Chapter 6

Tracy let out a long sigh and said, “They gave me an X-ray before the operation today, and then the doctor discovered that I had developed middle-stage cancer in my liver. “Iris, liver cancer is as good as a death sentence. There's no use trying to cure it. Why should we waste the money on a kidney transplant at this point?” Upon hearing this, Iris felt depressed. To think that she had been so naive to believe that the trouble was over when it was only just the beginning! Back then, her grandfather also suffered from middle-stage liver cancer. They managed to extend his lifespan by another decade through a liver transplant. However, the operation cost a fortune. Furthermore, they had to continue supplying him with all sorts of medications and whatnot after that. It was a significant sum. However, she would do her best no matter how expensive it might be. It was her duty to do everything in her power to keep Tracy alive. With this in mind, she told her in a heartfelt voice, “Tracy, I will take care of you... Let me talk to the doctor.” “Iris, don’t be silly… Do you know how much it costs to treat liver cancer?” Tracy was hesitant about troubling Iris. “I owe at least this much to Rei,” Iris insisted. After spending some time comforting and assuring Tracy, she finally persuaded the old lady to work with her and to begin undergoing a series of treatments. Only then did she wrap up the call. After that, she called Tracy’s doctor to enquire about the situation. The doctor informed her that judging by Tracy’s current situation, it should be safe to conduct both kidney transplantation and interventional therapy targeting her liver cancer at the same time. After receiving a guarantee from the doctor, Iris agreed with following through with the plan they had worked out. It was a doctor that she had vetted out ahead of time. He was a well-respected expert when it came to matters concerning liver and kidney cancers. Countless top hospitals in big cities tried to recruit him, but he refused all of their offers because he was loyal to the Dean of his current hospital who had nurtured his entire career. Therefore, Iris had complete faith in the doctor’s judgment. According to the doctor, the bill for interventional therapy ran up to thirty thousand dollars. All it could do was curb the growth of the tumor, and it was not a permanent solution. The only way to prolong the life of Rei’s mother was to perform a liver transplant. However, it was not easy to find a suitable liver donor. It was also going to cost at least a million dollars, not counting the additional expenses that would come down the line. Going forward, they would need to continue with routine rehabilitation. It was going to cost at least several thousand a month at the very least. Iris did not hesitate and informed the hospital to begin making arrangements to source a suitable donor while she would do her part and put together the funds needed. After hanging up, she sank into the bed, feeling empty inside. Then, she transferred thirty thousand dollars to Tracy for the interventional therapy. Then, she made a quiet resolution to herself. From today on, she had to work harder to earn as much as she could. There was no fixed end point when it came to liver cancer. This subsequently meant that there were no longer any boundaries for what she would do, so long as she could get paid; the end justified the means. - In the afternoon, Rei’s father, Liam, called to inform Iris that Tracy’s operation was successful. When she received the first good news in a while, her mood improved significantly. Around evening, Iris went to Royal Palace, punctual as usual. She went to the public relations section to report to Bianca, the head of the department. She changed into her outfit, a skimpy top paired with a mini skirt that was far too short for decency, before following Bianca to meet the clients whom Claire managed to source for her. Claire had made a point of sourcing as many clients for Iris as she could, but most of them ended up rejecting Iris because they shunned her appearance. It was already nearing midnight, but she had no results to show for the night’s work. After walking around in high heels for so long, she reached her limit. She went back to the lounge to catch a break. Chances were that she was going to end the night without making a single cent. Just when she was feeling distraught, Claire entered the room with a radiant smile and went to tug at Iris, saying, “Vermouth, someone specifically requested for an uglier girl to drink with him… Isn’t that crazy?” Iris was certainly surprised to hear his, her eyes glowed. “Can such a person exist?” Claire filled her in solemnly, “Yes, it’s a fetish of some sort. But I have to warn you, Vermouth, he’s into some rough play. “Probably due to him being incompetent, he developed some twisted kink such as sadism and a thing for uglier people. “Because he’s unable to get it on with any women, he likes to vent his frustration by whipping them to extract some kind of satisfaction for himself. There’s not much good to say about him other than his generosity.” Iris grew interested at the mention that this man was a generous spender. “How generous are we talking about?” Claire remarked, “Last time, we sent someone to drink with him and he paid her a hundred thousand. Then, he took her back to his room for more, and she was paid three million for her time.” Three million… Such a tremendous sum was truly tempting. If she made three million, she would come away with three hundred thousand even if Hugh took away ninety percent of it. Upon noting Iris’ silence, Claire could tell what was on her mind. She suddenly put on a serious expression and advised Iris, “Listen, Vermouth. I know it’s three million, but it’s not going to be easy, don’t get too caught up. “He might not have slept with that girl last time, but he messed her up so badly that she was covered in blood by the end of it and almost died because of it. “Just go in there and drink with him, keep him happy. There’s a lot of people inside the private box, and he at least knows how to play the gentleman when there are people around.” “Let’s go, Claire, I know what to expect,” Iris said. Claire threw a worried look at Iris and continued reminding her not to do anything she would regret. Soon, they arrived at the box of the man with the so-called “ugliness fetish”. The light in the private room was as dim as night, but the people inside were rowdy. Iris could not make out any of the faces. After they entered, she was taken to meet the man with the ugliness fetish. It was a middle-aged man. When Iris was still living the high life, she met this man at a certain party. He was a very successful business owner and was part of the upper echelon, ranked amongst the top five in Capital. The man did not even come close to recognizing Iris. He stared at her hideous scar for a while before patting the seat next to him excitedly to motion her over, “Come and sit with me, beautiful.” Ever since Iris received the scar, this was the first time she had heard someone calling her beautiful. It was so bizarre that it made her shiver. Upon remembering his generosity with his wallet, she calmly went to sit next to him. He then started stroking her back while leaning in toward her ear, “Would you like to take this somewhere else?” “Yes,” Iris answered without thinking. She was aware that this was not a good look for herself. However, she could not resist the chance to haul in such a vast sum in such a short amount of time. Truly, she had no other choice. If she let this golden opportunity slip by, what were the odds of coming by such a patron again, especially considering her looks? “Why don’t we take this upstairs?” The man offered, “I'll pay you three million, how does that sound?” Iris lowered her gaze before she took the initiative to take the man’s hand and replied, “Okay.” The man was more than pleased with her submissiveness. She put her arms around him and he walked outside with her. Claire felt her skin crawl upon witnessing this scene. Iris had truly lost her mind! For a second, she was considering charging toward them to stop them. That was when the door opened. Hugh showed up in front of Iris with a cigarette dangling by his lips. The hazy cigarette smoke hovering in front of him gave him a different sort of aura. First, he cast a frozen look at the duo, and then he fixed his stare on Iris, saying, “Going somewhere?”