You placed the last pristine, crystal glass on the shelf, letting out a proud huff of breath. You scanned the club, making sure that every chair was placed properly, the floors were mopped, and no trash was left behind. A small smile crept on your face. The place was so clean you had almost mistaken it for one of the classy joints uptown. You removed yourself from behind the bar, picking up some leftover empty bottles and taking them to the recycle bin in the back of the club. A small little tune escaped your lips as you headed towards the back.

It had been several weeks and you hadn’t seen nor heard from the Emperor Dragons. Some semblance of peace and quiet seemed to have return to your life, and that brought a sense of relief in your heart. But you weren’t naive enough to think that they weren’t plotting something. That’s how some men were. Tail between their legs one moment and then the next, they come back with a bite. You’ve dealt with a few. Shot a few. It wasn’t anything new but, knowing that you weren’t dealing with some scrubs, you were still cautious. Your small pistol armed and loaded at your side. And a small knife tucked away as well for insurance. You refused to let a setback like this stop your daily life. Who were they to scare you off? 

The sound of poker chips, groans, and small chuckles filled your ears as you passed the backdoor. Your face scrunched up for a moment, confused as to who might still be here at this hour. You glanced up at the silver clock that rested above the clubs entrance. 2 AM. Whoever they were, you were kicking them out. You needed your beauty sleep. 

“Aish~” Daehyun let out a groan, vigorously scratching the back of his head. “Yah! Are you cheating, Jae?” Daehyun glared at Youngjae who sat across the table snickering as he collected his winnings.

“Lady Luck just isn’t on your side tonight, Dae,” Youngjae smirked as he piled up his winnings in one corner, passing his cards to Himchan who acted out as dealer. “That and you at cards.”

“He isn’t wrong,” Himchan teased as he reshuffled the deck, causing Daehyun to shoot glares at both Youngjae and Himchan. “Maybe you should quit while you're ahead.” Himchan snickered, enjoying teasing the younger member.

“Thanks for the advice, mom.” The sarcasm dripped off Daehyun’s voice as a smug smile graced his face. 

Himchan flashed him a polished smile, but from how furrowed his eyebrows were, Daehyun was in for some trouble. “Can I hit you just once? In that pretty boy face of yours?”

“Let’s start the next round,” Yongguk sighed as he placed his hand on Himchan’s shoulder to soothe the man’s temper. “Maybe Daehyun will actually win this time.” A gummy smirk grew on Yongguk’s face.

“Yongguk-hyung! Not you too!” Daehyun slumped himself across the poker table, exhausted from the older members’ teasing. Youngjae bursted out into laughter, his chubby pinchable cheeks thoroughly showing as he began hitting the table lightly. 

“Pfft-” Zelo couldn’t help but let out a puff of laughter at his hyung’s dismay status, causing Daehyun to glare at the young boy.

“Yah! What are you laughing at maknae? You shouldn’t be even playing poker. Didn’t you just get potty trained yesterday?” Daehyun snickered in revenge. Zelo’s face immediately lit up with a mixture of irritation and embarrassment.

“I’m not a baby!” Zelo growled at Daehyun, only causing the older member to mimic the younger in a mock fashion.

“Says the boy throwing a tantrum.” Jongup flashed Zelo a smug smile as he looked through his new hand that Himchan had dealt. 

“Haha, I can see it now,” Youngjae was still stuck in his fit of laughter, but decided to chime in into this teasing war that had begun. “Mommy Himchan, daddy Yongguk, and little baby Zelo.” He began mimicking baby cooing sounds, causing Daehyun and Jongup to go into a fit of laughter.

“I swear do you guys have nothing better to do than tease me?” Zelo glared at the older members before letting out a scoff. “And you guys call me a baby.” 

“Now will you three just shut up and play before I smack all of you.” Himchan growled as he began massaging his temples, downing a glass of scotch before looking at his cards. Sometimes he really wondered how the hell they managed to become such a notorious gang when at times he felt like a ringleader running a circus. 

“Having fun there?” The boys attention were immediately ripped away from their game of chance at the sound of your melodic voice. A sly little smile on your face as you leaned against the door frame. 

“It’s more fun now that you’re here.” Daehyun smirked as you rolled your eyes, approaching the tables the boys sat at. 

“I won’t be here for long though. Clubs closed boys. Go home so little ol me can have some shut eye.” You stood between Himchan and Yongguk, your hand resting on Himchan’s shoulder. 

“I thought you liked spending time with us.” Himchan looked up at you, a playful glint in his eyes as a smirk plastered itself on his face. 

“Right,” You scoffed. “Just as much as I like spending time with a pack of hungry hyenas.”

“You can’t kick us out just yet, Fortuna, luck is on my side tonight.” Youngjae flashed you a cocky smirk which you returned with a coy smirk of your own. 

“Why don’t you join us?” Zelo suggested. He managed to make brief eye contact with you, but those moments were short-lived. Frequent. But short-lived nonetheless. He was still the cute little lamb that you wanted to tease. 

“The starting bid is $5000. Not too bad right, Ms. Bonnie?” Yongguk chimed in, giving you a small smirk.

“I don’t have that kind of money on me, boys,” You scoffed as you ran your fingers through your hair. “Unlike you six, I have to pay taxes.”

“Excuses, marion? Are you sure just not scared of the challenge?” The predatory glint in Jongup’s eyes seem to shine under the white fluorescent light that glowed above the poker table. You glared at him, refusing to let him intimidate you. Play with you. Like last time.

“Not scared. Just being a logical business woman.” You flashed him a smirk, causing Jongup to show an amused smile on his lips.

“If you don’t have the money then how about you wager something else.” Daehyun’s plump lips formed a devilish and devious smile. 

“And what would you suggest?” You raised a curious brow. A part of you wanting to know what he had to offer. Another part wanting to kick all their asses out of the club so that you could go home. 

“Strip poker.” Daehyun wiggled his eyebrows, a cocky grin on his face. 

Zelo nearly spit out his drink at the sound of Daehyun’s suggestion. Youngjae dropping the chips he was counting, quickly regaining his composure after. Yongguk kept the cool, nonchalant demeanor he had mastered, but you could see a small tug of a smirk at the corner of his mouth. Jongup’s and Himchan’s eyes seemed to light up a bit at the interesting proposition. Both of them watching your reaction.

A small chuckle escaped your lips. “Are you boys gonna strip for me? Sorry, but I don’t have many ones on me.” You scoffed, small bubbles of laughter escaping your lips at the ridiculous proposal.

“Not us, princess. We have the cash,” Daehyun chuckled a bit before leaning back in his chair and eyeing you a bit. “What’s a few pieces of clothing when you could win more than half a million dollars?”

“Again with the ‘princess’?,” You shook your head in dismay. “I suppose I’ll indulge you boys a bit,” You shrugged. “Afterall, I usually have Lady Luck on my side when it comes to these things.” You winked at Youngjae whose eyes went wide for a moment before he let out a huff of air in disbelief.

“So what’s are you going to bet first then? Shoes? Bracelets?” Himchan teased, raising a smug brow at you.

You gave him a sly over the shoulder smile as you reached through the slit of your maroon Cheongsam, shimmying your hips side to side until your betting chip was removed. “There,” You tossed the black, lace sheer fabric in the middle of the poker table. “That makeup for the tab?” You winked at Himchan who stared at your betting chip wide-eyed. You were always full of surprises.

Yongguk couldn’t help but go into a fit of laughter at your sheer audacity. Zelo turned as red as a cherry tomato at the sight of your resting in the middle of the poker table. Youngjae, frozen with his mouth agape. Jongup let out a scoff as his lips formed an amused grin, his eyes watching your movements. He was right about you. You were definitely not boring. Daehyun couldn’t help but let a chuckle, instinctively his lips. The game had just gotten more interesting. 

Himchan dealt you your hand, regaining his composure and train of thought. He was not ready to get checkmated just yet. “Do you mind if I sit here, Mr. Bang?” You smiled sweetly at Yongguk, who merely scoffed before flashing you a gummy smirk.

“Be my guest, Ms. Bonnie.” He lifted his arms up in surrender as you positioned yourself on top of one of his legs. Shimmying a bit in order to get comfortable. 

“Ah! And just because I’m sitting here doesn’t mean you can cheat, kay?” You placed your finger on Yongguk’s lips a mock pout on your lips.

Yongguk let out a huff of air. “I wouldn’t dare.” His deep, rich low chuckle filled your ear.

“Now let’s play! And this time, I’ll make sure I don’t lose.” Daehyun snickered, looking at his hand. 

The seven of you were well into the night, several poker rounds in, and you were down to the dress you were wearing. Your bra, , jewelery, and even shoes were all laid out for the boys to see. A small bubble of excitement boiled in the stomach of each boy. The chance of you losing was very high and they highly anticipated the prize they would receive. Your face scrunched up as you looked at your cards. A small part of your brain felt that perhaps the boys had telepathically messaged one another to gang up on you because you were never this bad at Texas Hold Em. But then again, you remembered that when you played it was with your uncles back in the day. There was a high probability that they let you win. 

“Looks like Lady Luck abandoned you.” Youngjae snickered as he compared his hand to the cards lying on the table.

“It’s just a little slump,” You shrugged. “I’ve overcome scarier obstacles than the risk of me being .” 

“Obstacles like the pest infestation you had?” Jongup smirked as your expressions transformed to one of shock to one of disdain. 

“Pest?” Zelo’s face scrunched up in confusion, wondering who would dare mess with you. You had the connections. Big connections. At the drop of a hat, you could probably ask some of the top gangs of the town to take care of any pest.

“The girls safe?” Yongguk looked up at you, his expression slightly softened from his usual stern, cold facade. The gummy bear in him was breaking through the grizzly bear facade. 

“Do you need us to take care of it for you?” Daehyun looked at you, searching your eyes for an answer. Genuine concern slipping into his voice. 

“Someone been bothering you, Adenium?” Himchan’s usual mischievous smirk was now replaced with a stern look of concern. 

“Curiosity is dangerous you know,” You lightly tapped Himchan’s lips. “Anyways It’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m not like Snow White waiting for a prince to come and save me.” You flashed them a polished smile, assuring them that you were going to be fine. You hoped anyway. Though you could call for help from some of the larger gangs to get rid of this pest, you didn’t want to depend on them to fix your problem. This was your issue. Your pest. And you were going to take care of it yourself.

Himchan scanned your expression and movements. Seeing if perhaps you were merely pretending to be strong. And if you were, you refused to let it show. Himchan let out a small sigh, knowing that even if he pointed out that he could see your strong facade, you would vehemently deny it. “Speaking of pest, have the Black Scorpios popped up in our area lately.” Himchan directed his questions at the boys.

“A few times, but me and Jongup took care of them. They’re still sore about our last encounter.” Youngjae shrugged nonchalantly, debating whether he should take the risk and call or fold. “Aish, I got nothing. I fold.” Youngjae tossed his cards angrily across the table towards Himchan.

“Same.” Yongguk sighed before handing his cards over to Himchan. Zelo and Daehyun soon followed suit, leaving only you, Himchan, and Jongup. 

“So do you wanna fold, Adenium?” Himchan flashed you a smug grin, sticking out his hand, preparing for you to fold and handing in the white flag.

“Hmmm,” You tapped your lips in contemplation before a smug grin of your own appeared. “I don’t like running away from a challenge.” You leaned in closer to Himchan, the two of you in a small stare down. 

“I knew you wouldn’t.” Himchan smirk, dealing the last two cards on the table. 

The pot had reached nearly 4 million dollars and not only the large sum of cash was on the line, but also your clothes. A small part of you regretted turning the AC so high, you were beginning to feel chilly in certain areas. The rest of the boys watched in expectation, waiting for the big reveal. In the end, they didn’t care who won as long as you lost. 

“Looks like checkmate, Adenium.” Himchan smirked revealing his hand, showing that he had a pair of aces and kings. “Better luck next time.” He winked, reaching out to collect the pile of chips that had accumulated. 

“Ah,” Jongup threw out his hand, revealing that he had a full house. Himchan let out a small sneer as he sat back down, the rest of the boys bursting out into fits of laughter. “Looks like you lost the game, marion.” 

“I wouldn’t say that just yet,” You smirked as you layed out your cards for all to see. A flush. It was now Himchan’s turn to burst out into laughter. “Thanks for playing boys. Maybe next time, you guys can strip for me.” You winked as you collected your winnings. 

The late night sky greeted you with a smack of cold air, sending a shiver down your spine. You finally managed to get the boys off your tail. They had kept insisting to walk you home, but you told them you were a big girl. You could take care of yourself. You grew up on the dark side of the law. If you didn’t know how to take care of yourself, you would have ended up dead or as some deadbeat’s b**ch. It wasn’t until you threatened to never let them back in the club that they decided to leave on your own. 

You apartment wasn’t very far from Le Noir. 10 minute walk max. But for some odd reason, it felt longer. Perhaps it was the high of the win. The small bit of fun you had with the boys. You didn’t know what, but your nerves were on high alert. Your pace slightly quickening as the sound of shadowed footsteps behind you. You placed your hand on your small pistol. You didn’t know if it was simply a roaming late night drunk or an assailant. But either way, you weren’t stupid enough to leave these things up to chance. 

You were nearly at your apartment complex door, when the footsteps seemed to have disappeared. You let out a small sigh of relief. You really weren’t cognitively awake to be in a gunfight at the moment. Your grip on your pistol loosening as you reached for your keys. 

“Arg!” You hands instinctively went towards your neck as a thick, strong arm held you in a choke hold. You began squirming and flailing around in order to seize an opportunity to incapacitate your assailant. But being on the top steps of your apartment complex, your footing was unstable as you were being pulled back. You managed to grab the small hidden knife you kept, stabbing the metallic blade into your assailants forearm. The assailant released and agonized scream as he released his hold on you. You let out a few coughs as you attempted to regain oxygen. You glanced at your assailant as you gasp for air, watching as the streams of blood drip from his arm. You quickly reached for your gun in your leg holster when suddenly you felt yourself being pressed against the brick wall of your apartment complex. The assailant’s bloodied forearm pinning you in a front chokehold. You dug your nails in the man’s arm as you gasped for air, his arm pressing tighter on your neck. A fabric obstructing your attempts to deliver oxygen to your lungs was pressed against your nose and mouth. A familiar scent began to swirl in your mind. You mind was slowly fogging up as it became more difficult to stay awake. Your limbs were becoming limp and your attempts to struggle became futile. Then everything went black. 

OMG The split off chapter is neeeaaar! Haha I'm hyped XD!

Thanks for reading! 

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