"Jo Jo, it's your turn."

"Coming!"

I looked at myself in the mirror with heavy make-up. I was no longer the

poor street dog.

Garol was the world of the rich, and I was making money at the top-end

pub in this city. And Jo Jo was my name here.

Paradise Lost.

As the leading girl of the pub, I had to say the name--Paradise Lost was

a good one. That was right. The enchanting women with delicate makeup were

moving their bodies like a snake here, including me.

My real name was Caroline Brown. I turned the 20's birthday this year.

Honestly, I was reluctant to recall what had happened in my last 20 years.

My father inherited a small company from my grandfather. And my mother

was a popular social butterfly.

But soon, the enemies of my father set a trap and made his company go

bankrupt. I was only six years old that year.

We had to tighten our belts since then. My young brother and I were in a

state of starving but only had fixed our gaze in envy on those kids carrying

snacks.

My father couldn't bear the bankruptcy life, so he resorted to alcohol

and gambling. Every time he came back drunk, he smashed things and got violent

with my mother.

Our house was often filled with arguments, mother's crying, and even

debt collectors smashing with baseball bats.

I held under the bed my young brother in my arms, staring at them

coldly, from trembling to numbness.

The last time I saw my father was when he was arrested because of

robbery.

Later, mother abandoned us, leaving my young brother and me in this

empty house.

When we walked on the road, the loathing looks of strangers were much

biting than the cold wind in deep winter. We had to bear the anguish both

mentally and physically.

I often dreamed that my parents came back to us in those days. But every

time I opened my eyes, we were still in the pitch-dark alley with stray cats

scary crying at midnight.

Finally, we were taken to a Children's Home at the age of eight by

Isabel Bruce, the fundraiser of the Home.

I liked to watch other kids playing but never had the intention to join

them.

During that period, I had burned a midnight oil every day for my study.

I made my determination to change my life through knowledge. I wanted to be

strong.

At 14, by collecting scraps, I could barely pay for my study. In deep

winter, because we didn't have enough layers to wrap up, we were freezing cold

and that made our hands and feet crack in pain.

Fortunately, I was admitted with a scholarship to the best senior high

school in my native place.

William Brown, my dear young brother was in the second year of junior

high school at that time. He was no longer afraid to talk to people, but

mostly, he chose to keep silent.

When I thought our life would go on like this in peace, it fucked us.

William took after our mother. He was thin but attractive, like a ray of

sunshine. But that made him in trouble.

A school bully took a fancy to William and wanted to take him away. He

struggled and was badly injured. When I found him, the blood on him frightened

me.

In a flash, I was dazed with tears on my face.

I called the police in a panic. When the bully was caught, he looked at

us fiercely. A big cut was on his left face by William.

Fortunately, William was in self-defense, and the bully was arrested.

But his fierce look was printing in my mind. I knew we had no choice but

to leave. So we escaped to Garol that night.

William's dislocated arm had sequelae because it hadn't been fixed back

in time. Since then, he couldn't lift any heavy stuff.

Without a stable income, we couldn't continue our studies. So I took the

initiative to drop out and decided to do some odds to support William.

It often occurred to me that we were isolated in this city, though we

trying to get in. One time, I walked into a small restaurant, trying my luck there.

The owner of the restaurant was a middle-aged man with a shiny face.

With his beer belly and cunning eyes, this guy made me uncomfortable.

I used to wash the dishes when I was in the Children's Home. So I

successfully convinced that man to let me do the dishes.

But a month later, after I washed piles and piles of dishes, I was

kicked out without a penny.

At that moment, I really wanted to make him pay for that, but I

couldn't. I had to leave in despair. I swore to become powerful and to avenge

those who had bullied us.

We were broke and had no place to go. Finally, we sheltered with a tramp

in a small shabby room.

As a 16 underage, I couldn't find a job at all. I wandered in the

streets in confusion.

I came across a hoody and soon learned from him how to pick a pocket. I

could finally feed William and me in that way. But I never told William about

that 'cause I must to protect him.

One day the hoody suggested, "You wanna make big money,

right?"

That was how I met Annabelle Delvey. She was in her thirties and looked

so chic. We all called her Anna there.

There were many girls about my age. Anna taught us to sing, dance and

wear make-up. The most important was she let us know how to take advantage of

our bodies.

In the beginning, I despised making money in this way. But Anna gave

each of us a big sum of money, and I accepted it without hesitation.

Anna told me privately that I was the most beautiful one among the

girls.

Probably that was the only thing useful my mother had left me.

I told William that I had found a job, and I wanted him to smoothly

graduate from college.

I never told him the truth that I was making money in a pub. I didn't

want him to look down on me.

I tidied up the mini skirt on me that barely reached my hips. With my

good figure, I looked very tempting.

Stepping on the spikes, I skillfully climbed onto the pole in the center

of the stage. I at this moment was no longer myself when I started to sway my

body. I was but a money-making machine.

The audiences off the stage were all cheering and whistling. Flowers

were thrown on the stage from time to time. I'd gotten used to this.

As the leading girl, my job was to ignite the atmosphere to the climax

and then took the money I deserved. That was all I asked.

I went back to the locker room after done my part.

"Jo Jo, someone wants to see you," Anna said.

I didn't look back, and continued to remove my makeup in front of the

mirror.

"Just refuse it as you would do as usual. Who is it this time,

anyway?"

"It's Leopard. No one dares to refuse him," Anna said

helplessly.

I paused for a while, and then looked into Anna's eyes in the mirror,

"Anna, you know I don't want..."

"I know, but you can't bear the cost if you offend him. Just

once."

I looked at her without speaking, and she got anxious.

"Leopard has deep background here. He has guns. No one dares to say

no to him."

"No."

"You..." Anna got angry at me, seeing my attitude.

Bang--

The door of the locker room made a loud noise, showing the one outside

was impatient.

The knock on the door annoyed me. When I was about to blow up, Anna

motioned me to keep quiet.

"Chop chop, Leo is waiting!" a man said outside impatiently.

"Okay, coming," Anna responded as she walked towards the door.

She opened the door slightly, saying, "Jo Jo is changing her clothes. Just

in a minute."

"Look sharp."

Bang-- the door was closed again.

I heard from their voices that I had to go. A man like Leo who only knew

how to fight and kill made me despised.

Walking towards Anna with a poker face, I was actually a little annoyed.

She looked at me and sighed, "Jo Jo, just once. I know you're

short-tempered, but this time you have to swallow the bullet for your own

life."

I was hanging my head and didn't utter a word.

"You must have heard about Leopard. He's a demon. Since he wants

you, you can escape nowhere."

"Enough," I interrupted her agitatedly.

I didn't mean to blame Anna. I just felt sad that I still couldn't

escape my fate of being at the mercy of others though I was managing so hard.

"I'll go."

After those words escaped my mouth, I walked out of the room.

There were some men in black waiting outside the door. I became more

despair when I saw this. They were leading a way for me and turned to look at

me from time to time, in case I would run away.

I took a deep breath to give myself some courage. I was never at a

thought of running away 'cause I knew that was doomed to fail.

On the top floor of the pub, the lights were dimmer. I followed them and

stopped at the door of 601.

One of them pushed me and ordered, "Go inside."

I frowned. And I was uncomfortable with their attitude. It made me feel

like I was like a lamb to the slaughter.

The lights in the room were dim, and I adapted my eyes to the dark. It

was so quiet that I could even hear my own heartbeat. I couldn't help

panicking.

Standing against the door, I tried my best to stay calm and get ready

for anything that might happen next.

Pat--

The lights in the room came on, and the strong light made me squint.

When I opened my eyes again, there was a shadow covering me. And I was

held and blocked by him against the door.

"Good, you're pretty. Come and serve me," the man said

frivolously. A strong smell of alcohol came over to me, making me almost vomit.

I suppressed the sense of nausea and observed this man-- Leopard.

With a dark complexion and thick eyebrows, a pair of slanting eyes

reflecting nasty but also a hint of viciousness. Also, a scar was on his left

face. This man was by no means angel.

I faked a smile and said, "You want to see me, Mr. Leo?"

As I spoke, I shifted my gaze and saw a pistol was on his waist.

Leo looked at me and grinned, which made me chill.

"Yeah, to **** you."

After saying that, he clenched my chin. I quickly turned my head away

when he got close to me.

Seeing my resistance, Leo got a little furious. He forced my face back

to look at him, and said fiercely,

"You wanna do it the hard way, huh? My gun is ready for you."

Rasping--

I felt a sudden chill down my back, and most of my clothes were torn

into pieces. Then he licked me from neck to ears. My brain went blank, along

with humiliating.

Before I could react, he threw me onto the bed. If it weren't for the

soft enough mattress, I might be shattered.

Although I was in a daze, I still had the consciousness to get out. I

wanted to get up but Leo pressed on me again.

He held my wrists with one hand and used his knees to force my legs

apart. My black panties under the mini skirt were almost exposed.

My heart was beating wildly. I was scared, and even in despair somehow.

But I couldn't let him take my innocence.

Yet, I couldn't manage to free myself from him until he spared one hand

on my private part. I finally got a chance to get his gun and put it against

his forehead.

"Get off me!" I shouted in a panic.

Leo raised both hands, but I didn't dare to lower my guard. I pointed at

him with that gun and walked slowly towards the door.

It was not until I was about to touch the knob that he rushed over to

me. I never touched a gun before, so I didn't know how to shoot.

"Ah!" he grabbed my hair so hard that I cried out in pain.

I knew that I couldn't let him get the gun back, so I threw it to the

corner without a delay.

He slapped me angrily, and then cursed, "****, you bitch, you're

risking your neck!"

He grabbed my hair to drag me back to the bed, and I winced in pain. But

I ignored the pain and bit his arm with all my strength. Soon, I tasted the

smell of blood.

"Ouch!" he shrank his arm and I ran out immediately. In a

blink, Leo made his way toward me.

"Somebody help!" I thought in despair. I didn't want to die.

I staggered my feet and didn't see the person coming out of the next

room, so I bumped into him head-on.

I stumbled to the ground, and that man also took a step back. At that

time, I heard a voice next to him shout at me, "Are you blind?" And

then his tone became humble, "Mr. Wayne, are you okay?"

Mr. Wayne... Mr. Wayne? A name suddenly came into my mind--Wayne Fox!

I tried my best to collect the information about him in my mind. He was

the most powerful person in Garol, like Satan in hell. No one dared to mess up

with him.

It was said that his mother and he were abandoned when he was a kid, and

he then was brought back to the Fox family when he grew up. Now his father was

still suspicious of him, that was why he was the acting director of the Fox

group.

Thinking of this, I suddenly felt that Wayne and I shared the same

predicament. We were both abandoned.

The cursing from behind got closer and closer, and it dawned on me at

the time. I grabbed Wayne's pants as if they were the life-saving straw.

I begged him in a whimper, "Help me, please. Please help me."

I must look terrible. My hair was messed up in the struggle, my clothes

were in rags, and my face was full of tears and sweat.

But Wayne was still kept silent, and I became despair bit by bit.

"Mr. Wayne?" It was the voice of Leo. I trembled in fear, and

my hand grasped even more tightly. "You ain't bother to care about it,

right?" There was a trace of fear in Leo's voice.

I knew Wayne was capable of helping me, but I didn't know whether he was

willing to do so. I had to give a shot, so I sprang towards him and embraced

his leg.

Still, Wayne kept silent. After watching what I did, Leopard grabbed my

hair and pulled back, forcing me to look up. At that time, I saw Wayne's face,

an emotionless face.

"Release," Wayne said. Finally, he uttered a word but that

also dashed my hope. I thought that word was made for me back then. And Leopard

felt more at ease after hearing that. He lifted his foot and stepped on my

back. I closed my eyes in despair.

"I said release her," Wayne spoke again. His voice wasn't

loud, but clear enough.

I collapsed at his feet, just like a prisoner who had been redeemed.

"Mr. Wayne, you... she is a *****. Leave it to me," Leopard

said. He didn't want to let me go. I was in a cold sweat and had no strength to

resist.

"Get out of my face, now!" His tone didn't sound good.

"Fine, I'll do it now. You better watch out." I knew the

latter one was to me. As his footsteps disappeared, I was a little relieved.

"You can get up now." I made myself up in a clumsy manner, and

my gaze met his.

He was a good-looking man.

Black bushy eyebrows, enchanting eyes, and pretty nose were all there.

It was my first time to see a man with such eyes. His jawline was well defined.

He compressed his thin lips. I couldn't tell if it was a smile, but it

was surely something that could stop time. Well, I was just being lustful at

that time, but I would do the same now.

"Haven't you seen enough?" Wayne suddenly said.

His voice was deep and mellow. Since I couldn't read his emotion from

his tone, I diverted attention from his face, reminding myself that he was

Wayne Fox.

My heart pounded fiercely. Actually, Wayne's reputation was no better

than that of Leopard in Garol, but he saved me. I would naturally treat him

differently.

"Th... Thank you." I had to thank him though I was

embarrassed.

"What's your name?"

I was to turn around and leave, but I paused hearing his question. After

thinking, I decided to tell him my pub name, "Jo Jo."

"The real one."

I peeped at his face. If I messed up with him, I would live a miserable

life in the future.

"Caroline Brown."

"Okay."

The atmosphere was somehow awkward for a moment. I dared not speak, and

Wayne of course wouldn't offer a chat. We looked at each other speechless.

"You better be careful. Leopard won't let you go."

"Yeah, I now know it."

Wayne squinted and frowned in disgust, and I lowered my head in shame.

Seconds later, he threw a jacket on me. Then I recognized it was his suit.

When I looked up again in a daze, Wayne and his henchmen went

downstairs. I took a deep breath and leaned against the wall in the corridor.

It was really a tiring day.

After a while, I checked my body. Those clothes were torn to pieces. I

had to wrap myself in his jacket with a wry smile.

I knew I looked messy. My makeup was ruined, and my dress was in

disarray. I wanted to hide. However, Murphy's law never failed.

"Jo Jo?" A voice came to my ears.

When I turned around, I saw a familiar face. "Jason, what are you

doing here?"

It was Jason Burton. He was the bar manager of Paradise Lost. It was

said he was the nephew of the pub owner. Since he was always nice to me and

five years older than me, I treated him like my older brother. I was so embarrassed

to see him when I was in such an appearance.

"I'm doing a routine check for Anna. Are you... okay?" His

tone was unnatural. I guessed he knew Leopard brought me here and specially

came to find me.

I had long known he had a thing for me, but things between us wouldn't

work out. Maybe it was a good way to ruin his feeling for me.

So I lowered my head and wrapped myself tightly in the jacket. I faked a

smile and said, "Yeah, I'm okay. I have to go now."

I dodged his eyes and fled.

I didn't hail a cab home right after I walked out of the pub. A lot of

things happened out of blue, and I really needed some fresh air. The city was

ablaze with lights at midnight, but a rotten interior beneath a fancy

appearance, just like me at that time.

The smell of tobacco mingled with the air I inhaled. It was the smell of

the jacket, and of Wayne. Reminding myself of the moment when he threw the

jacket on me, I was kind of touched.

The breezes in hot summer dissipated some of my gloom. In fact, I didn't

go home directly simply because I wanted to soothe myself before I saw William.

From where I stood, Fox Group could be seen clearly. It was the tallest

building. When I stared at that building in a daze, someone hugged me from

behind.

"Ahh--" I was frightened, screaming. I struggled to free

myself from his arms. My heart knocked wildly.

I stepped back. I didn't know that guy. The moonlight was too dim to see

his face. "Who are you?" I raised my voice, trying to draw some

attention from others. Unfortunately, not many souls were there at this time.

The man didn't answer me but instead sprang on me. It was too late to

run away. I just turned but felt a strong force pull me back.

"Hel..." I couldn't even finish my word before everything

happened.

The man covered my mouth with one hand, trying to drag me into the bush.