"So, where are we going?" I asked Patrick, once we got past the front gate.

"Firstly, to Uomini Cielo, your Father's brothel," he answered.

I scoffed in disbelief, "Pappa didn't own a brothel."

Patrick snickered, almost pitying me, "Yes, Eliza. He did."

I looked at him, trying to see if he was lying. Oh my God, he wasn't. Pappa owned a brothel? This couldn't be happening.

Coughing, covering my shock, I asked, "why?"

He shrugged, "just to check up on things. And you should meet Carter James."

I frowned. That doesn't sound like a woman's name?

"Who's she?" I asked.

"He's a he," Patrick chuckled, "he's the manager."

"A male manages a brothel?" I questioned in disbelief.

Patrick nodded, not understanding my confusion, "yeah."

It just seemed strange. These women were selling themselves to men. I could hardly think that they were in good hands if another man was managing their lives. And from what I learnt at Patrick's brothel, these women needed protecting.

The car pulled up outside of a two story building just outside central city. It was a large cream building with floor-to-ceiling arch windows on each floor. They were draped with silk curtains hiding what was inside.

The second car pulled up and Nickola, Antonio and Alberto got outside. Patrick and Garrick joined me on the pavement as I looked up at one of Pappa's businesses. One of my businesses.

"Good to have you back," Antonio smiled at me, playfully punching my shoulder.

I giggled, slapping him away before turning my gaze to Patrick.

"Do we just go in?" I asked him, feeling as if I needed permission.

He shrugged, "you own the place. You can do whatever you want."

That thought wouldn't settle no matter how much I said it. I was now the owner of my very own brothel. There was something very disturbing about that sentence.

It was like walking into a theatre. There was a gallery above us and stairs that circled up to it, leading to the second floor. Cream curtains draped around the place cutting off certain parts of the room. There was little light in the place with small glows from wall lamps and the large chandelier that hung from the roof. Half-circled, cream and cushioned lounges doted the place in no order as well as a few chairs here and there. There was a bar down the back with no attendance but that wasn't surprising. Brothels aren't open during the day.

"I'm going to go find Carter," Patrick stated, before looking at the boys behind us, "stay here."

They all scoffed, offended by the order.

"I knew Piero should have come," Alberto muttered, making them snicker.

"I'm might just have a look around," I told Patrick, making his brows rise, "what? I own this place, right?"

He snickered under his breath but nodded, "okay, but don't go getting any ideas."

Now it was my turn to scoff. Right, I anxious about sleeping with a man that I had married. I doubt I could sleep with strangers for a living.

As Patrick headed in the direction of a side door, I headed up the stairs, seeing all that I could down below. The gallery led down two hallways on both sides of me with doors that followed. Two glass doors were in the middle that looked out to the void and had laughter echoing out.

Not thinking about it, I opened them and poked my head through.

"Hello?" I called out, stepping into the large room.

A cushioned lounge outlined the entire room and was the only piece of furniture. Large ancient paintings hung on the walls, creating a sense of history to the room. Five poles doted the space, my mind already knowing what they were for. The laughter had come from the six girls that sat at the far end of the room, three of them wearing only panties, bras and heels. Another one wore a tight black dress that barely contained her huge breasts. Two of them wore skirts and mid-drifts and killer heels that I would break an ankle in.

"Who are you?" One snorted looking me up and down, "are you lost?"

"Ah no -."

"Yeah, Honey. Didn't anyone tell you that the sexy secretary look went out of style three years ago?" Another teased, causing snickers to erupt.

I bit my lip, trying not to laugh as I realized what they were talking about. They thought I was a prostitute.

"I wouldn't want to be wearing anything that nice, if I were you," Killer Heels, suggested, "Not unless you want cum stains on it."

I couldn't hide my shock. Not even Zoey was that crude.

"But seriously, who the hell are you?" The first one asked, looking the oldest out of the six of them.

Biting my lip, I prepared more them than myself for the news, "I'm Eliza Uccello."

Their faces dropped.

"Oh crap," the first one swore, "look, we were just jokin' around. We didn't mean anything by it."

"I know, it's okay," I giggled, trying to get them comfortable with me.

"Well, come on girls, show some respect," she ordered them, causing them to sit up and be attentive before turning to me, "come sit down."

Immediately, I wasn't sure where. But not wanting to offend them, I sat next to the oldest and took in their features.

"I'm Carry," the oldest said, shaking my hand.

She wasn't the prettiest of the lot of them but still gorgeous. She had black hair that was cut into a bob and wore dark makeup that made her eyes stand out.

"This is Evie," she said pointing to the girl next to her.

I shook Evie's hand loving her bright smile. Her hair was almost white with purple toner through it. She also wore fake eyelashes that half covered her eyes.

"That's Steph, Sky and Vicky," she went along, "and Claire."

"Hi," I waved, not really sure where to look.

"So, your like rich?" Claire asked, leaning forward.

I froze, not knowing what to say.

"Claire, manners," Carry hissed, holding my arms, "ignore her, she's brainless."

I nodded, not offended.

"So, what are you doing here?" Steph asked, changing topic.

"Ah, I'm checking on things," I said, not completely lying, "but I actually wanted to ask you guys a few questions."

"Oh really," Evie giggled, leaning forward to see past Carry, "what do you want to know, Darling?"

God, where did I want to start?

"Well, how long have you guys been working here?" I started off with.

They all called out numbers. Evie and Sky said three, Steph said two, Claire said one and a bit and Vicky said four. Carry said six. She truly was the oldest.

"Do you...like it?" I asked not sure if I was comfortable with the question.

They were silent, thinking.

"Sure beats being a coffee chick as Starbucks," Vicky scoffed, which all of them agreed too.

I couldn't pretend that I wasn't relieved by that. It caused me to relax more and I was able to ask my questions.

"What else?" I hummed thinking, "what do you actually do?"

I had no idea what came over me to ask the question. Perhaps curiosity. But my mind kept on going back to when Patrick forced me to go to his brothel. The way, the girl's there had demanded answers for their questions. Wondering so curiously about mine and Patrick's sex life.

But things were different between Patrick had I now. Things were happening. I guess I wanted to be prepared.

Vicky frowned, sitting forward, the only one game another to answer, "are you asking advice?"

Air sucked into my lungs, as my cheeks burned to embarrassment.

"Yeah," I choked, "I guess I am."

"Oh honey, guys are easy," Claire waved me off, "sex is the one place women have the advantage. All you gotta do is strip and he's yours."

"That's horrible advice," Vicky snapped, "do you know who she's married? I don't think simply stripping is going to the job."

I swallowed, trying to hide my uneasiness. Was Patrick that difficult in bed?

"I reckon he's into some kinky stuff," Sky stated, making me swallow.

Like, whips and chains?

"Um, kinky?" I asked, trying to sound like I wasn't interested.

"Yeah," she shrugged, "you know, like. Tying each other up, eating food off each other, handcuffs -."

"Oh my God, do you remember that guy that wanted to handcuff Evie and give her anal!" Steph cried out, causing the girl's to erupt into laughter.

Oh God. Anal? Handcuffs? Was this some of the stuff that these girls had to put up with?

Soon I came to the question that I had been wanting to ask all along, "Okay, um, are any of you pregnant?" I asked.

Silence. You could hear a pin drop. My eyes looked around the still faces, fearing the worse. Small wipes came from Sky as she hung her head in shame.

"Oh Sky, Baby," Evie cried, wrapping her arms around her.

My heart broke for her, seeing the fear in her face.

"I told you this dress makes me show," she sniffed, causing an aw to erupt in the room, "please don't fire me."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"I'm not showing that much, I swear," she begged through her sniffs.

"Is that what happens?" I asked, "as soon as you're pregnant, you get fired?"

I received sad looks from Carry and Vicky as the others tried to comfort Sky. God, at least Patrick let them stay till they were showing. Why would my father put up with that?

"What precautions are in place to stop this from happening?" I asked them.

"If the client has a condom," Carry shrugged.

"If? You mean, you don't use one all the time?" I questioned, horrified.

"Who do you think we are? Men don't care about us. We're just here for a good time and can be disposed of when needed," Carry explained.

Nope, not around here, not with the guys I sleep with. If any of the guys find out that I'm pregnant. I'm as good as dead

Oh, more problems.

"Sky, what will happen if the father of your baby finds out your pregnant?" I asked her.

She pealed her hands away from her face and sniffed, "kill me."

She fell into tears again, clinging to the arms that were around her. I felt so sorry for her. This shouldn't be allowed to happen.

"Sky, I promise you, I'm going to change things around here," I vowed to her, praying that I could.

"How?" Carry asked, "I've been working in this business for six years. The world doesn't give a damn about us."

"I give a damn," I told her, causing her eyes to widen, "the way I see it, you girls are my employees, just like at Starbucks."

The girls snorted at my little joke finding any chance to smile in the cloud of their lives.

"Eliza!" I heard Patrick call out through the slightly opened doors.

"Coming!" I yelled back before turning to the girls, "I better go."

"Thank you," Sky said, before I left, "even if you can't do anything. It's nice to know that there's someone on our side."

I smiled at her before leaving the room and meeting Patrick down stairs. Carter was standing next to him in a black suit and was probably a couple of years older than Patrick. His hair was blonde and quite thin, looking like he had a small cat on his head. He wore a polite smile but there was something about him that I couldn't trust.

"Eliza, this is Carter James," Patrick introduced.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, trying to be as formal and respectful as Patrick.

The suit helped a bit. I was able to stand up straight, poised and hold my head up high.

"You too," he replied, probably just for the sake of it.

I didn't mind. I didn't need him to like me. I needed him to listen to me.

I don't really know what happened to me in that moment. The business woman inside of me came alive and all I could think about was improving the lives of the girls upstairs.

"So, how are things run here, exactly?" I asked, wanting to understand the business.

"Quite simple, we got rooms upstairs for private entertainment. The girls also do home deals," Carter explained.

"And what are home deals?" I wanted clarified.

"The girls go to the clients," he answered simply, "in here, men can enjoy the girls company and get to know them."

I nodded, pretending that my stomach didn't turn at the way he was talking about them, like cows at an auction.

"How many can we employ here?" I asked him.

He shrugged, "ten, possibly more. We had to get rid of two a couple of months ago under unfortunate circumstances."

The little look he gave to Patrick, gave it away.

"They were pregnant," I stated, already knowing the answer.

He nodded, "yes, they were."

"Yes, well, we're going to need to change that. For starters, I want no one fired for being pregnant," I started with, making his face drop.

He wasn't the only one surprised.

The boys remained silent, not sure of what to do.

"But, that's how we do it here. That's what your father wanted," Carter explained, "do you know who these girls fool around with? Once their knocked up, they need to get far away from this place as they can."

"I don't agree with that," I argued, standing my ground, "we need to help them, not kick them out."

Carter bit his lip and crossed his arms, trying to contain his true opinion. I wouldn't mind if he was rude to me though the look on Patrick's face told me that he had a different opinion.

"What did you have in mind?" Carter asked, the question clearly difficult for him.

"These girls need to be protected. The clients need to know that if they want their services than they need to be aware of the consequences. I want condoms being used at all times and every girl on the pill," Carter managed to pay attention, but I knew he would need more convincing, "I know that accidents happens, but the girls shouldn't be fired, okay. They should work till their showing and be given maternity leave."

"Excuse me?" Carter questioned, not believing what he was hearing.

"Maternity leave. What's the difference between them and people that work at Starbucks?"

There was a small snicker from the boys.

"And once they've had the kid, if they choose to keep it, there should be a kid's play room."

"Stop, stop, stop," Carter waved his hands about, "a kids playroom in a brothel? I think you're confusing it with McDonald's."

"Hey, show some respect," Patrick snapped at him.

"No, it's fine. Carter just isn't a fan of how I plan to run things," I stated, surprising even myself.

Who the hell was this woman?

"What client is going to want to come here with children screaming two doors down. This place is about sex, not family guy," Carter argued.

"I don't care. And these clients also need to understand that their under my protection now. If they plan to kill these girls for getting pregnant, I will personally have their balls."

Carter's mouth dropped, shocked by my behaviour. He wasn't the only one. The boys stood stunned by my sudden transformation.

"Do we understand each other?" I asked, stealing a line from Patrick's book.

He was still for a moment but eventually nodded.

"I suppose we do."

It was good enough for me.

"Good, we'll be in touch with the details," I told him, making his frustration only grow.

The bit was between my teeth now and I was nowhere near letting go.

Carter grumbled to himself before disappearing through the side door.

"Wow," Nickola breathed, still in shock.

"That was impressive," Alberto gushed, "did you see his face when you said the thing about maternity leave? He looked as if he wanted to hit you."

I shrugged, accepting that, "I want to help these girls. They're selling their bodies so that I can get richer, that's not fair."

They nodded, at least pretending that they understood. I tried to avoid Patrick's gaze not sure how he took my performance. He didn't look like a feminist so I doubt he was pleased with my new decisions.

"I just need to make a phone call about our next stop," Patrick told me, pulling out his phone, "I'll be back."

I nodded, watching him walk outside.

"Eliza!" Carry called out running down the stairs, now wearing a leopard print robe, "that was so cool."

I smiled and walked over to her, ignoring the boy's eyes, "it's the least I can do, honestly."

"No, it's not. People don't give a damn about us and you're the first person that has. If there is anything that I can do for you, you name it. No questions asked."

I smiled at her offer and wrapped my arms around her. She had to bend to hug me and it was a little awkward but we both needed it in the end.

Back in the car, Patrick was silent. He wasn't giving anything away. Did he like what I did? Did he think it was stupid? Where the hell were we going now?

Giving in, I started for him, "you hate it, don't you? You hate that I'm trying to help them."

He smiled at me, chuckling, "I actually think it's smart."

I frowned, "You do?"

He nodded, "And you were right, these girls are our employees. We need to protect them."

"And what about the kids?" I asked, "The playroom."

He nodded, trying to contain his laughter, "That too. I'm not sure how it will work but I like it. I might even consider doing the same to my own brothel."

My mouth dropped. I did not expect that.

"Y-you, what? Is Patrick Maestri taking suggestions from me?" I teased, soaking as much up from this as I could.

He looked at me, then shook his head, "Get that smirk off your face, it's a onetime thing."

"I hardly doubt it," I laughed, the smile now uncontrollable.

He snickered at me, a small smile appearing on his face as he looked at me, admiring me. I tried to ignore it, to focus on my pumped mood. But when someone's eyes were looking at you in that way, you couldn't turn away.

Finally, I knew how to, "so where are we going?"

"Your father's casino," Patrick answered, "You have a meeting with Eagle Yeung."

I froze. Once that name would bring up memories of tea parties with his lovely wife but now it only brought fear. Why the hell did I have a meeting with the Chinese drug lord?

"W-why?" I asked, "W-what does Eagle Yeung want with me?"

"It's not what he wants with you, it's what you want with him," he corrected making me frown, "He runs the casino and uses it to trade drugs."

"What? My father allowed that to happen?" I questioned, horrified.

Patrick nodded, "in return, your father received twenty-five percent of all profit."

I fell back on the back seat, my mind going crazy. Who was the man that I called father?

"I know what's going through your head," Patrick stated, "Nicholas Uccello the business man is a different man to Nicholas Uccello the father. But that doesn't mean Nicholas Uccello the father isn't real or a lie. It means that Nicholas Uccello the business man was."

I nodded taking his word for it.

"We all have different versions of ourselves, Eliza. Some we want to hide from the world. I think your starting to learn that."

He wasn't wrong. I had become a whole different person in the brothel, thinking of ways that benefitted the girls. Now it was time to see how this deal with Eagle Yeung could benefit me.

I sighed, giving in, "Is there anything that I need to know? Respect wise?"

"Don't bow, he's Chinese but just, don't," he told me, "And be confident."