Daddy's Girl

Chapter 11 - Restitution

I don't know why the hell I did it. As if I had anything to gain from saving his reputation or his flesh-peddling monopoly. And all the while I sat in my holding cell I cursed his name because he had everything. Everything that I should have had but I'd surrendered to him. He'd lured me under false pretenses. Shrouded his own selfish gains with a glamorous lifestyle and enough money to pay for my tuition. But what was it worth if I had no one to share it with? A small, naive girl nagging in the recesses of my mind sometimes liked to dream it was him. But I didn't even know him. Negan... The entrepreneur, the big city bigwig, the two-timing pimp, the fucking family man. He'd made a fool out of everyone.

***

If there was one thing Negan was good for it was his money. I was released on bail not even a full twenty-four hours later with nothing on my person but the evening gown I'd been arrested in. I looked like some fucked up version of Cinderella, only in my version of the tale it was noon and my chariot was his infamous black Escalade waiting for me at the curb. I'd expected to find him inside. I'd prepared and rehearsed all the hateful things I wanted to say to him over and over again in my cell but instead, I was met by a face I'd never seen before. Though I immediately recognized her tranquil voice.

"It's a pleasure to officially meet you, Miss Dahlia."

It was Negan's personal assistant, Melody. I had never seen her in person but I'd spent countless hours with her on the phone. She looked almost exactly how I'd pictured her. Busty and curvaceous with sultry, smokey eyes. She wore dark-framed glasses that rested on a perfectly arched nose. I'd expected her to be a fluffy-headed blonde but she was a brunette. Silky and smooth. As was the deep plunging blouse she wore tucked into her pencil skirt. Negan was definitely fucking her.

"Where is he?" I asked curtly.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to disclose that information." She said.

"When is he coming back?" I asked.

"That has yet to be determined. In the meantime, I've been advised to escort you to your apartment." She said.

"So that's it then?" I laughed humorlessly.

"For now. Negan suggests you lay low for a short time until his lawyers can reach an agreement with the district attorney. Standard procedure." She said casually.

'Standard procedure'. Not only did it imply this sort of thing happened all the time, it only proved to me how naive I'd been. I'd survived on the ignorant pride that I'd done him some sort of favor. As if I'd rescued him. I was so willing to throw myself and my life away for this man who hardly needed me. Who hardly thought of me beyond numbers. And yet my livelihood depended on him. Time and time again I'd fallen into the same cycle but this time I was determined to change it. I just needed the right moment. When we arrived at my apartment I paused as I reached for the door.

"'M', let me ask you something. If it weren't for the money... Would you be loyal to Negan? Would you still be here doing his bidding?" I asked.

She hesitated for a moment, dancing her fingers on across her tablet as she took some sort of note and then glanced up at me. She was no longer armed with her usual scripted responses. So she answered me truthfully in her own words. In a voice that sounded real and sincere for once.

"If it weren't for Negan I'd still be selling hand jobs in the slums for my next fix." She said.

I didn't pry any further than that. I didn't look at her any differently either because I certainly wasn't in any place to judge her. I simply nodded in acceptance and said my goodbyes. Because of course, in the end, Negan proved himself to be some sort of fucked up version of a hero to every broken woman he ever met.