THIRTY SEVEN. MANAGER AT INFERNO. PRUSZKOW ASSOCIATE.
THIS CHARACTER HAS A SECRET PLOT.
Bukowski said it, didn't he? He named the book after it: "love is a dog from hell," but he was wrong.
Life is a dog from hell, and Ambika Patel can prove it, clawing, digging her way out of graves faster than she can spell her own name. The forbidden fruit to an unfaithful marriage, even Ambika's birth felt a little like death. Her father, a cheating businessman, her mother, a fallen star to the Bollywood scene. Within a few weeks upon the knowledge she was pregnant, Ambika's mother was betrayed by her lover, who had promised her the world and instead left her with nothing but pretty little lies, leaving her for his rocky relationship with his wife. "I want no part in her life," he said -- and so it was done. He bought them two tickets to live in the US, passports and all: he provided them with all the means necessary to leave them out of his life, and Ambika's mother, as the lovestruck woman she was, followed his instructions obediently.
"Never look for me. Never tell her about me. Never, okay?" He muttered, handing her the little luggage she had. So she left, with a month year-old Ambika and fake passports that would lead them into freedom. Or so she thought.
Life in Los Angeles wasn't nearly as glamorous as they pegged it to be in TV. Ambika's mother, Nasatya, knowing of what made herself desirable, began working in the sex industry as a means of survival. Although it was profitable, the clients were horrible, the competition was high and the drugs, cops and predators were everywhere. Nasatya crawled her way out of the business when Ambika was seven years old, sparing herself -- and her daughter -- the trouble of sleeping with strange men. But the memory of Ambika seeing her own mother as she welcomed another man into her bedroom would stay the same, it would remain on for years to come.
They managed to get out of LA's outskirts and move into a quiet suburban neighborhood, where the children would poke fun at Ambika's accent, her clothing, and her most importantly, her culture. They called her names, tugged at her hair and made her question her worth. Without a father and with a mother who worked two jobs to pay the rent, Ambika found that she was all by herself. And so, if she had no one to defend herself, then she would be it. She would become the very same person she needed.
With a ruthlessness that was unheard of for a girl her age, she grew up into a vampire without fangs, hungry and desperate, but most importantly, deceiving. Her façade of a motherly woman always managed to fool those into her wicked smile, and once you were trapped in her web, nothing could dig you out: Ambika was good at manipulating people, but most importantly, she was even better at fooling herself. She was willing to be the villain of the story, if only it gave her power and good wealth. She had been tired of starving, tired of being the underdog. So at twenty-four, when she entered the doors of Inferno, she knew it had to be it -- she knew it was it.
Confident, Ambika managed to delve into Inferno by becoming its most beautiful bartender. She was smart -- she had a precise knowledge of how men and women operated, how much red lipstick it took to seduce someone into doing whatever you desired and just how many late night hours it took for a tired man to give into your desires. She was cunning. And Dominik Pruszkowski certainly did not let it go unnoticed.
At thirty, she became Inferno's manager. It all had been thanks to her hard work, but also, thanks to her friendship with its owner. Whilst many questioned her real intentions with Dominik, it was hard to deny how much they had in common: from the unpredictable ways to the mannerisms, they had become trusted friends and allies along the way. She was thriving. Ambika made it to the sixth page, living under the glory of Inferno among gods and monsters, in her very own garden of evil, sharing the forbidden fruit with Dominik himself -- like a true best friend would.
Without looking back at the past, she built her empire from scratch. Inferno's reputation was her own, so she always made sure to dress impeccably, speak precisely and most importantly, read into people's deepest fears and desires. She had always been mistaken for a flower, yet little people knew she was the serpent under it. A true wolf in sheep's clothing, Ambika went as far as to distance herself entirely from her mother. Who could know of her mother's past? No one. Who could know about Ambika's previous life living in the outskirts of LA, with nothing to eat? No one, absolutely nobody.
So don't let her charming smile and pink attire fool you. Perhaps the sleek black hair and the quiet, passive gaze give away the wrong impression. She has demons in her dreamcatcher -- a selfish mad woman without nothing to lose, except for her Inferno and the power it brings her.
She knows the Russians plan to strike soon against the Polish, yet that is a secret she has been keeping for herself. She's heard whispers of different people, confessions of sinners and saints alike... And she knows that they're coming. Information can always be used either for or against you, which is why she intends to backstab the Russians before they take Inferno from her hands. Ambika may warn Dominik if she deems it necessary, but for now she's biding her time, holding her own -- and other people's -- secrets closely, like a ticking time bomb waiting its time to explode.
DOMINIK PRUSZKOWSKI: He’s her best friend, in a wicked, doomed sense of the term. They both stand by each other, side by side, like they have been bound by blood. Although Ambika knows better than to keep secrets from the only man she trusts, she can’t help to. She still thinks there are things he keeps from her, vital things, things he should trust her with... but then again, who is she to judge? Ambika has her fair share of unsaid things herself.
YAHUI HE: Past lover. They both ended on bitter terms because her commitment to Inferno was much bigger to her commitment to him. Besides, she’s a free, uncaged woman. She was born to vow and love no man, and Ambika couldn’t let the façade slip. Not for him. Not for anyone else. She called it off over the phone, and he was offended that she would do such a thing. Now they cross paths often and there’s a hint of hostility from both sides.
ANAIS DELANNOY: She treads on dangerous waters by thinking she can fool Ambika into anything. Ambika’s caught up on Anais’ game, and she knows everything.. She’s the girl whose father was murdered before her eyes. And whilst Ambika is fatherless herself, she can’t afford to hold empathy for such a woman. Her loyalty to Inferno is more important than anything else. For now, she pretends she buys into Anais’ game, biding her time to unmask the monster beneath the girl.
ISABELLE CHAPMANN: Ambika notices the way Isabelle hangs around Inferno, looking for a story, looking for a tip. She doesn’t like it, but then again, who is she to deny a client? She’ll keep an eye out on the girl, especially if she ends up peeking behind the doors of the forsaken club and end up burning what Ambika considers to be sacred Polish ground. Inferno. She has made sure to send one or two anonymous threats to the nosy writer, but it seemed to have no effect over her. Isabelle’s been digging just the same.
FACECLAIM: DEEPIKA PADUKONE (NONNEGOTIABLE)
