Chapter 4 UNEXPECTED FACE

*Victoria POV*

Immediately the second man pulled off his own mask; my world stiffened for a moment. No! This can't be true.

FEW MOMENTS BACK___

I slid out of my old Corolla car and took my toothbrush and paste along with me. I brushed my teeth at a nearby gutter before sliding back into the car. My cellphone was beeping tremendously with text—Judy, my best friend, was killing me with numerous text messages.

"Bitch, come back and do your laundry!"

"Hey! When are you coming back home?"

"Don't you have a break from work?"

"Maxwell has gone again; you can come!"

"Please... please, I'm bored being a housewife. Come over." I read the message, laughing my ass off. Judy and I have been the best of friends since our high school days. After my divorce from Bradley, she has been sheltering me. However, I sensed her husband wasn't quite okay with the arrangement, so I have been sharing it; most days I sleep in my car when he is in town and go over when he isn't in town.

Another message beeped on my phone, and I rushed to click on it; it was the message I had been expecting.

"I need more money; it's hard getting a lead without funds; people are too greedy to give out valid information, you know?" I grunt at his demand. Only God knows if he is out there helping me to find out my loss or if he is busy squandering my hard-earned money on whores

.

I reluctantly entered my mobile bank, inputting figures of money. This is why I can never make it; he always empties my pocket.

"Sent the money!" I grunted and tapped hard on the message sent button. The bastard replied to me with a thumbs up.

"I wonder when all this will end. "Baby,  where are you?" I whispered sorrowfully. Since the very day I delivered my baby and the doctor told me she didn't make it and has been buried, I haven't been myself. But somewhere in me is urging me to have faith, faith that I will still see her again, which James, the private investigator, is helping me with. I lost my parents and Bradley; why should I lose my child, too? Don't I deserve to be happy? Don't I deserve to have a loved one beside me without always ending up losing them?

I pulled my backpack and slid it across my shoulders, aligned the car, and walked into the changing room of the club. It's dawn again, another time for an exhausting performance.

*******

"Wow, this is huge for today!" I muttered excitedly, counting the dollar notes in my hands.

"Fuck!" I flinched back, securing the money against my chest. "You really need to stop doing that; you scared me!" I snapped at the man who appeared in front.

"What do you want from me again?" I shoved the money into my backpack quickly, as if he wanted to steal it away from me; he gave me a weird look.

"Don't you remember me?" He tilted his head to the side. I scanned him with my eyes from head to toe before realization dawned on me, and I put on a fighting stance immediately. He stepped back, his hands raised up to the air in surrender, giving me a confused look.

"Your boss sent you after me again, right? The last time you guys almost put a bullet through my skull for not agreeing to give your boss a blowjob, and now you are here again!" I scowled, anger brimming in my eyes.

"Calm down, Miss; it was all a misunderstanding. We didn't hurt you, remember?" My tensed muscles eased a bit.

"Yeah, but almost," I breathed out.

"We didn't, nevertheless?" He argued.

"Fine, what do you want?"

"He would like to have a word with you, please." I sighed.

"Why?" He grunted in response.

"Fine, lead the way." I agreed, not wanting to put him in a tight spot; after all, he would not know what his boss intended to discuss with me. This might be a lifetime opportunity.

"Yes, come in." I opened the door and walked inside after getting the go-ahead.

"Oh, my Little Bird, he commented, spared me a lustrous gaze. He stood up from his seat and advanced closer to me.

"I will make this quick," he mumbled, lighting up the cigarette on his lips.

He took a long drag and puffed it into the air.

"We will start with your greatest desires. What are your desires?" I gave him a skeptical look, wondering where he was driving out, but I answered anyway, playing along with his gaze. "To be a graduate, have a lot of money, fame, and a very luxurious house to myself," I state my desires; of course, I need a luxurious house. If I get back my baby, which I have faith that I will very soon, I need a place that she can call home; besides, I can't be going from one habitat to another; I need to settle down someday.

"Fine, you will get all that."

"Infact, DONE!" He declared, closing our proximity. I created a distance by stepping away from him; now I'm really confused:What is this all about, "Mr Carlos?" I enquired, anger aroused inside of me.

"Be my contracted girlfriend for six months, and you will get all you deserve, EVEN MORE!" He mouthed, Cornered me against the wall.

"What?" My mouth flew open, shocked at his offer. My eyes burn with rage. How dare he think I'm some sort of random girl he can fool into a contract? The bastard was trying to get into my pants for such; I don't believe his contract bullshit.

"I hope all is going well." A deep baritone voice erupted in the air; the voice felt so familiar. We both snapped our gaze at the owner of the voice. The shock was an understatement at what, or should I say who, I saw; surprise siphoned the blood from my face, tongue-tied for a second. His eyes widened at me as well, and his mouth dropped.

I never knew a day would come when I would see him again, and I didn't know my heart would still drum vigorously at the sight of him again.