Chapter 9 How Old Are You

• I wasn't sure how long I had slept, but the sky was dark and gloomy by the time I woke up again. It looked like it was about to rain cats and dogs.
• “Are you awake?” A deep and familiar voice came from a corner of the room. That's Mr. Adler, the man who saved my life!
• I had gotten into his car in a hurry the night before, and it was too dark for me to see his face clearly at the time.
• I turned my head in the direction of his voice and saw him sitting on the couch nearby. He looked incredibly handsome and there was an air of elegance about him as he sat with his legs crossed and his hands neatly placed on his lap. There was half a glass of red wine on the table in front of him, which I assumed would burn in the throat as much as his gaze as he stared at me.
• In fact, the look in his eyes was so intimidating that I couldn't even bring myself to look directly at him.
• After struggling to sit upright in bed, I realized I was wearing a nightgown which clearly didn't fit me. “You... What did you do to me?” A sharp pain tore through my throat as I forced those words out of my mouth.
• Mr. Adler flashed me a faint smile in response. “What do you think?”
• I figured I had gotten the wrong idea when I heard the sarcasm in his voice and blushed a little in embarrassment. This man is clearly on a much higher level than Tiger, so it's unlikely that he'd take advantage of me while I was unconscious...
• “I...I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, Mr. Adler...” I quickly apologized upon realizing my mistake and thanked him for saving my life.
• “Now that we've cleared up that misunderstanding, get well soon and get out of here. This isn't a shelter for refugees.”
• He then lifted his glass and took a tiny sip of red wine after saying that. The first button on his white dress shirt was undone, revealing a bit of his fair and smooth collarbone. I had no idea a young man was capable of looking so sexy and realized I was staring when I heard him snicker.
• “I...I have nowhere to go...” I stammered upon coming back to my senses.
• I didn't take anything with me when I made my escape, so I have no ID, no money, and no change of clothes whatsoever. If I leave like this, Tiger's men would surely find and capture me in no time!
• Mr. Adler frowned and asked, “What's your name?”
• “My real name is Erica Whitlock.” Most of the people in Phoenix had aliases, but I didn't think of coming up with one as I was too young when I started working there. By the time I thought of getting an alias, everyone had gotten used to calling me Erica, so I decided to just keep it that way.
• Obviously, that was not the answer he was expecting from me. He then eyed me from head to toe which made me extremely uncomfortable, but I didn't dare get mad at him as I was in his debt.
• “How old are you?”
• “I'm nineteen...”
• He placed his wine glass down in surprise before nodding to himself as he mumbled, “Hmm, you look much younger...”
• He then looked up at me and asked, “Have you ever gone out with your clients at Phoenix?”
• For some reason, there were no traces of disdain nor disrespect in his tone when he asked me that question. If anything, he just seemed genuinely curious about me.
• I shook my head but didn't bother explaining why as most people wouldn't believe me anyway. A bargirl that has never gone out with her clients? I doubt he'd buy that, and I don't expect him to either.
• It began raining heavily, producing a melancholic sound like a musical rhythm as it splattered on the window.
• He gave me a cold look as he said, “I have never taken in any woman here at my place, so you'd better give me a good reason if you plan on staying.”