Trigger warning: Sensitive content ahead.
'Good,' Mrs Harlow nodded, looking satisfied with Ari's obedience.
She turned on her feet and led Ari to the basement which was faintly lit. The more they walked downstairs, the more Ari felt a sense of foreboding rise in her heart. A part of her wanted to turn around and run away, but she feared evoking the wrath of her mother.
What if she beat her up again? Or trapped her in water water-filled barrel? She didn't want it. The feeling of suffocation scared Ari and getting kicked was not a pleasant feeling either.
'Master Roman! It's so good to see you, are you quite sure that you do not wish to stay in the living room?' Ari heard her mother say. She walked down the stairs and felt her heart shudder as terror gripped it.
In the middle of the basement stood a man. From his clothes, he looked like he was a rich man — because Ari had only seen such clothes in shops where she couldn't even step inside.