Morning sunlight slipped softly through the sheer curtains, casting golden lines across the spacious bedroom. The scent of antiseptic still lingered faintly in the air, a stark reminder of last night's violence. Harper stirred slowly on the massive bed, her body sore, her limbs heavy with exhaustion. Her eyelids fluttered open—and there he was.
Quincy, slumped on the chair beside the bed, his head tilted back slightly, deep in sleep. His features were relaxed for once, not bearing the usual weight of responsibility or anger. His hand was loosely curled, resting on the blanket that covered her.
Harper reached out gently, brushing her fingers against his cheek. His skin was warm. At her touch, his lips curved into a soft smile and his eyes opened slowly, landing on her face.
"You are awake?"
"I am." Her voice came out in a whisper, slightly raspy but calm.
He sat up straighter, immediately alert. "Do you feel better this morning?"
"Yes." She offered him a faint smile, her eyes tired but clear. She tried to sit up slowly, wincing as a jolt of pain ran through her side, but Quincy was already reaching behind her, adjusting the pillows for support.
"You were so grieved yesterday."
"I had too much to drink." Her tone was quiet, her eyes avoiding his. The room grew still for a second.
"You killed Gianna," he said gently. The words hung heavy in the air. She lowered her gaze, fingers gripping the edge of the blanket.
"Do you hate me for that?"
"I don't!" Quincy leaned closer, reaching for her hand. "I was supposed to take the revenge for us but I had to let you do it yourself. That's the best way to relieve your anger and make you feel good."
Her fingers tightened in his. "Thank you, babe."
"Our enemies reduced by 50%."
"Yes!" Harper's voice lightened a bit, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "Gianna and Logan were such a crazy duo."
Quincy's eyes narrowed slightly, admiring her resolve. "How did you know that they were coming here? You were so prepared for their coming."
"I sent Freya to her. I made plans for her, and I fixed the party to this day intentionally so she could fall into my trap." She leaned back, her voice steady with satisfaction.
He chuckled softly, impressed. "Now I know how stupid Gianna was. How can she really believe that your escort will work for her?"
"She's ignorant."
"Y'all were good actors."
"We are!" Harper said with a small, smug grin, her eyes sparkling for the first time that morning.
Quincy laughed under his breath and shook his head. "Now that I remembered—what the hell did you do to Logan yesterday? You were controlling him. He shot Gianna in three places!"
"I just did some manipulation on him."
"Manipulation?"
"I hypnotized him." Her voice dropped an octave, and her smile widened slightly, mischievously.
"Wow! Can you do that?"
"Sure! I am a courtesan, we have a lot of tricks up our sleeves."
"I can't believe it."
"I did the hypnosis on him immediately after we arrived at the underground. I told him to kill Gianna whenever I told him to."
"That was crazy."
"It's all over now, right?"
"Yes, baby. You did well! You did so well—you took care of things in the twinkle of an eye. Everything that has happened, the problem in business—you took care of it well. We were able to curb the trafficking, even though it's not completely done. We still did a lot. You made it all easier and possible for me."
Harper's eyes watered, and she pressed her forehead gently against his shoulder, holding his arm close.
"It is a win for us! Even though we suffered a loss along the way, we still won—and we shall celebrate our wins."
Quincy cupped her face in both hands and kissed her forehead softly. "I love you so much, Harper, and I promise to stay with you till the end of time."
She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes for a moment. "I love you too, Quincy. And I will always do."
Some years later…
The large courtyard of the courtesan house glowed under the late afternoon sun. Soft music floated from within, and laughter from the younger courtesans echoed faintly around the polished marble pillars. The place had transformed over the years—richer, calmer, yet still alive with the rhythm of feminine power and legacy.
From across the tiled path, a voice pierced through the background noise.
"Harper!!"
Harper turned swiftly, heart skipping a beat. Her eyes widened the moment she saw the figure approaching, robes fluttering in the breeze, that unmistakable smirk on her face.
She gasped, her eyes brimming with joy. "I'm back!"
"Welcome back, sister!" Harper rushed forward and threw her arms around Sincere, hugging her tightly. The scent of her was familiar—freedom, incense, and memories.
"I missed you so much." Sincere whispered as she held her close.
"I did too. How was it?" Harper asked, pulling back just enough to see her face.
"It's all good now! I'm free now. I don't need to be going back and forth anymore." Her eyes shone with relief and confidence.
Harper nodded, her smile softening. "I'm glad, Sincere. I'm so glad you made it."
"I'm back and better. I'm gonna continue my duty as a courtesan." She said it with pride, not shame.
Harper's brow lifted. "Are you going to take a new companion?"
"Definitely! I will work hard and become like Madam Fransisca. I owe my life to the courtesan house, so I'm gonna serve here forever."
Harper chuckled warmly. "I'm so happy to hear that."
Sincere stepped back with a teasing smirk. "You are already part of the power holders. You don't need to do much here. You can go marry Quincy."
Harper laughed lightly, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I'm still a courtesan for the next couple of years."
Sincere's eyes narrowed knowingly. "You have a child to take care of, Harper!"
"I can't break my contract until 10 years."
"You need to look after your son. You should move to the family house with your baby and Quincy. You can't stay at the penthouse forever. Just close it down and move."
Harper hesitated, her smile faltering just slightly. "The courtesan house is my everything. I can't bear to leave just like that."
Sincere stepped forward, resting a firm hand on Harper's arm. "You are still a courtesan, still! They made a new rule already. You will always remain Quincy's courtesan, which means you still have access to this place as long as you live."
Harper's eyes narrowed playfully. "Quincy talked you into this?"
"Of course he did! You refused to get married. He waited for this long to marry you."
A bashful smile tugged at Harper's lips. "I'm engaged to him!" she said, lifting her hand and showing the ring.
Sincere rolled her eyes fondly. "I know y'all are engaged, but being engaged is different from being married. You are not his family yet. Do you just want to be a baby mama and your son a bastard?"
Harper blinked, then quickly shook her head. "No! I don't want that at all."
"Then get married and move in with him. You are old enough."
"I heard you."
Sincere grinned. "Guess who I met at the hospital."
Harper raised a brow. "Who?"
"Philip."
Harper's face instantly darkened. "What? Philip that bastard!"
"Yes, that born bastard and his mistress mother."
"Why was he there?"
"For treatment, of course."
Harper narrowed her eyes. "Treatment? Is he still battling cancer?"
"Yes, sister. He is still dealing with it. I talked to the doctor attending to him and informed him that he is my younger brother, and he said that he only has a few days left and he can't survive."
"Oh my goodness! How about dad?"
"Dad? I didn't ask of him. I don't even wanna know! I wanted to go kill Phillip and his mother, but I saw that he was dying, so I talked to the doctor and he told me what was going on with him. I didn't even need to deal with him myself. He was gonna die anyway."
Harper exhaled slowly, jaw clenched. "Everything we got sold out for didn't even last them either."
"Exactly! They ruined our early days for Philip and he didn't even make it! They looked so helpless. He already drained their whole life. After talking to the doctor, I went to see Rose and gave her money for the funeral."
Harper's eyes widened in disbelief. "You didn't just do that!" she said, bursting into laughter.
"I did! I can't give money to save his life because I planned to kill him myself. But since he was already dying, I gave them money to bury him."
"Sincere, why'd you do that?"
"They need to do burial. I just helped them. I gave her $300k—that's the exact amount they sold you for! I told her that I hoped she was still spending the money to date, but if she finished it, I'd top it for her. She should realize how worthless $300k was. She sold a whole human for that amount of money and the son is still dying."
Harper stared at her sister, shaking her head slowly, lips parted in disbelief. "Even though things was tough, we live a better life than them."
"The courtesan house gave us the whole life! It gave us a dream and made us stand out! What our father gave us was trauma. Nothing but trauma and a lot of problems to deal with!"
Harper's eyes shimmered with a mix of pain and pride. "We became fulfilled! The money that put our life in jeopardy is now what we have and can't even spend it finish in years."
"Because we are unique, Harper! You are my mother's daughter. We will always have the good things and we will always face no matter what life throws at us."
Harper smiled deeply, placing her hand on Sincere's heart. "Yes, we will always do! We are the walkers!"
They embraced again, fiercely and fearlessly—two women who had once been sold and shattered, now whole, powerful, and unbreakable.
They embraced again, fiercely and fearlessly—two women who had once been sold and shattered, now whole, powerful, and unbreakable.
Epilogue
Harper Blue Walker
This is Harper Blue Walker—forever named Blue.
The name I chose… no, the name that chose me. The name I embraced as I stepped into a new life, a new identity that gave me the grace to become the woman I am today.
I told my story in the courtesan house—not the full length of it, no—but the truth, compressed into words sharp enough to cut, soft enough to feel. It was a story of survival, a game of wins and losses, of pain repurposed into power.
Coming to the courtesan house was never my plan. I never dreamed of silk gowns, painted lips, or gilded cages. But fate led me here. And as cruel as that path was, it was this place that gave me the strength to dream… and the space to make those dreams come true.
Quincy Dylan gave me everything I once thought impossible—love, safety, power. A reason to fight and a place to land. He gave me the chance to become more than a victim of circumstance. He gave me choice.
And with that choice, I became what no one ever had before:
The Flower of the Courtesan House.
The Permanent Noble Courtesan.
A title etched in time. Mine.
I stand today as one of the power holders, a mother, a partner, and a woman who turned disgrace into legacy. My little family is happy, whole, and fulfilled. My son is safe. My name is honored. And the past? I left it behind. I left him behind—my father, and all the darkness he came with. I do not hate him. I do not need to. My blessings came wrapped in shadows… and still, they were blessings.
This is the truth:
Money brings power—and with power, you make more money.
We are the Dylan family.
And we rule this land.
This… is the power of being a courtesan.
And I am one.
(THE END)...…