Giovanni's Dahlia.

001

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Dahlia.
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To live in this dark world, one must become aware of it.

One must become darkness itself, live in it, eat in it, and be comfortable in it. I had nothing but darkness, overwhelming and overcoming me even in daylight.

I always wondered what it would be like to attend the ultimate freedom. To attend everything one could ever want. I wanted a fairy tale, a dream far from my reality. I wanted to scoff at myself for dreaming but that was all I had, I couldn't let them take that away from me too.

"Dahlia! Get out there puttanna!" Egdal screamed in my face.

Egdal was like my warden, just like the rest of the girls. She kept us in life and made sure we didn't get out of line and she was damn near good at her job, I hated her though. I didn't have any choice but to comply. If I didn't, I receive dire repercussions. My body could attest to such punishment. I was unruly, and Egdal never liked me so she found any and every chance to punish me.

I gave myself a one over in the mirror before I turned to her. She narrowed her eyes hoping I would say something out of tune so she could find an excuse for punishment. I couldn't handle it anymore, not after the last one.

The punishments were brutal yet creative. I commended Egdal though, I could even understand how she came up with some of the punishments.

"There is a special client in VVIP, important men around him! Entertain him and make sure he is well-taken care of." I knew what she was hinting at and I refused. I will not compromise my dignity any more than I have.

I quietly walked away from her, thanking my stars that I had avoided any sort of confrontation. I didn't want any drama that would make my life a living hell.

The strip club in the heart of Las Vegas underworld was bubbling. Nobody did it like Vegas. Everyone knew that the Vegas underworld was one of the most important underground systems in America and the criminal world at large. Why did I know that? I was searching for someone and it all tied back to a shithole I am currently in. I was here on a mission and I was going to achieve it no matter what.

As I made my way toward the VIP section, I could see my colleagues all around me. Dancing and making money. This was not what I envisioned for my life but I had to take everyday step by step. I had to make sure I got to the bottom of everything that happened to my sister.

My sister was the only family I ever had. Eighteen months ago she went missing, I was in San Francisco working as a cleaner at one of the biggest hotels, staying in a hostel, and trying to get back. My sister Dolly was the only one I had left in the world. I didn't know my parents and each time I tried to ask, she would dismiss me.

Dolly raised me, she was the one I knew and to lose the only person I had in the world was heart-wrenching.

We talked every evening, Dolly never told me what she was doing in Las Vegas but I had a pretty good guest now. I tried to get her to come to San Francisco and work with me, we could rent an apartment and clean together but she wasn't for that life. She was always for the thrill.

Everything was going well, until eighteen months ago when Dolly stopped picking up my calls, and stopped calling or sending messages. I called her for weeks but I got nothing which terrified me. I decided to park up my life in San Francisco and search for her, to make sure that my sister was alright. Leading me to where I am today.

Standing in front of a VIP section of a huge club famously owned by one of Las Vegas's richest.

From what I heard, the man had ties to the mafia. It was dangerous to be here, to be somewhere that you knew danger and darkness lurked everywhere. It wasn't like I was not scared, but Dolly was important. I couldn't leave without knowing what happened to Dolly, I must find my sister.