Chapter 1
Deadly Woman 1
(Lilian – unknown real name)
Lilian — let’s call her that — was sitting at the bar, exhausted after her shift.
Today had been a good night: three grand.
Not bad at all.
Lilian didn’t waste herself on lap dances and cheap routines. She was a high-class stripper, the kind you booked for private parties and rich married men.
One day I’ll make a career and leave all this bullshit behind me, she thought, sipping her drink slowly.
The door burst open. The boss — Mr. Michalis — stormed inside, furious, red with anger. He reeked of cheap whiskey and even cheaper cologne. Probably had another fight with Dimitra.
He slammed his hand on the bar.
“Where the hell were you for an hour? Why were you gone? Why weren’t you in your dressing room? Tell me, you bitch!”
The bartender gave him a weird look and pretended to gather glasses so he could disappear.
The other dancers vanished in seconds, like cockroaches in the light.
The stage that had been full of people, sweat, and purple curtains was now empty.
Lilian looked at him with a calm, almost murderous stare.
“Listen here, asshole. You don’t get to yell at me. Because you know very well that one phone call is enough. One to the police, and you and all your little dealers will end up in jail for the third-rate coke you push to customers.”
Mr. Michalis shrank immediately.
“Okay, okay, Lilian… don’t blow up. You just lost a good client today,” he said, lowering his gaze.
He knew better than to mess with her. He knew exactly how it would end.
He lit a cigarette to save whatever dignity he had left.
And then, his eyes fell on her arm. A big bruise stood out under the bar light.
“What happened to you, huh? Some client hit you? Want me to call Mike to break the bastard’s ribs?”
Lilian took a drag, slow and unbothered, like she had all the time in the world.
“No, you idiot… I fell down the stairs. I was in a hurry, had a job to do.”
She looked away, pretending to be calm, and blew out the smoke with a smile that never reached her eyes..
