The girl quietly hums, even sadly. The anger in her gaze fades, leaving only pain. Deep, dark, pulling you in, wishing to take even the oxygen from your lungs.
— You mentioned "Paradise"... I don’t want to talk about it, but we agreed. If this information gets out of this bedroom, you can say goodbye to a normal life, I warn you. I value honesty and justice. And I don’t like it when someone prattles about someone else's life to the whole world in secret. — she speaks sternly.
— No one will find out. I myself have everything set up so that it’s better if no one knows.
Milana squints her eyes. She doesn't trust, but she's gotten her share, now she must repay. After all, we agreed on an exchange of information, not an outright confession about me.
— I was a dancer. Our mother passed away; I don’t know if you know that. We lived poorly, in the past. Then my little brothers did everything to make life better, but it was our mother's death that took us down. I didn’t know how to drown the pain. Vlad and Timur dove into work, and there was no time left for me. I can’t even remember how I ended up in "Paradise." I just know that at some point I began to dance there. Just like that. For fun. I wanted the pain to go away, you understand?
I nod at her. Milana mentally dives into her memories, so I don’t ask questions or try to speed up her story. This is her life, and she has the right to share the pain that flickers in her eyes however she wishes.
— To put it briefly, I was an entertainer. Of course, I couldn’t be touched. However, if a girl doesn’t mind, she can freely leave with anyone. I don’t know why that disgusting Diki ended up there...
Milana falls silent for a moment, and I tense up. Mom told stories about betrayals, so I’m not too surprised. But it still feels disgusting. I never thought that the feeling of revulsion towards a person could grow stronger.
— And he started to hit on me. For the first time—about a year ago. At first, it was only verbal. He came with a bunch of old men looking for young female bodies. He didn’t know that money didn’t interest me. He didn’t know that I was in "Paradise" not because of poverty or lust. The offers flooded in one after another. It even got to the point where he started stalking me. He offered me money. He threatened me. Once, if you’ve been in "Paradise," you saw that area, your father attacked me. He dragged me into a dark alley and then into a car. He started grabbing me, undressing me. He hit me a few times… I ran away. I was lucky. He didn’t lock the car.
— Did you tell your brothers? — I quietly ask.
Milana emerges from her memories.
— No — she looks me in the eyes. — No, Julianna, I didn’t tell them because I thought they would scold me. Irresponsible sister, who had rushed into the whirlwind of a privileged life... I was to blame, wasn’t I? I shouldn’t have been shaking my ass around.
— Of course not, — I assert confidently. — It's not your fault that he wanted to harm you, Milana. I know that for sure...
The girl bitterly hums.
— Then he waited for me again... It felt like he was everywhere, you understand? I didn’t know where to hide. I didn’t know what to do to avoid repeating that situation like in the alley, but still, I stayed silent. I didn’t say anything to Vlad or Timur. In the end, Diki caught me. I was going home after the club. I was... I was not sober.
My heart aches for this girl, no matter how she looked during our first meeting and how she looks now. Let her behave impudently. Let her hate. But what she will say next... I feel like I know how the words will sound. I feel like I know what happened...
— He raped me, Julianna. Your father beat me and then raped me. Only after that did I come to my brothers.
— I’m so sorry, — I touch her hand. — No one deserves that.
Milana falls silent. The pause lasts long, but I don’t force her to speak further. I remain silent because we are not that familiar to try and comfort this girl. Honestly, I don’t know how to approach it to show sympathy and understanding properly.
— I had terrifying thoughts in my head at that time. — she continues quietly. And I understand what she means. Unfortunately, I understand. Because I once thought about the “terrible”... — Vlad started looking for the attacker. At that time, I didn’t know it was him... He asked me to describe him, he drew, but somehow it didn’t come out looking exactly like him. We lost hope... for revenge. And I wanted revenge. I wanted everything taken from him and destroyed. And I still want it. I want my brothers to punish your father. It’s wrong, isn’t it? After all, he’s your dad…
The blue eyes of the girl blaze with a thirst for revenge. I... God, I understand her again. I also want Vlad to punish Diki. I dream that he receives recompense for everything he has done, as it turns out, not only to our family...
— Once, when Vlad made me describe that monster again and again, forcing me to return and return to those… moments, Timur came. Here, to this apartment, to this studio. He recognized Diki. He said that he suspiciously resembled a shareholder in his father's company. We went to the office... We didn't even have to go up anywhere, I saw your father outside and immediately recognized him... You can’t imagine what I went through at that moment. You can’t imagine what the state of the three of us was. Vlad wanted to destroy him right there; Timur stopped him... That was when everything began. Timur kept me as far away from everything as possible, while Vlad constantly assured that everything was in process. Imagine my shock when I saw you! When Vlad told me about you. At first, I thought you were some kind of bitch trying to get to my family’s money.
I smile warmly:
— Did he reveal the details?
— No, of course not. Vlad just said you were Diki’s daughter and that thanks to you, we would complete the first part of the plan.
— The first? — I ask in shock.
— The first, — she confirms and nods. — Shall we resume? I can’t talk about all this sober, I’m sorry.
Milana fills the glasses, and I can’t believe what I just heard. All of it. I feel disgusting and horrible. No girl in the world should suffer from violence, and we do. And it's not our fault... Men are just like that. Not all, of course, not all... Thankfully.
But I’m surprised by the plan. I didn’t think it had two parts. Isn’t the revenge combined with business the end? Isn’t Saint working now to free Mom from Diki? What else has he planned? Does Timur know about this? Does Milana know, and is she just pretending not to be in the loop?