𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐥 | 𝐒.𝐌

7 | "Sir"

As soon as our backs hit the mattress in one of the free Purple Rooms, we fall asleep.

A few hours later I wake up with a terrible headache. When I look around, I see that Shawn has fallen onto the ground and he's only holding the bed with one of his hands. I chuckle and throw a blanket over his body before I tip-toe to the door of the room.

I write something on a note for him.

See you in a bit 😊

I open the door as quietly as I can and close it behind me, seeing a client and one of the girls walking in my direction.

I freak out and run to one of the walls in this hallway that has a secret tunnel, running through the whole palace.

I press on the wall and it opens with a click. I hide inside it and close it behind me, following the signs that Elijah put inside the tunnels a few years ago.

The tunnels are only used by the "staff" of the brothel, so we can move around the palace without everyone seeing us. As Elijah puts it: "This brothel never sleeps, but we do, and not everyone has to know that."

I walk while rubbing my eyes. A few minutes later I arrive at the wall across from my new room and I push it open.

I take my leather jacket off when I close the wall - door - with my shoulder. The door of my room is half open when I walk to it, seeing Mia sitting on the bed while putting her son's clothes on.

'Morning, Mia.' I say with a soft voice.

'Hey, Cee.' She doesn't turn around to look at me.

Her son smiles at me and when his mother pulls the sweater over his head he fights his body away from her hands and runs to me.

He is so small, that his arms only wrap around my legs when he hugs me. I run my fingers through his blonde soft hair and lift him from the ground.

'How are you, Sean?' I ask, pressing a kiss on his soft cheek.

'I am very well, thank you, Celina.' He puts both his hands on my head and starts straightening my hair.

'I honestly do not know what you're so worried about, Mia. This boy is three years old and makes better sentences than I do.' I tell Mia.

'I know.' She chuckles.

'Where have you been, Cee? Normally you always sleep here or with Elijah, but yesterday you were nowhere to be found. And you look a mess!' She stands up and walks up to us, taking Sean from my hands when she smells the scent of alcohol.

'I was with Shawn at Mercury's pub yesterday. We were quite drunk after it, bla bla. Ended up in the purple room and now I'm here to take a shower and change my clothes.' I bend down to smell the pair of jeans laying on the ground next to my bed.

'I wasn't with Celina last night, mommy.' Sean tells his mother, a little confused.

'Not you, love. Another guy whose name is Sean too... only you spell it differently.' I throw the pair of jeans across the room, they smell terrible.

Mia tells me about her piece of shit of an ex as I grab clean clothes out of the closet. Sean asks if he can play in the tunnels again and I shoot Mia daggers. No one - especially children - is allowed in the tunnels except when you work here or when you're Elijah. She makes up some lame excuse as if I'm going to tell anyone? She takes Sean with her when I go to the bathroom to take a shower.

When I finish taking my shower, the room is empty. I quickly grab some lacy lingerie and my black satin bathrobe. I tie the string around my waist and run my fingers through my hair while looking in the mirror.