Chapter 2

Lily’s POV

I stood at the entrance of the private VIP room on the second floor of Skyline, feeling like even breathing had become difficult. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. I should have been downstairs, dancing with the girls.

I looked around, adjusting to the new environment. I had been working here for six months, but I had never been in this room before. For some reason, this place was strictly off-limits and heavily guarded. It was obvious that the second floor was reserved for important business, as security personnel were everywhere. I saw many unfamiliar faces, knowing that the situation had escalated. I should have never seen them.

"Oh my, Lily, calm down. You're shaking," Jade said, gently running her fingers through my chestnut hair. She always noticed my unease.

I hadn't even realized I was trembling until she mentioned it.

"Just serve them drinks and snacks. We don't need to dance or do anything else. It's just service," Olivia explained gently, but her reassurance only made me more fearful.

She leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "Remember the most important rule, Lily. Whatever you hear in that room stays in that room. If anyone says or does anything there, don't react, let the security handle it. Understand?"

What is heard in the room stays in the room. These words were not unfamiliar to me; they showed me how it worked. Everyone knew the Sullivan family were not just businessmen running nightclubs, but a mob, if that was the right term. Deep down, I knew that doing something wrong, drinking the wrong drink, or doing anything slightly foolish was almost a daily routine for me, like walking on thin ice.

"It's easy money to be made, we don't even need to do much. Just breathe and relax, Chipmunk," Olivia sighed, as if I had already exhausted her, but I couldn't help it. These girls might have gotten used to it.

Easy money? Easier said than done. All I had to do was make sure nothing fell.

"Come on, girls, let's go," a familiar man suddenly spoke up. He was dressed in a suit, tall and muscular, with a shaved head. My gaze involuntarily fell on the gun peeking out at his waist, and my body immediately tensed.

Pull yourself together, Lily. Of course, he has a gun—you knew what you were getting into, even though I’ve been working under a mafia-controlled club all this time and still get scared to death whenever I see a gun.

My heart was pounding non-stop.

"Hey, Chipmunk, don't you usually work downstairs?" the guy walked towards me, coming closer to look at my face.

Nathan's henchman? How did he know my nickname? Did Nathan tell him? Shit! This couldn't have happened!

"Y-yes," I stammered, trying to force a smile.

He reached out his hand to me. "I'm James, don't be afraid. I'm here to protect you," he gestured to his gun, as if it would reassure me.

"Lily, right?" he confirmed.

I nodded, pretending to smile, but screaming inside. Suddenly, several men in suits, including the Sullivan brothers, walked into the room and headed straight for the big table. I felt dizzy. Fortunately, there was only glass between us, so they couldn't see us.

"Are you okay?" James asked, noticing my pale face. I was almost pleading with him to take me away from here.

He frowned, looking at me. "It's strange. Richard told us not to touch you or even come near you, and yet he brought you here... I don't understand, especially for such an important meeting."

"Richard had to leave at the last minute. Derek brought her here," Olivia explained.

"That makes sense," James nodded, as if that explained everything.

Each of us was assigned a tray. Jade and Olivia got trays with various appetizers, while I was in charge of champagne. Of course, I got the task that was most likely to go wrong, which only made me more nervous.

I followed Jade and Olivia, completely at a loss.

"Follow my lead," Jade whispered, grabbing my shorts to stop me and line up. "Relax, it's just like downstairs with us."

I nodded, trying to keep the tray balanced, wondering why Derek had singled me out to be here. I didn't want to attract any attention.

When Nathan walked in, my heart almost stopped. Behind him was his right-hand man and cousin, Michael Sullivan. Unlike Nathan, Michael was warm and always smiled at everyone who passed by, so my nervousness eased a bit.

As Nathan sat down, the whole room fell silent, his presence suffocating.

I would be lying if I said he wasn't charming; this man was simply divine. His beautiful almond-shaped green eyes matched his soft fair skin. His thick dark brown hair complemented his perfectly shaped eyebrows, and even in a suit, I could still notice his fit physique.

"Don't stare at the boss. Are you crazy?" Jade whispered in my ear, interrupting my thoughts. I immediately followed her lead. Jade was right. What was I thinking at that moment? Did he see me?

I immediately lowered my head, hoping he hadn't noticed me staring at him. It was too embarrassing, especially after that night.

"So, Nathan, shouldn't your brothers be hosting this meeting? I'm sure Richard wouldn't be crazy enough to let a twenty-three-year-old handle this business meeting," one of the men joked, nudging the man next to him, while the other looked at Nathan, waiting to see his reaction. I discreetly glanced at Nathan, hoping he would get angry, but he looked surprisingly calm.

"My father chose me, so I'm hosting this business meeting, not my brothers," Nathan replied calmly, his voice carrying undeniable authority.

All the terms they used were very confusing to me. I stood there, my legs starting to numb, trying to keep the tray balanced. Time passed by, my arms becoming more and more sore. How long did they expect me to hold this tray?

I took a deep breath, focusing elsewhere. All I could do was wait for time to pass, from counting the cards to counting the seconds on the clock.

"It'll be over soon," Jade whispered in my ear, giving me an encouraging smile.

Suddenly, William raised his voice, "Get these men some drinks!"

I froze in place until Olivia gently pushed me to prevent me from losing balance. "That's you, with the drinks."

That's right. I was the one with the drinks.

I carefully circled the table, serving champagne to everyone, trying to avoid eye contact. I had resolved not to make eye contact with anyone, moving around the table to offer each person a cup of coffee, which was crazy for me. So far, everything was going well. When I had only two cups left, I suddenly felt dizzy. Unfortunately, my hand trembled slightly, spilling some champagne on a man's suit.

"What are you doing? Apologize!" William said sternly, his tone startling me - you didn't want to upset him, he was a well-known perfectionist.

"I-I'm s-sorry," I stammered, trying to wipe his suit with a napkin. Tears were welling up in my eyes, feeling ashamed.

But the man just grabbed my hand, smiling and said, "Don't worry. It's just a suit."

I looked up at him in surprise, realizing he looked around my age, with a friendly glint in his eyes.

Nathan suddenly cleared his throat, and I blushed, lowering my head. I turned to face him, carefully placing down his champagne.

Just as I was about to leave, he suddenly grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer so he could move his lips to my ear. "Are you okay?" he whispered softly, a hint of concern in a tone I had never heard before.

His touch reminded me of that night, and I quickly pulled away from his grasp, keeping my distance from him, nodding in response. I stood frozen in place, until I noticed Jade's pleading eyes for me to return to my position.

"Are you okay?" After returning to my spot, Jade asked with concern.

I could only nod. Almost fainting from nerves was embarrassing enough; I didn't need any more attention.

Although Jade assured me that it would be over soon, it was not the case. Minutes turned into an hour, and I even started to complain. It all became ridiculous. I noticed that Nathan and the tolerant man in the suit seemed to get along well. Seeing Nathan smile was strange, but the mysterious man showed me that he was fully capable of doing so.

The man seemed to notice me looking at him, winking at me, and I immediately looked away, feeling even more embarrassed. I knew it was too late to assume I hadn't slept with the boss, but I didn't want to be involved with these people in any way. Even better - I didn't even want them to know my name.

Paying the bills was my only concern.

It felt like hours had passed, and when the meeting finally ended, I almost wanted to cheer. Everyone began to prepare to leave, and I kept my head down, hoping to slip away unnoticed.

Suddenly, I saw a pair of shoes stop in front of me. Looking up, I saw Michael, frowning with concern. "I'm sorry, but are you sure you're not feeling unwell?" He placed his hand on my forehead, as if checking for a fever.

I tried to hide my blushing face, replying, "I'm fine." I wished the floor would crack open and swallow me whole.

"It's okay. I almost fell asleep too," James joked, putting his arm around Michael's shoulder. The two started teasing each other, and the other girls joined in, eager for their attention.

But my attention was drawn to the other side of the room. Nathan leaned against the door, arms crossed, looking displeased. He stared directly in our direction, his gaze icy.

He cleared his throat, and everyone immediately quieted down, looking at him.

"James, take the girls back, Michael, come to my office," he said in an annoyed tone, then turned and left.

Michael immediately obeyed his cousin's command, nodding at us before following Nathan.

"I suppose I should take you all back now," James said, leading us out of the room.

Jade wrapped her arm around my waist, asking with concern, "Did you skip a meal? You look like you could pass out at any moment."

In truth, I felt terrible, but if you felt unwell, you couldn't work, and I also didn't have money, so I shrugged, nodding to her. "I'm fine. I'm just a little nervous, that's all," I lied, not wanting to worry her.

Jade gave me a skeptical look but still held me tightly. "Good, because I need my best friend to work with me."

The next day, I rushed into the bathroom for the fourth time, dropping to my knees in front of the toilet and retching. This was the fourth time today, and I hadn't even eaten anything yet. The nausea was like my soul being ripped from my body. When I finally lifted my head, I saw Jade standing at the doorway, her face filled with concern. She had come to my house today to watch movies together.

"Are you feeling unwell again?" Jade leaned against the door frame and asked.