KAYLA “I think there is going to be a business deal tonight, but I can’t get to it because the floor is heavily guarded, so don’t say anything yet. I’ll let you know when I have more info on it.” I sent a quick text to Miro while standing at the entrance of the room. I could hear the girls chatting in the room, so I had a few minutes to text before someone came looking for me. My phone dinged immediately with a reply. “Don’t try to get close. Ricardo is very smart and cunning. We can’t risk you getting caught before you get any plausible information." I deleted the message just as Issa came to the door. “What are you doing here? Were you texting someone?” She asked, eyeing the phone in my hand. I gave her a small smile. “Just the nurse in charge of my mama. I was just asking her to give me an update in case anything happens." Issa’s face turned sympathetic “Don’t worry, K. Your mama’s going to be fine.” I didn’t tell them that the doctor said there was no hope. “Thank you,
KAYLA We arrived at the club, and it was packed. It was also an underground branch, but this one was way more filled than ours ever was. A lot of the people in the club were foreigners who had rooms in the hotel. “Now this is what I’m talking about when I say I want to shake some ass,” Diamond yelled and began twerking right there at the door. “It feels good for once not to be the one on the poles." Ivory gestured to the pole sections where sexy girls were working the poles, and they were good, way better than I was. We walked deeper into the club to the bar first to grab our drinks to get the night started. Now that I was here in a sexy dress that matched my hair, I felt high on the attention. It made me feel sexy, and that was something I had never thought about myself before. Eyes followed us, but no one tried to touch us. It was a nice change that people weren’t touching me without my permission, unlike when I was dancing. I knew that there were going to be a few weirdos h
KAYLA “What do you mean by that?” I asked, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible. It was a trap. He didn’t suspect anything, but he was trying to find out if I was hiding something. If I panicked and fumbled over my words, I would be falling into the trap he had laid out for me. “I don’t know." He shrugged. “You tell me." “You want me to tell you what you think is off about me? That doesn’t make any sense. Tell me what made you say that.” I huffed. “You look like a woman who holds too many secrets. Secrets I wouldn’t like and would probably kill you for if I found out,” he answered firmly, and I wondered if I had let something slip. “Everyone has secrets. We wouldn’t be humans without them; besides, I bet your secrets are worse than mine. You look like the calm on the outside but deadly on the outside type. Beautiful like sin but dangerous like the devil.” “You should be a poet." He mocked, but it wasn’t in a tone that was insulting, so I just shrugged with a smirk. “I
RICARDO“And? Does that make me someone you can’t trust?” She huffed, her eyes a fiery pit of blue flames.I opened my mouth to argue when the familiar ringing tone assigned to someone special dinged from my phone.“I have to go, but we aren’t finished” I told her without looking at my phone.I gently nudged her off my lap and couldn’t stop the smile when she grumbled about it being the second time she moved.“It’s not the same.” I corrected when dropping two bundles of cash in her lap “At least I’m not storming out without a word.”“Whatever” She grumbled with a roll of her eyes.A chuckle slipped past my lips. It was the first time in a long time that I was easily amused.“I’ll see you soon, Kayla” Her name rolled easily off my lips.She said nothing and I walked out. I wasn’t stupid. While I was entranced by her, I knew she was hiding something. I just had to figure out if that something was harmful to me or not.When I walked out of the club, I finally looked at the text message f
KAYLAI hurried back to the room after Ricardo left. I tried looking for the girls to tell them that I was going back to the room, but I couldn’t find any of them, so I gave up. If they finished whatever they were doing with whoever, they would find me in the room.The lines were blurring, and it wasn’t supposed to be like that. I couldn’t make sense of what had just happened. Where was the hatred I was supposed to have for that man?It now felt as though my hatred towards him was forced but I had to admit he scared me tonight. I thought he had caught on to me when he suggested that I was hiding something.Thank goodness that I was a terrific liar and was able to steer the conversation in a favourable direction, else my body would probably be drifting away at sea by now.I grabbed my phone from where I had plugged it in by the bedside table and quickly called my best friend. I walked over to the bathroom, locked the door and turned on the tap and shower to avoid anyone hearing my conv
KAYLAMy hands shook with terror as I tried to process what Miro had just told me. No…There was no way it could be him. It just wasn’t possible.“Do you even know what you are saying? How could Ricardo have tried to kill Anita? Didn’t she get into the accident as soon as she stepped out of the office immediately after the meeting?” I emphasized each word because I wasn’t sure he understood the accusation he was pouring out like that.“You don’t have to say it like I don’t know what I am saying, K. Ricardo is responsible for Anita’s accident,” he said again, and my legs buckled even though I was already seated.“But how? She had just gotten assigned in less than twenty minutes and I’m sure it would take more than that for the news to reach Ricardo and for them to assign someone to take Anita out” I argued. I knew he was powerful, but the timing just didn’t make any sense.“You don’t pay attention enough to things around you, Kay. Even before you were assigned, there were rumors that we
KAYLAI woke up with a start, rubbing my eyes to clear my vision. Looking around the room, I saw that the girls were back and sleeping. I couldn’t recall when they had returned from the club or how I had fallen asleep, except that I had spent a lot of time trying to get more information from Issa. However, she refused to talk.I remembered that I tried to keep her awake so she could continue talking, but she was too drunk to do so. She kept mumbling incomprehensible things that were not important.Frustrated, I ran my hand through my hair. At least I now knew that she was part of the mafia or at least had a close relationship with them, and I decided that I would keep an eye on her and perhaps try to get some information from her, although I doubted, she would say anything more since the only reason she talked in the first place was because she was drunk.I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I also decided to order breakfast and some hangover
KAYLAThe short break was over, and we were back at work Wednesday night. I didn’t see Ricardo again till we left the hotel and honestly, I was happy I didn’t. I wouldn’t have known how to stop the hatred that would have been on my expression when I saw him.I had taken the time I didn’t see him to pull myself together and now I was looking forward to seeing him soon. I needed to get this over with so I could go back home. I just had to look for a way to meet him and spend more time with him alone.“Girl, I can’t believe it’s Wednesday already. I wouldn’t mind spending one more week in those sheets. It was amazing to be fucked into something soft for once” Diamond whined with a purse of her red lips.“Babygirl, that’s too much info” Ivory exclaimed with wide eyes. “and stop acting like you don’t got a nice bed at home”“Let me be and take yo grumpy ass somewhere else” Diamond sassily replied with a roll of her eyes and went back to applying her makeup.As usual, Issa was the first to
KAYLAFive years later Liliana barged in with Nico following her behind. She was always so extra. “ Slow down, you're going to fall at the rate you're going,” I said to her. “ Lio! I've missed you,” she hugged me dramatically. “ We met like a month ago, Lily,” I reminded her. “ Even though,” she was persistent. “ I don't think I can live without you. What if we live together?” She suggested. “ You're married, Lily,” I pursed my lips. “ We can still live in the same house,” she insisted. “ You keep forgetting that you're married and you have a child,” I have her a flick on the head. “ Nico, do you need a break perhaps?” Dealing with Liliana must be too much for him. “ Apparently, I signed up for this,” he sighed as he rocked Arianna, their four-year old daughter. She looked like Nico. “ Is she still asleep?” I lowered my tone. “ Yes. She'll be sad if she can't see you today, she was antici
KAYLATwo days later Contrary to how I thought I would feel, I didn't feel hollow or empty. I would be lying to say I wasn't sad but I also felt good that I had ended things with him. Our relationship never had a solid foundation. “ Can't believe it started out toxic and ended toxic,” I mumbled. “ What are you going on about, rambling to yourself?” Liliana said. I turned around to find her leaning against my door post. “ You startled me for a second,” I held on to my chest. “ You really should learn how to knock,” I frowned. She really had startled me. “ Yeah, yeah,” she rolled her eyes, not taking my words seriously. “ Did you want to tell me something?” I asked as she sat down on my bed. “ Yes and no,” she shrugged. “ Huh?” “ Don't think too much about your break-up with Ricardo. It was the right decision,” she said. “ Thanks,” I smiled warmly. “ I also wanted to let you in on a secret,” she leaned clos
KAYLAI tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. The moment Gian had stepped out of the room, I was not able to stop myself from breaking down again.I was such a weakling. I curled into myself as I cried my heart out while being mad about myself that I couldn’t stop crying and my heart wouldn’t stop hurting.I sniffled quietly, hours or probably after minutes. It seemed my eyes had dried off and there were no longer tears for me to shed.“I hate you, Ricardo” I muttered to myself as I wiped the tears that were drying on my cheeks. My sobs had turned into whimpers without tears.“How did I get here? Was everything all for nothing?” I asked myself as I turned to my back and stared at the ceiling while my heart and head wondered where it had all gone wrong.How the hell did I fall this deep from my first mission? Love was such a bastard. I was so stupid for falling for Ricardo and thinking I had his heart after all this time.Ricardo was a hardened criminal who thought of only the fami
GIANI unlocked the door and we both went into my apartment. My legs carried me to the switch and I turned on the lights and walked in. “Do you want anything to drink?” I turned to Kayla who was still lingering by the door. She opened her mouth and closed it a few times, hesitation present in her eyes but she finally made up her mind and gave a slight nod.“Come on, stop lingering like a stranger” I told her, attempting to lighten the mood but it didn’t work.She walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch while I walked into the kitchen to drink water.I may not be as drunk as I was as a result of having to go and pick her up but I was still tipsy and Kayla’s demeanor told me that I needed to be sober in case she needed me.I reached for the orange juice in the fridge because I didn’t think it is was right to give her alcohol even though she looked like she needed one.I poured the juice into a glass cup for the both of us before going back to her in the room where sh
GIANThe high-end club I loved to visit was known for its insane parties just like I love it. I knew I was drunk but I was still aware of my surroundings. Ladies swarmed me like bees and I wasn't one to complain about the attention as they took turns to grind their bodies against mine.The music was loud and I was certain I was going to have a headache tomorrow but who cares? all I wanted was to have fun right now.I leaned against the bar with a smirk on my face as the girls tried to get my solo attention. “Oh Gian, you're so hot” the blonde ladies dressed as provocative highschool girls kept fawning over me as they gave me more and more shots of alcohol. These girls were easy and worse still, some even came with their boyfriends! What a sad world. I had gotten into a few fights earlier tonight because of the boyfriends coming to talk smack at me for taking their girls. Like bro, how's that my fault? “Tell me something I don't know, ladies” I said with a smirk as I took another s
KAYLAIt was raining heavily as I drove my black car down the road. I was trying my best not to show any emotions but it was hard. I found myself unable to muster any emotions as I stared blankly at the windshield drenched in water with the wipers swinging from side to side as they attempted to clean it. Where was I even going? I asked myself but I couldn't come up with any answer. I could only drive while occasionally staring at the few cars that traveled alongside me on the dark and wet road.“F*ck you, Ricardo! F*ck you!” I cussed in mutters, trying not to let my rage get the best of me. I wanted my mind to be blank but I couldn't help myself.I was annoyed, pissed, enraged, angered….ahhhh! There wasn't any word in my freaking vocabulary to accurately describe how I felt. We were engaged for Christ’s sake. Yeah, maybe I wasn't the best partner but I did my best, didn't I? I turned my back on the government because of this man and he just casually trampled on my feelings and sa
KAYLA We talked about random things from my siblings to his siblings. He especially went on and on about his little sister, Lexi. I hadn't seen her but I knew she'd be adorable. The food showed up, a colorful spread of hot delicacies presented with style. Every dish was well seasoned and my previous distrust quickly faded. “ I really love the food,” I savored every moment of each bite. “ I'm glad you're enjoying it,” he was satisfied by my reaction. The atmosphere became more laid back as the minutes went by, as we laughed and enjoyed our dinner. By the time dessert arrived – dumplings or what they originally call Jiaozi – my initial apprehension had completely vanished. I found myself genuinely enjoying every bit of the restaurant. As we sat there, savoring the sweetness of the dessert, a comfortable silence fell on us. Axel leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on me. Looking up from my food, our eyes met and I couldn't bring myself to loo
KAYLA The motorcycle ride through the busy city streets was thrilling, giving me a brief escape from my worries. Axel parked the bike in front of a cozy restaurant on a quiet side street, bringing me a sense of relief. I had secretly been anxious about going to a fancy, high-end restaurant, fearing the expensive menu, unfamiliar rules, and possible social mistakes. “ Sometimes, I forget that I'm rich,” I sighed. Stepping off the motorcycle, I took a deep breath of the warm evening air scented with jasmine and a spicy aroma. It was a Chinese restaurant. " Ready for a surprise?" Axel asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.I couldn't help but smile back. "Always," I replied, my apprehension replaced by a sliver of curiosity.He took my hand and led me around the back of the restaurant. My jaw dropped open in surprise. A hidden fake oasis unfolded before me.The backyard of the restaurant had been transformed into a breathtaking scene. Lotus lights sparkled on
KAYLA I reappeared into the living room where we all were. I was all dressed up for the day. “ How do I look?” I asked, wanting to know their opinion. “ Great as expected but aren't you too concerned about your looks for ‘ just an outing ’ with a friend?” Renato bounced his brows. “ What would you know about girls?” I scoffed. “ We bother about things like this no matter who we're meeting,” I found a way to justify my actions. “ So why don't you want us to tell Ricardo or anyone else about your whereabouts?” Renzo probed. “ And why were you blushing and playing hard-to-get over the phone?” Now, they were just exaggerating. “ By the way, we're not against it. We're totally in support so there's no need to worry about such trivial things,” Renzo have me a thumbs up. A playful smile tugged at the corner of my lips despite my flustered state. "Don't tease," I mumbled, shoving a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "It's not a r