ROYAL WALLS

Sophie kissed his neck, leaving a hickey in her wake. The man, eyes shut, wrapped his arms around her tightly. He bent down, hands moving to lift her dress, but Sophie whispered, "No," in his ear. He froze, respecting her boundary instantly. Reality crashed down on Sophie as Grace's words echoed in her mind: "Everybody dies whoever she gets close to." Shaken, she gently pushed him away and asked him to open the door. The man came to his senses, carefully pulling up the straps of Sophie's dress and handing her the jacket. His thoughtful gesture made her feel unexpectedly cherished. As she was about to leave, he grabbed her hand once more, pressing a bundle of cash into her palm. "I will never forget this," he murmured, his voice filled with a strange mix of regret and gratitude. As the man handed Sophie the cash, a harsh reality hit her: he hadn't been intimate with her because he liked her, but because he saw her as an object to use. Sophie had always believed in waiting for the right person, the one she would genuinely connect with, but this encounter shattered that ideal. She was drawn to him in a way she had never experienced before, but he only took advantage of her, reducing her first kiss to a transaction. Noticing Sophie’s expression as she looked at the cash, the man spoke with a casual cruelty. "Well, you know the party is so boring and a man has some needs I must fulfill. If not you, then someone else. You'd feel lucky if you ever knew who your first kiss was." He opened the washroom door and was about to leave when Sophie took a deep breath, grabbed his hand, and handed the cash back. "Well, I too enjoyed it, so here is your reward," she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside.