āļø CHAPTER 01 āļø
YEARS LATER
In a club, a crowd of men can be seen all seated and eyes shining in expectation as they stare at the stage before them. Soon, the music turned on as a middle-aged woman walked up to the stage and took the microphone.
" Are you all eager and ready to see our best of the best perform before you tonight?! " She exclaimed loudly as the men threw bundles of money on the stage.
" Are you ready for the one and only queen herself to make an entrance?! " All the men cheered loudly, some throwing roses on the stage while others threw panties.
Almost immediately, the red curtains spread open as a lady stepped out. She slowly pulled off the red robe she was putting on which dropped to the ground of the stage, revealing her red lingerie panties as she turned her back on the audience.
Just then, a stripping pole rose from the stage. She finally turned to face the audience as the spotlight shone on her and her face came into view. One could see her red hair which was tied in a ponytail and she was putting on a red bra with a transparent net on it that didn't cover her b**bs fully. Her big and round brown eyes, small pointy nose, and pouting red lips made her look extremely cute but also... sexy and hot.
All the men stood up, cheering loudly at her, their eyes roaming up and down her body with lust, ecstasy, and eagerness.
Holding the pole, she raised her legs to her face before curling herself around the pole as the audience clapped loudly. With the rhythm of the music, she began dancing and twirling.
" Holy fuck! She is hot! "
" Go, girl! "
Men cheered with excitement as she twirled none stopped for almost five minutes. The tempo of the music increased and so did her twirls. The volume of the cheers increased as she did a split on the stage, her ponytail dangling dangerously as the applause increased.
Ć. Ć. Ć
" Oh my God, Phoenix! You did a great job today. Can you believe we got ten times our normal customers today! " The middle-aged woman squeaked in excitement, waving money before the lady who already covered herself up. She was now putting on a hoodie and sweatpants. She ignored the woman, cleaning her makeup.
" Aren't you happy, Phoenix? We made extra money today " The woman asked.
" Please Mom, not today " Phoenix hissed with an eye roll. The woman glared at her.
" What's with the attitude, young lady, who do you think you are? " She demanded.
" It's not like that Mom, I'm just tired " Phoenix sighed.
" You should get used to it already and not get tired over just a little dance. You've been doing this for years and you're fucking 25 now! " The woman hissed, walking over to the bed. Phoenix only sighed sadly, rolling her eyes.
" Maybe I wouldn't get so tired easily if I enjoyed the work," She said.
" Is this about your stupid dreams again? " The woman eyed her.
" I've already told you to forget about it. Stripping is your job and you'll keep doing it till you retire. The sooner you accept this, the better for you "
" The sooner you put faith in me and support my dream, the better for you too, Mom " Phoenix replied.
" Hey, don't you talk to your mother like that, young lady! " The woman snapped. Phoenix grabbed her phone and walked up to the woman.
" Just forget about it Mom. I have to go now, OK? "
" Bye and take care " She placed a peck on her cheeks.
" Better be back early you little mouse or you'll hear it from me " The woman warned her.
" Not a guarantee Mom " With that, Phoenix left.
Ć. Ć. Ć
A tea table with a teacup and tea jug on it can be seen wheeling on its own into a room. The jug was pouring some tea into the cup. Cubes of sugar which were also on the table were diving into the tea like they were alive.
A figure can be seen, that of a guy, standing before a wardrobe which opened by itself. A blacktop and jacket flew out of the wardrobe and they put themselves on the guy. A pair of sneakers and a brush came out of the closet too. The guy puts on the shoe as the brush polishes it on its own.
On another table were slices of bread on a plate and a jar of peanuts, a spoon, fork, and knife. The jar opened and the knife took a desirable amount of butter and smoothed the bread before another slice covered it up.
Just when every nonliving thing was doing their jobs on their own, the door of the room barged opened and they all dropped. Standing before the door was a teenage girl whose hands were folded around her chest as she eyed the guy.
" Seriously, Axion? " She scoffed and that was when the guy turned and his face came into view. One could see his defined jawline, slightly big pointy nose, nice oval violet-colored eyes, and slightly plump pink lips which matched with his curly blonde hair.
The girl walked in, staring at him with raised eyebrows. She held his ear and pulled it, making Axion bend since he was taller.
" How many times will Grandma warn you to stop using your magic to get every single thing done, huh? " She demanded in a stern voice. Axion looked at her and pouted a bit.
" I can't help it " He answered.
"You're becoming lazy, you know " The girl let go of his ear.
" Where are you preparing to go this morning? " She asked and Axion turned, facing the mirror while adjusting his jacket.
" You don't have to know. Why are you here anyway? " He questioned back.
" Grandma won't stop bothering me about how long it has been since you visited Mom. You know her condition is getting worse " The girl replied and Axion turned to face her again.
" Go back and tell her I'll drop by today when I'm done in the office " He gave a reply.
" What are you going to do in the office today anyway? I thought today was Sunday " The girl asked.
" Don't worry Tamara, I'll drop by later. Just go home " Axion replied.
Tamara only eyed him suspiciously as she stepped closer.
" Tell me the truth brother, are you secretly meeting your girlfriend? " Axion glared at him sharply.
" Tamara ... " He groaned, making her burst out laughing.
" Don't worry brother, I won't tell on you. Your secret is safe with me " She teased, heading to the door.
" I ...
" Bye," She waved and left even before Axion could say anything further.
Ć. Ć. Ć
Driving into the parking lot of a mall, Axion parked his car. He was still about to unbuckle his seatbelt when he felt something bump into the back of his car. He hurriedly unbuckled and stepped out, heading to the back of his car.
It turned out another car bumped into it, making the backlight and number plate break. He glared at the car and folded his arms, waiting for the owner to step out. The door opened and a leg stepped out. Looking at the leg, one could detect it was a lady.
It turned out to be none other than Phoenix who was putting on a headset. Looking up at Axion, who was glaring at her, she frowned her brows. Walking up to him, she pulled down her headset.
" Are you blind, dumb, or stupid, Mister? " She glared at Axion, who frowned deeply at her.
" Excuse me? " He muttered.
" Don't you know how to park your car well or have you never gone to a driving school? " An obvious angry scoff left Axion's lips and he stepped closer with a stern look.
" Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? Can't you see you bumped into my car? " He demanded, making Phoenix hiss.
" If you hadn't parked your car like your father owned this mall, I wouldn't have bumped into it in the first place. Besides, I'm sure it's just a minor scratch, so stop acting like I destroyed your car " She hissed with an eye roll.
Scoffing angrily, Axion stepped away from his car for her to see the damage she caused. Phoenix's eyes widened a bit just then.
" A... minor scratch? " Axion raised a brow at her making her swallow hard nervously. Not knowing what to do,
" You have only two options, Phoenix. First, run, and second...run for your life! " Her sub-conscience yelled at her and immediately she took up her heels...
āļø CHAPTER 02 āļø Axion was done shopping and decided to go sit on a bench whole waiting for his driver to get him another car. But on getting to the bench outside the moll, he was surprised to see Phoenix lying on it and... She was sleeping! A scoff left his lips. " You again " He bent slightly to remove the dirt stuck in her hair. Using the opportunity, he decided to examine her face. His pupil dilated greatly and his heart skipped a bit. " She's cute " He mumbled with a faint smile but quickly came back to his senses. He stood up and made to leave, but stopped. He squatted back, looking over at her hair. That was when he saw a red-feathered hair tie which she used to tie her ponytail. The hair tie grabbed his attention and he immediately felt drawn to it. " What type of a hair tie is this? " He wondered as he reached out and gently took it off making Phoenix's hair fall freely, covering her face. He stared at it for some time, examining it. " I think I'll take this " He shrugge
āļø CHAPTER 03 āļø Phoenix can be seen seated with a woman sitting opposite her. The was putting on a robe and one could see her heavy makeup. In her hand was a cigarette stick. " Oh my God! " Monica, the woman gasped in shock immediately. " What?! That's one of the most expensive surgical operations, from what I know. When did all this happen? " She asked and Phoenix bowed down her head in sadness. " I just found out today " She muttered before looking up, her eyes clouded with tears. " I need your help aunt. I don't want to lose my mom, please " She pleaded, letting her tears fall. Monica's face softened on seeing her tears and she kept her cigarette aside. " Shush, don't cry Phoenix, OK? Tell me...how much do you need? " She inquired and Phoenix beamed on hearing that. She slowly wiped her tears. " I need one million, aunt " Monica's eyes widened. " That's a lot of money, Phoenix, jeez! " She exclaimed. " I know aunt. But I swear, I'll pay you back gradually. I don't know ho
āļø CHAPTER 04 āļø After taking a refreshing bath, Phoenix crawled up to her bed to get some sleep since she hadn't gotten any since yesterday. She had already dropped some food for Lilly at the hospital and wanted to have some time to herself at home. She couldn't stop thinking about Monica's offer. Did she make a mistake accepting? What about her mother? She couldn't just leave her to die! She didn't even know when she fell asleep thinking about all that. She was having a peaceful sleep when she suddenly heard a loud thud making her wake up. " What was that? " She asked, but heard the thud again. She climbed down from the bed, walked up to the switch, and turned on the light in her room. The noise came yet again, making her grab the bat which was lying beside her door. Grabbing her phone and turning on the touch, she followed where the noise was coming from and was already in the kitchen. Entering inside, she was surprised not to see anything broken. " Weird. I thought I he
āļø CHAPTER 05 āļø Phoenix slowly opened her eyes as she felt something reflect on her face. Looking around, she frowned a bit at the unfamiliar room she was in. The room looked like an office and she was seated, a table before her. " Where am I? " She wondered. The drumming of someone's fingers on the table snapped her out and she looked up. Her pupil dilated on seeing the familiar blonde hair, making her beam a bit. " Guardian angel, it's you! " She exclaimed, excited to see Axion who was seated before her. He raised a brow at her. " Does she seriously think I'm her guardian angel? " He scoffed. " So, what am I doing here? " Phoenix asked with a broad smile. " I kidnapped you " Axion replied plainly. " Huh? Why would you do that? " Phoenix asked in confusion. Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets when something drawn to her. She sprang up from the chair immediately. She just remembered she was supposed to go meet Monica today. " Holy shit! " She exclaimed. " Sorry...I h
āļø CHAPTER 06 āļø Immediately Axion stepped into the house, Glinda rushed over to him. " Where is she? " She demanded, looking behind him. She let out a slight groan on seeing no one. " Come on Axion, are you still on about her being a stripper? " She asked. " Aunt...relax " Axion replied. " I'll do anything for Mom " He added and just then Phoenix stepped in. Her eyes were wandering about like she was lost. A tiny smile formed on her lips. " This place is beautiful," She thought. On seeing her, a genuine smile crept up Glinda's lips too. " Wow, she is really beautiful and...cute " She chuckled lightly making Axion roll his eyes. " Phoenix " Glinda called, pushing Axion slightly to one side and walking up to Phoenix who was shocked to hear her call her name. " How come she knows my name? " She wondered. " Welcome Phoenix " Glinda smiled broadly at her and she smiled back. " Good day ma'am " She greeted and that made Axion almost hiss. " Same to you dear. Axion told me so m
āļø CHAPTER 07 āļø Not only did Kelsey's pale face clear up but her pale body also gradually started clearing up; from her neck, down to her hands, upper body, legs, and even toes. Axion and Glinda were shocked to see her body clear up. " Mom " Axion rushed to the other side of the bed. That was when Phoenix opened her eyes and looked up. Shocked ran through her on seeing Kelsey's clear skin. Her tears dried up immediately. She quickly let go of her hand, stepping back, and her eyes widened. " What... just... happened? " She didn't even know when the question left her lips. She stared at her hands in disbelief, nodding her head negatively while stepping away from the bed even more. Axion took Kelsey's hands, massaging them gently while staring at her with his eyes glowing in hope and expectation. After some minutes of waiting, just when Axion was about to give up hope... Kelsey let out a really deep breath like she has been holding it back for years. Slowly she opened her eyes but c
āļø CHAPTER 08 āļø Phoenix was shocked to the bone at what Axion said. " What?! " She yelled at the top of her voice. " Are you nuts or what?! " " No, you're talking nonsense Axion, nonsense! " " You don't believe me, do you? " Axion chuckled. Snapping his finger, a document appeared on the table. He took it and stood up, walking over to Phoenix before stretching it out to her. Phoenix grabbed the document from him. Flipping through the pages, her eyes widened in great horror. She froze on the spot, staring at what was written on the page and her signature which was at the bottom. " No " She nodded in disbelief. " No, this can't be true " " This is just a lie you made up. You're lying to me, you're playing tricks on me! " She yelled tearing off the page and tearing it to pieces. " You're a liar! " She threw the piece to Axion's face, her eyes flooding up with tears. " I am going to leave this place and you can't stop me " She snapped and rushed to the entrance door which was
āļø CHAPTER 09 āļø Stretching out her hand, Phoenix inhaled deeply before exhaling. With her confidence boosting, " Abracadabra! " She exclaimed, staring intensely at the door with her burning red eyes, waiting for it to barge open by itself magically. Therefore, her face died in disappointment when nothing happened. Ellie nodded sideways, looking down in disappointment too. " Abracadabra! " Phoenix exclaimed again. Her red eyes went back to normal immediately. " Why is nothing happening?! " She groaned, glaring at her hand and the door. " Abracadabra!! " She yelled in frustration and anger this time around. Yet... nothing happened. The door remained closed. Phoenix let out a deep sad sigh of defeat, turning to look at Ellie. " Why didn't the door break open? " She threw her hands up in a dramatic manner. Ellie flew to her and perched on her shoulder. " What reason do you think is behind it? " He asked back. " It's simple... because I'm not a Phoenix like you said. I had my dou