The stale air in the Wilson household hung heavy, thick with the unspoken tensions that had been Rebecca's constant companions for years. Dust motes danced in the slivers of weak sunlight filtering through the grimy windows, illuminating the weariness etched on her young face. At twenty, she moved with the careful, practiced grace of someone constantly trying to avoid confrontation, her body a testament to the meager sustenance her stepmother allowed.

Today, the silence was shattered by the shrill, demanding voice of Mrs. Wilson. A crumpled address card, flung with venomous intent, struck Rebecca's cheek before fluttering to the wet floor she had just finished scrubbing. The name on the card, 'The Scarlet Serpent Bar,' seemed to hiss at her, an omen of the darkness she was being forced to confront. Her heart sank, a familiar dread coiling in her stomach.

"You bastard! Do you think you have any other option?" Mrs. Wilson's words, laced with disdain, sliced through the air, followed by the cold splash of dirty water at Rebecca's feet. Her stepsister, Chole, stood by, a smirk playing on her lips, enjoying the spectacle of Rebecca's humiliation. The threat was clear: obey, or lose the one thing she clung to – her education. Rebecca's fists clenched, her only silent defiance against the injustice that governed her life.