"Ahem."

Denzel cleared his throat softly, forcing his wandering thoughts back into place. Straightening his posture, he quickly composed himself and turned fully toward the girl standing before him, a polite smile settling onto his face.

"Sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I’m not actually here as a customer. I saw the flyers outside saying you were looking for someone to work here."

For a brief moment, Antonia’s bright smile held.

Then Denzel noticed it....the subtle shift in her expression.

The cheerfulness in her eyes dimmed ever so slightly, replaced by a faint look of disappointment that she didn’t bother hiding particularly well.

Denzel narrowed his eyes.

’Wow... she really doesn’t care enough to hide that reaction, huh?’

Antonia gave a small, awkward smile.

"Oh..." she said lightly, letting out a quiet breath. "I suppose I may have gotten a little ahead of myself."

She coughed softly, clasping her hands behind her back once more.

"Sorry, but the offer doesn’t really stand anymore."

Denzel raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn’t stand anymore?" he repeated, his voice carrying a trace of disbelief. "I literally just saw those flyers posted a few blocks away."

Antonia sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly as she folded her arms beneath her chest.

"We’ve already had a lot of people apply," she explained. "So I’m not exactly sure the position is still open."

Her gaze swept over him for a moment before she added,

"And besides..."

She hesitated.

"You’re a guy."

Denzel blinked.

"I’m... a guy?"

She nodded as though she’d just stated something painfully obvious.

"Let’s be realistic," she said plainly. "No man is going to come here and willingly get a massage from another man."

She gave a small shrug.

"And as for the women, our customers tend to be very loyal to the girls who usually attend to them. They’re not exactly eager to involve themselves with other men."

Denzel stared at her for a moment before letting out a dry chuckle.

"That’s actually pretty sexist, you know."

Antonia gave him an apologetic shrug.

"I know."

Her expression remained calm.

"But that’s just the way things are."

Denzel’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’To be honeat, I thought she was joking...’

The corner of his lip twitched.

’But she’s actually serious. She really thinks I don’t stand a chance just because I’m a man.’

His amusement slowly deepened.

’So this is how things work in this world, huh?’ 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

He tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk creeping onto his lips.

"What if," he said slowly, his tone deliberate, "I told you I had something different to offer?"

Antonia blinked, visibly caught off guard.

"Something different?"

Denzel’s smirk widened.

"Yeah."

He leaned forward ever so slightly.

"What if I told you I actually have the skills for this profession of yours?"

Antonia raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have any prior experience as a masseuse?"

Denzel didn’t even flinch.

"No."

Then his smirk sharpened.

"Let’s just say I’m a natural-born talent."

That drew a soft laugh from her.

Antonia shook her head, clearly amused.

"Wow."

A teasing smile tugged at her lips.

"That’s a lot of confidence for someone with zero experience."

Denzel’s expression remained steady.

"It’s not confidence," he said calmly.

His eyes locked onto hers.

"It’s simply the truth."

Antonia crossed her arms, amusement dancing in her gaze as she arched a brow at him.

"Well then," she said, her lips curving into a playful smile, "you can’t seriously expect me to just take your word for it, can you?"

"How about a bet?" Denzel suggested, his voice calm and steady, his confidence unshaken.

Antonia tilted her head slightly, one delicate brow arching upward.

"A bet?"

Denzel gave a small nod.

"I’ll handle your next customer free of charge. You won’t have to pay me a single thing."

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"And afterward, they can give you an honest review of my work."

At that, Antonia studied him more carefully, her head tilting just a little further as she weighed his proposal.

"An honest review, huh?" she murmured.

For a moment, she seemed to genuinely consider it. Then she slowly shook her head.

"I don’t think I can take that kind of risk."

She folded her arms neatly beneath her chest, her expression firm.

"My customers come first. I can’t just let some stranger walk in and have unrestricted access to them."

Denzel nodded slowly, accepting her reasoning.

"Fair enough."

He gave a light shrug, though the confident smile on his face never faltered.

"Then I’ll leave it up to you. Whatever it takes for me to earn your trust, you decide."

Antonia’s gaze lingered on him, drifting slowly over his figure as she considered his words.

The silence stretched for a few moments before she finally let out a soft hum.

"Tell you what."

She straightened her posture, her expression becoming more decisive.

"I’m the acting customer manager right now, so I suppose I can make that call."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"Since you seem so certain of your abilities, I’ll let you demonstrate them."

She raised a finger for emphasis.

"But it’ll be on one of my employees. Nothing beyond that."

A grin spread across Denzel’s face.

"You could’ve volunteered yourself, you know."

Antonia immediately tilted her head, fixing him with a sharp, unimpressed stare.

"I’m not nearly that easy to maneuver into that kind of position."

A faint smirk curled at the corner of her lips.

"You’d better hope for the best."

She crossed her arms again, her tone growing more serious.

"She’s a little shy, but she’s brutally honest."

Her eyes locked onto his.

"So if you’re truly as skilled as you claim, I’ll know."

Then her lips curved into a teasing smile.

"Well? Are you up for the challenge?"

Denzel’s grin widened instantly.

"Of course."

There wasn’t even a trace of hesitation in his voice.

"I’m ready whenever you are."

Antonia held his gaze for another second, as though testing whether his confidence would crack.

It didn’t.

Finally, she turned her head toward the back of the parlor and raised her voice.

"Karen! Karen!"

Denzel blinked.

’Karen?’

A faint crease formed between his brows.

There was a brief pause.

Then, from one of the doors lining the side of the room, the knob slowly turned.

The door creaked open and out stepped a girl, dressed in the same fitted uniform as Antonia.

Denzel’s eyes instinctively swept over her, but first he oberseved her body.

Unlike Antonia, her chest was far less pronounced, modest enough not to draw immediate attention. But what seized his focus almost instantly was the striking curve of her figure lower down, a familiar frame that made him almost his arousal shoot up.

Then, as his eyes gently rose higher- the realization hit him all at once.

His eyes widened, if only for a fraction of a second.

’Wait...this is...this girl is...’

His breath caught.

That girl was none other than his sister-

’Sophia?! What the hell is she doing here?’