The next morning felt strangely quiet.
Stephanie barely slept the night before. Vanessa's words kept replaying in her mind, and the warning from the girl in the hallway made everything feel even more unsettling.
Across the room, Maya was already awake, scrolling through her new phone.
"You didn't sleep, did you?" Maya asked gently.
Stephanie shook her head.
"No."
Maya sighed.
"I know last night was a lot."
Stephanie sat up slowly.
"That's one way to describe it."
Before Maya could respond, a soft knock came on the bedroom door.
Vanessa's voice followed.
"Good morning, girls."
Maya quickly stood and opened the door.
Vanessa walked in holding two cups of coffee and placed them on the table beside the bed.
"I thought you might need this."
Stephanie accepted the cup quietly.
Vanessa sat down across from them.
"So," she said calmly. "Have you had time to think about what we talked about?"
Stephanie and Maya exchanged a brief glance.
Maya spoke first.
"We've been thinking."
Vanessa nodded.
"That's good."
Stephanie took a deep breath.
"We still don't understand everything."
Vanessa leaned back comfortably.
"Then let me explain."
Her voice remained gentle and confident, almost like a teacher speaking to students.
"The girls who work with me meet wealthy clients. Men who travel, businessmen, politicians… people with influence."
Stephanie's stomach tightened again.
"They spend time together," Vanessa continued. "Sometimes dinner. Sometimes parties. Sometimes more."
Maya looked nervous but curious.
"And they pay?" she asked.
Vanessa nodded.
"Very well."
Stephanie frowned.
"And the girls just… do this?"
Vanessa gave a small shrug.
"They make their own decisions. No one is forced."
Stephanie remembered the girl's warning in the hallway.
Be careful.
"What about the girls who don't want to do it anymore?" Stephanie asked.
For the first time, Vanessa paused.
Only for a second.
"They usually stay," she said calmly.
"Because the money changes their lives."
The room fell silent again.
Vanessa stood up.
"I'm not expecting you to decide today."
She looked at them carefully.
"But understand this."
Her voice softened.
"The world outside this house is not easy. You already know that."
Stephanie looked away.
Vanessa walked toward the door but stopped before leaving.
"You are both beautiful, intelligent girls," she added.
"And in this world… those things can either be a weakness…"
She opened the door.
"…or a very powerful advantage."
Then she left the room again.
After the door closed, Maya sat down slowly.
"Stephanie…" she whispered.
Stephanie didn't answer.
Her mind was still stuck on one thing.
The girl in the hallway.
And the way she had said those two words.
Be careful.
Because the more Vanessa explained…
The less safe this house began to feel.