by A. G. Khaliq
I jolted upwards, sitting up straight, as he began making his way towards me, with a file in his hands.
“I've got her file,” Arturo explained.
I narrowed my eyes, folding my arms.
I’d finally got what I’d been waiting for.
“There's not a lot about her,” Arturo went on. “So if you were expecting a breakdown of her 105
day-to-day life, you're out of luck.”
I cracked up into a fit of laughter. “Just show me whatever you have,” I shrugged. “I appreciate this, bro.”
“Here you go,” he replied, dusting himself off and handing me the file. “And don't be too long, Mom wants help with preparing the financial statement for the casino for this month.”
I nodded, and Arturo turned on his heel, making his way out of the room.
I opened Sapphire’s file, furrowing my eyebrows in curiosity, as I read the information that was in it.
There wasn’t a lot here at all…
Sapphire Myers.
28 years old.
Graduated from Harvard University five years ago…
With a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science.
But there was hardly anything about her past life before that…
I was assuming that she immigrated into this country.
I continued to read through the file, desperate to know more. Desperate to find more information, because if anything, reading her file 106
was just leaving me even more in the dark than I was before. She was such a fucking mystery.
Her whole family were deceased?
I drew out a sharp intake of breath, my heart hammering against my chest. I felt my insides twist into knots out of sadness for her. I didn’t know what I’d do without my brother, my mother, or my father. They were my rocks. They were the reason that I did everything that I did.
Everything I did, I was doing for them…
All of the success, and all of the money.
Sapphire must feel so alone…
She was such a strong woman. It was crazy how well she put up such a tough exterior, when she was having a hell of a time of it herself…
I still found myself wondering what had happened with her ex, and what he’d put her through, to make her not want to pursue another relationship.
“You're full of surprises, Sapphire…” I murmured to myself.
I put her file to the side, before tossing myself back into bed, letting out a sigh as I continued to immerse myself in my thoughts.
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14
maya
It was Saturday morning, and I was sat in my room doing nothing.
“Trust me to not make any friends yet,” I sighed, rolling my eyes at myself. “I might pop round to Maisie and Millie's, get to know them.
It'd make me feel a lot better than spending my whole time alone here.”
I dusted myself off, changing out of my sleeping robe into a blue t-shirt and some blue jeans. I quickly checked the time on my phone, 108
and then began making my way to Maisie and Millie’s apartment.
“Hey Maisie?” I called out, outside her apartment door. “Millie? Are you guys in there?”
“Come in, girl!”
I walked into the room. Maisie and Millie’s apartment was just as gorgeous as mine was. Theirs was open plan too, with a beautiful view of the city skyline.
“Hey girls,” I greeted.
“How's your Saturday going?” Millie grinned.
“I'm so bored,” I admitted exhaustedly.
“You two are the only people I've met properly. I haven't really made any friends at work yet.”
Maisie giggled. “Girl, give it time! You only just got here!”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, with my hands on my hips. “I'm getting tired of binging Netflix on my own.”
Maisie chuckled, and Millie did the same.
“Speaking of work…” Millie began coyly,
“did you get to speak to your irresistible boss yet?”
She winked at me playfully, and I couldn’t help but to let out a giggle.
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“Actually, I did,” I admitted.
“No way!” Maisie denied.
“Give us all the juicy details!” Millie added, shifting her eyes from side to side.
“Well, I think he's taken a liking to me,” I said sheepishly. “There was so much chemistry between us. He called me beautiful and asked me on a date.”
Millie’s jaw dropped open in shock.
“Please tell us you said yes!”
“I kind of turned him down,” I sighed.
“Why would you do that?” Maisie asked, repulsed.
Because I think he's part of the Mafia, I thought to myself, with an uneasy expression on my face.
I coughed loudly, shaking my head.
“Because I just came out of a break-up a few days ago,” I mumbled, shrugging. “It wouldn't be fair to move on so fast.”
“Girl, you're single, you're entitled to do whatever you like,” Maisie said.
“I guess if you're not ready for a relationship yet, nothing's stopping you from having a bit of fun,” Millie suggested, smiling.
“Casual hook-ups have never really been my thing,” I shrugged embarrassedly. “It's all or nothing for me.”
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“Girl, you're made of steel!” Millie retorted. “I could never.”
“Yeah, a girl has needs, you know,” Maisie giggled.
I smiled, amused.
“How did he take the rejection?” Millie shrugged.
“He said that he respects my decision,” I replied, rubbing my chin. “And I said that he must get plenty of girls chasing him anyway. He said that he wouldn't care unless it was the girl he wanted.”
I found myself blushing furiously as I remembered Donte’s words. I knew that I shouldn’t even be talking or raving about him, but I couldn’t help myself. It would look weird of me if Maisie and Millie had raved about Donte for so long, and I just kept on shrugging it off and changing the subject.
“And he said he doesn't give up until he gets what he wants,” I recalled, smiling.
Maisie and Millie looked like they were about to pass out from shock. I couldn’t help but to roar with laughter.
“Girl, you've really made an impression on this guy!” Maisie exclaimed. “That's so cute of him to say. If he said that to me, I would've jumped his bones right there and then.”
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I let out another chuckle, and then my face fell to a more gloomy expression.
“I dunno…” I sighed. “I've been in two really terrible and emotionally draining relationships. I don't think I could put myself through that again.”
Millie drew out a deep breath, and Maisie let out a sigh.
“I completely understand you, girl,”
Maisie shrugged. “Maybe not jump into a relationship with anybody straight away. Just have a bit of fun.”
“I mean, he's sexy, rich, successful…”
Millie began. “What have you got to lose?”
“I don't think so,” I giggled.
“Well, if not your boss…” Maisie began,
“then I'm sure you'll find somebody else. New York is full of total babes.”
“What's the night-life here like?” I asked, curiously. “I can't remember the last time that I had a night out.”
Maybe now was my time to enjoy myself a little away from work…
Before, I was too busy with everything.
But here, I had to play the part of a normal citizen, which meant that I got a chance to party and have some fun too.
“Girl, it's so fun!” Maisie exclaimed.
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“We should go tonight to the Paradise Club,” Millie grinned. “You'll love it, honestly!”
“Yeah, wear something really sexy and let loose!” Maisie added. “Your figure is to die for, girl!”
I laughed in response.
“Thank
s girls,” I said sheepishly.
It warmed my heart how much of an effort they were making with me, and it made me feel really good about myself. Social interaction was something that I wasn’t used to at all…
I only really had one girl friend when I was in university, but eventually, she drifted apart from me too, because of how much I prioritized Fibonacci over her. I'd grown up really lonely… and now, after so many years, I was finally starting to make friends again.
“I'm just going to go do some grocery shopping,” I smiled. “I'll meet you both later?”
“Be ready by 8PM,” said Millie. “We'll go together.”
“Bye,” I waved, and then turned on my heel, and began making my way out of their apartment.
I walked down the streets, making my way to the supermarket, taking in the beautiful views of 113
Manhattan. The tall buildings and skyscrapers, the yellow cabs, the busy streets, and all of the people walking by. It was a nice feeling, and it made me feel warm inside.
After I’d passed about ten streets, I stopped to quickly check my phone, to check if I was good for time. As I did this, I noticed a tall, dark shadow of a person looming over me. I got a strange feeling that I was being followed.
But I turned around, to see nobody there.
Weird…
I rolled my eyes subtly. Being in a new city must have had me imagining things, so I decided to shrug it off and ignore it, and continued to make my way to the grocery store.
I’d bought my groceries, and now, it was time for me to get ready to go out with Maisie and Millie tonight. I was excited, to say the least. I couldn’t remember the last time I actually went out. It must have been years and years.
I went into the shower, quickly allowing the water to wash over my body, and drain into the plug socket. Then I wrapped my towel around myself, drying myself, before making my way to my bedroom mirror, to decide what I was going to wear tonight.
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As I stared at my naked body in the mirror, I let out a deep breath that I didn’t know I had been holding. I felt the horrible memories of what Fibonacci did to me wash over me.
My toxic ex…
A man that I was in a relationship with for about four years, when I was studying Criminal Law at university.
Before I became a Secret Agent…
My heart hammered against my chest, my chest heaving upwards and downwards as I remembered all of the brutal memories that I shared with him.
When he'd carved the letter of his name onto my leg, the scar had faded a little, but the bruising was still there, even after all of this time.
A massive bruise in plain fucking sight.
Fibonacci wasn't lying when he'd said those words…
"We'll see how you feel about wearing revealing clothing now."
That was the real reason why I was so ashamed to show my legs.
To wear sexy clothes like the rest of women my age did.
The reason why I'd wear tights with short skirts.
Because I was so embarrassed, so 115
ashamed…
With what I'd put up with for so many years.
The reason that I hadn't slept with anybody since I'd been with him, not even Brett…
Was I stupid?
Did I not value myself?
All Fibonacci did was abuse me, Control my life,
Dictate what I did,
Who I could or couldn't see,
Which friends I could meet,
How much I went out.
Yet I loved him,
So blinded by love to not leave the monster that he was.
The way that he'd keep me locked up in a cage for punishment,
Like I was some sort of rabid animal.
Like I didn't deserve freedom,
Like I was just his pet,
His object that he could toy around with.
And I still couldn't shut out the nightmares that I got about it…
The way that he made me feel like I was ugly,
Worthless,
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Fat,
Slut shamed me…
Like he was doing me a favour by being with me,
Like nobody else would want me, Nobody else would put up with me…
That was how he made me feel.
I had to run away from him…
That was the only way that I would ever be able to escape from that nightmare.
When he'd drop me off to university, Watch me while I was there,
Take me home,
Lock me in that cage.
One day he left the cage lock loose…
I ran,
I ran all I could…
And it still terrifies me,
He was just paces away from me each time,
But I managed to get away.
Started a life in a new city,
Took self-defence classes,
Took all my anger out in martial arts, In boxing,
In fights,
Underground fights,
Illegal fights,
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Trying to let out all of the frustration that had been building up in me for so many years...
All of the emotion,
The hurt,
The pain.
And there was one fight that I was in, Where the winner would be declared by killing the other opponent,
And I did it…
I hated myself so much for it, yet I still did it…
The man was scum anyway, he was known for causing a lot of women hassle, and assaulting them,
It didn't justify me killing him, though.
But I guessed that there was a dark side to all of us.
A beast inside all of us, just waiting to be unleashed,
Yet I turned down Mr Abruzzi because I could see the darkness in his eyes, Like I was any better than him, when in reality, we were more alike than I thought…
I was a fucking hypocrite. Because when I stared at Donte, it was like I was staring back at myself in his eyes. It was like I was saving myself from getting involved with somebody who was just like me... Just as capable of the horrendous 118
things that I'd done. How many people I'd hurt.
And as I slowly worked my way to the top, I received an offer,
An offer from a mysterious gentleman, Offering me a way out,
A proper job.
Especially after finding out that I'd studied Criminal Law…
And that day…
That day was the day.
The day that I got my job in the Secret Service.
119
15
maya
I settled on wearing a red satin dress paired with black tights and some black high-heels. It was the first thing I could see in my wardrobe. I didn't have much time to deliberate over what to wear, because I knew I was already late to see the girls.
I made my way to Millie and Maisie’s apartment, and heard them talking inside.
“Where is she?” said Maisie.
“She's an hour late,” Millie commented.
I took a deep breath in, before walking 120
into their flat, and shutting the door behind me.
I was kind of pissed off at myself for spending ages looking in the mirror torturing myself with Fibonacci’s memories, when tonight was supposed to be about having fun with Maisie and Millie. I tried my best to get myself in a better mood, and I walked towards them.
“Hey guys,” I smiled. “Sorry I'm late. I was feeling kinda shitty.”
Maisie and Millie smiled at me. Maisie was wearing a pink floral mini dress, and Millie was wearing a yellow jumpsuit.
“It's okay girl,” Maisie reassured me, which helped me to relax.
“Don't tell me you're going clubbing in that?” Millie asked, repulsed, pointing to my outfit.
“What's wrong with this outfit?” I shrugged.
“Girl, you need to lose the tights,” she replied, with her hands on her hips.
&nb
sp; “Yeah, you do…” Maisie began. “You've got lovely legs, why not show them off?”
Shit! I thought to myself. I should have known that this was going to happen. Nobody wore opaque black tights with a sexy satin dress.
“I just feel really insecure wearing revealing clothes,” I admitted, hoping that they 121
would leave the subject alone.
“Babe, you're coming with us,” said Maisie. “You're not going alone. If any creep tries it, we'll punch them one.”
I couldn’t help but to let out a giggle.
“Lose the tights babe, it's such a sexy dress,” Millie smiled.
I drew out a deep breath, my heart suddenly hammering against my chest with nerves.
I guessed that I’d better not make a fuss before they started getting suspicious. I just hoped that the dress I'd picked was long enough to cover the bruise.
I pulled the tights off, throwing them to the side, and then swallowed as I looked up. The bruise seemed to be covering with the dress, so I blew a little sigh of relief.
“Is that better?” I asked, nibbling my nails anxiously.
Maisie and Millie had looked like they’d just seen a ghost. They were staring at me as if I was a model that had just walked out of a Victoria Secret photoshoot.
“You look gorgeous!” Millie exclaimed.
“Knock 'em dead, girl,” Maisie grinned.
I chuckled in appreciation. It was crazy because I was so insecure, but everybody I'd met 122
here in Manhattan so far thought I was beautiful.
It was giving me a little confidence boost.
“Let's go,” I smiled. “We’ve wasted enough time.”
We began making our way out of the apartment, ready to make our way to the club.
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16
donte
Me, Arturo and Iglesias were standing in an alleyway outside of our club, having a smoke whilst we waited for a cop to arrive to seal a deal with a guns’ order. This was a six-figure deal, that would make profits really healthy for us.
Iglesias always got bored so fucking easily, that he was practically always glued to his phone.
The poor prick needed to spend less time staring at ass on his Instagram feed, and more time getting some ass in real life.
