Chapter 242:

Julie’s POV

I could see the sheer shock etched on Steve’s face. He recoiled slightly, staring at me in total disbelief, his voice choked. "What?"

"He sold me for money," I said, trying to calm him down. "But don’t worry... nothing happened to me."

Suddenly, with a violent motion I didn’t see coming, Steve lunged forward and kicked the coffee table. It flipped over, objects shattering across the floor. "I’ll kill him!" he roared, his face flushed with rage. He headed for the door with long, frantic strides. I stood my ground and screamed at the top of my lungs, "Max, stop him!"

Max tackled him from behind, gripping him with all his strength to hold him back. Steve writhed in his grasp, shouting hysterically, "Let me go! I’m going to kill him!"

I ran to him, standing right in front of his face. "You promised me, Steve! Calm down... nothing happened to me!"

"How could he sell you?" he barked, his eyes burning with fury. "How did this happen?"

I lowered my gaze to the floor, bitterness flooding my voice. "I don’t know. He needed the money... that’s what he said."

Steve punched the air with his fist. "He needs money so he sells you? He sells his own daughter? Is that a father?" He turned back to push Max away with all his might. "Let me go!"

"He won’t let you go until you calm down and sit!" I said firmly.

Steve took a deep breath, his muscles relaxing slightly, his breathing ragged. "Fine... I’ll calm down."

"If you even think about doing anything," I warned, "I swear to you, I will never speak to you again."

He looked at me, defeated. "Fine, Julie."

I gestured to Max. "Max, let him go."

We all moved to the sofa and sat down, the tension in the room thick enough to cut. I tried to justify my situation. "Listen, nothing happened to me because I refused to be a commodity. That’s why I started working as a personal assistant."

Steve looked at me skeptically, searching my face. "Are you sure? You aren’t lying to me?"

"I swear I’m not lying," I said steadily.

Steve fell silent for a moment, then suddenly narrowed his eyes, his tone turning strange. "Wait... you say you didn’t work as a girl for hire, so how did Carlos see you naked?"

I froze. My heart skipped a beat. How did he know that? In that instant, Max gripped my arm tightly, turning to me in shock. "Carlos saw you naked? When?"

"Alright, stop being so surprised, you’re stressing me out!" I snapped, trying to pull my arm away from their prying eyes.

Steve slammed his fist into his palm. "Come on, Julie... answer!"

I sighed in frustration. "It’s not what it looks like. My towel slipped while I was in the bathroom."

Steve’s eyes widened. "What was Carlos doing in the bathroom with you, Julie?" he asked sternly.

"He just wanted to talk to me," I replied quickly. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"In the bathroom?!" Max scoffed, his voice laced with anger.

I glared at him. "You shut up! Don’t add fuel to the fire."

Steve turned toward Max, eyeing him coldly. "And who are you?" he asked bluntly.

"Her friend," Max replied defiantly.

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Her friend, really? Or something else?"

"Stop it, Steve!" I interrupted before it escalated. "He’s just my friend!"

Steve looked at my outfit with a critical eye. "And why are you dressed like a man?"

I adjusted the cap on my head. "Because I’m in disguise. My boss doesn’t like me leaving the club."

He frowned. "Is he keeping you prisoner?"

"No, Steve," I replied quickly.

Steve slapped his hand against the armrest of the sofa. "You aren’t going back to that club."

My eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"I’m here now," he said, fixing his gaze on mine. "You’re staying with me."

I stood up abruptly. "Impossible!"

"Why?" he asked, standing up as well.

"I... I can’t leave the club," I stammered.

"What’s the reason?" he pressured me further.

"There isn’t one," I said, looking away.

"Julie, don’t even think about lying to me," Steve said sharply. He paused for a moment before dropping a bombshell of a question: "Do you love Carlos?"

"No!" I said decisively.

"He said he loved you," Steve said, the veins in his neck bulging with anger.

I froze. "Did he tell you that? Did he tell you everything?"

"Yes," he replied, clenching his fists. "And I wanted to smash his damn face in."

"Don’t you dare, Steve!" I said, grabbing his arm in fear. "I don’t want anyone to know."

"He tells me he kissed you and saw you naked!" Steve shouted, pulling away from me. "How do you expect me to handle that?"

That bastard! Of all the people to tell, he chose my brother? I tried to gather my courage. "Steve, listen. You have no right to interfere in these matters."

"Why shouldn’t I interfere?" he yelled, stepping closer. "You’re my little sister!"

"It’s my private life!" I shouted back.

"Am I going to let you mess around with mafia men?" his voice boomed, shaking the room. "That is never going to happen!"

"Fine, Steve, that’s enough," I said desperately, covering my face with my hands.

"Why do you refuse to leave the club?" he asked insistently, grabbing my shoulders.

I turned to Max, looking at him with a silent plea for help, but he remained silent, watching the situation with a stoic expression.

"Steve..." I whispered.

"Don’t think of a new lie. Tell me!" he said in a tone that brokered no argument.

I didn’t know what to do. Should I tell him? I swallowed hard, my heartbeat suffocating me. Finally, I said it. "I... I love someone there."

"Who is this someone?" Steve asked, his eyes widening with shock and suppressed rage.

I looked at him nervously, interlacing my fingers so tightly my knuckles turned white. "Why do you want to know who he is?"

"I want to know. Talk!" Steve said, leaning toward me, his eyes narrowing sharply.

I tried to escape his piercing gaze, turning my head away. "You don’t know him."

But he didn’t back down. He softened his voice slightly, trying a different tactic. "It’s okay. Just tell me."

I took a deep breath, as if preparing to jump off a cliff, then I spoke the name that had changed my life.

"Robert."

Steve froze as if struck by lightning. His eyes nearly popped out of his head from the shock. He took a step back, rubbing his face with both hands in utter disbelief.

"What? You’re in love with the owner of the club? Have you lost your mind?!"