Chapter 1

Carolina's POV:

After an unsuccessful job hunt, I returned home and found my mother, Lilian Edmond, at the front door.

"You useless girl! You are 26 years old, yet you have no job or boyfriend. You cannot continue to eat in this house with us. Go back!" my mother yelled, standing by the door.

"Mom," I said, standing in front of her.

Mom was a 48-year-old woman of average height, with fair skin, blonde hair, and a curvaceous body. She wore a blue dress, while I was dressed in a faded yellow top, an old brown flared skirt, and a pair of black shoes. I held my old, worn-out black bag and stood silently in front of her.

"Carolina, you are not entering this house today. You better go back and look for a job. If you do not find one, then do not come home again. If your father and I had known that sending you to the university was a waste, we wouldn't have wasted our money and saved it for your younger siblings. How do you expect us to continue to feed a grown woman like you in this house? If you do not want to work, then remain outside!" My mother went back into the house, slamming the door in my face.

I stood outside speechless, looking at the closed door.

I had graduated with a first-class degree in business management, but so far, I had not been able to secure a good job. The city was tough, and finding a job as a graduate was challenging.

Well, my parents had five children, and I was the eldest sibling, having two younger sisters and two younger brothers. I was a 26-year-old woman, yet I had nothing serious going on in my life.

I turned to walk back to the road, knowing that my mother shouldered all our family responsibilities, as my father was just a deadbeat who didn't truly care. He came home to eat, and we might not see him for days.

As I stood by the roadside, I peered at the busy road, thinking of what to do next.

The time was after 8 pm on a Friday evening, and I had been to every agency shop in the area to apply for a job. Shutting my blue eyes, I reached for my phone in my black bag to contact my best friend, Lucy Campbell.

Lucy worked in a club, and I was sure she could help me get money to take care of my bills for the weekend.

"Hello, Lucy," I said, once she picked up her phone.

"Carolina. What's wrong?" Lucy asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as I noticed she was at work.

"I'm homeless. Can I come and stay at your place?" I asked, knowing she lived alone, and I was trying to fight back my sobs. Lucy and I had met during one of my frequent job hunts, and we had become close since then, as she was a graduate too.

"Why? What happened with your family again? Your mom threw you out? This is 8 pm. How can she send you away at night?" Lucy asked, sounding annoyed, and I tried not to sob.

"I can't blame her. The economic situation is too hard, and my Mom is trying her best. I need to get a job. If I can find any job for tonight, I don't mind doing it," I told her, sobbing at last.

"It's alright, Caro. Actually, I'm at work now. Can you come to The Blues Club? It's the biggest club and hotel in town. I'll try to speak to my boss to employ you. But you must quit speaking formal vocabulary and speak like a local like me. That way, my boss can employ you and take you seriously. Also, you must be friendly with the male clients. You'll have to endure their touch and how they interact with you," Lucy said.

"Really? I must do all this if I want to get the job. Will it involve kissing or get intimate?" I asked, my heart pounding.

"No. What's wrong with you, Carolina? You'll just have to put on a smiling face. Well, you know that you're a pretty woman, so some of the men might want to ask you out," she said, and I thought about it.

"I don't have any problem with that. What matters is that I earn money, even if it means selling my body. I feel like a failure right now," I told Lucy as I sobbed.

"It's okay, Caro. You're not a failure. Where are you? Start coming over. Do you have your transport fare, or should I lend you some money? Beside I don't have money to give you right now. My sister's wedding is next month, and I need to make preparations for it," Lucy said.

"Alright. I'll pay you back. Please, help me, Lucy. You're the only best friend I have," I told her, and she laughed over the phone with her contagious laughter.

"Don't mention that. I'm sure I'm not your only friend. Anyway, I'll send the money to you. Get here quickly," Lucy gave me a final ultimatum, and she knew how I had been trying to get a job with no success.

I sighed, pacing about the road, and I got a message alert of 5,000 from Lucy, and I smiled. The money was more than I needed, but I knew I had to pay Lucy back.

Looking ahead at the road, I hailed a taxi and told the driver, "To The Blues Clubhouse."

The taxi driver looked at me from head to toe.

"Are you sure you're going to the club dressed like this?" He eyed me suspiciously, and I frowned.

"Why? I'm going there to meet a friend of mine," I told him, and he shrugged.

"Get into the car. That's not my problem. But your bill is 1,500," the taxi driver said as I pulled the car door and entered the backseat.

"Why? Isn't it 500?" I asked him, and his eyes darkened.

"You can trek. Why get on a taxi?" he said to me coldly, and I frowned.

"It's fine. Take me to the club," I told him, and he nodded and started the car, driving off to The Blues Club.