The second night felt different.
Lina noticed it the moment she stepped into the Velvet Room again.
The lights were just as bright. The music still pulsed through the floor. Men in tailored suits still filled the tables with laughter and expensive drinks.
But this time…
People were looking at her differently.
Last night, she had been invisible.
Just another girl walking nervously through the door.
Tonight, whispers followed her.
"That's the new girl."
"I heard she made a fortune in one night."
"Is that her?"
Lina tried not to react, but she could feel the weight of their eyes.
The woman in the red dress appeared beside her again, smiling knowingly.
"You're popular already," she said.
Lina gave a small, uncertain laugh.
"That's not what it feels like."
"Trust me," the woman said. "It is."
She linked her arm casually with Lina's and guided her toward the dressing rooms.
"First night is always the hardest. After that…"
She shrugged.
"You start understanding how this place works."
Inside the dressing room, several other women were already preparing for the night.
Perfume hung thick in the air.
Lipsticks rolled across the table.
Soft laughter filled the room.
Some of the women glanced at Lina with curiosity.
One of them spoke first.
"So you're the girl everyone's talking about."
Lina looked at her.
"I doubt that."
"Oh, you are."
The woman smiled.
"They said a regular client paid triple for you."
Lina's stomach tightened slightly.
She hadn't expected the news to travel so fast.
The woman stood and walked closer.
She was older, perhaps in her late twenties, with sharp eyes and elegant confidence.
"My name is Bianca," she said.
"Lina."
Bianca studied her carefully.
"You're lucky."
"How?"
"Because your first client was one of the best ones."
Lina frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"Some men are gentle," Bianca explained.
"Some men… are not."
Lina didn't know how to respond.
Bianca's expression softened slightly.
"Don't worry. You'll learn."
She glanced at Lina's reflection in the mirror.
"But one thing you should understand quickly…"
"What?"
Bianca leaned closer.
"This isn't just about beauty."
Lina met her eyes in the mirror.
"Then what is it about?"
Bianca smiled.
"Power."
Before Lina could ask what she meant, the dressing room door opened.
The manager stepped in.
"Ladies."
Everyone looked up.
His gaze landed immediately on Lina.
"Your client has arrived."
Her heart skipped.
"The same one?"
"Yes."
Lina nodded slowly.
Something inside her relaxed slightly.
At least she knew what to expect.
The manager gestured toward the hallway.
"Come."
The private room looked the same as the night before.
Soft lighting.
Expensive alcohol.
A quiet space hidden from the noise of the club.
The old man was already there.
He looked up as Lina entered.
And smiled.
"I was hoping you'd come back."
Lina sat across from him again.
"You requested me."
"I did."
He poured two glasses of whiskey.
"Because I rarely meet someone interesting."
Lina raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting?"
"You're not pretending."
"What do you mean?"
"Most girls here perform."
He handed her the drink.
"You're honest."
Lina took the glass slowly.
"And you like that?"
"Yes."
He leaned back slightly, studying her again.
"You also adapt quickly."
"How can you tell?"
"You came back."
Lina couldn't deny that.
He lifted his glass.
"To ambition."
She hesitated, then clinked her glass lightly against his.
"To survival."
The man chuckled.
"That too."
The night moved slower this time.
Less nervous.
Less uncertain.
The tension from the first night had softened.
Lina noticed something new.
She wasn't just reacting anymore.
She was observing.
Watching how the man looked at her.
Listening to how he spoke.
Understanding what made him comfortable.
And for the first time…
She realized she had influence.
When she leaned closer, his voice softened.
When she smiled, his attention sharpened.
When she laughed lightly at his stories, he relaxed.
Bianca's words returned to her.
This isn't just about beauty.
It's about power.
Lina felt something shift inside her again.
Not fear.
Not shame.
Control.
And with that realization came a strange thrill.
The night unfolded in quiet intimacy and conversation. The old man's hands were slower now, his movements deliberate, almost careful.
Lina's nervousness faded gradually.
She began to understand the rhythm of the moment.
How to move.
How to respond.
How to turn uncertainty into confidence.
By the time the night ended, the room felt calmer than before.
The man reached into his jacket and placed another envelope on the table.
Lina glanced at it.
Then back at him.
"That's too much."
"No."
"It's more than we agreed."
He smiled slightly.
"You're worth it."
She hesitated before picking it up.
"Why me?" she asked quietly.
The man considered the question.
"Because most people chase money with desperation."
His eyes held hers.
"You chase it with purpose."
Lina didn't know whether that was a compliment.
But she accepted the envelope anyway.
As she left the room, the music of the club washed over her again.
Bianca was waiting near the hallway.
"Well?"
Lina held up the envelope slightly.
Bianca whistled.
"Not bad."
Lina slipped it into her purse.
Her heart was beating faster again.
But this time…
It wasn't anxiety.
It was something else.
Something she hadn't expected to feel in a place like this.
Excitement.
Because Lina was beginning to realize something.
The city was full of men with money.
Lonely men.
Powerful men.
Men who were willing to pay for attention.
For beauty.
For companionship.
And if she learned the rules of this world…
She could take as much as she wanted.
Lina glanced around the glittering club.
The laughter.
The lights.
The endless flow of money.
Back in the village, she had dreamed of escaping poverty.
Now she understood the truth.
She hadn't just escaped it.
She had stepped into a world where money moved like water.
And Lina Hart was learning exactly how to swim in it.