PHOENIX

"Get out of here, Troublemaker!" the sellers yelled, but I just laughed and gave them the finger.

"Bitch," I heard one of them mutter.

"Your daughter is worse!" I shouted back, laughing as I walked away, ignoring their curses.

Finding jobs these days was a nightmare. I sighed heavily before pulling out my phone and dialing Darcy's number.

"Any jobs?" I asked as soon as she picked up.

"No, not yet," she replied, and I ended the call in frustration. Why was it so hard to find someone to steal from?

Damn, I was starving. I walked aimlessly until I saw a green light, indicating that everyone had to wait before crossing the road.

Thank goodness. I spotted a large crowd and grinned mischievously. I positioned myself among them and noticed a man's wallet sticking out of his back pocket.

I smiled and stood behind him, reaching out to grab the wallet. I quickly glanced around to make sure no one was watching before slipping it into my back pocket.

I managed to nab two more wallets and two phones. It was a jackpot day for me.

If I sold those phones, I could make about 500 dollars. I hurried home, and as soon as I got there, I went to the room I shared with my sister and sat on the bed.

I pulled out the wallets and phones I had stolen. In one of the wallets, I found 200 dollars. Not bad.

The second one had 50 dollars, which was disappointing.

But the last one contained a whopping 500 dollars. That would feed me, my dad, and my sister for a whole week.

I quickly grabbed my phone and called the guy I usually sold the phones to.

"What type of phones?" he asked instantly.

"An iPhone 11 and iPhone 6," I replied.

"400 dollars," he said promptly.

"800 dollars," I countered.

"400," he repeated.

"700," I insisted.

"400," he stood firm.

"600," I tried again.

"400," he persisted.

"500, that's it," I finally agreed.

"Okay, tomorrow, the usual place," he said, making me smile.

So today, I made a total of 1250 dollars. It would cover the house rent and our food expenses, but I still needed to hustle for more. My sister's school fees weren't due until September.

My dad still tried to work and earn for the family, but he often ended up gambling and losing all the money. Sometimes he won, though.

I'm Phoenix, 25 years old. Surprisingly, I am done with college, mostly because my mom hasn't decided to abandon us, despite my dad losing his job that used to feed the family well. I never liked school, so I wouldn't have gone at all.

I suck at introducing myself, so that's all. Oh, wait, I have a sister who is in her last year of high school. As broke as my father and I are, we try hard to pay for my sister's school fees. We want her to complete her schooling because education is important, and she might end up being the one to take care of us one day.

And I am a thief, a smuggler, you name it. I can do it, except human trafficking. I despise that.

"How was school?" I asked Beatrix when she sat on the bed beside me.

"Great, I was able to take a student loan," she said, making me frown.

"I didn't tell you to do that," I said, already getting annoyed.

"But you said the rent was almost due."

"Well, I told you I will sort it out," I exclaimed. Beatrix went silent.

"The only thing you need to do is to go to school, learn, and pass with flying colors. You don't need to work and provide for us."

"I'm your big sister. You're just 17," I said. It pains me most of the time when my sister tries to get money for us to eat. I feel like it's my responsibility to do that. I hate when she begs her classmates for money or whatever.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. If only our mother were here, maybe we would have found a way to work and earn money. But when my dad lost his job, she just ran away like she doesn't have two kids at all. What a bitch.

"Go wash up. Tomorrow, return that money," I said, and she nodded before walking away.

My sister made dinner that evening, and we ate together. My dad came back late at night and told us he lost a bet again, like he usually does.

Life wasn't easy at all.

ROME

Rome smiled at the sight of his beautiful wife, dressed in a stunning red body-hugging gown.

"You look even more beautiful when you have my seed inside of you," he said, planting kisses on her neck.

"Stop it, I might miss my flight," she said, laughing and playfully pushing him away.

"What? It's not my fault you look so irresistible," he said, then placed another kiss on her lips.

"My flight, Rommy," she said, still chuckling. When she first called him that name, he hated it, but he grew to love it eventually.

"Use my private jet then," he suggested, smiling.

"No, Rommy, it's just me, just one person. I'd rather use business class," she said, grabbing her bag.

"Then let me drop you off at the airport," he offered, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Your meeting," she reminded him.

"It can wait," he reassured her, his hand still on her stomach.

"I and your baby are going to be fine. Don't worry," she said, planting a kiss on his nose.

"You're not driving," he stated, and she nodded.

"The driver," she confirmed.

"Okay, good," he said.

Rome admired his wife as he escorted her to the car.

"I can't wait to watch our kid run around the house. Maybe we'll have two more," he mused, eliciting laughter from her.

"She will look so beautiful," she agreed.

"She?" he asked, smiling.

"I feel like our baby is going to be a girl, but if it's a boy, then so be it. I wouldn't love either gender any less," she said, earning a warm hug from him. He loved this woman deeply, and she always managed to deepen his affection for her.

"Must you go see your mom?" he grumbled, sounding like a child.

"Well, should I call her?" she teased.

"No, no," he said hurriedly, then opened the door for her.

"At your service, ma'am," he said, and they both laughed.

"Bye," he waved at his wife as the car drove out of the compound.

He smiled before happily walking into the house. He was so excited that Georgia was pregnant with their child after three years of trying. They finally had the chance to be parents, and he couldn't be happier to start co-parenting with the love of his life.

His life felt perfect.

He finished his meeting two hours later and then took a refreshing bath. He knew Georgia was supposed to be on the plane by now, heading to Russia. He wished he could go with her, but Georgia had always been strong-minded. That's what made him love her even more.

He sighed loudly and then sat on his couch. Without Georgia, he felt like just another boring person, except when his best friend Neo decided to bring his madness, as he usually did.

He dozed off, thinking about how their son or daughter would look like.

Rome woke up to his phone booming with calls. Shocked, he checked and saw 10 missed calls from his father, 15 from his mother, 5 from his sister, 4 from Neo, and 2 from an unknown number.

"What's happening?" he thought. Georgia was supposed to be in Russia by now, so he called her first. But he was surprised when she didn't answer.

"Or was the flight delayed?" he asked himself inwardly.

He decided to call his mother to find out why she called him so many times.

"Rome, my sweet boy," she said immediately she answered the call.

"Mom," he said suspiciously.

"I know it might be hard right now. It also came as a shock to all of us. I will be on my first flight in the evening," his mom said, confusing him even more.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" he exclaimed, already impatient.

"Rome, you haven't heard," his mom cried out. That made Rome worried. Was this some kind of April Fools' prank?

"Mom, why are you quiet?" he asked, feeling annoyed.

"Rome, Georgia is dead," she said.

He frowned and then looked at the phone again. Was this a dream? He pinched himself, and it hurt, so it wasn't a dream. His mother knew he wouldn't use Georgia as a joke, so she wouldn't joke about something like this.

"What-" He was short of words. He felt like he couldn't breathe anymore because his world had just crumbled.

The only person who made him happy every day was DEAD!!!!

TBC