His Forbidden Mistress

New Orleans City

"We're sorry, ma'am. It's too late. We lost her."

That was the last thing Serena heard before she collapsed in front of the hospital ward.

She was rushed into the next room and treated. When she finally woke up, the first thing she saw was the white ceiling.

"So I'm still alive. But my mom is gone now," she murmured.

All her life, it had always been just her, her mother, and her sister Mia. Even though she had a mom, Serena had been the one providing for the family, her sister’s tuition and her mother’s medical bills were always on her shoulders.

She had to work multiple jobs. From waiting tables at a restaurant during the day to cleaning at night. All just to make ends meet.

"Why is life so unfair?" Serena murmured. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn't hold them back any longer.

"WHY ME, GOD?! After everything I’ve done... After giving up my own dreams... after working my ass off... I even went as far as borrowing loan from a loan shark. Just so my mom would be fine... Why did this have to happen to me? Why did you have to take her away from me? Why..." she whispered bitterly, her sobs filling the silent room.

~

Wiping her tears, Serena stared blankly at the ceiling. It had been a year since her mother passed, but the memories still felt fresh, like it all happened yesterday.

She reached for the only picture she had of her mother, softly caressing the frame.

"I miss you, Mom," she whispered as a single tear fell from her eyes.

KNOCK!

A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts. She quickly pushed the photo back onto the table and wiped her face.

"Come in!" she called out.

Mia walked in slowly and sat on Serena’s bed.

"Sis, tomorrow is our school trip, the one I told you about. Remember?" Mia said in a quiet voice.

She really wanted to go, not because it was a fun trip, but because it mattered. The teachers had already laid out the rules, their upcoming exam questions would come from the activities on the trip. Missing it meant failing, and she couldn’t let that happen. But she didn’t want her sister to stress over it either, knowing how hard Serena had been working just to keep everything together for her.

"Oh, that one? I thought you said you weren’t interested," Serena said, glancing at her sister.

"Yeah… but now it’s kind of important," Mia mumbled, scratching her head nervously.

Serena sighed. If Mia said it was important, then it probably was.

Without hesitation, Serena took her phone and transferred the last bit of money in her account into Mia’s.

Overjoyed, Mia kissed her on the cheek and dashed out of the room. Serena laid down, hoping to get a quick nap in before her night shift.

~

A few hours later, after getting dressed for work, Serena stepped out of her room.

"Mia, I’m heading out," she called into the living room.

"Okay, sis! Don’t forget the burger you promised!" Mia yelled back.

"I’ll try!" Serena called as she shut the door behind her.

She wanted to take a cab, especially since the walk from the bus stop to their house was quite far, but she knew she couldn’t. She had just emptied her account for Mia.

Exhaling deeply, she realized she had only one option. Which is to walk. Even though she’d likely be late, she had no choice. 'If only I hadn’t taken that nap I would have had more than enough time.' she thought inwardly.

Plugging in her earphones, she quickened her pace to catch the next bus.

Thankfully, she made it on time and headed straight to work.

~

Club Hollow

The moment she arrived, the first person she spotted was her best friend, Lila.

"Hi, babe!" Lila squealed, grabbing Serena’s hand and dragging her along.

Serena tried to pull away, confused. "Where are we going? What’s with all the excitement?"

"Guess what?" Lila grinned.

"What?"

"I saw this guy today, damn, Serena, this guy is sexy."

"Stop it, Lila. We both know he's probably not all that," a voice interrupted from behind.

Serena turned around to see Dante standing there, smirking.

"Dante, can you just mind your business?" Lila snapped, glaring at him.

"Oh please, that doesn’t work on me, especially when Serena’s involved." Dante fired back, returning her glare.

Serena sighed. These two again, their endless banter always gave her a headache.

Before she could step in to stop another argument, someone called out from behind.

"Miss Serena, the boss says you’re up next!"

Without another word, Serena slipped away from the two bickering friends and made her way to the changing room.

After her mother’s death, Serena had tried applying for better jobs, but no one was willing to pay someone with only a high school certificate the kind of money she needed.

So far, the strip club was her best-paying job. Not because she liked it, but because it paid the bills. Mia had no idea she worked in a strip club. If she found out, she'd cry her eyes out, or worse, drop out of school.

Pushing her thoughts aside, Serena stepped into the main club after getting changed.

The music was loud. People were already cheering as she walked onto the stage.

Men licked their lips. Women stared at her perfect curves. Serena moved with grace, her body swaying to the beat. She matched every rhythm perfectly, swinging her hips with seductive ease.

Men and women threw money at her feet. Some of the men reached out to touch, but strippers in the general section weren’t to be touched. So they just watched.

After her performance, Serena changed back into her casual clothes, grabbed her bag, and headed toward the bar.

"Leaving already?" Dante asked as she walked past.

"Yeah. Mia’s alone at home, and I promised her a burger. Gotta go," she said, waving him off as she exited.

She stopped by a nearby restaurant, bought Mia’s burger, and headed home.

Her earphones in, her phone in hand, she hummed along to the music.

That’s when a black car suddenly pulled up in front of her.

Her steps froze. 

The moment she saw it, she knew, there was no escape.

A man stepped out, dressed in a black shirt and jeans. A cigarette hung between his lips.

Her body stiffened as her pulse spiked. 

The cigarettes, the silhouette. She knew that man. 

Victor Crane.