Chapter 12

Clare was gripping the thin hands of her father tightly, afraid that he might slip from her grasp. There was a dark circle settling under her eyes since she hasn't been getting proper sleep ever since her father was admitted to the hospital.

Speaking of her Father...

He was sleeping in the hospital bed with a hose of oxygen attached to his nose to help him breathe.

He experienced a stroke when everyone in the building started arguing with the worker that day.

It was scary to see her father collapse all of a sudden. Clare felt so much fear that she started breaking down inside the ambulance.

She thought he was having a heart attack.

Still, her father's condition was very bad.

Clare had to empty out her remaining savings for his hospitalisation.

It was honestly heartbreaking how the day she looked forward to was the day all hell broke loose for her.

Honestly, she was growing depressed at an alarming rate and negative thoughts were flooding her mind.

She knew she was strong these past 3 years but can she really say that to herself now?

When all the hard work she did went down the drain and her situation even got worse.

In all truth, Clare just wanted to give up.

But seeing how her father was fighting and not to mention, her siblings were still young. She did not have the novelty to do so.

They were all depending on her.

And with what the doctor told her a few moments earlier about her father's treatment... She needed to get back on her feet and find a way to solve this problem she was dealing with right now.

If only there was a way to earn a lot of money instantly...

With this in mind she remembered an offer given to her by Stella before. Although it was treated as a joke at that time, she couldn't help but think that she could do it.

She was desperate...

Clare did not care anymore. As long as she could save her father and get a little bit of a breather from this situation, she would do whatever it takes.

Immediately, she fished out her phone and dialed Stella's number. It was early in the morning, around six pm, and with everything going on inside her head, being impulsive was the only thing that was a result of all of that.

Stella finally picked up after a few seconds, her voice apparently groggy which made Clare feel bad instantaneously.

"Clare?"

"Sorry Stella... I just wanted to ask you something important. So, could I spare some of your time please?"

There was a slight tremor in Clare's voice.

"Sure. No problem... Clare?Are you alright?"

"Yes. I-I'm fine. Stella about the offer you told me a year ago...Is it still available?"

"Huh?What offer?"

Clare closed her eyes tightly.

So, Stella was definitely joking at that time. Huh?

'Then do I still say this to her or...We don't really have much of a choice Clare, do we?'

She looked around and made sure that no one was going to hear what she was about to say.

"About the escort thing...you told me about before. Can I still take up the offer?"

Stella was so clearly flabbergasted that she became speechless for a few seconds before exploding in disbelief.

"What? Clare! Oh my God! I was kidding back then! I was just teasing you that time because I know that would never happen. And of course, I don't wanna get you involved in something like that!"

"Yeah I know...But... I mean... You're doing it and you don't seem like you hate it so I—"

"That's because I have experience with that Clare! You should think about this carefully, Clare. You haven't even held hands with a boy before let alone kiss one!"

Stella calmed down a bit and said,"You're just confused right now. How about I ask Owen to look after your dad today and you come back here to rest?"

"But I'm an adult Stella! I don't really care about it . I just need—"

"Is it about your dad?We talked about this Clare. You can rely on us. Owen, Jun and—"

Clare's voice could not help but increase in volume as the frustration started kicking in.

"I need a lot of money Stella! I put myself in this situation and I don't want to burden you guys!"

"Clare—"

"Yes, you can help me but spending a ton of money when you guys are also struggling won't help the situation better! I need to do something by myself!"

Stella grew silent by her outburst, she had never heard Clare this frustrated before. It was so different from the strong woman persona she used to embody. Now, Stella was exposed to all of her vulnerability.

Clare felt all the adrenaline go down and then the guilt started kicking in.

"Oh my God... S*it...I-Im sorry, Stella. I didn't mean—"

Panic arose in her chest, afraid that she might have gone too far with how she shouted at Stella who was only trying to help her.

Seconds later, Clare heard a sigh.

"Okay...Fine. But...Are you sure about this, Clare? I know you know that my job isn't a joke. I don't want you to regret the future and blame me for bringing you into this mess."

Her grip on her phone tightened as she found the courage to agree to her own plan.

"Yes."

"I see. Well, I'll see to it that this will be a one time thing and try to find a gig that won't make you lose anything...but the chances are very slim, Claire. Let's just pray that Luck will favor us this time."

Clare only managed to mutter a yes before she decided to hang up.

There was tension, anxiety and fear.

Was she really gonna do this?

This impulsive decision might destroy every principle she built around herself.

And rely on Luck?

Luck has been playing with her life by being absent in most of it.

"Luck, huh? I bet you're gonna screw me all over again."

She muttered to herself unaware that luck was gonna be on her side this time.