CHAPTER 03

Diminutive, tight, and messy room. That were the perfect words to describe the room where Catalina is. There were so many women around, busy in their own world and some of them didn't notice their presence but there's a lady greeted her when she came in with Janice. 

" Everyone, listen! " Janice clapped her hands to take everyone's attention. "We have a new companion here! Please, take care of her and it would be a great help if you share your experience in this job for her to be aware and have an idea of ​​what to do and should not do during work hours. Are we clear? "

Everyone answered and even smiled to greet her but seconds later, they eventually back into their own world. 

" Don't worry, they're just busy but they are approachable. Don't be ashamed of them and just feel at home, Catalina. " Janice tap her shoulder. " We'll open the club early so that means, prepare yourself now because your job is going to start later. "

She just slightly nodded because her eyes were still busy roaming around the room she was going to stay in. She didn't know how long she would stay here but she had no choice but to endure this kind of environment. 

" Hello, Sis! You're so pretty. What's your name? " Someone suddenly came to her after Janice left the room. She doesn't know any one of them but she thinks that she's not going to have a hard time socializing with them. 

" Catalina, " she answered, offering her right hand to give her a handshake but the girl just lauat her. 

" Gosh, why so formal? I prefer a cheek kiss, " she said, doing the cheek kiss with her. " Don't feel awkward with us. We are not a monster for you to be afraid of, we're not going to eat you—someone else will. "

She makes a face. " Excuse me? " 

" Don't make a face! I'm just kidding around, " she said, laughing her ass off but immediately stopped when Catalina seemed unimpressed. " Well, anyway, my name is Mariah. Nice meeting you, Catalina. Do you mind if I ask how old you are? "

" I'm twenty-six. How about you? "

" I'm thirty-one, " she answered, clinging to Catalina's hands to bring her outside of the room. " I've been stuck here for four years and counting. What about you? How long are you planning to stay here? I assumed you knew what kind of job you entered? "

" Definitely yes, but I'm not so sure how long I'll be here because my future is uncertain. "

" Oh, understandable. I've been there before. " Mariah stopped when they reached the veranda of the house. " Everyone's here has a deep reason why they choose this kind of job because yeah, we don't have a choice. "

" Actually, I have a choice but I chose to walk on my own. " Catalina smile bitterly. " I need money and a house to live in. I was also in debt and was evicted from the apartment where I lived because I could no longer pay my rent. "

" Wow, I like your positive thinking. Instead you sulking in a corner, you will take action to find a solution, " Mariah gives her a thumbs up. " I love that. You go, girl! "

She just shrugged. " No one will do it for me so I have to stand on my feet. "

Mariah narrowed her eyes at her. " Hmm, something's fishy. I don't know if I'm going to ask you a personal question, but don't you have a boyfriend or partner to help with your expenses? "

Catalina raised her left eyebrow. " I don't need a boyfriend or a partner. They're just going to be a burden. "

" Oh, wow. Didn't expect that kind of response, " she giggled, " but how about your parents? "

" They didn't care about me anymore. I had been away from my house for a long time, so I have nothing else to expect except myself. Being independent is not easy but somehow, this is the best decision I've ever made. "

Mariah clapped her hands. " Seriously, I admire your bravery but please, don't turn your heart into a stone."

Catalina gave her a plain smile as a response because she also doesn't want that to happen. She was already broken inside that's why she avoids people who might cause her to lose herself again.

***

Rostam and Lorenzo arrived in an abandoned building. They got off the car, preparing themselves for imminent danger ahead. Garbage bags are scattered on the ground and there's a lot of wild plants overgrown when they got inside the abandoned building. Some of the structures were about to break but they still sauntered, taking risks to see the person they looking for. 

" Boss, what's the plan? Perhaps there might be a trap inside this building. " Lorenzo asked, scanning the whole situation where they are. He's about to pull out his gun when Rostam stopped him. 

" We didn't need to hold a weapon, " he said and look up the stairs. " As long as they don't do anything to us, we will do nothing. This plan cannot be ruined. "

Lorenzo nodded in agreement before they went upstairs. They continue to wander around the abandoned building and take a careful step on every step of the stairs because someone might suddenly attack them.

When they reached the second floor, there was one closed door that took Rostam's attention. They came over and Lorenzo knocked three times but no one answered. He turned around to see Rostam, waited for a signal, and when he nodded, he pulled out his gun that he had always wanted to use and fired the doorknob so they could get inside.

The room was a mess and have a strong unpleasant smell but they didn't see anyone. There were a few bottles of alcohol and used cigarettes butts scattered on the ground because some of them were still smoky. 

" They seem to know we are coming—" Lorenzo didn't finish his sentence when he felt someone's presence from behind. He quickly moved away from where he was standing and was ready to shoot behind when he saw a man in a red uniform, carrying a large bag behind him.

" S-sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt! " the delivery man said with a trembling voice and raised arms. " I was about to deliver the foods in this location but seems like I got scammed. "

Lorenzo lowered his gun when he realized he almost shot an innocent person who just doing his job by delivering food. He apologized and tucked his gun into his waistband. 

" Again, I'm really sorry. Someone ordered from our restaurant and this is the exact address they gave so I just followed the map, but I think they've fooled me," he said in low spirits while he scratched his head and dropped the large bag he was carrying.

 

Lorenzo looked at his boss and he already knew they had the same thoughts. They can communicate through eye contact and it was a great helped when it comes to this kind of situation.

" Did they ordered a lot? " Lorenzo's ride on the fraud, looking at the bag. 

" Alas, they ordered a lot of foods. I rushed to make sure I will arrive early 'cause they said they're starving to death, " he casually said and looked at Rostam and Lorenzo who were looking at the bag he was carrying. He smiled. " The foods are still warm. Have a look at it. "

They didn't have a response yet he opened his bag and as expected, they found themselves under a rain of bullets. The two of them were able to hide at a table while the delivery man still trying to aim at one of them.

Rostam found an empty half bottle of alcohol. He quickly picked it up and searched for the right timing before throwing it away. He gives a signal to Lorenzo to get the man's attention to carry out his plan. Lorenzo immediately nodded at him and then moved to another table that caught the attention of the delivery man. Rostam took this chance to flame the empty half bottle of alcohol using the lighter he saw and quickly threw it into the man's place, shooting it out which caused a fire that immediately spread to his body.

A horrible hue and cry were released from the delivery man as he tried to kill the fire on his body which was slowly disappearing.

Rostam left his hiding place to confront the man who almost lost consciousness because of his experience of peeping through hell. Lorenzo helped the delivery man to sit in a chair so they could talk to him properly but before they asked, he spoke straight away. 

" You can't get an answer from me, " he said between gasping for breath, " If you're planning to kill me, do it now. You can't get anything from me. "

" Joseph Navar. " He froze when Lorenzo mentioned his name. " You have one child, a wife, and two mistresses—your wife's cousin and your daughter's teacher. Am I right? "

" F*ck, leave my family alone! "

" Which one of them? " Rostam asked, directly looking at his eyes. " You can only choose one, the rest will die. "

Joseph Navar didn't like what he heard yet he couldn't do anything so he just give him a dirty look and replied. " As expected, you're no different from your father either. You son of satan! "

Rostam smirked at him before picking up a piece of glass from the bottle he had thrown earlier. " You're actually wrong, because I'm more demonic than he is. "

He sarcastically laugh. " Well, you're right. You should be in hell right now, your father is just ahead but don't worry, you're going to follow him soon. "

Rostam's facial expression didn't change because what he heard is not new to him. Despite his calmness, he grabbed both of Joseph's cheeks using his left hand and ingest the piece of glass he had picked up earlier. He forced him to swallow it before releasing Joseph trying to vomit the pieces of glass but only blood was coming out of his mouth. 

Lorenzo didn't say anything because he was already used to it while Rostam walked out of the room after he watched Joseph Navar facing his death. 

In the organization in which they belong, honesty is the best policy but being honest may also bring you misfortune. Silence is a sign of loyalty, like when an outsider asked you about some information that shouldn't publicized, you wouldn't say anything no matter what difficulty you go through. You keep your mouth shut until your last breath. 

***

Catalina looked at herself in front of a cheval mirror, scanning herself from head to toe. She could hardly recognize herself because of the heavy makeup she wearing and the maid costume that parts of today's theme. 

" Oh wow, look at yourself! " Mariah says when she finished tying the black choker on her neck. " You look different—you look hot! "

" Isn't it too revealing? " Catalina places her hand on her chest, trying to cover her cleavage. Her long red hair was tied up using a single stick that's why she couldn't cover it with her hair. The skirt is too short even though she was wearing thigh-high socks and yes, she is uncomfortable with her outfit. 

" Yes, but don't worry about it. The more revealing clothes you wear, the more customers will give you gratuity. " Mariah tap her shoulder. " Don't forget to smile later, okay? Don't give them that face if you want money. You will get through this night. "

Catalina forced herself to smile. She voluntarily enter this kind of job yet she wanted to back out because the moment she dress up, she came to her senses. This is not her and this is not the future she looking for. 

" Sis, you got this. It's normal to be nervous because it's your first time, but once you earn,  you'll lose all your nervousness. Trust me, I've been there before, " said Mariah, thinking what encouragement Catalina needed to hear. " I wouldn't last four years here if their management was rotten. Just always remember my instructions to you, okay? If customer makes you uncomfortable, leave. "

She smiled and thanked Mariah for the reminders. Janice was right, Mariah was nice as well as the rest of her housemates. They repeatedly reminded her of her rights if ever some customer cross the line. 

" Okay girls, be ready! We'll start in five minutes! We have a lot of customers now and most of them are big-time, so do your best to entertain them, okay? " Janice announced, 

Catalina took a deep breath and looked around to see the girls that looks excited to get out backstage. Most of them seems very relaxed because they even have a casual conversation despite what they are going to do outside, while Catalina had her heart in her mouth when Janice finally give them a signal to get out.

" You got this, " she said to herself as soon as she saw the LED light flashing on the dance floor with the loud music that comes from the DJ located on the side and front of the stage. There were a lot of people especially on stage, singing at the top of their lungs and dancing as if it was their last. Some people have their own world on the table who are busy drowning themselves with alcoholic drinks. 

" Catalina, let's serve at table thirty. " Someone tapped her shoulder and she immediately followed her to pick up the drinks and food they would take to the aforementioned table.

" Hey baby, " as soon as they served the table, there's a jerk randomly putting his arm over her shoulder. She didn't say anything but inside her mind, she wanted to twist his arm.

" You f*cker! Let me remind you that you have a girlfriend! " Someone from the table shouts at him but they're all just laughed. She couldn't figure out whether his friends were serious about reminding him having a girlfriend or they just riding his bullsh*t.

" Baby, stay here for a minute, " the jerk grabs her hands when she's about to leave the table. Catalina looked at her companion but she was already sitting at the other side of the table. She had no choice but to sit next to the jerk who was so excited to be with her. 

Almost everyone at this table seems thirsty for attention because of their loud voice that attracts attention to other tables. They chatted together until someone suggested to play a game. 

" Baby, what do you want to play? " the jerk asked, giving her the shot glass with tequila in it. 

" It's up to you, I don't like playing, " she said and did not hesitate to accepts it by drinking tequila without a chaser. 

The people at the table seemed surprised by what she did but she just ignore them, going with the flow. 

" Oh wow, you don't like playing? By all means, you want to have a serious conversation with me, am I right? " he chuckled, " Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't want a serious relationship right now. Nevertheless, I can make you moan my name in bed 'cause I'm only good at it. "

" No, thanks. I'm not interested, " she said, forcing herself to smile even though she wanted to knock out of him. 

" Oh come on, I know you want this. I know you want to f*ck me and so am I! Don't be shy, you'll surely enjoy it! "

Catalina's eyebrows raised, " Oh, really? How can you be so sure about that? You're short, so I believe that you have a cute and adorable pee-pee. How can you make me moan with that small thing? "

No one tried to speak after what she said. Everyone was so shocked, unable to move and unable to react. She took this chance to got up and she was ready to march off when the jerk beside her pulled her nape.

" You b*tch! " before she reacted, he kiss her aggressively. Suddenly she felt an electric shock run through her body, she froze and was unable to move but when she felt his hands touching her body, she eventually came back to her senses and kicked his balls which cause him to scream in agony. 

" Go to hell, you freak! " Catalina raised her middle finger before she walked away and wiped her mouth. She ignored the people who witnessed what she had done while walking straight to the restroom. 

She stayed for a while to calm herself down. She lost her temper and wanted to skin him alive. Mariah had already warned her that there was a possibility that she would have experience this kind of profanity, but she still couldn't help but to feel upset. This is not what she wants to experience every day. She didn't want this kind of nightmare.

" Catalina! " Mariah run towards her when she came out of the bathroom. " Gosh, I've been looking for you! Come on, Mamita wanted to talk to you right now. It's urgent. "

As soon as she heard it, she already knew why she was being called. It's about what she did earlier and this is probably her last night working in the nightclub. 

" I heard you were looking for me, " she said when she get inside the room where Janice was. She was expecting a disappointed expression but surprisingly, Janine was grinning from ear to ear.

" Oh my goodness, Catalina! You did the right thing! " Janice hugged her tightly. " I'm so lucky to have you and also glad that you choose to work here! "

" Whoa, okay? What is this all about? "  she asked, bewildered. 

Janice broke apart from the hug and handed her a white thick envelope. " There's one customer impressed with what you did earlier and that is his tip for you! "

" Huh? But—"

" I know, I know. This is weird and that was exactly my reaction earlier, but he insisted. " Janice clapped her hands. " And you know what? He's hot and smells fantastic!  Unfortunately, I forgot to ask his name but dang, you already have a secret admirer and he's a big-time! I'm so happy for you! "

Catalina couldn't figure out the reaction she had to express after what she had heard and she was even more puzzled when she saw the contents of the white envelope—a huge amount of money. 

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