side, tears blurring my vision. My hand hovered over his forehead, afraid to touch him. "What happened? Doctor, what happened to him?"

A curt, harried doctor approached, his face grim. "He was involved in an underground fight club. Sustained a severe concussion, fractured arm, and multiple contusions. He's lucky to be alive, Ms. Cohen. But there's a possibility of long-term neurological damage. And his leg... it's a complicated fracture. He might not walk normally again."

My breath hitched. The words echoed in my ears, a death knell. Might not walk normally again. My legs gave out, and I slumped into the chair beside his bed, staring at my brother, unable to comprehend the magnitude of this new disaster.

I stayed there, a silent sentinel, for what felt like an eternity. The clock on the wall mocked me, its hands crawling slowly. Finally, sometime in the dead of night, Bennie stirred. His eyes fluttered open, unfocused and distant.

"Bennie? Can you hear me?" I whispered, my voice choked with tears. "It's me, Josie."

He squinted, his eyes slowly focusing on my face. "What... what are you doing here?" His voice was raspy, laced with irritation. "Go away."

My heart clenched. "Bennie, please. What happened? Why were you fighting?"

He turned his head away, struggling against the restraints that kept him still. "None of your business. Just leave me alone."

"But, Bennie, your leg... the doctor said-"

"I don't care!" he snapped, trying to pull his arm free. "I needed the money, okay? You think you're the only one who can make sacrifices? I saw how you looked tonight, Josie. You're trying to save me, but you're just dragging us both down."

My eyes stung. "Money? Bennie, I can get money. I can-"

He laughed, a hollow, bitter sound. "You? What are you going to do, dance for it? You think I don't see how hard you're struggling? Just leave me be. I don't need your pity."

"Bennie..." My throat tightened, the words caught.

"Just go," he rasped, turning his face to the wall. "Please. I want to be alone."

I stood there, my legs heavy, my heart aching. It felt like a knife twisting in my gut. I walked out of the room, each step agony.

In the hallway, I bumped into a familiar face. It was Lucas, one of Bennie's friends, looking pale and worried.

"Josie," he said, his voice low. "I'm so sorry about Bennie."

"Lucas," I whispered, my mind still reeling. "What happened? Why was he fighting?"

He hesitated, glancing at Bennie's door. "Look, Bennie made me promise not to say anything, but... I think you should know. That fight with Leo? It wasn't Bennie's fault. Leo bullied him first. Said some really awful stuff about your family, about your parents, and... about you. Bennie just snapped."

My breath hitched. Leo. Bullying Bennie? And Demetri, his lawyer, had made Bennie seem like the aggressor. The anger, cold and sharp, began to spread through my veins, replacing the despair.

Just then, Bennie's voice, muffled but enraged, echoed from the room. "Lucas! Get out of here! Now!"

Lucas jumped, looking terrified. "I gotta go, Josie. Take care." He scurried away.

I clutched my head, the pieces of the puzzle fitting together, forming a picture of ruthless manipulation and calculated deceit. Claudia. Demetri. The carefully constructed lie.

I showed up for my shift at The Serpent's Kiss with a steely resolve. Caron met me at the door, her face unusually grim. "Josie. We have a... special request tonight. One that pays extremely well. But it's... demanding. The other girls refused."

My jaw tightened. "How much?"

She named a figure that made my eyes widen. It was enough. More than enough for Bennie's initial medical costs, maybe even for his long-term rehabilitation. "What's the catch?"

"The client wants a private performance. The violin, on the ice. But... he wants more than just the uniform. He wants a full... artistic expression." Her eyes avoided mine.

I knew exactly what "artistic expression" meant. It meant humiliation. It meant being utterly exposed, physically and emotionally. My stomach churned. But I saw Bennie's face, heard the doctor's words. Might not walk normally again.

"I'll do it," I said, my voice flat, devoid of emotion.

Caron looked at me, a flicker of something almost like pity in her eyes. "Are you sure, Josie? This is... beyond. There are no safe words tonight. Once you start, you finish."

"I'm sure," I replied, my voice hard. "Bennie needs me. And I will do whatever it takes."

I walked into the private room, the client, a man named Harper Valentine, already waiting. He was the same man from the previous night, the one who had demanded my apology. A predator. He smiled, a chilling, triumphant grin.

"Ah, Josie," he purred. "So you decided to be a good girl after all."

I held out the pre-signed contract Caron had given me. "The terms are clear, Mr. Valentine. Payment upfront, as agreed."

He chuckled, taking the paper. "Always the businesswoman, even in your... compromised position." He scribbled his signature, then tossed it back to me. "Now, let's get on with the show, shall we?"

I crumpled the contract in my hand, the paper feeling flimsy and insignificant. I walked to the center of the room, where a spotlight illuminated a massive block of ice and a single violin resting on a velvet cushion. I took a deep breath. This was it.

My fingers fumbled with the buttons of my uniform, each one a surrender. The dress slipped to the floor, leaving me in the scant lace undergarments. I picked up the violin, its smooth wood cold against my trembling hands. Then, I stepped onto the ice.

The cold bit into my bare feet, a sharp, shocking pain. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and drew the bow across the strings. The first note, mournful and clear, filled the room. I played, my body aching, my feet growing numb, the music a desperate wail for my lost dignity.

Harper Valentine watched, a cruel smile on his face. He leaned back, sipping his drink, clearly enjoying every agonizing second. I played on, tears streaming down my face, mingling with the sweat that beaded on my skin. The ice beneath me was melting, slowly, inexorably.

When I finished, my body was shaking uncontrollably, my teeth chattering. My feet were raw and bleeding from the prolonged exposure to the ice. I was numb, inside and out. Harper Valentine clapped slowly, a satisfied expression on his face.

"Magnificent, Josie. Truly magnificent." He stood up, then turned to leave. "My driver will take you home. Keep the uniform. A souvenir."

"The payment, Mr. Valentine," I stammered, my voice barely a whisper. "You said you'd pay upfront. The rest of it."

He stopped, a mocking smile on his face. "Oh, that? Well, I don't think your 'performance' quite lived up to the full amount. A little... disappointing in the end. Consider the upfront payment a generous tip for your... efforts."

He walked out, leaving me standing there, naked and bleeding, on a melting block of ice. My vision blurred. I tried to run after him, to demand what was mine, but my legs buckled. The pain in my feet was excruciating.

Caron rushed in, her face pale. "Josie! Are you alright?" She looked at my feet, then at the melting ice. "He actually... he didn't pay you?" Her voice was laced with disbelief. "That bastard! Don't worry, Josie. The club will back you on this. We'll get you your money."

Just then, the door opened again. Demetri stood there, his eyes scanning the room, landing on me, then falling to my feet, then up to the melting ice. His face was unreadable.

"I understand there's a legal dispute here," he said, his voice clipped. "I'm here on behalf of Mr. Valentine. He claims Ms. Cohen failed to provide the agreed-upon service."

My blood ran cold. He knew. He had to have known. My eyes met his, pleading for just a shred of the man I once knew. But his gaze was as cold and hard as the ice under my feet.

"You're representing him?" I asked, my voice raw with disbelief.

"My client has engaged my services," Demetri replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "He claims you breached contract. I'm here to ensure his interests are protected." He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Though, I must say, for someone who claims to be so principled, you seem to have a knack for getting into these situations, don't you, Josie?"

The accusation hung in the air, thick and suffocating. It was a cruel twist of the knife. He was accusing me of being the problem, even now, when I was at my most vulnerable.

Caron, sensing my distress, stepped forward. "Hold on, Demetri. This is ridiculous. Josie fulfilled her end of the bargain. He just refused to pay! We have a signed contract."

"A contract he now disputes," Demetri countered smoothly. "He claims it was under duress, and the performance was unsatisfactory. However, I am willing to settle this quietly. My client is prepared to offer a token payment, purely out of... goodwill, to avoid further legal action." He named a ridiculously low figure, barely a tenth of what was promised.

My jaw dropped. He was trying to cheat me again. And Demetri was helping him.

"You said you'd help me," I whispered, my voice trembling with rage and despair. "You said you'd sue him!"

Demetri's gaze met mine, cold and unwavering. "I said I'd consider it. And after reviewing the full scope of the situation, I have a condition. I will take on your case, and I will ensure you receive the full sum you were promised. On one condition."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "What condition?"

"You will publicly apologize to Claudia Vazquez," he said, his voice flat. "For the bullying incident that 'ruined her life' at USC. A full, unreserved apology. On live stream."

My world spun. He wanted me to grovel. To publicly admit to a lie that had destroyed my life, that had cost me my parents, my reputation, everything. And he wanted me to do it for Claudia, the woman who had engineered my downfall, who was now his fiancée. It was the ultimate betrayal. The ultimate humiliation.

I stared at him, unable to speak. The air in my lungs felt like broken glass.

Demetri' s face was unyielding. "Consider it, Josie. It's either this, or you lose everything. Again."

My mind raced. Bennie. His medical bills. His future. I had no other choice. This was my last chance. My final, desperate gamble.

A bitter, humorless laugh escaped my lips. "Fine," I rasped, the word tasting like ash. "You win, Demetri. I'll do it. I'll apologize."