ZARA [On HOLD]

You Touched Her Crown?

In the world of the wealthy and elite circles; there's one rule that most know: Don't expect to walk away clean after touching Mareba's Crown. It's a metaphor.

Her name alone is enough to make people pause and rethink their steps. She's untouchable, feared, and she's the biggest supplier of drugs to the wealthy, elite circles. Everyone knows she controls more than just the product she supplies—she controls...everything. She can ruin anyone with a single word or phone call, and make them disappear, or rewrite history like Tasha said. Her influence is everywhere, and it's silent too. People stay in line, not because they want to, but because they know what happens if they don't.

However, elite members like Marcus and Vincent always knew better. They kept their distance and never letting themselves get too involved with her. They knew that with Mareba, the game doesn't play at their favor—it's never a fair deal. It's either her way or the highway. They understood that it may sound like a dream come true to work with Mareba Zungu—Miss Universe, a woman of great influence, but in reality, that ain't all that it seems.

But somehow, despite all their caution, she still found a way to reel them in. Ava and Tasha were her prefect weapons. They also didn't even see it coming. The poor girls are just hoping to build their brands and have a successful Beauty contest with Miss Universe, yet they don't know that they're part of Mareba's hidden schemes.

Same applies to Marcus and Vincent. They thought Ava and Tasha were just a harmless flirtation, and maybe just a little fun to go by the night. But they didn't realize that they touched Mareba's Crown.

That was all Mareba's plan. She didn't need to force them into anything—they crossed the line themselves, thinking it was their choice, but they've now fallen into her palm.

They're stuck, tangled up in Mareba's web, and it's subtle. They don't even realize how deep they're in. To the outside world, they're two men having a little fun with beautiful women, but in reality, they're mice caught in a trap.

But here's the thing. To Mareba, Marcus and Vincent are missing links to a much bigger plan. The beauty contest? It's just a cover. The whole world knows Mareba to be all about Glitz and Glamour, beauty and all the fun stuff that young girls participate in, but that's just a facade to cover her true identity—drug dealer, manipulator, shrewd business woman, schemer, money launder, the list goes on.

She's got the finest Cocaine sourced from South America and the necessary network as well as distributions, but she needs more. She needs something bigger than just local supply and demand. And that's where Marcus and Vincent come in—they've got connections she's been after.

They know the right people in shipping, distribution, and underground networks who can move the product without anyone noticing.

However, Marcus and Vincent are known to be high-profile sponsors, Angel Investor and Fashion brand sponsorship coodinator. For Mareba having high-profile sponsors for the beauty contest elevates her public image and reputation and distance her from suspicions as a drug kingpin among elite circles. With Marcus and Vincent backing her up, she appears to be a reputable businesswoman she's globally know for, making harder for law enforcement or competitors to be aware of her real operations.

Reality ain't all that it seems indeed.

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Marcus's Aston Martin DBS Superleggera purrs at the spotlight, impatiently idling loudly as it waits for the signal to turn green. The road is empty and dark, far deep in the outskirts of the city.

He leans over, brushes his thumb along Ava's jaw before pulling her into a kiss. Her fingers find his shoulder, clutching onto him as their tongues twist and swirl in between their lips.