(A/N: Sorry for the sudden authors note guys but I had to address a review a guest left behind. Good grief guest! Wh-why-HOW on earth could you assume that this would be a Puppyshipping fic? I'm sorry for being rude, but how idiotic! This story summary is quite clearly stated as a SILENTSHIPPING fic and has Seto and Serenity on the freaking cover!? And your idea of using your crush's sibling as a replacement is disgusting. Not hot. Seto DID NOT think about Joey 'a lot' at all! He was focused on Serenity the entire time. I'd like to say thanks for reviewing but your assumption was so stupid and really, you're not interested in my story at all! If you want a puppyshipping fic, go and find one because I won't be writing one. Respect to you if you ship it but I don't, and even if I did I'd clearly state what romantic pairing would be involved in the story beforehand. Judging by your plot-wishes I'm going to assume that you just want a porno fic with Serenity bashing instead of a well-written multi-chapter story. If that's what you want I hope you get satisfied finding it from another author; but not here. I suggest you stop reading now because that will never happen in this or any of my future stories.
Apologies to actual readers of this story for the above rant. If you wish to leave a review it does help me update faster! Lack of reviews to me signals lack of interest regardless of how many views this story is getting or how many of you are just favoriting this story without reviewing. Don't be a jerk. If you add this to your subscriptions, leave a review behind too once your done with the chapter. =D )
They clung on to him like vampires thirsty for blood except it was his money that they craved. He yanked his arm away from one of the girls and waved down a security member in the room. The tall hulk like man rushed over, signalling the ladies to calm down.
"Bring your boss in here and shoo these girls out. I need to talk to him." Kaiba hissed.
The security nodded and motioned the girls out of the room. They groaned in disappointment, wondering why the party was over all of a sudden.
Kaiba slumped back down on the couch waiting for the club owner to walk in. He kept replaying the lap dance Serenity had performed for him over and over again in his brain like a broken record. Could it be true? He asked himself.
He couldn't help but to feel a concern for her all of a sudden, he closed his eyes briefly, remembering her innocent eyes staring back at his. She had this distinctive look in her eyes that created havoc in the pit of his stomach; evidence of trouble and help lingered in it. Life and joy had deteriorated from her.
But why the concern for her all of a sudden? He wondered. Why the change of heart from feeling the pleasure of objectifying her to feeling guilty. At that point, he was not sure, the questions floating around in his head continued on unanswered.
Kaiba reached over to a small table next to his couch and wrapped his hand around the drink that the blonde had poured for him earlier. He gave it a sip but spat it back out. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he made a disgusted face. "Remy Martin VSOP my ass." he muttered. Something didn't taste right about that cognac, or maybe he just wasn't in a drinking mood tonight.
"Kaiba, what is it that we need to discuss?"
His cold blue eyes rose to the club owner and he signalled the hefty man to take a seat. "Amauto, how long has Serenity been working at your club?" he asked.
"Serenity...," he trailed off trying to recall who that was. Amauto usually addressed the girls here by their stripper names so their real names had faded from his old memory. Kaiba took note that the man was having trouble figuring out who he was talking about and decided to give him a minor description of Serenity.
"Blossom?" he watched as Kaiba nodded. "Um, almost a month now."
"Did she tell you why she wanted to work here?"
"Hell, should I know? She may have, but I don't remember. I'm running a club with over a hundred strippers, you gotta remember that." He replied.
It was true, the club was always jammed with strippers swarming around like honey bees in their hive.
Kaiba frowned noting that the owner was not helpful. "Bring her to me." he commanded.
Amauto pulled back his sleeve, revealing a gold exquisite watch and gave it a glance. "Sorry, it's 3AM, she went home."
"Why?"
"What do you mean why? This is a strip club not a brothel. They come here, do their business, and when their shift ends they leave."
"Where does she live?"
"Why are you asking me where she lives?" He asked, wondering why Kaiba was interrogating him. "Look, I like you, you're one of my most treasured customers...but, I can't have you stalking my girls."
"I'm not trying to stalk her!" He bellowed, his ego aching from the comment. Nobody called him a stalker. "I believe she is in trouble. Which is why she's here. I think she needs help." He preceded his voice softer this time, but still, Kaiba could not comprehend why he had developed sympathy for her, something in his mind told him to reach out. His hand formed a fist in vexation on the armrest of the couch.
Amauto scoffed at Kaiba's concerns, "You're out of character today. Please don't tell me you're falling in love with a stripper! I get one too many customers walking in here playing hero, trying to rescue girls from this corrupted business. It's a cliché. Besides, I'm not allowed to give out addresses, it's against club policy. I can get my ass sued if I did, I'd be violating the laws of privacy. You wouldn't like it if I announced to the press that you were here because you want your privacy and I respect that. I do for these girls too."
"Alright." Kaiba agreed. He had a point. "-But can you at least tell me when she'll be back?"
"Tomorrow. 8pm."
"Great." Kaiba calmly stated as he stood up, "I'm done here for now." He made his way out the back door of the VIP room that led outside. "Oh." He turned around to face Amauto who was walking him out. "Stop being a cheap bastard and use authentic Remy Martin."
Amauto crocked his head slightly, not following him. "What the hell are you talking about?" He asked defensively.
"You're reusing the Remy Martin VSOP bottle and pouring cheap shit in there."
"I do no such thing!" He shouted.
"You really think I don't know."
"Don't accuse me of such a thing! If you're not satisfied, go to that ghetto strip club down the street. The girls there are hideous. UGLY, I tell ya! And the club reeks like something had died there for months. Health inspectors should go down there to figure out what that stench is! The next closest club is fifty miles away from here and that one is under my management as well!"
Indeed, Amauto had a lot of faith in his strip club and took pride in it being one of the best. He was sure Kaiba would never be foolish enough to leave his club for the beat up one down the street.
Kaiba stared at Amauto with annoyance blazing in him. Oh, how he wanted to punch the cockiness right out of that bastard, but he just rolled his eyes and continued on out, entering the black limo that had been waiting for him all night.
Serenity got into her car, letting her pedal know that she was in a rush to get to her apartment, she was dying to get away from the club. The car she drove was not a luxury one, it was one that her brother had saved up to buy for her so that she didn't have to take the bus to school or work. It was a small blue sedan with tinted windows. The paint on the roof of the car was beginning to peel, definitely not a new car, but it was a gift from her brother's heart. '& wallet, it's not like I can afford the luxury of buying another car right now.' She thought.
She did her best to fight back the tears that were battling their way out of her brown eyes. Kaiba had humiliated her and she found that hard to shrug off. How dare her cheapen her, tipping her with one dollar bills only to watch the disappointment look on her face. She walked out of the VIP room with only five dollars while the others made almost a grand! He was nothing but a bully with money. Serenity became furious and her pride would not allow her to go home with his damn dollars. In fact, before she got to her car, she donated all of it to a homeless man on the street.
"I am strong." She whispered to herself and other words of encouragement as well.
'Perhaps I should confess to Joey and ask for his help.' She thought. She had enough of being degraded.
Serenity opened the door to her cosy studio apartment and staggered in, it had been a long and exhausting day for her. Serenity threw her pink little purse on her study desk and walked over to her bed to sleep.
A knock on her door woke her up, she let out a weary groan and glanced at her clock noticing that it was 9am. Joey always stopped by on Saturday around that time. She dragged herself out of bed to greet him.
"Joey!" she gave him a hug and invited him in.
"Serenity, last night I went to that little clothing boutique to find you. I asked the manager where you were, but they said that you got laid of like a month ago."
"Right, I did..." She confessed. "-But, no worries! I got a new job now."
Joey took a seat in her little dining table. "Where at?"
"Um...Just at this little coffee shop near Domino University." She lied. "I wouldn't go there, their coffee's aren't really that great." She forced a smile on her face, but inside she was aching with guilt from having to lie to him. 'Should I tell him what's been going on?' She wondered.
"Serenity..." He began. "I truly admire you. You're smart and hard working. I want to make something out of myself. I want to go to college!"
Serenity was smiling genuinely now. "Really?"
"Yeah. I've been working at this little fast food place and I've been saving half of my checks to pay for my college! Isn't that great, sis?"
"Yes, Joey, that's awesome!"
"Plus, there's this duelling competition that gives you scholarships. I'm'ma try it out! Ha, but that ain't till next year. I saved enough to start as soon as next semester!"
"Joey, that's fantastic!" She pondered for a moment. "An entire scholarship from a duelling competition?"
"Yeah! It's a pretty recent thing, but I guess people have figured out that duelling is just as great as any other sport so why not scholarships?"
She giggled. "Yes, maybe one day there'll be entire schools set up for learning about duelling!"
Joey laughed wholeheartedly at her response.
Now she really didn't want to ask her brother for help, he had spent a great amount of hours to save up for college and was excited about it. There was no way she was going to put Joey in that position. No way!
She pulled out two bowls of cereal and poured them each some milk. Saturday was her favourite day, no matter how busy she was she always set a day aside to see Joey. The two enjoyed their breakfast and a conversation about a horror film that they saw last week.
"Do you want to join me and my friends for another movie night?" He asked.
Serenity shook her head. She wish she could, but she had to work tonight at eight and hoped that she would not have to encounter Kaiba there again.
