Chapter 9

With this in mind, Rose sent a message to the businessmen visiting from the south. She told them about Iris, or rather, Vermouth’s accomplishments at Royal Palace. Then, she announced her plans to toy with Vermouth and that she needed their help, and they agreed to her arrangement. Rose then walked ahead of Iris who was completely oblivious to what was about to happen. - Iris followed Rose to a luxurious private room located on the third floor. When they entered, a man was lounging on the couch, indulging in expensive cigars and blowing clouds of smoke above him. There were already two party girls attending to him. They were kneeling at his feet, massaging his legs for him. Iris recognized this to be the businessman from the south they mentioned. There was a pungent smell of smoke inside the private room. It was almost nauseating. In the past, she could not stand the smell of cigarettes. When her father was alive, he forbade any smoking in the household. The first consideration that came up when hiring housemaids, drivers, and bodyguards was that they had to be non-smokers. Now though, she had worked long enough to have accustomed herself to the smell she once found repulsive. Upon noticing Rose, the wealthy man slapped his thighs and called her over in a flirtatious voice, “Come here, beautiful…” Iris was standing behind Rose so the man could not see her face initially. Rose gave the man a charming smile and approached enthusiastically, propping herself on his lap without a second thought. Now that nobody was shielding Iris, her scars were bare in full view. The smile on the man’s face vanished in an instant, and it was replaced by a scowl. “I heard from Rose that you were one of the biggest hustlers working here,” he uttered. “That's right… She’s a real player,” Rose answered for Iris. Rumors went around that Vermouth had slept with a particularly sadistic customer and ended up getting all bloodied by the end of the abuse. Everyone heard about it… Now, everyone knew Vermouth as the biggest hustler around, and that she was completely shameless. Since she was such a big hustler, of course, Rose had to do her part to promote her deeds! Iris could sense the biting sarcasm in Rose’s voice. She ignored it and smiled wryly at the rich businessman, “Yes, I’d do anything as long as there’s money involved.” Then, she pointed to the hideous scar on her neck and told him, “I sold myself to a certain customer with a violence fetish for three million dollars. He whipped me so hard that I bled all over.” It was bizarre to see someone describing the most horrid and violent happening with casual indifference even though the truth was that she was humiliated, defeated, and weak. Despite that, she put on a fiercely defiant and desensitized look in her eyes. Underneath the body that was close to crumbling was an unbreakable soul. It was a stark contrast from what she might look like on the outside. Rose despised the way Iris carried herself. What was she so smug about? She was a lowly vermin scrambling at the bottom of the mud pile. Meanwhile, the man suddenly grew intrigued. He had seen countless money-hungry women in his time. However, it was rare to see one who was so desperate that they would put their life on the line. “You are the most shameless woman I have ever seen in this place,” he said with a scoff. “I own up to it,” Iris replied faintly. “That’s all you have to say about it?” “Yes, it’s the truth.” The man chuckled. “Heh, get over here!” Iris hung her head low and approached him as she was told. The man suddenly expressed with a frown, “Don’t walk, I want you to crawl over here. Do you understand?” “Yes, sir. I understand now.” With that, Iris got down on all fours and began crawling toward him like a baby. The man seemed very satisfied by this. Life had been quite stressful lately; that was why he came here to blow off some steam. How fitting to have a toy to play around with however he liked. With that thought in mind, he lifted his foot and stomped on Iris’ chest without any reservation. Then he grabbed a handful of cash and tossed them into the trash can. “Interesting... Here’s your reward. Go ahead, get on your knees, and take it.” Beautiful women were to be cherished, and he would have his way with the ugly ones. Iris pried herself off the floor with some effort before she got on her knees again. She then began reaching into the trash can, extracting one banknote after another. Every piece was covered in grime and dirt, but she did not seem bothered. Upon witnessing this, Rose and the others cringed in disgust. One of the party girls chided her without mercy, “Gross. You’re picking money from a trash can?” Iris did not acknowledge her question at all. She continued to pick up one bill after another, all while keeping a tally inside her mind. This money could be used to save someone’s life. She would not complain just because of some grime. In the past when she was still the princess of the Barons, she was a clean freak. If her Hermès purse worth hundreds of thousands had dropped to the muddied ground during a rainy day, she would not even bother to pick it up. She would never have imagined herself digging through a trash can. However, living through what was essentially hell for five years had eliminated whatever obsessions she had with cleanliness. When she was in prison, there were times when she was so hungry that she would dive into the garbage to look for leftover bread. Sometimes, she even had to drink wastewater from the kitchen. Soon, she finished picking out the dollar bills from inside the trash can, rounding the cash up to ten thousand dollars. Satisfied with the count, she thought it was worth the effort. The businessman was amused by this. He grabbed other large bundles of cash and threw them ruthlessly at Iris before asking, “Do you want this money?” Iris faintly looked at the bundles of cash sprawled out under her feet and briefly counted them. There were twenty bundles, which came to two hundred thousand dollars. “Yes,” she replied. “On one condition,” the man said with a sneer. “What is it?” Iris asked.