Chapter 4
“Take off your clothes.”
The words landed hard in the quiet room.
Izzy’s heart slammed against her ribs. For several seconds, she couldn't breathe. Her entire body went rigid as she stared at Seth.
Had he really said that?
Her fingers tightened around the hem of her shirt.
“P-Pardon?”
Seth’s jaw tightened.
“Did you not hear me?”
His voice was cold and controlled.
Izzy swallowed, her pulse pounding in her ears.
“No…”
“Then why aren't you doing what I asked?”
A shiver ran through her.
She had known this might happen.
The moment she walked into his house, the moment she offered herself in exchange for the money her mother desperately needed, she had understood what she was agreeing to.
She just hadn't expected it to feel like this.
For Mom.
Izzy forced herself to hold onto the thought, reminding herself why she was doing this.
Slowly, she reached for the hem of her shirt, her trembling hands gripping the fabric before she pulled it over her head, the cool air against her skin making her shiver.
“Everything.”
Seth's voice remained emotionless.
“I don't want you wearing anything.”
Izzy’s cheeks burned with embarrassment as she bit her lip and nervously reached behind her back.
Her trembling fingers fumbled with the remaining clothing until she stood exposed before him, instinctively crossing her arms over herself as Seth’s expression hardened.
“Don't.”
Izzy slowly lowered her arms, her eyes burning with unshed tears. She had never felt this vulnerable in front of another person, and no one had ever seen her like this because she had always believed they never would.
Then she remembered her mother’s voice from years ago.
Never lose your dignity, Isabel. No matter how difficult life becomes.
But dignity couldn't pay a hospital bill, buy the medicine her mother needed, or save her life.
A tear slipped down Izzy’s cheek, and she quickly wiped it away, refusing to let Seth see her cry, but before she could steady herself, his hand closed around her arm, making her gasp as his firm grip stopped her without hurting her.
Something in his expression had changed, his jaw tense and his eyes noticeably darker than before.
“You can't offer something you don't have the strength to give, Isabel.”
His voice was lower now.
Izzy stared at him through her tears.
“I know.”
Her voice cracked.
“That's why I'm trying. I have to do this.”
She swallowed painfully.
“For my mother.”
Another tear slipped down her cheek as Seth stared at her for several long seconds. His grip gradually loosened before he released her arm and pointed toward the chair across the room.
“Sit.”
Izzy hesitated before obeying, slowly lowering herself onto the leather chair with her body still tense from embarrassment.
Her hands trembled in her lap as Seth remained standing in front of her, and then his next command made her freeze.
“Show me what you can do.”
Izzy’s entire body went rigid, her breath catching as she stared at him, unable to move.
She had imagined what might happen between them, but she hadn't expected him to test her resolve like this, leaving her unsure of what she was supposed to do.
You need the money, Isabel.
Your mother needs it.
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady herself despite the tremor in her hands as she moved hesitantly.
Seth remained silent, watching her closely for several long moments.
“Stop.”
Izzy froze.
“That's enough.”
She opened her eyes. Seth's expression had changed completely.
“Get dressed.”
She stared at him in confusion.
“What?”
“Get dressed and leave.”
Izzy's eyes widened.
“But…”
“I said get dressed.”
His voice was harsher now.
“But I need the money.”
“I don't care.”
Her face crumpled.
“Please. My mother needs surgery. I wouldn't have come here if I had another choice.”
Seth's jaw clenched.
“You think I don't understand that?”
Izzy fell silent.
He looked away, running a hand over his face.
“I expected desperation. I expected you to be nervous.”
His voice dropped.
“But this isn't what I wanted.”
Izzy wiped her tears with trembling fingers.
“Then what do you want?”
Seth looked back at her.
“I want a woman who actually wants to be there.”
His expression hardened.
“Not someone forcing herself through it because she thinks she has no other choice.”
He paused, his gaze fixed on her.
“Don't offer what you can't give, Isabel Vergara.”
Izzy stared at him. A bitter laugh escaped her through her tears.
“I don't have another choice.”
Seth said nothing.
He grabbed her clothes from where she had left them and tossed them toward her.
“Get dressed.”
Izzy caught them against her chest.
“When I come back, I don't want to find you here.”
He turned away.
Izzy hurried to get dressed, her hands still trembling as she struggled to steady herself.
Seth turned toward the other side of the room, deliberately avoiding looking at her because he had expected to feel nothing, just as he always did.
Money solved problems. Deals were simple. People asked for something, and he decided what he wanted in return.
But Isabel had ruined that simplicity.
He had expected greed, yet what he saw in her was desperation, and instead of seduction, he had seen someone willing to sacrifice her own dignity for the chance to save her mother.
Instead, he had watched a terrified young woman force herself to endure something she clearly didn't want because she believed her mother's life depended on it.
And somehow, that bothered him more than it should have, leaving him clenching his fists as he reminded himself that he shouldn't care about a woman he barely knew.
Yet the image of Isabel sitting there with tears running down her face refused to leave his mind, and as he walked out of the room, he told himself it meant nothing even though deep down, he already knew that wasn't true.
