As two figures passed along the street, Romi's purple eyes darted frantically to the side, locking onto Alex and Ash as they strolled casually across the alleyway.
Her gaze widened with a jolt of surprise along with a flicker of something far more complex, a mix of desperate recognition and crushing humiliation.
All while her body remained pinned and trembling against the rough, scratchy brick wall, she saw the handsome man she had asked the store's owner daughter about.
He managed to captivate her attention, although she tried herself not to show attention to anything other than money.
For a proud woman like Romi, the sting of being seen in this vulnerable, degrading position was almost worse than the filthy hands crawling over her body.
"You! You there! Stop!" she called out, her voice still carrying that sharp, aristocratic edge she used in boardrooms. "Get these animals off me! Do you hear me? Help!"
