Chapter 2: Escape

Hehe, she's even from the same hometown as me. So, where is this? That slum in Bucks County?

Zoe Perkins found a mirror and took a look. Her mouth instantly dropped open. This woman was stunningly beautiful!

There are many types of beauty in women. Some are cute and innocent, like the later very famous Emma Watson, who falls into this category.

Some have an elegant aura, like the Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn—graceful, noble, and fresh, with immense charm.

Zoe was in no way inferior to Audrey Hepburn. At the age of nineteen, without any makeup, she had an extraordinary aura. If the mirror were to pull back a bit, her exquisite figure with its graceful curves would come into view. To be honest, if Zoe had had the chance in her previous life to be with such a beauty, she would have been willing to trade ten years of her life for it.

Although the room was messy, there was no one else around. Zoe glanced around and then reached her hand under the hem of her tight sweater, pushing aside her bra. Her fair and plump breasts were soft and full. As she massaged her nipples, a tingling sensation immediately spread throughout her body.

“Hiss...” Zoe Perkins sucked in a breath of cold air, squinted her eyes, and was just about to unfasten her belt when she suddenly noticed a stack of A4-sized printed and bound documents on the table.

Zero Hour Nightclub Employee Training Manual with Zoe's name written below it.

She flipped through the manual, and each rule made her break out in a cold sweat.

First, one must enter and exit through the main back door and is prohibited from using the front door designated for guests.

Second, during working hours, employees are to use the staff restroom and are not allowed to use the guest restroom.

Third, when dealing with intoxicated customers, one should know the limits, with the primary goal of stimulating alcohol sales...

There were no less than twenty such rules listed, which clearly indicated that this was a nightclub hostess.

This woman was so beautiful, yet she turned out to be a materialistic girl working in a nightclub. It was quite a desperate situation. It's fine if you lack talent, but now you've dragged me into this mess too!

Zoe quickly checked her body and then let out a slight sigh of relief. Her hymen was still intact, which meant she was probably new to the trade. Fortunately, her luck held; otherwise, contracting a sexually transmitted disease would have been quite a joke.

Zoe had no memories of the original owner, but judging by her appearance, she might have been a key trainee for the nightclub!

This line of work has always been easy to get into but difficult to leave. Zoe had heard of Zero Hour Nightclub in her previous life.

In Bucks County, there aren't many entertainment venues because the area isn't very wealthy. Both the criminal underworld and the authorities have connections with Zero Hour Nightclub. Even officials often patronize the place. From its opening until its closure in 2009, there were no known instances of anyone causing trouble at Zero Hour Nightclub and getting away unscathed.

Such a place is ruthless and unforgiving. It's easy to get in but hard to get out, especially for someone with connections like this. Zoe was breaking out in a cold sweat, with only one thought in mind: to leave as quickly as possible.

She shouldn't stay here any longer. She hastily packed her belongings. Under the bed, there was a large bag filled with clothes and pants. Upon careful inspection, she found over a hundred dollars. How poor!

After haphazardly packing her things and just about to make her escape, she suddenly heard voices from outside the door. It was a few women talking.

"Zoe? What's wrong? Are you leaving?" Two women entered from outside; they must have been her roommates. One of them, with dyed hair, asked in surprise.

Zoe couldn't even remember their names. She simply nodded, remained silent, and as she passed by, the woman with dyed hair grabbed her hand and asked, "What's the matter? Speak up. Did someone bully you? Or should I call Magnus? You can talk to him if there's an issue."

Zoe's heart was pounding. Magnus must be someone from the nightclub. If he showed up, her cover would be blown!

She suppressed her panic. Since this woman with dyed hair knew someone from the nightclub, she was likely arranged by the club to live together with her and the other rather innocent-looking girl.

"I don't want to stay in Bucks County anymore. I've heard there's a strip club in Washington called Club X. I'm not bad-looking, so I thought I'd try my luck there!"

Club X is a foreign-funded enterprise that was already well-known beforehand, with a complex background. It was funded by Mexican gangsters, industrial company owners, and film studio bosses, making it an extremely famous nightclub in the United States.

The woman with dyed hair looked Zoe up and down. "You haven't even learned to walk yet, and you're already thinking of running away. What if you don't get lucky? Are you going to sleep on the streets? Listen to me..."

Ignoring the woman with dyed hair, Zoe turned to the other innocent-looking girl and said, "Will you come with me? I'll cover the travel expenses. I've heard that the place is very lucrative. What big achievements can you expect from such a poor and broken-down place like Bucks County? There, you can easily earn a thousand dollars in tips just by accompanying drinks!"

At that time, the basic wage for workers was only a little over six hundred dollars a month. A thousand dollars in one night was definitely a sky-high price.

The innocent girl pursed her lips, her eyes brightening a bit. Washington, the capital— who wouldn't want to go and see it, especially when Zoe offered to pay for the travel expenses?

The woman with dyed hair cut in directly, "Don't listen to her nonsense..."

Zoe guessed that Magnus probably wasn't nearby and didn't mince words: "We're already in this line of work. Don't you want to get out of this small place? Don't you want to try to make big money? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I'm definitely going!"

After a few exchanges with the woman with dyed hair, it was finally Zoe's depiction of a bright future that won over the innocent girl. She nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go with you. You promised to cover the travel expenses!"

They quickly packed their bags and came out. The innocent girl said, "I actually wanted to leave today. If it weren't for Lilith persuading me, I would have left long ago!"

"Hehe, she's keeping us here just to get a cut of the profits. It's definitely not for our benefit!" Zoe exhaled deeply as she emerged from the cramped tenement building, pulling the girl around the corner and suddenly stopping. "Oops, I forgot my ID card inside. I'll go back to get it. You head to the train station and wait for me!"

The innocent girl's lips moved, but Zoe spoke first, "You go ahead. Check how much the train tickets cost and get in line for the cheaper ones. I'll find you once I get my ID card."

Then, without waiting for the girl's reaction, Zoe turned and strode away. The woman with dyed hair might call Magnus and wait for her at the train station since she knew Zoe was heading to Club X in Washington to develop her career.

However, Zoe was just bluffing. As for the innocent girl, she deserved to be deceived for being so gullible!

Of course, it's also possible that Zoe was overthinking things. A big nightclub like Zero might not even bother with them, two newbies. If that were the case, then she wished the innocent girl well in her future endeavors in this line of work.

Turning the street corner, Zoe hailed a taxi, "To 123 Maple Avenue."