Reborn With a Money-Making System: Ruined Actress to Nation's Treasure-Chapter 173: Disgusting Massage Spa

"What? No! I told Henry to stop you from meeting Mr. Mercer!" Lando said. He even sounded irritated after I told him about it.

"Then what kind of bad information does Mr. Mercer have that I’m not even allowed to hear it?" I asked, my voice rising slightly without me noticing.

I didn’t actually intend to speak to my husband in that tone, but it seemed that my sour mood really made me a bit harsh today.

I should apologize to him once he got home, but for now, I truly didn’t want him to keep me in the dark anymore.

I was grateful—truly—that Lando always cared about my mental state before telling me bad news. But after everything that had happened since yesterday, I just wanted something hopeful. Even a small clue about my past life would be enough.

"Helcia, it’s not that I want to hide anything from you," Lando said gently, even though I had snapped at him earlier. Somehow, that calm tone pulled me back to my senses. "I just don’t want you to hear something bad alone. At least wait for me so we can hear it together."

Damn it, how could I stay angry when he spoke to me so gently like that? What was he, honestly? An angel? Someone sent to heal my wounds?

No, he was an ordinary human like me. But maybe he could stay that calm because he had been used to being yelled at by others since he was young. After all, Lando’s childhood was more hellish than mine, especially since his family truly treated him like trash.

I immediately squatted down, making Henry panic because he thought something was wrong with me. But before he could say anything, I lifted my hand to signal that I was fine.

"Helcia, are you still listening to me?" Lando asked again, his voice sounding softer than before.

"I’m still here." I rubbed my face a bit roughly, trying to wake myself up. "I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier. I didn’t mean to. My mood hasn’t been good since noon, and I haven’t been able to call you since yesterday, so—no, no, no, it’s not your fault. Listen, I’m not trying to blame you here. You’re just busy, and I—"

"Helcia," Lando cut me off before I could finish rambling. He said, "There’s nothing wrong with being angry at me. After all, I’m not perfect, and sometimes I make mistakes too. If you don’t tell me what makes you angry, then I’ll keep doing the same things again and again."

His words made my chest tighten.

I stayed silent for a moment, listening to the quiet on the other end of the call. For someone who always tried to protect me, Lando was also willing to admit his own faults. That alone made my anger fade immediately.

"I’ll wait for you to come home," I said softly. "Please, come back quickly."

===

I had been waiting for him for at least half an hour. Since I was sure that I would immediately greet Mr. Mercer and try to get information from him as soon as I saw him, I decided to wait for my husband outside.

At least Henry sat with me outside, so I wasn’t completely alone.

The moment my husband got out of the car with his wheelchair, I immediately rushed toward him and hugged him so tightly that I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to breathe.

"Husband, I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier," I said softly. "I really didn’t mean to do that. Please, don’t divorce me."

"What?" Lando gently pushed me back so we could look at each other. "What do you mean? Helcia, arguments are normal between people who are close to each other. So no, I won’t divorce you just because you’re in a bad mood."

"Alright, don’t think about that again." Lando patted my hand a few times and said, "Let’s meet Mr. Mercer together now and hear what kind of information he has."

I nodded quickly and then pushed his wheelchair. Together, we headed back inside.

Mr. Mercer was already waiting in the living room. He stood up the moment he saw us, and honestly, he didn’t look like the kind of detective I had imagined.

I thought he would look very serious and boring, but instead, he looked like a normal middle-aged man whose head was already starting to go bald. His jacket even looked a bit worn, and his phone had a baby doll sticker on it, probably put there by his daughter.

Well, maybe the best way to get a lot of information was to look like an ordinary person. At least people wouldn’t feel wary if he looked like a normal father.

"Good evening, Mr. Brixton and Ms. Orszebet," he greeted us politely.

Lando then signaled for him to sit back down. "I’m sorry for keeping you waiting, Mr. Mercer. Traffic was a bit heavy earlier."

Mr. Mercer smiled kindly and said casually, "It’s fine, it’s fine. I actually really enjoyed waiting here." He chuckled lightly. "Your house is very beautiful, Mr. Brixton."

"Thank you," Lando replied briefly before shifting the topic to what he had wanted to discuss from the start. "So, Mr. Mercer, what did you find in Shellmere?"

As soon as Lando changed the topic, Mr. Mercer suddenly looked more serious. He straightened his back and leaned slightly toward us.

I was sitting right in front of him, still holding Lando’s hand as he sat in his wheelchair. From Mr. Mercer’s expression, I could already tell that what we were about to discuss was going to be heavy.

"The coupons weren’t fake. They really can be used at one of the massage places," he said. He paused for a moment before adding, "However, it’s not an ordinary massage parlor. You could say... it’s a special place where men go to find escort girls."

My fingers tightened around Lando’s hand.

Mr. Mercer went on, "On the surface, it operates legally as a high-end massage spa. But behind the scenes, it offers services far beyond that. Only certain clients are introduced to those... special arrangements."

I swallowed hard, a cold feeling creeping up my spine.

"So," Lando said calmly, though his grip on my hand tightened slightly, "you’re saying this place is connected to more than just illegal business?"

"Yes," Mr. Mercer replied without hesitation. "And from what I found, the guests who visit that spa are important people, such as political officials, celebrities, and even wealthy businessmen."

"But... if that place is mainly for men, why did Helena’s manager give that coupon to her?" I asked.

"Do you remember the illegal website that Helena once photographed?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes... Hiddenpleasure.hub." I swallowed hard, feeling a bit disgusted just thinking about that unpleasant memory. "I still remember it very clearly."

"Yes, that place is also connected to that website," Mr. Mercer continued. "The spa doesn’t only accept male clients, but female clients as well. They also have ’special’ male masseurs. However, from the information I gathered, they placed hidden cameras in the rooms of female clients and then sent videos of their special massages to the porn site."

I clenched my teeth quietly, and my vision suddenly blurred. "So... does that mean her manager gave her that coupon so Helena could be recorded and the footage sold?"

"That is very likely," Mr. Mercer said.

"But... what if Helena refused to get the massage once she found out that it wasn’t a proper place?" I asked.

If I found out that the person giving me a massage was a man, I would definitely leave that place immediately.

"I believe it’s not that easy to leave, Ms. Orszebet," Mr. Mercer said, tapping his fingers against his thigh. "I heard from several informants that they prevent customers from leaving once they step inside. They even place hidden security outside as a precaution."

"Also... I found some of the videos, and most of the women were strapped down," Mr. Mercer said as he opened his phone. "I can show you the video—"

"You can send them to me instead," Lando cut him off. "Send all the evidence you have to me."

From the tone Lando used, it was clear that he didn’t want to allow Mr. Mercer to show me those disgusting videos, and honestly... I didn’t want to see them either.

After all, it would only make me imagine the nightmare I would have faced if I had gone to that hellish place.

The room fell into a heavy silence after that.

Mr. Mercer lowered his phone and nodded in understanding. "I’ll send everything to you, Mr. Brixton. Videos, records, names, everything I was able to collect."

"Good," Lando replied. His expression was calm, but his eyes were dark. "Make sure nothing is missed."

I then asked again, "Then what about Jasper? Helena’s manager? Were you able to find him in that city?"

"I did find some footage that looked like him entering the massage place, but during the three days I was in Shellmere, I never saw him in person," Mr. Mercer added. "He probably has several branches of this kind of place somewhere else."