☆ born and raised in LA. her parents married young, and that spark of puppy love between the two would eventually calcify into routine and low-level bitterness. the darling household would always strive to be perfect—perfect jobs, perfect house, perfect cars, perfect daughter—yet it still couldn't fill that void of absent tv static in the living room and suffocatingly silent dinners. veronica would learn at a young age that the only person she could truly depend on was herself.

☆ the high expectations from veronica's mother would eventually shape her to be an overachiever and a perfectionist. she's incredibly intelligent—always strived for the highest marks in school, graduated as the top of her class and was valedictorian.

☆ of course, university was expensive. veronica had the brains and the ambition to excel, but not the funds. the one job that would truly stick—one that she'd swear would be temporary—would be in 1987, where she would go on to become a dancer at the praying mantis, a strip club in north hollywood. here, she'd go by vendetta while on stage: untouchable, poised, and entirely in control.

☆ when her parents would inevitably find out about what she was doing in the name of money, the reaction was nothing short of nuclear. harsh words, shattered glass, and a slammed door that was never reopened. veronica would move out that night and never contact her parents again. her routine would become nothing more than attending her day classes, dancing at night, then unwinding in her motel room by watching subpar cable tv to dull the hurt. rinse, repeat.

☆ veronica would continue stripping and eventually meet pickles in 1991, during his days as the frontman for snakes n barrels. the band would come into the club one evening after a successful gig and invade the vip section for drinks and the finest ladies available. when her boss sends ronnie up there, she expects the usual routine—flirt, smile, give him a lapdance, and go home. what she didn't expect, however, was to have a genuine spark of chemistry between her and a customer in the meantime that suddenly made the routine feel dangerous. after that night, though, the two would never see each other again. or so they thought.

☆ veronica would graduate as the top of her class, earning a degree in law. she would go on to become an intern at a local law firm for the next few years, finally feeling as though a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. eventually she'd find herself at a high-profile networking event, surrounded by suits downing chardonnay and trying to impress each other. at this event was charles offdensen—who would overhear veronica politely, yet firmly correcting someone who had misunderstood a certain legal detail.

☆ charles notices, and frankly is impressed. impressed by the precision, confidence, and quiet authority she exudes. something about her calculates in a way that resonates with him. he introduces himself and they strike up easy conversation. veronica—cautious, yet intrigued—lets him thumb through her meticulously put together portfolio.

☆ he offers her a position: executive assistant/secretary for mordhaus. she hesitates for a beat—a tiny internal calculation—and accepts.

☆ the job at mordhaus allows her to reunite with pickles. this would then eventually spark an off-and-on relationship that'd continue in secrecy for years. the main conflicts within this relationship would be pickles' struggles with addiction and the exhausting thrill of secrecy. each reunion is electric. each argument is explosive. and yet... they just can't stay away.

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