JOJO:

My day off ended before I knew it. That morning, I intentionally woke up beside Valerie and placed her head on my lap. She nuzzled against me for a while, before she slowly opened her eyes, revealing her beautiful oval eyes. We had a short heart-to-heart talk, where she let me know all that had been going on in her young life. I couldn't help but smile. Once she was done, I made breakfast of pancakes and toast. We ate together, alone, since Mel was asleep - ahead of her later afternoon shift.

After that, we got dressed and went shopping again. This time, I took her to the hair salon and got her to do her hair in whatever way she wanted. When she opted for a manicure session, I had no choice but to agree. To be frank, the girl deserved it, and much more. After the salon, we visited the shopping mall and got her a new pair of slippers, some more groceries, and every of Mel's favorite snacks we set our eyes on. My hands only stopped drawing out cash from my bag when Valerie pulled the hem of my denim jacket. I looked down at her, while we walked down a shopping aisle.

"It's really alright now, Jo. We can go home; I don't want you to waste your money.

I seized too much of my chips and found myself forcing it down my throat. I stared down at her, allowing my heart to warm up at her words - not that it had any choice.

We returned home and warmed our slices of pizza. We munched on it, listened to the local radio, and fell asleep on the couch in each other's arms. The next morning, I rose from my slumber, bright and early, and so did she.

As I stood by the door, ready to say my goodbye, Valerie clutched my thighs with her small hands. She wrapped her arms around them and hugged my waist firmly, leaning into it as though she wanted to hear the heartbeat of my stomach. Heat rose from my belly and fanned my cheeks. She was growing into such a sweet child, it killed me to know my mother wasn't here to see her morph into a sweet selfless child. At that moment, I prayed that the evil of the world would not quench her flame of light.

"I don't want you to go Jo."

I could swear that if she repeated that sentence one more time, I would have dropped my bags in my room and resigned with immediate effect. Luckily, she didn't. I lowered myself to her and pressed a kiss on her forehead. She sniffed to fight back her tears.

"You know what? I promise you, soon we would have our own home. I can come back from work every day and I won't have to stay out all week. Then, you would only be with aunt Mel when you want to. Would you like that?" I was delighted when her bubbly eyes sparkled.

"Really?"

I nodded.

"Really."

She embraced me again, leaning into my shoulder.

"I love you so much, Jo."

By the goddess, I could not believe I was about to break into an uncontrollable fit of tears. I cleared my throat and fought hard to keep them away from my eyes and my voice.

"I love you too."

Minutes later, I was in a cab headed back to Rush Empire with nothing but my small bag and a load of mixed feelings. I stepped into the reception room with more confidence - I had come to realize I always returned bolder than I was the last time. Perhaps, it was because I was becoming a part of the building, and the building was a part of me.

I found my room with much ease, after checking in with Bentley. Without her usual smile, she informed me of the meeting we had with Neil in about... twenty minutes. I could only wonder what it was about, but I was sure it had something to do with what robbed her face of her charming smile.

Ashley visited me ten minutes after I arrived. Immediately I dropped my bags and had a change of clothes, it was time for us to meet Neil in his office. We walked out of my room side by side, into the dimly lit corridor.

When we stepped into the elevator, I took my time to take a proper look at Ashley. I could not help but notice how much she glowed recently, and I had a feeling I knew why.

"Do you have any idea what this meeting is about?" She asked me, squeezing both palms against each other, in an attempt to heat herself. It was generally cold today, as though it would rain sometime later.

I shook my head as a sign of no.

"No. You?"

She arched a brow at me and I withdrew my statement. Of course, she didn't.

We found Neil's office and knocked gently. When his thick voice ordered us to enter, I pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

Neil was sitting half-assed on his table, while the rest of the girls; Brandy, Zelda, Hadley, and Zita stood by the side of the door. Bentley was beside Neil, looking just as fierce as he did. Ashley and I exchanged curious glances as we took our places next to the rest of the girls.

Had something gone wrong? No one in the room looked pleased. The tension in the atmosphere was gnawing at me, causing my knees to weaken. Finally, Neil cleared his throat and stood straight, before sliding both hands into his pockets. "The management got a report of a recent assault. We are all here because I have been assigned to issue a strict warning to all those involved. Rush Empire is known for many things, but violence is not a part of them." His eyes darted from one of us to the other, so it was hard to know exactly who he was speaking to, exactly to who his anger was directed.

But not for me. I knew who he was speaking to, and exactly what he was talking about. My throat dried in that instant, and I gulped hard to dampen it. I had not expected the Alpha to take it to this extent. My hands gripped the sides of my plain black tennis skirt.

"Zita Lowe." The name fell from his lips like a bomb in my ears. I saw Zita take two steps forward, her head bowed. She didn't bother to turn to me, she knew why she was there.

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"You know what you have done. But, the management has asked me to let you know that this is your last strike. You have repeatedly, and not on one occasion, harassed and assaulted miss Jojo Wyatt in more ways than one. This is an entertainment organization, not a back street wrestling ring. We had to compensate miss Jojo for the loss of her phone but now, you would have to compensate her for the physical injuries she acquired from your brawl. This compensation would reflect in this month's invoice. It's just a heads up." Neil was stern as he spoke. His face held no iota of friendliness, he was strict and straight to the point, almost like the alpha.

Zita stepped back when he was done.

I could not ignore the murmurs that erupted from the room or the intensity of the stares peeking at me. I had not asked for any of this. What was I supposed to do now that everyone thought I was a freaking snitch?

"This is just a warning to the rest of us. Whoever is involved in such an act would be asked to leave..." He took his time to glance at each of us, one after the other, just to make sure his words sank.

"... with immediate effect." He walked back to his table and dismissed us with a wave.

"You can leave now."

I could not replace it in me to take one step. Zelda walked past me, and even Ashley followed her behind, Brandy and Hadley followed next. I quickly turned and stepped out of the door. I stopped in my tracks when I felt a cold hand trap my right shoulder. My entire body was paralyzed on the spot. I knew the feel of those hands far too well.

"I see what you did there, Jo." Zita's voice rang in my ears. I gulped hard on my nonexistent saliva.

"You made a mistake, a terrible mistake. Now, you are in trouble. You know why, Red?" The last word rolled out with spite. She leaned into my right ear.

"I would make your life here a living, breathing, daylight of hell. This is a promise. You can run along and tell the alpha what I said."

"Meeting girls! Training room, now!" Bentley called out.

I immediately sighed with relief, only realizing I had been holding my breath.

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