Chapter 1
“Is it here, is it here yet” Ivy screamed running down the stairs still in her pajamas “It's only seven in the morning Ivy, you need to stop screaming” mama said. “Yes mom” feeling guilty, Ivy stepped out of the house, walked to the mailbox, barefooted. Her smile dropped when she saw it was empty. Feeling dejected, she walked back to her room to get ready for the day. Ivy spent a month crafting the art she sent as her application to New York School of Art to perfection. It took her almost a week to figure out what she wanted to paint. When she finally did, she put out all her heart in it. The sleepless nights, the days she cried her eyes out. The painting was more than a painting to her, if she did not get in, Ivy had finally decided she would give up on art. Ivy turned eighteen last week and she felt there was a lot of pressure on her. Last week on her birthday, her father, Mr Queen had asked her what she wanted for her birthday. “Happy birthday to you love, you know how much I love you right?” Mr Queen said through the phone Mr Queen was never home, ever since his business started to bloom. He never really got to see his daughter Ivy grow up unlike his two older kids, Amy, and Lily. He felt guilty for that, so for every birthday he missed he would ask her to mention anything in this world, he would get it or make it happen for her. Shockingly, Ivy asked for, “I want to study art, Papa” there was a second of silence “Painting is my life, you take it away, you take everything I have ever dreamed of, p-papa please, let me have just this one thing” Mr Queen sighed “Alright damsel, if that is truly what you want. You know I can not say no to you” “Aaahh oh my gosh really dad!?” Ivy all excited “Yes, really but” Ivy paused to hear what her father was about to say “If you do not get in, you won't try again. You would study business or finance, is that clear” It was evident that Mr Queen doted on his last child, Ivy. This might have caused a spark of jealousy amongst her sisters especially, Amy the eldest. Back at the Queens house, the family was having breakfast, but somebody was absent. Mr Queen, it has been days since the man had a meal with his family. Amy works at the Queen's Construction company as an architect, she's the best in her field. It may be because she always wanted to please father. She worked twice as hard, didn't have time for dating, blamed it all on work. Lily on the other hand, is reckless, parties too hard and is holding her CGPA on tightrope. Lily is a second year student studying business, a course chosen for her by her father. Mr Queen always wanted to have boys to continue his legacy and the business that he was sure would soon bloom, maybe become a multi billionaire company one day. Since God gave him girls, he would make good use of that. “Mama, did you know Ivy applied to study art” Amy asked, Ivy focused on her eggs and avocado ignoring the question was about her “Ivy can study whatever she wants to study” Mama replied “I don't get, I am forced to study hard in school while Ivy goes to school to play with paint” Lily retorted “It's unfair” Lily slammed her cutlery on the plate. “I don't play with paint” Ivy whispered but it was loud enough for everyone on the table to hear “Can you hear her Amy, she talks back n-” “Can you just stop” Amy said angrily, got up to leave “ Bye mom I'm going to work” Lily scoffed and left the dining room. “It's okay dear” mama said while she pat my arm “Your paintings are beautiful and it would cause a change to the world one day” she smiled at Ivy, packing the used dishes from the table to the kitchen “Those spoilt brats” Mrs Queen murmured “Let me help you mama” Ivy got to help her mom clean the room. Meanwhile in the Donatello's mansion, Ryan strolled into Alex's room without knocking. “ I'm in here,” Alex said. Ryan walked into the large walk-in closet, the closet was so large, you could cut out 3 standard bedrooms, and there would still be space. Alex was fixing his tie when Ryan read out from the magazine he was holding “ Alex Donatello, young multi billionaire CEO seen with model Cynthia” Ryan looked up while Alex chuckled. “ Seriously man, get your head in the game, while you were screwing the whole of New York, one of our biggest shipment was under attack and guess what, we lost, everything's gone” Alex glared at Ryan, turned around grabbed him by the collar only to choke him. They glared at each other. “Well, if you had done your job well, maybe we wouldn't have lost so much.” Alex released him from his hold “ who did it?” He turned back, picked his suit jacket and wore it. “We do not know yet, maybe the Mexicans” Ryan replied, fixing his black shirt that got all wrinkled up. Alex stopped what he was doing to look at Ryan “You know how much I like my stuff to be handled with care. That was why I put you there, unless you are tired. Fix it Ryan” Alex said as he left his presence Alex Donatello, the CEO of Donatello groups by day, the leader of the largest drug syndicate in the world at night, The American drug cartel. Alex rules New York and everyone knows it. He not only owns a multi billionaire making company, he also has numerous night clubs spread around the city to clean his money. Everyone wants to have a taste of him, he does not just have a handsome face to die for but it is no news to the girls in the city that he is also a devil in bed. Alex became a billionaire at the young age of twenty-eight, he is thirty-two and it is said that his wealth can not be accurately calculated ‘cause he owns too many properties all over the world. “Good morning sir” “Good morning sir” Everyone at the lobby echoed to receive no reply People held their breath at the sight of this god-like creature, Alex walked through the lobby every morning but it seems he always has that effect on people. He got to his private elevator and got in. It took him to the highest floor in the building, the 20th floor. “Good morning sir, your coffee” Tessa, Alex's secretary handed the cup to Alex Tessa has been trying to get Alex's attention for far too long, which bored him. She was always wearing tight skirts, undoing two top buttons on her shirt, so he could have a peek. Today, she looked different. “ Tessa” Alex called her attention, she looked up at him in a very sultry manner. “ Your boobs are out, fix it unless you want to get thrown out” her face dropped, she looked shocked. What Tessa does not know is, though Alex sleeps around, he is very picky. He sleeps with only models, actresses, celebrities of his taste, not workers and people below his standards. Not that anyone is truly of his standards. Alex was half way to his office when he turned around “You can have the coffee, cancel all my meetings today” He entered his office,sat behind his desk. He thought to himself, he really needed to gain control of Harlem as his next shipments would be passing through Harlem. If Ryan can not do his job properly, he would have to do it himself. Ryan and Alex have come a long way together. They are almost like brothers, they fight sometimes but that does not mean Alex won't move mountains for him, same as Ryan. They both grew up in the same streets of New York and the streets were not smiling. Alex opened up his laptop, he checked the CCTV cameras like he knew what he was looking for. “Gotcha” He murmured Alex opened a drawer, in there was a safe. He pushed in the passcode, the safe unlocked. In there was money, a gun, and bullets, he picked the gun up, loaded it. He left his office, as he got to the secretary's table. Tessa had already worn something better. Alex did not blink twice, he raised the gun and put a bullet through her head. The screen of the laptop shows Tessa adding something from a little bottle into Alex's coffee. The poor girl had no idea there was a camera at her little lobby. The elevator opened up as Tessa’s body dropped on the floor “the hell, why would you do that in here” Ryan looks at the pool of blood “Now who’s gonna clean this up” Ryan uttered “You, that's why you're here” Alex winked at Ryan as he patted his shoulder. He strolled into the elevator, clicked on the button one. “Where are you going to” Ryan asked “to fix the shipment issue” “It's the Mexicans” Ryan said to Alex who didn't look the least surprised “I know” Alex said as the elevator closed up. Alex always knew their loss had something to do with the Mexicans but he needed solid proof. He was not bothered about being caught. Only three people had access to the 20th floor, Alex, Ryan and Tessa. Make that two people now.Chapter 2 A week passed and Ivy had not heard a word from the school which was weird. Ivy was with her mom in the grocery store, restocking for her father's return. Mrs Queen wanted to cook a sumptuous meal for Mr Queen's arrival. “What brand of cheese do you think I should get?” Mr Queen questioned her daughter while holding two different pieces of cheese. When she got no reply she turned to Ivy “Ivy, Ivy are you okay dear” Mrs Queen looked bothered “ I am fine mama” “ If they do not accept you, it is their loss. I am not saying this because I am your mother” she continued “ besides you could always apply elsewhere to study art” She dragged the cart along with her leaving Ivy to her thoughts. No one knew about the deal she made with her father. A call brought her back from her train of thoughts. “Hey, Tim what's up” Tim Rumble had been Ivy's best friend for years now. Ivy was bullied a lot in school by girls, most of the envy stemming from the fact that she got a lot of attenti
Chapter 3 That early morning Cynthia woke up happy. She had the best night of her life after being handled well by Alex. She smiled as she sniffed his bedsheets again. Her smile dropped when, “ you're still here? Get up, leave.” Alex said harshly “I, I-I thought” “You thought what, just because we fucked a couple of times doesn't mean I want you around me, Cynthia leave” Cynthia leaves the room with hot tears dropping from her eyes. She wondered why he treated her that way when the sex was that good. There was a connection, couldn't he see it? She was determined to help him see it. Back at the New York School of Art, the orientation just ended. “Hey, excuse me.” Cynthia called out, students had begun to disperse. Tim and Ivy turned around. “Hi, I didn't get your name” “I didn't give it” Tim said rudely “It's Tim,Tim Rumble I am Ivy.” Ivy replied after feeling guilty for Tim's actions. “Tim Rumble, you mean Rumble as in the Rumble” Cynthia furrowed her brows as I nod. “Come
Chapter 4 “Mr Queen, I offer ten percent profit of all the goods that go through Harlem with an upfront cash of five million dollars'' Ryan opens a suitcase filled with cash. Alex sat across from Mr Queen, who was in charge of every business deal that directly or indirectly involved Harlem. The Mexicans that resided in Harlem took it upon themselves to stop every shipment involving the American syndicate. “The disrespect, I am disappointed Mr Donatello, five million dollars. What do you take me for” “I do not understand you are American why would you side with the Mexicans” “You have Mexican roots, Alex, why do you rule America?” “It seems you have done some background check on me” Alex grinned. “I would love you to know that Isabella, Isabella tastes nice, smells so good, and screams so loud. Isn't that right boys.” The men around Alex laughed. Mr Queen had been having an affair with his secretary, Isabella. “You disgusting piece of shit” Alex signaled Ryan, Ryan pulled out
Chapter 5"Ivy," Tim said."Hey Tim," Ivy replied."When did you get back?""This morning. Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up.""It's okay. You want me to make you breakfast?""I ate at the airport. I couldn't stomach any more classes; I need a high CGPA.""Sure, anything I could do to help.""Go get dressed; we're late already."After a long day, Ivy and Tim decided to grab dinner at one of the campus canteens. Today's classes were boring, according to Ivy, but the truth was, she was just exhausted. She didn't find joy in the things that brought her joy. Life seemed to be moving fast, and no one truly cared."What are you going to do about the company?" Tim asked."I sold it.""You're going to sell it? Dang! Your father must have really loved it. Don't worry, once I graduate, I'll make a lot of money and buy it for you." Ivy chuckled, which made Tim smile; it felt like ages since she last smiled."No, I already sold it. I took care of it before coming; I didn't want to be there anym
Chapter 6"Where the hell have you been, Ivy? Where's your phone? I called you like a million times already," Tim blurted."Chillax, Tim. I was somewhere," Ivy replied."Where?""What exactly do you want from me? I need to get to class." Ivy took her leave.Ivy didn't have much to do. She went from restaurants to libraries to retail centers looking for a part-time job, but all to no avail. After a long day of being rejected by everyone, her eyes caught sight of a post: "Need Quick Cash - Call 1403." Ivy knew this was risky; nothing good truly came from quick cash. But right now, who cares? She really needed the cash. Maybe if it was consistent enough, she could pay off her debts. Where was she supposed to get 18 million from? Gosh, this was frustrating.She gave the number a call. "Uhmm, hi. I saw a poster about quick cash. First of all, I'd like to make inquiries about it. Anything illegal or prostitution, count me out.""Gurrrlll, don't play with me," a woman replied, chewing gum au
Chapter 7“I want her.” Ryan demanded“It’s good to see you again here, Sir Ryan.”“Yeah, yeah, I said I want her.”“Who? Let me go get Betty for you,” Mama replied.“No!! Her,” Ryan pointed. “The new girl.”“The new girl, you say?” she asked, as if shocked.“Oh, you’re serious. Well, would you look at that? I guess it’s her lucky day.”“Yes, I am, Mama. What’s her name?”“Natasha. She'll meet you in there in a minute.”“Tasha, get off that stage! Come with me!” Mama called, breaking Natasha off the trance she was in while dancing. Surprisingly, Ivy loved it. Ivy loved being Natasha. She had never felt so wanted and adored the way they wanted her tonight. This made her scared—scared that she would love it too much and wouldn't be able to leave.“There’s a very important man in the VIP section waiting for you. You have to be good, okay?” Mama warned.“B-but I thought you said n
Chapter 8 Mama makes her way to the girls' dressing room as soon as possible. Mr. Donatello is not someone anyone wants to annoy. Most people don't know it, but he owns the nightclub—hell, he owns the whole city. “Where is Natasha?” Everyone looks around for a bit, but it's clear she isn't here. “Pundy, I need Natasha right this moment.” “I have to get home, Mama. Natasha left minutes ago; she's probably home by now. What do you need Natasha for? I can help with it.” “I said I need Natasha! Look for her right now! Call her! If she's halfway home, tell her to turn back right this instant!” The girls look at each other, questioning what is going on. They had never seen Mama this frantic over any girl before. “She isn't picking up, Mama. What should I do?” “She must be around. Look for her.” “Okay, Mama.” Pundy lazily stands up to look for Ivy.
Chapter 9 “A faceless woman? Would you look at that! And who do you think this woman is?” the professor asks, glancing at Tim. “Tell me what you feel, Miss Ivy.” “Uhmm...” Ivy, instead of defending her supposed painting, found herself staring at the painting beside her, which was Tim's. From afar, it looked like just a portrait of her, but closer inspection revealed the deep sadness in her eyes. How he was able to capture such intricate emotion in a painting was unbeknownst to her. Half of her face was smiling, while the other half was sad. It reminded her of herself. Side by side were the two paintings created by Tim; something told Ivy that the women in the paintings were her. Of course, the paintings were about her. “A faceless woman,” Ivy begins. “I painted this because I do—I—” “Did you paint this, Ivy?” “Of course I did.” “Then tell me about it.” “It's a woman who doesn't have a face because she doesn't know who she is. At night, she puts on one face, and by day, a
Chapter 23“Gosh, I'm in love with your life right now,” Bella said as they both soaked themselves in the warm bath in Ivy's bathroom. They had decided to give themselves a little spa treatment.“I wouldn't say that,” Ivy replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.“I think I'll be visiting you very often now. What about your apartment, the one you share with Tim?”“What about it?”“I don't know. What are you going to do with it?”“It will be reassigned to someone else next semester. I guess I just worry about Tim.”“Tim? You haven't told him?”Ivy nodded, her expression serious.“Oh Lord, dang girl!”“Promise me you won't say a thing. I want to tell him myself. He's been avoiding me these days.”“Sure, your secret is safe with me.”“I won't call it a secret, Bella.”Bella was fixing her makeup and hair when Eliza knocked.“Ivy, are you in there?”
Chapter 22Ivy laid her head on the soft pillows of the bed, but she couldn't sleep. She turned from side to side, feeling restless. After a few minutes, she felt the need to drink water. Deciding to quench it, she slipped out of bed and padded quietly to the kitchen. The house was eerily silent; it seemed everyone had already gone to bed. As she opened the fridge, her eyes landed on a half-full bottle of red wine. Instead of pouring a glass of water, she grabbed the bottle and took a huge swig. The rich, velvety liquid flowed down her throat, bringing a momentary sense of warmth.Suddenly, a voice from behind her made her jump. “Couldn't sleep?” It was Alex, standing shirtless in the doorway. “Alex!” she exclaimed, quickly dropping the bottle and slamming the fridge door shut, as if she had been caught stealing candy. “I couldn't sleep either,” he replied, moving closer. He opened the fridge, pulled out the wine, and took a swig himself. Ivy couldn't help but admire the view—his
Chapter 21Ivy used her time to take in the breathtaking view from Alex's office. The expansive windows offered a view of the entire city, sparkling and alive beneath the late afternoon sun. It was beautiful, utterly mesmerizing.“You like the view?” Alex asked, his voice startling her. She hadn’t noticed him come in, so engrossed was she in the scene before her.Ivy smiled as she turned back to him. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” “Not as beautiful as the person standing in front of me,” he replied, his gaze piercing. Ivy felt a warmth creeping to her cheeks, a blush that she hoped he wouldn’t notice.“You ready to go?” he asked, breaking her reverie. Ivy nodded, her heart racing slightly. “I need to grab a few things at my apartment first, if you don’t mind,” she said, trying to sound casual.“Like what?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow.“Clothes, you know, basic stuff,” she replied, a little defensive.“You don’t need them. Everything you need is already at home,” he said, the word '
Chapter 20Ivy didn’t know what to feel about Alex’s interference. He had no right to meddle in her studies like that. Now, everyone was going to think she needed to be treated differently. He was going to get a piece of her mind—that was for sure.A sleek black Lexus pulled up right in front of her, and a man emerged from the passenger side. “Miss Ivy?” he called.“Uh, yes?” she replied, a bit taken aback.“I am Jerry, your personal bodyguard, and that is Tom, your personal driver.” He pointed to the man in the driver’s seat, though Ivy couldn’t see him through the tinted windows.Ivy giggled. “Like Tom and Jerry,” she said, hoping for a chuckle, but Jerry didn’t budge. Maybe he didn’t get the joke.“And you think I’m just going to get into a car with total strangers?” Ivy said, taking a step back. She could hear Jerry, now a distance away, trying to call someone—maybe Alex. After what had happened a few days ago, she wasn’t trusting anyone right now.She walked a bit further to rea
Chapter 19“What's your name?” “Cindy,” she said as he grinned widely.“Have you ever gone to school, Cindy?” “I stopped when I was seven, sir.”“Call me Anthony.” Cindy nodded. “As of today, you will be homeschooled. Everything you need will be provided by me. Do you like that?” he asked.Cindy nodded. “If you would like to further your education, I will pay for it, but it depends solely on you. Right now, all you need to do is focus on your studies.”Cindy then received an education. She felt indebted to Anthony; she grew up under his care. She had never received compassion like she did from Anthony anywhere else. She did everything and anything to make him proud.Years later, Cindy grew into a fine woman. She chose not to further her education but to go into business with Anthony, her helper, and she did her job well. You may be wondering what led our dear Cindy—who was starting to do well—into the world of stripping. Anthony, who was the head of the Mexican mafia, needed a
Chapter 18Alex placed Ivy on her bed and handed her a towel to dry off the excess water. She was already shivering at this point.“I told you it was cold,” Ivy said, covering her body with the towel.Alex took her hands and rubbed them with his to create heat. “You should change.”Ivy nodded. “Ivy.”“Hm? Will there be any space for you to love me after what—” Ivy waited for him to finish.“Uhn?”“Never mind,” Alex said as he left the room for her to change.---Cindy and Ryan were able to locate the dump site.“Hell no!” Ryan exclaimed.In front of them were acres of heaps and heaps of rubbish. There was no way they would find the wallet in this trash; even if they searched for a whole year, they wouldn't find it.Cindy dropped her bag and started to search through the trash.“What are you doing?” Ryan asked.“What do you think?”“You would never find the wallet.”“My aunt died because of the wallet. I will find it. Watch me.”“Hey, what are you two kids doing there?” a man in unifo
Chapter 17Cindy headed out to the store, determined to find the wallet and uncover its secrets. Unbeknownst to Cindy, she had dropped the receipt she squeezed between her hands.---Ryan looked at the picture in his hands; it was of a little girl named Cindy, a girl he had met years ago. He couldn't believe he didn't recognize her at all. How could one person change that much? She looked so different now—she was an adult.Years back, when Alex and Ryan were still in their teens, there was a civil war going on in the American syndicate about who would take over after old Mr. Donatello. Alex found out there was evidence or information somewhere that could help him lay total, undoubted claim to the throne.Alex, who had been friends with Ryan from way back, instructed Ryan to find it for him on the condition that he would be the second in command after Alex took the throne. Young Ryan got intel on the escapades of one of old Mr. Donatello's associates, who was in support of the Mexican
Chapter 16TRIGGER WARNINGCindy had spent a few days at her aunt's place, and she wasn't a fool to know what her aunt did for a living. Men, one after another, would come looking for Aunt Madeline. Madeline fed her, but Cindy knew she couldn't stay there for too long. She didn't like the look those men gave her; she had learned her lesson with her stepfather, and she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.On a fateful Sunday, Madeline had gone grocery shopping. A man came looking for her. Cindy heard a knock on the door; she knew not to open it if it was her aunt - her aunt wouldn't knock. The knock was persistent."Who is it?" she called out, but there was no response."Who is it?" she said again. It must be a crook. Should she call for help or the police?"Who is it?""Madeline, I know you're in there. Open the door and give me my fucking money!""Aunt Madeline isn't home," Cindy said through the locked d
Chapter 15 TRIGGER WARNINGThe door creaked as Paul let himself into Cindy's room. He was drunk to a stupor. "Are you awaaakk-eee, Cin... Cindy?" he asked. Cindy was lying on her bed, pretending to be asleep, but she was wide awake.He held her cheek as he lay beside her. "Why can't your mother be this peaceful and beautiful, you witch?" He caressed her neck, going down to her bosom. Nothing was obstructing him; all Cindy wore was a baggy top and shorts.He reached her breasts, playing with her nipples. "I know you are awake, Cindy. You are a slut, just like your mother. You like what I do to you, don't you?"Cindy opened her eyes, looking at him. "Raise your head," he ordered. She did, and he lifted her top off her body. She was young, but she could see the lust in his eyes. Somehow, she got off of the feeling. She always felt she was not pretty enough for men; she had low self-esteem. Her mother broke her confidence.