VENETO DISTRICT, VENICE IN ITALY, CASTELLO TERRAZZA ESTATE. VELVET VIPER'S DOMAIN... Shante's private suite.
In the dimly lit confines of the room,the air was thick with tension. Drex's voice shattered the silence,his roars echoing off the cold,concrete walls.
"How dare you kill him?" He bellowed,his body trembling with rage,fists clenched at his sides.
Shante stood her ground,her expression unyielding. "He intended to rape one of my girls." She said calmly,her voice steady and devoid of fear.
Drex's eyes burned with fury. "Spare me that bullshit,Te. You know the rules here, what the hell has gotten into you? You killed one of my men while he was doing his job, are you insane?!"
Shante's gaze hardened with so much fury and hatred. " Well,if you don't want this to fucking happen again, then tell your boys to treat my girls with respect and not disposable whores."
Drex looked at her, sneering.
" Aren't you all whores? What's the difference between you and harlots? You fucking play the same roles." His tone dripping with mockery and ridicule.
Shante's eyes flashed with indignation,more with anger. "We're here because we have no fucking choice. Do you think we want this life? It's either this filthy work or death for us. At least harlots have an illusion of choice but we gat nothing so don't you fucking dare compare us. We have self respect."
Drex locked at her in amusement, more like in contempt. He even started laughing.
Shante had the urge to kill his fucking balls but she kept her cool, as long as she love to do it, it won't help matters, not even a single bit.
" Pathetic!" Drex scoffed.
"Do you have any idea on what Mrs LaRue will do when she finds out you killed one of her men for no reason?"
" He tried to rape a girl," Her voice raised "that is more than enough to kill him." She reiterated.
" And you think that's a valid excuse?! Just know that you are in deep shit." Drex jeered, stepping closer to her. " But yunno...I can cover it up if you..." He licked his lips slutily and advanced menacingly to her.
Shante saw him approaching but she stood her ground,raised her chin defiantly although it was of no use cause she was on flips flops so he looked down at her mockingly,her petite frame making him feel dominant.
"...if you give me what I want." He roughly groped her left breast so fucking hard.
Due to the pain, Shante let out a small whimper but quickly suppressed it to let him know he can never get a reaction from her.
"I'd rather sleep with a pig,than with you." She spat at his face.
Undeterred, Drex moved close to her neck to inhale her jasmine scent, her scent fills the whole room but it's not as divine as when you're sniffing it from her body itself.
Desire flickered in his eyes,it took all of the self control to restrain himself.
"I could take you right here, right now." He whispered,his breath hot against her lips.
Shante stared at him coldly, feeling nothing but disgust.
"And I won't hesitate to get rid of you like I did with the other guy." She snapped, slapping his hand away roughly and pushing him away with all her strength. "If there's a punishment for doing the right thing then I'll accept it,but sleeping with you? Over my dead body."
Drex was about to retort when the shrill ring of a phone interrupted him. Shante shot him a cold glare before walking over to the table and seeing "Mrs LaRue" on the caller ID.
"Madam Viv..." She answered respectfully, but only her knows how she's fidgeting inside.
" I heard about your actions,and I must say, I'm very impressed." Mrs LaRue said,her tone surprising Shante.
Shante's body calmed immediately,her heart swelled with hope. This is the first time Mrs LaRue will praise her decisions. She shot Drex a scornful look, which he returned with a scoff.
"Seriously?" She beamed.
"Yes,I am so impressed on how stupid you've become..." Shante's expression went sour immediately. " I am highly disappointed in you Te." Mrs LaRue's voice turned icy.
Shante's happiness evaporated, Drex's amused expression turned to a mocking one,his gaze meaning to say 'What were you expecting?'
"I thought I trained you to be a cold blooded leader, immune to weak cries. You really disappointed me,what the fuck were you even thinking?" Mrs LaRue's voice rose in anger.
Shante felt a deep sense of injustice. "Madam Viv..."she began "you taught me to be cold hearted towards men,not my fellow women. I couldn't stand by and watch one of my girls treated like a mere object. It wasn't right,and I did what was felt was right."
" Wow,so your right thing is defying my orders,innit? I specifically assigned him to train her,but you thought my arrangements didn't make sense and intervened. So, that's your so called right way?"
" No, ma'am, that's not what I..." Shante trailed off, realizing excuses were futile, what's done is done.
"I'm sorry ma'am." She apologized instead.
" You're sorry? You're sorry?!" Mrs LaRue's voice was laced with fury.
Shante's remained silent, waiting for her boss' anger to subside.
"Prove to me that you're sorry by fixing this." Mrs LaRue demanded.
A sense of foreboding settled over Shante,she has a feeling that something is wrong. "How can I fix this ma'am?"
"I want you to get rid of the girl before twenty four hours elapse." The icy command came through the phone.
Shante froze,for fuck's sake she was expecting many other things,but this?
"M... ma'am?" Her voice trembled.
"You heard me, don't make me repeat myself."
"B...but why?" Shante stammered.
" Are you questioning my orders?" Mrs LaRue's voice sharpened.
Shante shivered but held her tongue.
"The trainer's dead, so it's only right to get rid of the novice. It balances the equation, don't you think?" Mrs. LaRue's voice had returned to its usual terrifying calmness,quiet, composed, and far more dangerous than her anger.
Shante's heart dropped. "We could appoint another trainer," she said, trying once more to sound rational, though her voice betrayed her desperation.
"You're doing it again," Mrs. LaRue interrupted icily. "Challenging my judgment. I don't need a second-in-command who thinks she knows better than me."
"No, ma'am. That's not what I meant..."
"I've given the order. Now carry it out," Mrs. LaRue snapped.
Shante gripped the edge of the table, knuckles turning white. Her voice lowered, almost a whisper. "I don't think I can do it, ma'am."
A long pause followed. Then came a soft, amused chuckle. "Just like I expected. You're getting soft, Shante. But maybe this will help you remember what's at stake." She let the pause linger again before delivering the final blow.
"If you don't carry out my orders, prepare for Julian's funeral?"
" Ma'am?!" She almost screamed out but she managed to keep her voice a little low.
"The girl or Julian...do I make myself clear?"
Shante didn't answer immediately. Her mind was reeling, but her instincts told her not to protest. She clenched her jaw.
"Yes, ma'am."
The line went dead.
She stood still for a moment, the silence heavy and oppressive. Her breathing had grown shallow. There was no clarity, no relief. Only the weight of the impossible choice laid before her.
Drex looked at her in amusement,it was like she wasn't on this planet again, not even this world, it's like her soul has gone to heaven...
Oops, kidding,hell.
He waved his hand in front of her face but that was the greatest mistake to make cause Shante caught his hand abruptly,twisting it painfully making Drex yell in pain before back flipping him.
Drex landed on the floor in a thund and he twitched his face in pain and anger immediately. "What the fuck did I do?"
"Bloody Snitch." She hissed at him and wanted to walk out when Drex quickly held her back.
"Snitch? You fucking think I told on you? Why do yo..." Shante interrupted him angrily, slapping his hands away.
"Fuck off." She kicked his belly before walking out angrily.