"Shiloh Tanner was born into poverty. She fought her way into university through her own hard work, only to be manipulated and threatened by her mother and younger brother, who treated her like their personal ATM and drained everything they could from her.
By chance, she took a job at a boxing gym and met Asher Church there. When Asher realized Shiloh was his underclassman from university, he stepped in to help her. But then Shiloh’s mother threatened and pressured her to come up with $100,000. Asher had originally only meant to scare Shiloh a little, to teach her that men in the outside world were never as decent as they seemed. Instead, driven into a corner by her family, Shiloh unexpectedly took the initiative and came to him.
After they spent the night together, Asher mistakenly assumed she really was the kind of girl who cared only about money. Later, he accidentally overheard a phone call between Shiloh and her mother and finally realized he had misunderstood her.
One day, Asher's friend, James, invited Asher out for drinks. Asher knew the bar James mentioned was Phantom Lounge, where Shiloh worked, and for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, he went. There, he ran into his cousin Zeke bullying Shiloh. Asher stepped in, saved her, and took her home.
It was the first time Asher had ever met a girl who was so easy to pick on and so painfully naive, and before he knew it, he had developed a complicated fascination with her. After carefully probing into her family situation, Asher told her he could protect her and help her break free from them—if she stayed with him.
Shiloh refused and tried to leave in a hurry, but then her mother called and threatened her again, this time demanding $200,000. Asher said bluntly that they could do it again—something between two consenting adults. Shiloh hated herself for sinking to the point of trading her body like this, but she had no other choice. Asher comforted her, telling her she had done nothing wrong, that it was consensual, and urged her to relax.
The next morning, just as Shiloh was about to leave, Asher’s fiancée showed up at the door."
