Olivia Sparks

Inside a rented limo, the three gal pals were having a feast on Emily's choice of break up food: McDonald's. 

Scattered on the floor were boxes of Happy Meals, burger wrappers, fries boxes, empty ketchup sachets, and an empty bottle of Moet to flush it all down.

"I deserve this," she said, dipping her fries on her vanilla sundae long enough that when she pulled it up, a ribbon of white stretched in between. She quickly scooped it with her finger, never wasting a drop of her happy meal box that came with a Trolls toy.

Across from her, Ava hoarded the collectible toys in her paper bag—counting again and again if she got everything inside because earlier, they all bought the existing toys in the fast-food chain for Finn to play with. 

After matching all the toys with the list on the leaflet that it came with, she finally let go a sigh of relief that she didn't know she was holding in.

Suddenly, Olivia ducked inside the car that everyone else followed suit including the driver and Yana who sat in the front.

"Can people outside see us?" Ava whispered, her question aimed at the driver.

"No, Madam Lin," his curt reply.

"Then why are we hunched like thieves?" She straightened in her seat. Peeking at the bag one more time, counting the contents… just in case.

Her gaze darted to Emily who went into a coughing fit, pounding her c.h.e.s.t to relieve herself. "Cha… champagne, please," she rasped.

Passing the bottle of Moet to Emily was Olivia, whose eye never left the window. "I saw Wyatt with a few officials. Let's give them a few minutes head start then we will go at the back. I gave the manager a heads-up, and she said she'll give us the adjacent room."

Ava swallowed a lump in her throat. "This is my first time in such a place," she confessed. "I'm not sure if Ollie will like it if he finds out we went there tonight."

"Hey, we're here to catch Wyatt, not use their services." Olivia's lips curl up in a sneer. "You have our back, okay? And please don't be scared of your husband. Last time I checked you have more balls than him."

"Okay. Okay," Ava mouthed. Her eyes lingered on the building across the street. On the outside, it looked like a normal brick-walled apartment building, but those who work inside and those who have membersh.i.p.s knew what happens inside once darkness blankets the sky.

"Are you ready, Emily?" Ava checked in on the star of the night.

"Just a second," Emily checked her reflection in her compact mirror. She need not to but she still did because there's nothing more satisfying than breaking up with a loser while looking like a goddess that you were.

The three gal pals graced the high-end stripped club, entering through the backdoor in a liquid fashion.

That night, the cameras were turned off for their arrival and the halls were empty as the manager made sure to bow down to the enigma they call Olivia Lin.

"This way, Ms. Lin. It's been a while since you've been here." The manager slightly bowed, his hands gestured to a private booth.

With one foot on the threshold, Olivia turned her head to the side where the manager was. "Is Rica available tonight?" Olivia raised a brow on the manager, to which he replied with a bow. "Make sure she serves Commander Wyatt tonight… and he brings her home."

"Absolutely. Nothing your favorite girl can't do, Ms. Lin."

When the ladies were settled inside, the manager tinkered with the double tv screen, changing it from the usual KTV to a video feed of the room on the other side.

"We want to sing too." Olivia's eyes narrowed as she watched the scene on the screen unfold, her hand tightening on the microphone.

The manager immediately reverted one TV to a standard KTV screen. "I got it, Ms. Lin. I can punch the codes for you. What song do you want me to play?"

Snatching the diamond-encrusted mic from Olivia, Emily piped, "Let's go with a classic. Fighter by Christina Aguilera."

Time trickled by, and Emily sang all the songs in the Break-up Playlist, with Olivia and Ava as her back-up singers and Yana as the tambourine player.

Coming down from their concert high, the three gal pals retreated to the plush sofa.

A song immediately played on the screen, bringing Emily to tears. Olivia, who was sitting beside her, reached for the remote and was about to change the song when the former grasped her hand.

Wiping the tears in her eyes, she shook her head, telling Olivia to keep the song playing. Inhaling every word and notes from the song, the group listened in silence and when the song ended, Ava and Olivia crowded Emily, caging her in their embrace. 

"I'm okay. I'm okay," she said through tears as she wiped her face. She squeezed the two arms that wrapped her in their protection and forced a small smile.

Looking at the screen, Ava couldn't help but muse, "Rica is so pretty. It's such a waste that she works here."

"Oh, her? She doesn't work on this floor. She's in a different department."

Ava bobbed her head, her mouth formed a small "O" before taking a sip of her drink. This was her third glass, and the alcohol was intoxicating her to a point that she was starting to squint to keep her sight focused.

"Kaloka," Yana gasped, her hands gripped the edge of the leather cushions. Tracing her gaze back and forth from the TV screen to her boss, she stammered, "They… They're leaving, Ms. Lin."

Emily's lips pursed in a thin line as she watched Wyatt coil his arm on Rica's back as they left the VIP room.

The room fell silent, and the song on the TV stopped playing too. 

Smiling at her friends, a hind of determination laced her voice. "Let's get this over with, girls."

In no time, the gal pals found themselves in Shibumi Hotel, a scoff escaping Olivia's mouth as she thought whether Wyatt had a discount card in this hotel.

It didn't take long before they got a message from Rica telling them of their room number.

Reaching the front desk, the staff scrambled as they bid Madam Ava Lin's request to get a copy of the room's keycard.

Soon enough, Emily walked the stretch of hallways, humming the last song she heard in the VIP KTV bar.