Chapter 92

Chapter 92
Cindy's POV

I stood in the hallway looking at Tony, Marco, and Steve. Their hungry eyes were all over me, making my skin crawl just like before. But this time was different. This time I wasn't the scared, broken girl they used to control.
I glanced at John one more time. His face was tight with worry and anger. His hands were clenched into fists like he was ready to fight all three men if they touched me.
But this was my battle to fight.
I took a deep breath and looked straight ahead at Big Jim's office door. It's time to face the devil, I thought to myself.
"Open the door," I said to Tony, my voice steady and cold.
Tony's grin got wider as he reached for the door handle. "Big Jim is going to be so happy to see his favorite girl."
The door opened, and I stepped inside the office that had haunted my nightmares for months. Everything was exactly the same - the dark leather furniture, the expensive paintings on the walls, the huge desk that took up half the room. And behind that desk sat the man who had owned me, controlled me, and almost destroyed me.
Big Jim.
But he wasn't alone. Sitting in the chair across from his desk was Fiona, looking as cold and beautiful as ever. Her blonde hair was perfectly styled, her makeup was flawless, and she was wearing a designer suit that probably cost more than most people made in a month.
When Big Jim saw me, his face lit up with surprise and something that looked like genuine happiness. He was a big man - tall and wide with gray hair and cold blue eyes that never seemed to miss anything. He stood up from his chair and spread his arms wide like he was greeting an old friend.
"Sasha!" he said, his deep voice booming across the room. "What a pleasant surprise. I was just thinking about you."
Fiona turned in her chair to look at me, and I could see the shock in her green eyes. But the shock quickly turned to something else - anger and disgust.
I walked further into the room, my heels clicking on the marble floor. John followed behind me, but he stayed quiet like I had asked him to.
"I have a question, Big Jim," I said, my voice calm and controlled.
Big Jim raised his eyebrows and sat back down in his chair. "Of course, my dear. What can I do for you?"
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm. This was it. This was the moment I would finally know if I was truly free.
"Did John here buy my freedom?" I asked, pointing at John without looking at him.
Big Jim's smile got bigger. He leaned back in his leather chair and put his hands behind his head like he was completely relaxed.
"Yes, he did," Big Jim said. "He paid your debt in full. Every penny."
Relief flooded through my body like warm water. I was free. I was actually free. John hadn't been lying to me. He really had bought my freedom.
But then Big Jim continued talking, and my relief turned cold.
"But I'm willing to offer you an exclusive contract, Cindy."
I felt my blood freeze in my veins. "What exclusive contract?"
Big Jim leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Work for me at the club, and I'll assure you a life of luxury. You'll have the best room, the best clothes, the best food. You'll be my star performer. You'll make more money than you ever dreamed of."
Before I could answer, John exploded behind me.
"What the hell are you saying?" John's voice was full of rage and disbelief.
I turned around and looked at him with cold eyes. "Don't butt in," I said sharply.
John's face looked like I had slapped him, but he stepped back and kept quiet.
I turned back to Big Jim and walked closer to his desk. I could feel everyone's eyes on me - Big Jim's excited stare, Fiona's hateful glare, John's worried gaze.
"Give me the debt payment document," I said, my voice strong and clear. "I need a signed paper."
Fiona suddenly spoke up, her voice dripping with venom. "Have you lost your manners, or is John's presence making you go mad?"
I didn't even look at her. I kept my eyes fixed on Big Jim, waiting for him to give me what I needed.
Big Jim reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a thick folder. He flipped through some papers and then handed me one with his signature at the bottom.
"Here you go, my dear," he said.
I took the paper and read it carefully. It was a debt release form, stating that John had paid the full amount I owed and that I was no longer in debt to Big Jim or his organization.
"John," I said without turning around. "Check this."
John stepped forward and looked over my shoulder at the paper. I could smell his cologne and feel the heat from his body, and for a moment I had to fight not to lean back against him.
"I have the original already," John said quietly. "This is a copy. You can see I was telling the truth from the beginning."
Something inside my chest cracked open. He had been telling the truth. He really had saved me. He really had kept his promise.
But I couldn't let myself feel grateful. Not yet. Not until this was completely finished.
I looked Big Jim straight in the eyes and said, "I believe our agreement is done. I don't work for you anymore, Big Jim."
Big Jim's smile faded slightly, but he nodded. "Of course, my dear. You're free to go."
I folded the paper and put it in my purse. Then I turned around and started walking toward the door.
That's when Fiona's voice cut through the air like a knife.
"Slut."
I stopped walking. My whole body went rigid. I could feel the anger building inside me like a fire getting ready to explode.
I turned around slowly and looked at Fiona. She was sitting in her chair with a smug smile on her perfect face, like she was proud of what she had just called me.
"You should not forget I'm not under you anymore," I said, my voice deadly calm. "Don't piss me off, Fiona."
Fiona scoffed and stood up from her chair. She walked toward me with that confident stride that used to make me shake with fear.
"How dare you call me just Fiona?" she said, her voice getting louder. "What happened to 'Ma'am Fiona'? Should I beat some sense into you again?"
Before I could answer, John stepped forward with murder in his eyes.
"I dare you," he said, his voice so low and dangerous that it made everyone in the room freeze.
But I didn't need John to fight my battles anymore. I held up my hand to stop him, and then I looked at Fiona with a smile that was sweet as poison.
"I don't need to resort to violence to put you in your place, Fiona," I said, my voice dripping with fake sweetness. "You wanted John, right? That has always been your dream, isn't it?"
Fiona's face went white, but I wasn't finished.
I moved closer to her, swaying my hips and letting my voice get sultry and seductive. "And now he's back - hotter, richer, and sexier than ever. And poor little Fiona can't have him."
I could see the rage building in Fiona's eyes, but I kept going.
"Because he's all mine," I said, running my tongue across my bottom lip and staring at her with bedroom eyes. "Every single inch of him belongs to me exclusively."
I heard John's sharp intake of breath behind me, but I didn't look at him. I kept my eyes locked on Fiona's face, watching her perfect composure start to crack.
"What can you do about it now, Fiona?" I asked, tilting my head to the side like I was genuinely curious. "You made me turn into this. You created this version of me with your cruelty and your games."
Fiona's hands were shaking with rage, and I could see her fighting not to slap me.
I leaned in closer and whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear, "I bet you regret not letting me go now. Your man belongs to me exclusively. Mine."
The silence in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Fiona looked like she was about to explode. Big Jim was watching everything like it was the best entertainment he'd seen in years. And John... I could feel John's intense stare burning into my back.
I straightened up and turned to look at Big Jim one last time.
"Thanks for keeping me alive, Big Jim," I said with fake politeness. "But our partnership ends here."
I walked toward the door with my head held high, my heels clicking on the marble floor like a victory march. I could hear John's footsteps behind me, following me out of that office and out of that life forever.
As we walked past Tony, Marco, and Steve in the hallway, they all stared at me with their mouths hanging open. They had never seen anyone talk to Fiona like that and live to tell about it.
But I wasn't the same girl they used to know. I wasn't weak little Cindy who let people walk all over her.
I was Sasha now. And Sasha didn't take crap from anyone.
When we got to the elevator, I pressed the button and waited for the doors to open. John stood beside me, not saying a word, but I could feel the tension radiating off him like heat from a fire.
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped inside. As soon as the doors closed and we started going down, John grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him.
"What the hell was that back there?" he said, his eyes blazing with emotion.
I looked at him with cold eyes and pulled my arm out of his grip.
"That was me taking control of my life," I said. "That was me making sure they never try to own me again."
John's face was a mix of anger and confusion, and something else I couldn't identify.
"You told her I belonged to you," he said, his voice low and intense.
I shrugged like it didn't matter. "I told her what she needed to hear to put her in her place."
But inside, my heart was racing. Because when I had said those words, when I had claimed John as mine, it had felt more real than anything I had said in weeks.
And that scared me more than anything else.