A/N Face/Off is a fantastic movie written by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary and directed by John Woo.
I own absolutely nothing.
Adam and Eve
Ch 7 Champagne Life
Los Angeles, 1998. A strip club somewhere in Hollywood.
A group of dancers in various states of undress are preparing for their performances. Some are applying makeup. Some are talking shit and fighting. One young, dark-haired girl passes a joint to another girl in a blue wig. The girl in the blue wig passes her a straw.
The dark-haired girl has just snorted some shit; her head begins to loll about as she starts to feel her high. She hangs her head as the straw drops from her hand.
Presently, the dark-haired woman stands up from her chair. She walks toward the stage as she gives her costume one last adjustment.
"...Gentlemen a warm welcome for Ari!" the announcer introduces her. She takes to the stage then amidst hoots, hollers and whistles.
She starts working the hell out of the pole, her back to the audience. Her body is perfection and her routine is flawless—she has the crowd in the palms of her hands.
She finally turns to face the audience; shortly she finishes her dance in a fury and lands on the floor, littered with bills, in a heap, to thunderous applause; more catcalls and whistles, a sea of hands groping for her even though they cannot reach her. She raises up slowly, weary and jaded and begins to collect her money. As she finishes a hand raises up, attached to a tall handsome gentleman in a fine European cut suit and a thousand dollar bill. She looks at him suspiciously. She is not in the mood for a private dance, no matter how handsome he is. If her boss sees her turn him down she'll get in trouble but she almost doesn't care. The man waves the bill at her, snapping her back to attention. She approaches him.
"I see the apple doesn't fall far from the tree..."
"Whatever, man...you want a private dance or not," she says, all business.
"Not."
She shrugs indifferently but is secretly relieved as she takes the crisp bill from him and proceeds to go backstage.
"Ari?" he calls out to her authoritatively enough to make her stop and turn around. Fuck... she says to herself disgustedly.
"Yes? You change your mind?"
"No, Olympia, I have not changed my mind. Your mother is Daphne Christopoulus, is she not?"
"Who wants to know, mister?"
"Your father was Panos Troy?"
"For the last time, mister, what's it you?" she asks him, unafraid to show her irritation.
"It's everything to me, sis."
"I'm calling security..."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Come on down from there—I need to talk to you. I'll pay for your time and I'll not leave this seat. Come on..." he coaxes her. She obeys him. When she takes her seat beside him she she eyes him carefully.
"Just because you're a big tipper doesn't mean I have to put up with just anything."
"I know that. Bear with me, please." He pulls out an original copy of Panos and Lillian's wedding photo. "That was your father's first wife, Lillian..." he says as he sets it before her. He pulls out another old photo, this one of he and his mother just a year after he was born. "That's me and my mother."
"This proves nothing. I know my dad was married before; I know he had three boys before me. So what." She rises to go. The man grabs her wrist suddenly.
"Sit down, Olympia. These pictures may mean nothing to you, but maybe my name will—Ajax Troy."
Olympia recoils. She knows the name well. She knows that all of her brothers are bad business but she has never met any of them. The only ones her mother ever talked about were Castor and Pollux. But she knows there was another named Ajax who was real serious shakes in New York. Because she was illegitimate she has always gone by her mother's maiden name and no one knows her connection to her father or her infamous brothers. She's been happy to keep it that way. To further confirm his identity he calls over to her sleazy boss.
"Mr. Troy, I'd like to say again how great it is to have you here. Is Ari treating you well?"
"Oh, she is, Zack, very much so. I'd like to ask a little favor?"
"Sure, name it..."
"This is for you..." he hands Zack five thousand in cash. "I'd like Ari to entertain me for the rest of the evening if that's all right with you?"
"With my compliments, Mr. Troy." Zack snaps his fingers at Ari. "You heard the man—go back and make yourself presentable for an evening out. See you back here tomorrow night. Don't disappoint him."
Olympia rises to leave them.
"Meet me in my car out front, dear," Ajax says smoothly, "white Alfa Romeo."
Olympia goes to the back and changes into jeans, tank top and a jacket then slips out the back exit door. She walks around front and finds Ajax behind the wheel of his white Spider.
"I figured since you're my brother and all I didn't have to get all hoochied-up, but I didn't want my boss to see me," she says as she slides in beside him in the front seat.
"Sis, if I have my way, you'll never see your boss or this place again," he smiles at her as he speeds off into the night.
"A kid? Really?" Olympia says, flabbergasted as she looks through his collection of photo albums. She is stuck on one of Sasha, Dietrich and Adam, taken just two years prior. "She was so beautiful..."
"Yes, she was," he concurs simply.
Ajax has taken Olympia to his house in Malibu Canyon. She's been in nice places before, mansions and the like but never let herself get too excited or impressed. But this was different; this was family and he was telling her that he wanted to set her up the same way, provide her with anything her heart desired.
"I want to go to school, Ajax. I have a brain, believe it or not."
"I know you do. Your mother wasn't a bad woman, none of Panos' women were. I'll take care of her, as well. I want my family together."
"And what about Adam? He's with that FBI agent—how do you propose..."
"I don't know yet...that's going to take some time. In the meantime, you get your education. I want you to go to school here. Just pick one and I'll get you a condo near by."
"I don't know what to say, Ajax, thank you doesn't begin to cover it."
Ajax takes her in his arms and hugs her tightly, then holds her at arms length. "No more drugs, Olympia, not even grass. I want you clean, do you understand?"
"I understand. Deal."
"Good. I will collect Adam one day. And when I do I want him to be happy about it."
