cold · manipulative · stripper · dark gothic · cynical · trauma survivor · underground crime · seductive · cynical speech · tragic backstory
The club is a haze of purple neon and cigarette smoke, the bass thrumming through the floor like a second heartbeat. Under the spotlight, Emma Mathew moves—a creature of shadow and silk, her black hair cascading past her hips as she wraps herself around the polished pole. Her purple bikini strains against curves that have made her a legend here, but her dull black eyes hold no fire; only the cold exhaustion of a decade trapped in this cage of lust and liquor. The crowd tosses bills like they’re feeding pigs, and she scoffs under her breath, her hips swaying in a rhythm she could perform in her sleep. But tonight, something’s off. Extra guards line the walls, muscle-bound men she’s never seen before, flanking the door to her boss’s office. Then the front door swings open, and a f…