Prologue: Heartbeat

It was night, but humid; the darkness constantly being interrupted by the muffled bass of house music. Inside, was a clearer tone to the beats, encumbered by the surrounding sounds of drinks clinking, people talking, and heels tapping.

Soon approaching the club was a group of well-suited gentlemen. From head-to-toe, all were dressed in black suits but one man who donned a white tuxedo.

"ID?" The usher asked. The group of gentlemen looked at each other and scoffed.

"We're higher ups from Initiate Co."

The usher scrunched an eye. "I still need an ID sir."

The man in white sighed. "Initiate Co.? The Cardinal Nexus-associated enterprise based in the Pactolus District? Have you never heard of it?"

"Yes, I have."

The white-suited man reached into his blazer and pulled out a wallet, dropping it open to present an ID. "I'm the CEO of Initiate Co. Let me in or I'll have you arrested for interfering with my business."

A man suddenly busts through the entrance doors. "Jabari!" He yells at the usher. "They're from Initiate Co.! We've been expecting them! Let them in!"

"Oh! Sorry sir," he apologizes to his manager. He then opens the door and has the group of men enter.

"So sorry about that… I don't think he was informed about your arrival. But where are my manners? Welcome to Numbra's Gentlemen's Club." The man stepped aside to reveal a purple-lit stage. Poles lined its edges, held by women dancing in erotic ways.

"To the right is the bar if any of you gentlemen wish to get dazed. We have the most authentic whiskey imported from the further regions such as Hunsington and Terentia."

Some of the men looked at each other with excitement upon hearing this.

"Enjoy your stay."

And so the night continued. The scent of glamour and alcohol spiced the air, with an occasional opaque humidity coming from the scented fog machine.

The group of Initiate Co. men were dropping shots, followed by furthermore until some were too drunk to stand. The CEO decided he'd had enough to drink, and that it was now time to get a taste of what the club had to offer.

"Hey baby." A feminine voice suddenly lurked behind him. The CEO turned around, immediately taken by the sight before him. Standing there was a woman in heels, wrapped with a seductive lacing colored in crimson red.

"Wow…" He muttered out loud. His eyes were drawn downwards. The woman leaned in closer to solidify his gaze. "Eyes up here baby. You want a private dance?"

He tilted his head up, followed by a nod in agreement.

"Follow me."

Glowed upon by the ultra-violet lights, the man's white suit flapped as he was brought into the back by the woman.

"What's your name beauty?"

"Garnet."

The CEO smiled. "I'll be looking for your real name by the end of tonight."

Passing through a doorway of velvet curtains, they entered a darkened room assumed to be the private dance area.

"Sit," she pushed him back onto a cushioned chair.

The man's heart began beating tremendously, pumping blood into rather forbidden areas.

Garnet climbed onto his lap and began grinding. His face flushed red with flustering intoxication.

As his face was flushed between breasts, he endorsed the immoral feeling—the Sin of Lust.

The two engaged in heavy contact that would normally surpass the club's boundaries. Mouth, neck, leg, and thigh, the man was beginning to lose sense of all composition.

"You like that baby?"

"Oh Garnet, this is too good."

The two continued their lust for longer than permitted.

"Garnet my love, what's your real name?"

She paused her movement for a brief moment. "I'll tell you just because it won't matter after any of this anyways."

The statement confused the CEO.

"My name's Veronica," she smirked. Her face suddenly fell downwards, right into the man's lap.

"O-Oh!" He was startled. Unzipping could be heard. But pleasure quickly took over, and he fell right back into a limbo of libido.

His heart hadn't stopped racing since he'd first laid his eyes on Veronica. His excitement was way past his limits, pushed beyond a certain threshold.

Veronica hopped back on top, but this time seated on something stable.

"Oh…" She moaned. "Just like that baby." She suddenly tugged his tie, pulling him close to herself. Their eyes engaged in a lock.

"Ugh…" The CEO now moaned. He drowned in Veronica's deep violet eyes. The sensations he felt were like no other, overwhelmed by the feeling that he was beginning to lose control.

But that belief was coming true.

The steady and quick heartbeat began to pick up pace, racing to a tempo unbearable for his chest. But as the pain began to resonate, he couldn't help but continue locking eyes with Veronica.

"That's right baby…"

He felt blood surging through his veins, up his neck, and into every inch of his head as if he were upside down. He was now noticing a feeling of uncertainty.

"Wh-what's happening to me?" He asked. But he couldn't escape Veronica's seductive gaze.

The everlasting lust that'd been driving him into Veronica the entire night was now being overtaken by another strong sensation—

Fear.

"Begonia." She whispered into his ear.

"Urgh—!" His heart stopped. He gasped for air. His face went blue. His hands went cold. His neck strained, followed by a relaxing release of tension. His head dropped sideways, and his eyes rolled up.

Death by cardiac arrest.

Wet touch—a kiss of death; she planted her mouth on his.

"Thanks for the ride baby…" She traced his blue lips.

Removing herself from the corpse that sat below her, she took her thong and slid it back on.

"What a nostalgic scent."

Veronica turned around. Her heels tapped the floors as she now left the room, disappearing unnoticed into the empty abyssal night.