Chapter 4: Rebirth in fire

The room was large, dimly lit by golden lamps that cast shadows against the deep red walls. A large mirror stood against one side, framed in black and gold. A vanity table was positioned in front of it, covered with bottles of perfume, tubes of lipstick, and brushes that looked untouched.

In the center of the room was a chaise lounge, upholstered in velvet. A dress lay draped over it, deep crimson, almost the same shade as dried blood.

Selene leaned against the doorframe, watching me with amusement. "Strip," she said.

I turned to her, my body stiff. "Excuse me?"

She tilted her head, her dark eyes glinting. "Take off your clothes."

I clenched my fists. "If this is some kind of—"

"It's not," she interrupted smoothly. "But if you want to survive here, you're going to have to let go of whatever shame you're still clinging to. Clothes, Winnie. Now."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. My hands trembled as I reached for the hem of my dress, my heart pounding in my chest. I had been exposed before. I had been stripped of dignity more times than I could count. But this felt different.

This wasn't a demand made in cruelty. It was a test.

I pulled the dress over my head and let it drop to the floor, standing in nothing but my undergarments.

Selene nodded approvingly. "Good."

She stepped forward and picked up the red dress, running her fingers over the fabric. "Put this on."

I took it from her, slipping it over my head. It clung to my body in ways that made me feel strange, like I had stepped into someone else's skin. I turned to face the mirror, and for the first time in a long time, I didn't recognize the girl staring back at me.

The bruises on my arms and collarbone were still there, faint but visible. My face was gaunt, my eyes shadowed with exhaustion. And yet, the dress made me look different—like I belonged in this place.

Selene came up behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders. "Do you know what the difference is between a girl who gets used and a girl who holds the power?"

I met her gaze in the mirror. "What?"

She smirked. "Choice."

I said nothing.

She turned me around to face her. "Tonight is the first night of your new life. You're going to walk into that room downstairs, and you're going to own the space. No more lowering your head. No more waiting for things to happen to you. From now on, you make the rules."

A lump formed in my throat. "And if I fail?"

Selene's expression darkened. "Failure is not an option."

The music in the main lounge was soft, the kind of melody that seeped into your bones. The scent of cigars and whiskey hung in the air, mingling with perfume and expensive cologne.

Men sat in plush chairs, talking in low voices. Women moved among them, draped in silk and satin, their laughter like the chime of silver bells. But there was something beneath the glamour—something sharp, something dangerous.

This was no ordinary place.

Selene guided me through the room, her hand firm on my lower back. Heads turned as we passed, curious eyes drinking me in. I felt exposed, and vulnerable, but I forced myself to keep walking, to keep my chin high.

At the far end of the room, Damien sat in a leather chair, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He watched me with quiet amusement as if he had already known I would pass whatever test Selene had given me.

"Beautiful," he murmured as we approached.

Selene smirked. "She cleans up well."

Damien gestured to the seat across from him. "Sit."

I did as he asked, keeping my hands folded in my lap. The dress was smooth beneath my fingers, unfamiliar but strangely comforting.

"Do you know where you are?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"This is not just a lounge, Winnie. This is an empire." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Selene and I built this place from nothing. It runs on secrets, power, and control. And now, you are a part of it."

A cold knot tightened in my stomach. "And what exactly is my role?"

Selene answered before Damien could. "You'll learn to manipulate, to command attention, to make men fall to their knees without ever laying a hand on them."

I frowned. "You want me to be a…"

"A player in the game," Damien finished smoothly. "No more being someone's pawn. You'll learn how to own the board."

I exhaled slowly. It was too much, too fast, but at the same time… it was tempting.

For the first time in my life, someone was offering me more than survival.

They were offering me power.

But power came with a price.

And I had no idea if I was willing to pay it.

As the night went on, I watched. I observed the way the women moved, the way they spoke, how they commanded the space without ever raising their voices. I saw the way men gravitated toward them, drawn in like moths to a flame.

It wasn't about beauty. It wasn't about sex.

It was about control.

I thought about the nights I had spent on the streets, the way men had used me, discarded me. I thought about my stepmother, about the way she had stripped me of my worth and turned me into a shadow of myself.

And then I thought about what Selene had said

Choice.

For the first time, I had one.

Damien raised his glass toward me from across the room, a silent question in his eyes.

I lifted mine in return.

If this was my rebirth, then so be it.

I would learn the game.

And this time, I would be the one holding the strings.