Chapter Two: Holy Mother, Unholy Favours

ZOE

I hugged her tightly, burying my face in her shoulder.

Even though we hadn't split on the best of terms, I had to admit that I had missed her. She was my mother, after all.

“How are you?”

Her face, even in the coldness of the correctional facility, was still as beautiful as ever. A strand or two of grey hair had sprouted, no doubt, but it seemed to elevate her beauty rather than diminish it.

Smiling at her, I thanked my stars that I had gotten her genes. Apart from the fact that I was a good actress, my beautiful face did wonders for my content as well.

“I should be the one asking that question, mum. What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I've not had a proper drink in ages.” She muttered as she eyed the vending machine.

I slipped a hundred dollar bill as I grabbed three drinks from the machine and a string of chocolates.

“Thank you, Zoe, thank you…”

I watched her devour the items before her, and I felt my insides melt at the sight of my mother eating so hurriedly.

“Thank you for coming…” she muttered as she chewed.

“I mean, we both have our differences, but that doesn't mean I'll abandon you when you need me. How did you even get my number?”

“That…that isn't important.” She shook her hands in a bid to get rid of the excess bits of chocolate littered on it. “If you Googled my name before you came, you'll know the story as to why I'm inside here..” She paused as she smiled at me, “But knowing you, I know you didn't.”

I adjusted the can of mountain dew in front of me noisily.

I knew my mother always thought I wasn't the most intelligent of children, but the fact that she would still say it in a prison uniform was painful to hear.

“Do you want my help or you want to remind me of the reasons why we've not spoken for three years?”

She raised her hands in surrender as she sighed.

“After you left home, things got heated at work.”

From what I remembered, my mother worked with a massive tech company that was looking to branch into other industries.

“Mr. Frederick, the owner of the company, died. On a normal day, his company should've gone to his children. But none of his kids were interested in running it. Mr. Frederick therefore, left the company to us, the board of directors.”

I nodded as I stared at the clock above us, acknowledging that the time I was spending with her could be put into good use for my subscribers who were probably wondering where I was.

“Fast forward to a year ago and I got wind of a rumour that the other members of the board were trying to blackmail me and have the company to themselves. I didn't think too much about it because rumours fly, you know…” she paused as she stared at me as if she knew my mind was someplace else. “That was until the police showed up at my door, accusing me of stealing a whopping ten million dollars.”

I glared at her. The woman I called my mother would never take a penny that didn't belong to her.

“I didn’t do it, Zoe. I can't steal from myself…”

She stared at me, her eyes boring deep into mine, finding an answer.

“I believe you, mum, I know you didn't take it.”

She sighed as she smiled at me.

“For a moment I thought you wouldn't believe me…”

“I grew up with you, mum. The standards you set for yourself were impossible. Isn't that the reason we haven't spoken since I turned eighteen?”

I watched her wiggle her fingers nervously before replying.

“The evidence was stacked against me, Zoe. It had been going on under my nose for ages and I didn't see it. It was a good plan. I was sentenced to thirty years imprisonment. How…how do I spend thirty years behind bars for something I didn't do?”

I could barely believe my ears. Thirty years?

“However, my lawyer has managed to get an appeal. All I need to do is prove that I am innocent…what I need is evidence, something that points out that I was blackmailed and that none of this is true.”

Her voice trembled for a moment, and that was when things began to click.

She wanted me to get the evidence she needed. That was why she had demanded to see me.

“Are you saying what I think you're saying, mum?”

“Five more minutes!” The guard bellowed, his hand outstretched as he showed five fingers from his right hand.

My mother leaned across the table as she ignored my question.

“Are you still….” I raised an eyebrow in confusion as I stared at her, waiting for her to finish her statement. “Do you still…”

“Mum?” I played dumb, waiting for her to say the actual words.

“Oh, fuck it. Are you still an Only Fans model? Do you still do it?”

I smiled as I replied, my chest bursting with pride.

“At your service, mum…”

“Excellent. Listen to me, Zoe. If there is anything that can destroy a well disciplined man, it is sex. Lust. No matter how resilient a man is, once you know his kink, you know him. You have the power of sex in your hands, Zoe, and I want you to use it.”

I stared at my mother, a smile creeping onto my lips. For the first time, she was acknowledging the power of sex. For the first time,she was treating my job with importance.

Something she certainly wouldn't have done three years ago.

“Time's up, lads. Come on Mrs. Daniels, you had a good chat. It's time to wrap it up.” The officer moved towards our table, eyebrows narrowed.

“Zoe, you alone can help me now. I want you to bring anything you can find. There were five of them, Zoe, five men against me. I want you to destroy five of them and bring whatever evidence you can gather…I want revenge, Zoe, revenge!”

The officer who was in charge came forward, his hand resting on my mother's shoulder as he began to tear her away, the sound of the handcuffs being clamped on her making me look away.

The profession that had made my mother disown me was probably going to be the reason she didn't remain in prison for the next thirty years.

What an irony.