Chapter 3

"Ellen?"

When the woman's name was mentioned, her footsteps came to a halt. Though Ellen tried hard not to make any noise, her mother, Rowena, could hear everything with her extremely sensitive ears. Now Ellen felt nervous as her mother stepped closer. What should she do?

"Do you work overtime?" Rowena inquired.

"Yes, Mother," she replied.

"Is that true? Will you earn extra money at work ? Or are you working due to peer pressure?"

Rowena was constantly concerned about her daughter's work. Ellen is the eldest daughter, the breadwinner of the family, and she is now forced to work in order to support her family. Alberto, her father, is unable to work due to a serious accident. Alberto is cared for by all family members at all times. The man who could only sleep on the bed said nothing but stiffly moved his index finger.

Ellise, Ellen's sister, is the only one in the house who is reluctant to care for Alberto for an extended period of time. Because of her immature mindset, the 15-year-old girl prefers to rebel. They only have a simple house left to them by Rowena's mother. They would most likely be homeless without it. Even though technology is improving, the way people live in Manila continues to astound them.

"Is there anything I can eat this morning?" Ellise inquired flatly.

"Are you going to school, Ellise?"

The girl cast a lazy glance at her sister. "Do you think I'd do your dirty work, Ellena?"

"Ellise! Keep your mouth shut. Ellen haven't you forget she is your eldest sister. Can't you please be nice to her?"

"Mother, you are always on her side! Can't you see her sloppy appearance? She serves the hotel's old, fat men!"

Rowena inhaled deeply. She knew it would be difficult to persuade Ellise that Ellen's worked so hard because their family's financial situation was so dire. Ellise had always imagined her sister's job as a paid woman in a hotel. Rowena was well aware that her daughter would not do the dirty work.

"Ellise, you said far too much. Now, hurry up and get to school before you are late because you are berating your sister."

Ellise snorted at her mother's attitude, who had always covered Ellena. Ellise chose to leave without saying anything else and slum the door with a bang. Rowena could only face Ellise with patience. She was confident that Rossie would understand in time.

Then Rowena's gaze was drawn to Ellena's, who was standing stiffly.

"Don't think about what your sister said. You understand that Ellise loves you too much and doesn't want you to work in the wrong place." Her mother said.

Rowena's words, intended to calm her down, sounded like a sword piercing Ellen's heart. What if Ellise is correct? Ellen did nothing but serve the man in the hotel with her body. Although not exactly the same as Ellise predicted, Ellen awoke this morning in the same bed as a man. Ellen was certain that the man was wealthy, despite the fact that she didn't know who he was.

The money given by a man named Aidan was part of her silence. Ellen was still wearing her hotel blazer to work and had the check in her pocket. He was surprised to receive such a small amount. Ellen accepted the money despite her dislike of the humiliation of the man who had slept with her. She claimed to have self-respect, and the man paid the price for her body without hesitation.

Ellen must now ensure the safety of her family. She never mentioned the incident to anyone else. Even if her coworkers discussed the incident, Ellen had to end the meeting so that the man named Aidan's threat was not carried out.

"Ellen? Are you daydreaming?" Rowena patted Ellen's shoulder, who was deep in thought.

"I'm so sorry, Mom. I guess I'm too tired." She spoke in husky tones.

"Oh, hurry up and clean yourself up. I will have to look for groceries from the rest of the restaurant's kitchen."

Ellen locked her gaze on her mother's fading body. Her only option for putting her mother at ease was to withdraw money from a man named Aidan.

***

Ellen works as a housekeeper in a mid-range hotel. Her job requires her to keep the hotel she works for clean and tidy. Meeting a drunken man was not in her favor. Ellen should not have helped the man who appeared to be having difficulty walking that night.

Ellen's intention at the time was only to point the man in the direction of the room he had ordered. However, just as Ellen was about to leave, his hands were tightly gripped and a name was heard from the man's lips.

"Sheena! Honey, I knew you'd come to me!"

"Wh-what? I'm not the Shenna you're looking for, Master." She said, full of confusion.

"You always piss me off, Sheena. Come here, Sheenaa, and I'll show you how much I can make you believe that the man you marry can't love you as much as I do!"

Ellen was terrified by the distorted view. She didn't want to help another drunk man if it meant bad luck for her. A drunken man's power is also not to be underestimated. Ellen thought it would be simple to kick the man's dick. Ellen, on the other hand, was surprised because she had been slammed on the bed so hard.

"I should have asked for more money; he's my first!" She said to herself.

"Whom are you referring to?"

Ellen was surprised that someone had apparently heard her words. Who else can follow her besides James, her coworker, who is more interested in finding out about rumors at work than in doing his job?

"James, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if you were really working or if you were avoiding the others."

Ellen gave James a disapproving look. "What exactly do you mean?"

"You're not doing particularly well, are you? There have been numerous reports that you provide services—"

"Don't you have any other job besides spreading rumors?" Ellen inquired, sarcastically.

"Hey, calm down a bit. I wouldn't suspect you if you hadn't done anything wrong."

"It's up to you!" Ellen sighed and stepped back from James.

"Which room are you going to clean?"

"It's none of your business."

James, who was getting irritated, waved his hand. "Okay, fine. I don't want to be concerned about you. Whether it's true or not, only you benefit. But watch out for the hotel manager, who probably knows more about the rumors than I do. Good job, Ellen!"

Ellen's head hurt from the thought of being chastised. She needs this job for her family. Don't let everything be destroyed by a man who forces her to give up her chastity. If that happened, Ellen's family would become increasingly impoverished.