Chapter 1

Julia POV

"Shit!!" I yelled particularly to no one.

"Language Julia," came a voice from inside. Standing at the door of my apartment, I hurriedly put on my shoes. "I’m late again, mama; what do you want me to say? My boss would definitely kill me." I yelled as I took my bag.

"I have told you not to sleep in the evening, but you listen to no one," Mama said. Taking the stairs two at a time, I reached the ground floor of my apartment building. 

I ran without carrying a bit if I crashed with anyone, or worse, with anything. I hailed a taxi because I wasn't able to catch the bus, and if I waited for the next bus, I would be more late than I already am.

My boss had warned me about my laziness, and I had a strong feeling that today would be my last day. I stand in front of the door to normalize my breathing, combing my fingers through my unruly black hair. Pushing open the back door of the club Louvre Sono, I rushed inside only to bump into something. 

Except, it wasn’t something, but more like someone. A well-built man standing 6’2 feet tall. I had to look up to see him. The dim lights cast an ethereal glow upon his chiseled features, etching his angular jawline with shadows that whispered of danger and intrigue. 

"Shit!" I cursed again, but this time to this well-built man in front of me. Thinking that he must be the new bouncer by the way his body looks. As Raul, my boss, had informed us that the last one had been replaced.

Mistaking him as a new bouncer I yelled, “Don’t you know the bouncer should be on the main gate, not at the back door.” The man in front of me frowned.

"Do I look like a bouncer to you." he answered, his deep voice made me quiver for a moment. I haven't heard such a commanding voice in a long time.

“Sure thing, and I'm not a dancer. Could you stand in front of the main door? Or I'd have to inform Raul that you’re not performing your job correctly." He was about to answer me when my co-worker voice made him stop.

“Julia, you're late again. Raul is getting angry, hurry up, your performance is in a few minutes.” she said. 

His lips curled into a half-smile, his gaze lingering on me for a moment longer before he turned away. "Find your way, sweetheart. You've got your own mess to handle," he said, his voice a mixture of mystery and nonchalance. Ignoring him, I brushed past him to go to the make-up room. Satisfied.

Raul looked up as soon as I entered the room. He was a short Italian man with a bald spot no one dared to mention. He had ties with bad people, so most of us stayed away from him, including me. But what can I do? He is still my boss. I ran up to him and apologized furiously, "I am so sorry, Raul. This is my last time, I swear!" I said. 

"Get to work, Julia; we'll talk about this after your performance," he remarked as he walked out the door. I let out a sigh. I'm in a lot of trouble.

Louvre Sono, the club where mostly elite people come to quench their thirst or lust. When I first came here, I didn't have a secure job. Who would give a person a job who didn’t even have her whole document with her? When I ran away from my home, I didn’t think that I would face this situation.

Growing up in a harsh environment made me a little indifferent to these situations. My father hated me because I was born a girl who wouldn't be able to be his illegal business successor. A son is needed; that's why he decided to marry other women, which makes my mother hate me.

But I still endured all this up to eighteenth year when all of my patience broke when father decided to sell me off to that man. I was lucky to get away from them. Living in the shadow so that my past does not come running to destroy me. Surviving in this city is not easy but with mama it becomes bearable.

I looked around for jobs but couldn’t find one. Totally heartbroken, I sat on the side of the road, crying my heart out. Mama, who sheltered me in her wings, was sick at that time. And I need money more than oxygen. I can’t let anything happen to her, as she is the only person who makes me feel loved. And when I was crying my heart out with tears coming out my eyes, carrying a bit as the people passed by, clearly thinking that I must be some mad girl, Raul was the only one who came to me and offered me a job.

At first, I was reluctant, but I needed money, so I put an option in front of him to make me a waitress or bartender. But no he totally ignored my options and put his own, making me a dancer particularly a pole dancer. And seeing my face, he chose the first sentence greedily, quoting, ‘Julia, you’re beautiful and talented; you’re not kept in the back but for the world to see your beauty.’ 

Dressed in my usual dance attire—a daring ensemble consisting of a lacy red bralette top and barely-there skinny shorts—I reluctantly donned the garments that seemed to define me on stage, whether I truly embraced them or not. My hair was meticulously pulled back into a high ponytail, a practical choice for the performance ahead.

As my name echoed through the venue, I made my way to the stage, whispering an encouraging mantra to bolster my spirits: "You can do this, Julia. Just another night, another performance."

With the flick of a switch, the lights dimmed, enveloping the space in darkness. Suddenly, a single spotlight illuminated me, casting a captivating glow upon my figure. The music started its enchanting journey, reverberating through the room, and the crowd erupted in a symphony of cheers and ecstatic shouts. Facing the wall, I gripped the pole, letting the rhythm guide my hips in a seductive sway.

Yet, amidst the intoxicating chaos, something peculiar unfolded. A palpable intensity, a gaze unlike any other, seemed to pierce through the darkness, gripping me to my very core. Desperate to identify the source of this unnerving fixation, I scanned the crowd, squinting against the shadows, but the mystery figure eluded my sight. Resolute, I decided to brush it off, pushing forward with my performance, determined not to let it hinder my artistry.

My dance ended, and I finally exhaled a sigh of relief. My shift was about to end, so I went backstage to change my clothes and remove all of this heavy makeup.

"Julia!..." Rubel shouted my name rather than calling it. 

"I'm in the changing room." I, too, yelled back at him. I was using a cotton pad to remove the thick make-up off my face.

"What happened? Why are you calling me?" I asked as I packed my belongings in the bag, seeing the clock on the room’s wall I sigh in relief that I could take the last bus home. I can save the taxi fare, yes!

"You have to entertain someone, he is a very special guest of my club," Raul stated, nearly pulling me outside as if I were a lifeless puppet with no will or life.

"What… NO… Raul. I'm not doing that; remember, I'm a dancer here. You can send someone else to him." I jerked my arm, yelling. Returning to the changing room.

"I'm the boss here, Julia; I can do that! Do you want to keep this job or not?" said Raul, showing off his club owner card. I wanted to yank every strand of his hair off his head, but no, for that, he should have had hair on his head in the first place.

"You can’t bend this stubborn girl, Raul. Talk to him and let me be his escort," said Natalie, who was silently watching the show standing in the corner of the room. I just don’t get it. What's her problem with me? Since the day I joined this pub, she always tried to put me on Raul's bad list. Raul ignored her comment as he grabbed my arm, pulling me into the other corner of the room.

"Please do this... Please help me. Just this time, Julia. I’ve helped you so many times. You just have to serve him a few drinks. I'll take care of the matter if he tries to do anything against your wishes." Raul practically begged me as I surrendered to his pleas. 

Although I don’t want to do it, he has helped me a lot. I nodded my head, and soon a relieved smile set on his face. Natalie stomped her foot like a child who didn’t get to eat her favorite lollipop. I changed into my usual clothes, grabbing the tray with a few drinks. I walked in the direction of the private room.