MY OBSESSED ALIEN KING

NEON KING ANNOUNCEMENT

# MY OBSESSED ALIEN KING CHAPTER 5

**Tropicana, 1AM, Midnight**

*ZOE POV*

Walking down the busy dance floor, I pushed my way past the sweaty party lovers, the bass still thumping in my chest, and finally made it out of the hotel. Looking at the empty street, I knew I wouldn't get a ride home the last bus must have gone like three hours ago. It wasn't surprising, though, since it was already creeping toward 4AM. Putting my thoughts aside, I began the long walk home on foot.

After walking for what felt like an eternity, my legs aching and my sandals slapping against the cracked pavement, I finally arrived at the street that led to my house. On my right, Miss Ashish was already open for business in her small canteen, the smell of frying plantains drifting out into the night air. Feeling the money in my pocket heavier than it had ever been I walked in boldly. For the first time, I dared to buy food outside, because that kind of money could feed my family for two whole days. So whenever I got a little extra cash, I gave it to my mom, who was excellent at managing the home. 😪

I skipped happily into the little canteen and was welcomed by Miss Ashish, a plump woman with round cheeks and a bright, easy smile. I always greeted her every day on my way to work, and she was always warm toward me. Seeing me walk in, she said with a teasing expression,

"To what do I owe this visit, Miss Zoe?"

I just smiled and replied, "Can I get rice and tomato sauce, pottage beans, with lots of fried plantain? And mmm make it six portions each, and I'll have some drinks too."

Miss Ashish immediately gave me a look and said, "Hey girl, did you finally start monetizing your face and your ass or something?"

I replied shyly, "Hell no, I — I — I just—" and couldn't stop smiling.

Miss Ashish laughed and waved me off. "Enough, don't worry, here you go my girls have already wrapped everything up for you."

I muttered a quick thanks, paid, and left in a hurry, a blush still warm on my face.

---

**ZOE'S HOME, 7:30PM**

I pushed the old gate open and walked into our little compound, the gate screeching behind me as it always did. Pushing the main door open, I stepped inside and was greeted by Mom's voice echoing from the backyard, scolding my brother Immanuel for watching TV with Dad instead of doing his chores even though today was Dad's day off and he didn't have to report to work. Meanwhile, Immanuel, still glued to the television, shot back that he couldn't even go to school today because his fees hadn't been paid.

I turned my full attention to them and greeted my dad. He responded quickly but kept his eyes locked on the TV. Curious about what could hold his attention more than his beloved daughter, I looked at the screen too.

On the old TV, a man sat with a head of richly layered blue hair, tousled in loose, strandy waves that fell messily across his forehead. A few strands always seemed to escape, framing sharp, angular cheekbones and giving him that effortlessly undone look like he'd just rolled out of bed looking devastatingly handsome. He wore a simple, soft white shirt that only made his already pale, flawless skin more pronounced. He appeared to be reading from what looked like a general order, and the last sentence he spoke was the only part I caught clearly from everything he'd said:

"All that's been said are direct orders from Neon King, and if you're not comfortable with it, by all means, go tell him yourself." He coughed awkwardly. "...Also, full disclosure, these aren't my words."

I thought to myself, what a nice thing to say but then, come to think of it... My thoughts were cut off by my dad's sudden protest. He was complaining about why the country would even allow such an order, asking if they didn't know who Neon was. I had to ask, "What did they do? What do you mean?"

He began to explain. "Look, Zoe, Neon King is currently working on a project to make Mars habitable for humans. But according to him, an important experiment he kept in India was brutally destroyed by some organization we don't know who they are yet, but I'm sure Neon will find out soon enough."

I sighed. This was a lot. We all knew how powerful Neon was who would even dare defy him?

Just then, Cardi burst into the room, and the first thing that caught her attention was the packages of food in my hands. She immediately exclaimed to Mom, who had just walked in, "Look, Zoe brought back a lot of food!" That's when Dad finally looked at me properly, and Mom did too. Her first question was, "Why are you dressed like this?"

I sighed, set the food down, and recounted what happened at my new job leaving out the part about the money. Mom just sighed and said, "You've been through a lot my child."

"I'm fine," I told her. "I kicked the man's ass."

Dad immediately lit up. "Good, good —

I trust you, my child." We all shared a good laugh and ate what I'd brought, with Immanuel fighting everyone for the largest portion of everything. Just then, Mom reminded us not to forget to set aside Jenna's share and that's when it dawned on me that she wasn't even home. I asked about her and was told she'd already left for work.

After eating, I took my bath and left for my morning shift.