Davina's POV:
A few days later.
The early morning shift at "The Daily Grind" was a stark contrast to the late-night world of the Devil's Club. The air was filled with the comforting aroma of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries, the clientele a mix of sleepy locals grabbing their caffeine fix and students hunched over laptops. I moved behind the counter, the unfamiliar weight of the apron around my waist, the clatter of ceramic mugs a welcome change from the clinking of champagne flutes and the heavy bass vibrations.
It was a means to an end, this second job. Every dollar I earned here was another step, however small, towards the impossible mountain of Ezra’s debt. The tips were meager compared to the Devil’s Club, but the exhaustion
Davina's POV: The next evening.The pulsing, synthetic beat of the club’s generic dance music vibrated through the thin soles of my heels, a familiar tremor that usually provided a strange sense of grounding, a temporary escape from the gnawing anxiety that had become my unwelcome shadow. Tonight, however, the rhythm felt jarring, discordant with the heavy unease that had settled over the Devil's Club, memories of the private dance I gave to Ezra made my stomach feel unsettled. Almost as if my own being was stuck on that closeness.I was performing my routine for a man seated at a secluded, plush velvet booth near the dimly lit back corner of the club. His eyes, cold and assessing, followed my every sway and dip with a predatory intensity that made the fine hairs on the back of my neck prickle. He was new, a burly figure with a shaved head that gleamed under the strobing lights, and unsettlingly vacant eyes that seemed to bore right through my carefully constructed facade. Roy, with
Ezra's POV:The heavy, ornate door to Lorenzo’s private study clicked shut behind Andrei Sokolov and his chillingly composed daughter, leaving a vacuum filled only with the oppressive weight of the just-concluded transaction. The air, still carrying the faint, cloying scent of Sokolov’s expensive cologne, felt tainted, polluted by his presence in our sanctuary. My father, Lorenzo, stood by the massive mahogany desk, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge, his usual booming authority subdued, replaced by a strained, almost defeated air.Tatiana Sokolova. The image of her remained etched in my mind – a study in glacial beauty and icy entitlement. The way her piercing blue eyes had swept over our opulent surroundings with such detached indifference, as if judging its worth. Her infrequent pronouncements to her father, each word precise and laced with an unspoken command, had painted a clear picture of a woman accustomed to wielding power, even at her young age. And that undercurrent o
Ezra's POV: The need had been a low, persistent hum beneath the surface all day. Seeing her back at the club, her forced smile as she served those leering bastards in the VIP room, had only amplified it. It was a possessive urge, a primal need to remind myself, and her, exactly who she belonged to. So, I sent Roy. A simple instruction: bring Davina to my office after her set. No explanations needed. He understood. They all did. When she finally stood before me, the remnants of her stage makeup still clinging to her skin, the scent of cheap perfume and sweat filling the air, a flicker of something akin to… anticipation?… stirred within me. She looked wary, her eyes darting around the room, but there was a subtle defiance there too, a spark tha
Davina's POV:The night was a brutal teacher. The warmth of the day evaporated quickly, leaving behind a biting chill that seeped into my bones, despite the thin jacket I still wore. The city, which had pulsed with life and laughter just hours before, now seemed indifferent, its shadows long and menacing. Every rustle of leaves, every distant siren, sent a jolt of fear through me.I wandered aimlessly, the streets my only companions. Shopfronts, their shutters drawn, stared blankly ahead. The occasional passing car illuminated my tear-streaked face before speeding away, its occupants oblivious to the young woman huddled in a doorway, her world shattered.Sleep offered little respite, a fitful, broken series of uneasy dozes punctuated by the cold, the hard concrete, and the gnawing fear of the unknown. Each time I drifted off, the faces of Mom and Lexi, etched with hurt and anger, would flicker behind my eyelids. Dexter’s smug smirk was another unwelcome vi
Davina's POV: A few days later. The early morning shift at "The Daily Grind" was a stark contrast to the late-night world of the Devil's Club. The air was filled with the comforting aroma of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries, the clientele a mix of sleepy locals grabbing their caffeine fix and students hunched over laptops. I moved behind the counter, the unfamiliar weight of the apron around my waist, the clatter of ceramic mugs a welcome change from the clinking of champagne flutes and the heavy bass vibrations. It was a means to an end, this second job. Every dollar I earned here was another step, however small, towards the impossible mountain of Ezra’s debt. The tips were meager compared to the Devil’s Club, but the exhaustion
Ezra's POV: The heavy oak door of the VIP room, reinforced steel beneath its veneer, muffled the bass thrumming from the club below. Inside, the air was a heady mix of expensive brandy, the rich aroma of Cuban cigars Lorenzo favored, and the low, guttural murmur of men engaged in serious, high-stakes negotiation. The air in the VIP room was thick with the expensive aroma of aged whiskey and the low rumble of men conducting serious business. My father, Lorenzo, sat at the head of the massive mahogany table, his presence commanding even in his advancing years. Our associates from Palermo, the Moretti brothers, flanked his sides, their eyes sharp and assessing, missing nothing. Tonight was crucial; solidifying this alliance would shift the balance of power for the years to come. I watched the proceedings, interjecting with c