Leon let out a heavy sigh as he sat on the edge of the hotel bed, his fingers gripping a half-empty glass of whiskey. The dim lighting in the room did nothing to ease the weight pressing down on his chest.

A soft knock at the door shattered the silence. He hesitated for a moment before finally standing up and opening it. That was when his breath hitched.

A girl—no, a child—stood before him. Seventeen, perhaps? Her frame was small, her face far too innocent to be in a place like this.

"Good evening, sir," she greeted softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Leon remained silent, his mind racing. This wasn’t what he had expected. A wave of unease twisted in his stomach, and before he could say a word, his hand instinctively reached for his phone.

"Wait here," he murmured, stepping aside to call the service owner.

The response he received only deepened his guilt.

"She’s new. Desperate. Lost both parents and needs the money," the woman on the other end of the line said, as if that justified everything.

Leon lowered the phone, his jaw tightening. This wasn’t right.

Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the girl. Slowly, he stepped closer, forcing a reassuring smile. Then, he slipped off his jacket and gently draped it over her small frame.

"Come here, sweetheart. You need to rest," he murmured.

The girl hesitated but eventually followed Leon to the bed. However, instead of what she had likely expected, he simply pulled her into a warm embrace. His arms wrapped around her fragile body, not with ill intent, but to provide comfort.

"Sir, but Miss Elly told me to—"

"Don't," Leon cut in, his voice firm yet weary. He knew what she was about to say, and he couldn’t bear to hear it.

Instead, he held her closer, pressing a brief, chaste kiss to her forehead.

"I'm tired," he whispered. "I just want to sleep."

And for the first time in years, he allowed himself to close his eyes, holding onto the fragile warmth in his arms as if it could somehow fill the emptiness that had long resided in his heart.