Chapter 21: Chapter 21 Posh area
As Alana ran out of his house, she looked back and released a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
She felt relieved that he hadn’t followed her.
Bringing out her cellphone, she tried to book a ride but it kept canceling.
She looked around the posh area, there was not a single person or a moving car around.
She hadn’t reckoned on how bloody difficult it was to hail a cab in this part of town.
If only she hadn’t been so coy and let him drive her home.
She had to walk quite a distance before finally hailing one.
By the time Alana finally got into a cab, over twenty minutes had passed.
Leaning against the seat, Alana realized she would be half an hour late to work,
Company policy stipulated clearly: one late arrival meant a two-hundred-dollar
deduction.
Two instances meant a five hundred deduction.
Three instances resulted in an immediate deduction of eight hundred.
Until the entire salary was deducted.
This policy was utterly uncivilised, treating employees as mere tools to be ruthlessly exploited.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
Capitalists make the rules, and those of us at the bottom are merely beasts of burden, forced to bow their heads and toil away. We have no right to resist.
Alana was deeply troubled. Her meagre intern’s salary meant this 200 dollar deduction wiped out her entire weekly food budget.
Add in the monthly rent and utility bills, totalling over two thousand dollars.
In the end, she was left with practically nothing.
Worst of all, she now owed that man almost thirty dollars, requiring at least six thousand in monthly repayments.
Where on earth was she supposed to find six thousand dollars to give him?
The more she thought about it, the more her head ached.
*******
Suddenly, several colleagues gathered next door to chat.
“I’ve found a bit of extra work lately. I can pop over straight after finishing my afternoon shift. It’s all about how much you put in, and sometimes I’ve made a thousand dollars in a single night! That’s more than I earn slaving away at the office!"
“What sort of work pays so well?"
“Working as a barmaid. Just serving drinks, tidying up, dead easy. If you’re good at it, customers tip you. Tips start at a few hundred, and if you get a generous, well-heeled patron, you could even get ten thousand in tips!"
“Are you serious?"
“Of course I am!” The girls there told me. Some have taken that much. And I’ve only been there less than a week and already got a thousand-dollar tip. If I stay longer and meet wealthy patrons, getting tens of thousands in tips is just a matter of time."
“Sounds rather tempting, but bars are a mixed bag. Isn’t it dangerous?"
“What danger could there be? If you don’t want to, can those customers force you? Besides, it’s a proper bar? they wouldn’t make staff do anything they don’t want to."
“Vera, is that bar still hiring? I’d love to work there too!"
“Me too, me too!"
“They are hiring, but the bar has requirements for waitresses, you need to be pretty and have a good figure. You lot, well... not quite the right fit..."
“Oh, what a shame..."
Alana listened silently, her heart stirring with interest.
A night’s shift at the bar could net her several hundred dollars, even a thousand.
If she worked part-time for a month, wouldn’t she earn over ten thousand dollars?
Though working in a bar might not sound quite respectable, it was undeniably a way to earn quick cash.
Once she’d earned enough to repay that man, she’d quit.
Her mind was made up.
Alana waited until her colleague stepped into the tea room before following and calling out to her.
“Vera, um, could I ask you something?"
Vera glanced at Alana, who seemed hesitant to speak. "What is it?"
Alana hesitated for a moment. "Well, about that bar you mentioned... are they hiring part-time waitresses? Would they take someone like me?"
Vera gave her a thorough once-over.
It must be said, Alana’s looks and figure were absolutely stunning.
No matter how beautiful a woman might be, she would pale in comparison to Alana.
Vera considered herself rather good-looking and had had many admirers since childhood.
But ever since Alana joined the company, those admirers had stopped noticing her and instead turned their attention to Alana.
Who could blame them? Alana was simply too stunning. Dressed in a white gown, she radiated purity and innocence. Coupled with her figure, which was nothing short of divine, she exuded an aura of pure desire. She looked like a goddess descended from heaven, leaving everyone who saw her utterly captivated.
Women blessed with such beauty inevitably invited envy.
Vera was green with envy over Alana.
Though envious, colleagues never reveal such dark thoughts.
After all, they worked in the same company, the same project department, rubbing shoulders daily. They were respectable people, no one would risk souring relations.
So Vera remarked, "Alana, you’re our company’s leading beauty. With your striking looks and perfect figure, you’d be in high demand wherever you went."
“If you were to go to that bar, the manager would surely be fighting to hire you."
Alana asked, "Really?"
Vera chuckled. "Absolutely. If you’re up for it, I’ll put in a good word with the manager
and you could start that very evening."
Alana was taken aback. She’d assumed there’d be interviews or something, never expecting that a simple word with the manager would secure her the job.
Getting hired so easily, was this bar even legitimate?
Vera said, "Alana you really do have a great look about you. Fancy joining me for
some part-time work? It’d be nice to have someone to keep an eye on things."
“And it’s not a long shift either, just from seven in the evening until two in the morning. Of course, you could work until dawn if you like. As I said, the more you put in, the more you earn. The longer you work, the more money you’ll make."
What she didn’t mention was that successfully referring someone to the bar earned a thousand-dollar commission.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have brought it up at the office.
“I see. But does one really earn hundreds or even thousands in a single night at that bar?"
Vera immediately replied, "Of course. It’s a high-end bar. The clientele are wealthy
young gentlemen who are very generous. Not only do you get your wages, but there are tips too. These tips don’t go to the manager, they’re all yours. What’s more, wages are paid daily. You get paid for every day you work, and you can leave whenever you want. No one will stop you."
“What about being harassed by customers?"
“Absolutely not. I told you it’s a respectable establishment. If a customer bothers you, you can call security or the manager. No one there will force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with."
Alana listened with growing interest. Besides, Vera was her colleague, a colleague wouldn’t deceive her.
Seeing Alana’s reaction, Vera guessed she was tempted. She asked first, "Alana, are you going to take it? If you are, you could come with me tonight. I’ll wait for you after my shift."
Alana pursed her lips, hesitating.
Vera couldn’t help but interject,
“Opportunities like this don’t come around twice. If you keep dithering, the bar might fill its roster before you know it, and then you’ll miss your chance."
Alana paused briefly before nodding. "All right.”
At the very least, she’d accompany Vera to the bar to assess the situation. If it proved untenable, she could always make a run for it later.
**************
Stephan was at his family house for dinner.
During the meal, his mother brought up the subject of arranged meetings every few minutes. She inquired about the Gordon family’s heiress, then the Brosnan family’s heiress.
Stephan grew thoroughly irritated by it all. After eating a little, he made an excuse to slip away.
Yet he did not return to his house, immediately.
For the moment he stepped into his house, the chaotic, fiery entanglement of the previous night would immediately coil around his mind, refusing to be shaken off. It left him restless and unsettled.
Upon hearing his friends were gathering that evening, he made his way to join them at the Charm nightclub.
*******
In the VIP Room.
Gary declined several friends’ invitations to play cards and took a seat beside Stephan.
He observed Stephan sitting with utmost solemnity, his expression profoundly deep, as if in deep meditation. Having been here for quite some time, he hadn’t uttered a single word.
“Hey, Steph, drop the act. Everyone’s playing cards. Fancy joining us?"
Stephan seemed completely uninterested, continuing to drink in silence.
Gary sighed inwardly. "Is something bothering you lately? I’ve noticed you drift off into your own thoughts all the time!"
Stephan took a sip of wine, his gaze fixed on a certain spot as he spoke softly, "Gary,
do you ever find yourself thinking about a woman? I don’t think it’s normal for anyone to think that much of another person.”
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