Epilogue

Time never stands still, and before you know it, three years go by. Here I am lying on my deathbed in a hospital. The decisions and choices we make in this world can alter not just your life, but also those around you. The impact you can have on others can easily go unnoticed, that is until you make yourself heard. That is by far the most beautiful thing in this world; the ability to alter one’s mind in a split second. I learned everything that I knew from the most powerful woman I knew-my mother. She was the top of the hierarchy; she aimed to change your perceptions and behaviors without you even knowing it. She was underhandedly deceptive and used any and all tactics.

Never underestimate the power of a Madam.

Manipulation is all about how you present yourself; it has everything to do with how you act. How you control yourself and your surroundings. That is the key to everything. The biggest enemy you’ll have when trying to manipulate someone else, is doubt. It all starts with you. There are several types of manipulation and the one that works the best is emotional; you have no idea how much power you can have over someone with emotion.

And it all goes back to four little letters.

L-O-V-E.

The one term I loathed in this world, was the one that would end up getting me back what is rightfully mine. Time really was on my side.

Now here I lay.

This time I am the victim.

Pity me…feel bad for me…come to me…love me…

I want you to.

I hear the door open and my beautiful Brooke walks in with fresh flowers. She has been bringing me flowers for the past two days.

I smile. “Are you ready, darling?”

She nods. “I still don’t understand why you think I need help running VIP. I can do this on my own, Madam.”

I grin sympathetically at her. “Brooke, you have heard the doctors, even they don’t know how long it’s going to take for me to heal. I was badly beaten and I’m lucky to be alive. Please, don’t argue with me. Just make the call.”

She sighs, “Okay.”

She dials the number and I think I may have stopped breathing for a second. Brooke put it on speaker and I could hear it ring a few times before I finally heard her voice.

“Hello.”

“Bella.” Brooke hesitates, trying to hold back the tears. My beautiful girl is worried about me. Just as I wanted her to be, and soon Ysabelle would feel the same exact emotions.

“Brooke? Are you are all right? What’s wrong?”

“Bella, it’s Madam. We’re in the hospital and she’s been badly injured. I don’t know what to do and I need you to come home. I need your help with everything. I can’t do this on my own. Please, please tell me you’ll come home.”

“What? Is she okay?” Ysabelle asks with desperation in her voice.

“Yes…but the doctors don’t know how long it will take for her to recover and VIP can’t run itself. I need you to come home and help me. Bella, we owe everything to VIP. We can’t let it go down because Madam is helpless. Tell me you are coming home.”

“Brooke…”

“Please…for me.” Brooke whimpers.

“All right. I’ll book the next flight out,” she says and I silently scream a victory in my mind.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll have the jet come get you. It should be there by tonight.”

“Okay.”

“And Bella?”

“Yes.”

“Are you coming alone?”

She hesitates. “Yes.”

“Okay, I love you.”

“I’ll see you soon,” She says and hangs up.

Brooke embraces me in a hug. “I don’t know what I would have done if I would have lost you. Oh my God, I have never been so scared.”

“It’s all right, darling, I will be fine. It will take some time but I will be better than before, you will see. Everything will fall into place. I promise.”

We both turn when the door roughly pushes open. Mika barges in; I have never seen that look on his face before.

Brooke looks over at him and then back at me. “I’ll leave you two alone. I will be right outside,” she announces.

As soon as she steps out of the room, Mika rushes over to me and grabs my hand, bringing it up to his heart. He kisses all over my face, my neck, and my chest.

“Jesus Christ, Angel, I thought I fucking lost you,” he pleads.

“Wha-”

“No, don’t talk. I fucking love you. I love you with everything that I have. It has always been you; every day, every minute, every fucking second; it has been you. I can’t go another day in this life without you by my side. This has been the ultimate wake up call for me. I will never lose you again. Do you understand me? Never again,” he adds with conviction.

“Mika, I’m all right. Calm down,” I reassure him.

“You are all right because I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. I filed for divorce, Angel.”

I feel my eyes widen and my jaw drop. “Oh my God. Mika, I can’t do this right now, everything is falling into place.”

“I’m not going to let you push me away. It’s not fucking happening. We belong together, I know that now,” he urges, squeezing my hand.

“My MVP is coming home, she’s finally coming home,” I try to explain.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Ysabelle. She’s coming home.”

“Why? Why are you so obsessed with her? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“She’s my MVP; my Most Valuable Pussy. She’s the future of VIP, Mika,” I rationalize, knowing I’m not making sense to him.

I am finally going to say the three words that I have never shared with anyone, and it took sixteen years from the first time I looked in her bright green eyes.

“She’s my granddaughter.”

The end…for now.

(Keep reading for MVP Prologue)