Echoes Of fear

My name is Mirabel Dawson a 22 year old student at the university of California,Berkeley and this was my experience.

I won't sugar coat anything,no pun intended.on the surface i was just another college girl dedicated to my studies, hanging out with friends and working towards a bright future,but there was a side of me that no one knew,a secret i kept to help support myself.i was a sugar baby.

I didn't plan for it to become such a central part of my life.It started during my sophomore year,when i found myself struggling to make ends meet... tuition,rent, groceries..it all added up.i tried working regular jobs but the hours were grueling and they barely made a dent in my bills.

One night,a friend jokingly mentioned how some girls had sugar daddies who showered them with money and gifts. I laughed it off at first but curiosity got the better of me..i was cautious.

I signed up on a sugar baby app and carefully crafted my profile.

It was nothing explicit, just a photo of me smiling and a description that said i was "Looking for mentorship and mutual respect." Messages flooded in and i quickly realized how lucrative this world could be.

The men were buried.... some were middle aged professionals looking for companionship. Others were wealthier and more eccentric, wanting a beautiful young woman by their side at social events.

They weren't just handing out money though each arrangement came with it's own rules and expectations.

One sugar daddy wanted weekly dinner dates where i had to dress in designer clothes... another wanted someone to accompany him on business trips, covering everything from plane tickets to special treatments at night. One in particular was more transactional,he deposited money into my account every month in exchange for spending a couple of hours talking over coffee,once a week.

They all had one thing in common, discretion.No one could know. For the most part,i felt in control. I could set boundaries and I didn't agree to anything that made me uncomfortable,but there were moments of unease. Like the time a man asked me to move in with him or another who suggested i cut off my friends and family because,they were distracting me from success.

Then,along came Tony Luke.He messaged me out of the blue,his profile was polished....pictures of him in suits standing in front of a luxury car.His bio described him as "a successful entrepreneur with a love for travel and arts."

He wasn't like the others,his messages were confident but respectful. He said he admired women who were driven and ambitious. He offered mentorship,financial support and connections,in exchange for a "genuine bond."

Our conversations started innocently enough. He admired my independence and even asked about my studies...he seemed to genuinely care but i later realized it was all a front.

He proposed meeting in person to discuss the terms of our arrangement, emphasizing that he

Preferred privacy due to his professional standing. At the time,i thought it was a reasonable request.

Many sugar daddies valued discretion and i had dealt with similar personalities before but,unlike other sugar daddies who chose upscale restaurants or lounges,he suggested we met at Carl schurz park. i hesitated, something about it felt off but he was persistent yet polite.

His messages were convincing, promising safety and understanding. "You can trust me."

He said. "I only meet with women who want to be treated with respect." The allure of a new arrangement combined with his assurance pushed me to agree. I told myself it was just another meeting, another step towards securing financial freedom.

I packed my bag carefully. My phone,keys and some personal items. As i got into my car,a strange unease creept over me. I brushed it off as nerves,after all...I'd done it before. Little did i know this meeting would change everything.

The flight from California to New york city,was uneventful. Just another late night trip that left me with too much time to think. I've been visiting my family after my grandmother's funeral,a heavy and emotional weekend. As much as i loved them,there were things about my life they could never know. Things like my arrangement as a sugar baby. To them,i was a hard working college student with a part-time job, nothing more. I wanted to keep it that way..

When the plane touched down in New york city,it was past midnight. The airport was quite...the kind of eerie silence that makes you aware of your foot

I pulled my phone from my bag and requested an uber. The destination was unconventional. A secluded park in New york city, meeting a man I'd never seen before in the middle of the night wasn't exactly ideal,but i convinced myself it was just another discreet meeting, nothing i hadn't done before.

The uber driver didn't ask questions,but his occasional glance in the rearview mirror made me feel uneasy. Maybe it was my own nerves or perhaps he could sense the strangeness of my destination.

When we arrived,the park was cloaked in shadows. The faint glow of street lights offering little comfort. I stepped out, clutching my bag tightly and scanned the area, that's when I saw him,Tony Luke.

He was standing by his car. A sleek black vehicle that seemed out of place against the modest surroundings. He didn't match the image I'd formed from our messages. He was larger,more imposing with an air of detachment that set me on edge. His expression was unreadable, neither unwelcoming or hostile, and his gaze seems to wat heavy on me...."Mirabel?" His voice was calm, almost too calm..like he was trying to mask something beneath.

"Yes" i replied. My voice steadier than i felt.

He offered a polite smile,one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Long flight?" I nodded unsure how much to say. My instincts told me to turn back,to call another uber and leave but my rational mind overruled. He was polite after all,and i had no reason to believe anything was wrong.Yet,a chill ran down my spine as he opened the passenger door for me "Shall we?".He asked. I hesitated for a moment, looking back at the empty park and then at his car.

It was clean, meticulously so,with faint scent of leather and a chemical i couldn't place. This was just another client i reminded myself, another night, another arrangement. I climbed into the car forcing a smile as he shut the door behind me. The locks clicked a sound that seemed louder than it should..."It's just my nerves". I convinced myself for the hundredth time.