They arrived at the lounge. Harper walked with a quiet power, her heels clicking against the marbled floor. She slid into the VIP seat, pleased to see that none of the noble courtesans were there yet.
Suddenly—
"Blue!" someone called from afar. Harper turned her head just as a young courtesan tried to rush toward her, only to be blocked by Sage
"You're not allowed in here," Sage said firmly, holding her back.
"I just wanna say hi to her," the girl said, her voice small, eyes pleading.
Harper raised a hand. "Let her in."
Sage stepped aside. "Yes, Blue."
The girl hurried in and sat beside Harper, awe shining in her eyes.
"Oh, Blue, you look so beautiful."
Harper smiled faintly. "Thank you."
"I've always wanted to greet you, but I thought… you were like the others. That you didn't mingle with us."
Harper tilted her head. "Why would you think that? I'm always free with everyone."
"I didn't know," the girl said. "Not until you helped Dream with that painting issue. She told me you came to her personally. Since then, I realized… you're on our side. You don't discriminate."
Harper's smile grew more genuine. "Of course I don't. We're all courtesans. Titles don't make us different. I make money for the house, and so do all of you. Honestly? You regular courtesans do the most. Attending to different clients day and night—it's not easy."
The girl's eyes welled a little. "I'm glad you know."
Harper studied her. "You're Lily, right?"
"Yes! I'm Lily."
"Freya," Harper called softly.
"Yes, Blue?"
"My tablet."
Freya handed her the iPad wordlessly.
Harper turned to Lily. "I want to ask something."
"Sure!"
"You don't usually go to the casino, so I'm not sure… but do you know anything about the companions?"
Lily blinked. "The companions? Of course I do. We can't go in there, but that doesn't mean we can't do a little digging."
Harper lowered her voice. "You know about the trafficking that's rampant among the elites?"
Lily hesitated and scratched her ear. "Oh, that… are we allowed to talk about that?"
Harper swiped through the tablet and held it up. "Look at this jewelry set."
Lily's eyes lit up. "You want to buy this, Blue?"
"For you. Yes."
"For me?" Lily's voice trembled.
"Sure."
"That's Angel's set… it's really expensive."
"I ordered it. It'll arrive today."
Lily swallowed hard. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything."
Lily leaned closer, her voice low. "You know Angel's companion?"
"Logan."
"He has a field. Young peddlers come through there."
"I know."
"And Olivia's companion—Noah. He's into organ trafficking. Doesn't sell drugs. Just organs."
Harper narrowed her eyes. "Noah? The politician?"
Lily nodded quickly. "He hides behind that. The Dylan family funded his election. Olivia was his ladder to the president. But after he rose, he turned to organs. He thought that's how the Dylans made so much money."
"Does Olivia know?"
"She does. I heard she tried to leave, but he keeps renewing her subscription every year. That way, she can't betray him."
"So she's trapped."
"She is. She knows he won't hurt her… but she clings to the noble hall."
"She's stupid," Harper muttered.
"Very," Lily agreed.
"Then who else?" Harper asked.
"I'm gonna tell you."
"Dream? Were you listening?" Harper raised a brow as the elegant courtesan stepped forward.
"I wasn't! But I'm going to tell you what I know," Dream said, taking the seat beside them.
"This is it, Blue," Dream began. "Most politicians here are rotten. Only a few are clean—like Ken."
"Daisy's companion?"
"Yeah. He's clean. No drugs, no trafficking. The rest? They're all trying to outdo the Dylans."
She started listing names with disgust:
"Mr. Parker—Serenity's companion"
"Eden—Melody's"
"Reagan—Summer's"
"Reese—Vera's"
"Collins—Jade's"
"Brook—Daphne's"
"Rowan—Lilith's"
"All of them?!" Harper exclaimed.
"They're into it deep," Dream confirmed. "Logan only recently joined in since Ross vanished. Inside the casino, they talk secretly. They exchange kids, use them at home, run fields, plant weed… all of it."
Harper's stomach twisted. "Why is our clientele full of monsters?"
"Because the courtesans keep quiet. They benefit."
Harper leaned forward. "Do you know where the fields are?"
"Not all. But a few. Blue, you wanna help Quincy, but they outnumber him. They're all scared he'll expose them."
"He made them what they are!" Harper snapped. "They should be bettering the world, not ruining it! I was trafficked. I know what it's like."
Dream softened. "Some courtesans were trafficked too. They're trying to survive. Even Angel. She's falling apart because she refuses to kneel to anyone."
"Angel? She's from a regular family, right?"
Dream and Lily shared a glance.
"No," Dream said. "She was sold. Ross bought her from out of town. She was wild. He sent her to Logan—maybe to spy. But instead, she climbed his bed and became his mistress."
"What?!"
"She became valuable. Logan polished her, made her a noble courtesan. He uses her to gather intel, hijack business deals, make money. He trusts her. She's smart."
"And Logan's angry he can't get anything on the Dylans," Lily added.
"I heard there's no record of their wealth," Dream said. "The government tried before—arrested Quincy's father. But their money is clean. All business-based."
"Then how do they know the Dylans are rich?"
"They know, Blue," Lily whispered. "They just don't know where the money is. And it's not just billions… it's trillions."
Harper exhaled deeply. "That's insane."
"They'll never rest," Dream said. "Not until they take what Quincy has."
Harper's eyes turned cold. "Then I'll help him eliminate them. All of them."
Dream shook her head slowly. "It won't be easy."
"One by one," Harper said. "We'll make examples. And the rest will fall in line."
"True."
"Just tell me where the fields are, Dream. We'll handle the rest."
"I will."
"And keep me updated on everything."
"I promise."
"And don't let the noble courtesans hear any of this."
Dream clutched her chest dramatically. "I wouldn't want to get killed!" she said, laughing nervously.