Page 40 of Beautiful Agony

"Yourzvyozdochka," I whisper, testing the word he's called me so many times on my tongue.

"Yes." He presses a gentle kiss against my cheek. "My little star."

13

VADIM

I sitbehind my desk with Lacey next to me as Megan's opens her laptop.

Demyon stands by the door, his usual easy smile replaced by a hard line.

"We have six interviews conducted already, and another nine to do later," she explains. "Most of them tell the same story. The current plan is to release them in a drip feed of one per day for the next two weeks. I still have time to have the editing team make any changes you want for tomorrow's upload."

"Let's see it then."

Megan nods and hits the play button.

The girl on screen is looking down at her hands. Even with the makeup, there's no hiding the dark bruises that mar her delicate features. A single tear rolls down her cheek, and her rich brown eyes hold a haunted look that makes my stomach clench.

"Myen ah-myt," Demyon's voice asks in Tuvan off-screen as subtitles appear. "Can you tell us your name?"

"Taliya Darzhaa," she responds, her voice barely above a whisper.

Demyon shifts his weight, and I catch the flash of rage in his eyes.

"How old are you, Taliya?"

Taliya's eyes never leave her hands. "Seventeen."

I grip the edge of my desk, feeling the rage building in my chest at how quiet her voice is. Beside me, Lacey's fingers dig into my arm.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

Taliya's fingers twist together as she speaks, her words coming between quiet sobs.

"I needed a job after my parents died," she whispers in Tuvan. "But there were no opportunities in my village." She trails off, wiping her eyes. "One day, I saw an ad looking for models in America."

"Can you tell us for what company?"

Taliya nods, sniffling. "Opaline and Co."

My jaw clenches as she describes seeing the modeling advertisement for Opaline and Co.—how it promised to make her dreams come true.

Through translation, she recounts answering the ad and meeting the recruiter who arranged her travel to Vladivostok. She describes how the entire trip was paid for, and how excited she was at the chance of a new life.

Lacey's hand tightens on mine as Taliya describes what happened next when she arrived.

"They gave me a pair of ordinary looking heels," she says, her voice cracking. "Told me to walk in them, pose in them. They took so many pictures. But something didn't feel right."

I feel Lacey shivering beside me as Taliya explains how the photographer seemed more interested in taking pictures of her legs, her face, and her body rather than the shoes.

She breaks down again on screen, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

Demyon's voice comes through behind the camera, gentle but firm.

"Take your time, Taliya. We can stop if you need."

To her credit, she shakes her head bravely, determination flickering across her tear-stained face. She takes a deep breath and continues.

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