Amir
He came to El-paso lounge with one plan in mind.
Find Crystal Lin.
Rumour had it she worked at this shabby, run down establishment.
Amir stepped into the manager's office without hesitation. His sharp eyes scanned the dusty room, catching sight of vermin, both the literal kind and the human kind, scrambling to impress him. He'd seen men like Mr. Morgan too many times before. The sleazy smile. The greed in his eyes. The pathetic eagerness.
Amir didn't bother sitting up straight on the sagging couch. He was already disgusted with the place.
He leaned back lazily and dropped the bomb without blinking.
"I want Crystal Lin to dance for me tonight."
He made a mental note to trash the suit he was wearing as soon as he stepped out of the building.
The manager blinked, then forced a laugh, his voice oily with fake politeness.
"Mr. Amir, it's such an honor to have you here tonight. I see you've heard about our best girl. But Crystal doesn't take VIP clients."
Amir arched an eyebrow. He knew what men like Morgan wanted. It was never about rules or policies. It was always about the money.
He pulled out his phone and tapped something, then looked up, cold and sharp.
"Reserve the entire lounge for me tonight. I'll pay you 100,000 dirhams extra. She'll be compensated handsomely too."
Morgan's eyes widened. His greedy little hands almost trembled as he extended one for a handshake.
"You have a deal, Mr. Amir."
Amir didn't move. He didn't shake hands with men like him.
"This way, please. Let me lead you to the VIP section," the manager mumbled, slightly flushed but still eager.
As Amir stepped into the dimly lit lounge, the sour scent of alcohol and sweat hit him like a slap. He was repulsed. The peeling leather booths, the flickering neon lights, the lost souls sipping on cheap cocktails. it was all beneath him.
But he wasn't here for luxury.
He was here for her.
Morgan bowed slightly and gestured toward a velvet booth.
"I'll have the waiter bring you something to drink, sir. Just give us a moment."
Amir didn't respond. He watched the manager walk away, his lip curling in distaste.
Then he leaned back, crossed one leg over the other, and checked his watch.
His plan was in motion.
Now all he had to do was wait for Crystal Lin.
Crystal
"It's just work", she whispered to herself over and over again, lost in her thoughts.
"Are you okay?. If the offer freaks you out that much, you can just cancel." Laila said, watching her with concern.
"No, that's not it". Crystal replied, laughing uneasily.
"I'll do it. But just for 20 minutes" She sighed heavily. "I feel so uncomfortable around those VIP clients, especially after Prinda's assault "
Laila sighed and hung her head " Girl, he doesn't care. He just wants you to dance for him. Even if it's for 5 minutes"
Crystal tilted her head to the side "Dude, who is this guy and why does he want me to dance?"
"He's one of the sons of Sultan Al-Fayad and he heard you're our best here". Laila said wide eyed.
"I better be going then. I've got money to make" Crystal squealed, dashing towards the lounge.
"The usual please" She told the bartender as she reached the counter.
She usually had a double shot of Martell before she went on stage but today, she felt like she needed three.
"Heard you have VIP duties today. Feeling queasy?" Garcia, the bartender, asked her.
"How did you know?" She asked him very surprised.
"Well, word travels fast in El-paso my love" He replied, placing the shots in front of her.
"Double up, you're going to need it".
Crystal sighed and downed the shots.
As soon as she got on stage she felt it, Eyes. Not the usual drunken gazes, but cold, piercing eyes. She felt as if someone were staring into her soul. She looked up at the VIP lounge but she couldn't see anyone clearly.
She danced steadily following her normal routine and adding some few teasing moves to excite her audience. She moved her waist rhythmically to the slow beat, twisting and whining until her audience screamed non stop with excitement.
Thirty minutes later, her set was over and she made her way to the VIP section. As soon as she walked in, she found the whole section empty. Cold sweat broke out on her arm immediately.
Her client was so rich that he bought the entire VIP section so she could dance for him.
She stood at the entrance, glancing around. This felt wrong.
"Come in, I don't bite. I promise" She heard the deepest voice she'd ever heard beckon to her.
She stood frozen. A wave of fear washed over her. She closed her eyes and muttered a quick prayer before stepping forward.
Then, she saw him.
Not her client, but the handsome stranger she'd snapped at earlier that evening. The same one she'd helped by paying his taxi fare.
But something was wrong.
This man before her, had his face but she knew it wasn't him.
His eyes were different. Cold, dark, unreadable. Not the warm blue she remembered.
"Are you going to keep staring or you're going to come dance for me". He said, smirking. "I'm paying heavily for you, you know". He gulped his drink and laughed, but his laugh was cold and mysterious.
Crystal became painfully aware of herself. Goosebumps broke out on her arm as she walked toward him and slipped off her robe, revealing a red corset that hugged her curves perfectly, paired with black fishnet leggings.
She took a deep breath and began to dance.
She moved like a seasoned performer, seductively, gracefully. Every move was calculated to tease him. She paused often, checking his expression for any sign of approval.
She wanted to treat him so well since he was paying her heavily.
He put up his hand to stop her. She scanned his face for approval but she got nothing. His expression was blank. Had she done something wrong?.
He stood up and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a cheque of 500,000 dirhams and a sleek business card.
"Miss Crystal, is it?" He said, handing both to her. "You did very well".
She took them silently, her breath shallow.
"I'll be needing your services again , soon enough". He added with a cryptic smile.
She looked at the check and grinned. Then she looked at the card.
"Amir Al-fayad," she whispered.
"Thank you so much, but I'm not sure I can offer ..." She looked up and he was gone.
A cold sweat crept down her spine. She shuddered and goosebumps broke out on her arms again.
She was hurrying out of the lounge when she heard someone call her name. She turned and it was Garcia.
"Your client was foinneeee girl. I bet he treated you right too!" Gracia shouted over the music
Crystal knew he was fishing for gossip but she decided not to indulge him that night.
"He was… alright". She replied with a yawn.
Garcia squinted at her suspiciously. He started to say something but she cut him off.
"I'm exhausted. Today drained me. I better be getting home now before I fall asleep on your counter" She told him, letting out another yawn.
"See you later? Have fun" she called over her shoulder, already moving out of the lounge.
Outside the lounge, she spotted Laila pacing. Her friend ran toward her.
"Are you okay? Did he try anything? What happened there?" She asked Crystal, her eyes wide with concern.
Crystal laughed despite her fatigue. "Girl, calm down. Nothing happened, he kept a really respectable distance and he wasn't nasty or anything . But his aura?. It was cold."
Laila raised an eyebrow. "Cold?? But said he wasn't nasty. So how cold?"
Crystal sighed. "Like, his eyes were cold and he looked exactly like this guy I cursed out on the way to work this evening. The reason I was late?"
Laila's confused expression suddenly turned to excitement. "I don't know about the man you cursed out but that could be his twin brother. Sultan Al-fayad has twin boys and you just danced for one of them. So that means you cursed out the other twin!!!"
Crystal's eyes widened with horror. "You're telling me now that I insulted one of the most powerful people in Dubai?? My life is over".
Laila burst into laughter. " Look calm down. He doesn't know who you are and trust me he doesn't care".
"Today has been all shades of crazy and honestly I just need sleep. So I'm going home and I'll see you later tonight?". Her eyes were really tired.
"You look like you could fall asleep right here". Laila was rubbing her back. "I'll grab your stuff from the locker so you can get home."
"Thanks," Crystal mumbled.
A few minutes later, Laila returned with her bag. She clocked out and hung her jacket when she stepped into the Dubai midnight breeze.
She looked up at the sky, still stunned by the chain of events. She made a mental note to make part payment to the loan Sharks later that day.
As she flagged down a taxi, she thought of the Al-fayad twins.
Little did she know that she had just encountered her nemesis and her Salvation on the same day.