Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The two men were chatting, occasionally laughing, but it was clear that the middle-aged man was trying to please the other. Emma was spacing out when Hina gently tugged at her, signaling her to help pour the wine.

Their job was simple: after cleaning up, they would pour drinks and wait quietly in the room for further instructions. They didn’t need to engage in any physical contact with the guests.

Maybe due to the pressure and fear, Emma's forehead began to sweat, her eyes avoided wandering, and her hands trembled as she tried to hold the expensive wine bottle steadily. However, it was clear that the wine splashed slightly as she poured. Hina noticed but only bit her lip and silently prayed they would both make it out of the room safely tonight.

Damien glanced at the wine spilled on the table, then raised an eyebrow at the one who poured it. Just that single glance made the middle-aged man named Allen fall silent, and Hina, standing opposite, felt her heart skip a beat.

Emma’s hands trembled as she didn’t know what to do. She held the bottle tightly and stepped back a few paces, bowing her head, not daring to look up at anyone. She tried to calm herself down, but couldn’t. All she could do was tightly press her lips together and wait for punishment.

But after a few seconds, nothing happened. Damien continued looking at Emma but said,

“Mr. Allen, I don’t recall telling you to stop. Don’t you want to continue?”

Hearing that, Allen quickly continued speaking. This wasn’t the first time he had discussed business with Damien, but it was the first time Damien hadn’t shown his “twisted” side. Anyone who had dealt with Damien knew he was a sadistic and perverted man to the point of being terrifying.

Emma wasn’t the first to tremble and spill wine on the table. It seemed like a minor issue—perhaps just worth a few scoldings—but in the past, Damien had instructed his bodyguards to drag people out and beat them, regardless of gender.

Allen secretly glanced at Damien, then at the trembling young girl, feeling a flicker of pity. But that pity stayed only in his heart—he didn’t dare show it, for fear of being dragged into trouble.

Damien was not a normal man. Most people knew that. He might seem friendly in conversation one moment, but the next, at the slightest displeasure, he could turn cold and cruel. That’s why every meeting with Damien felt so scared to Allen, just want to end it quickly

Not daring to pause, Allen continued discussing the upcoming project. Hina couldn’t understand why the Boss kept staring at Emma. With his cold and emotionless face, it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“Sir…”

“Finished?” Damien finally withdrew his gaze from Emma.

Allen gave a flattering smile. “Yes, is there anything you’re dissatisfied with? I’ll revise it right away.”

“No need. Just proceed as is. You may leave,” Damien gestured with a flick of his hand.

The room fell silent again. Emma hadn’t dared look up the entire time. When she heard the door close, she thought everything was over. But just as she lifted her eyes, she met the Boss’s gaze—he was staring at her. Emma immediately bowed her head again.

Damien raised his eyebrow and turned to Hina. “Who is that? A new hire?”

Hina didn’t dare hide anything from the Boss and truthfully replied,

“She… she’s May Lee’s daughter. Her name is Emma Lee. Today is her first day… she’s a waitress, sir.”

“Oh, I was wondering why someone so clumsy would be working at Nyxeria. So she’s new,” Damien let out a faint chuckle that made Hina’s skin crawl.

Hina had no idea what the Boss was planning. But even if he did do something, she couldn’t stop him. All she could do was keep praying, her eyes filled with sympathy for Emma.

But things didn’t go the way Hina expected. The Boss stood up and indifferently left the room. “Clean this up.”

Only after Damien had walked far away did Hina go over to Emma, who was still trembling in the corner. Just a few words from the Boss had left her breathless. Even though he hadn’t done anything, his overwhelming presence had drained all the color from Emma’s face. She just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.

“Are you alright? I know it’s your first day, but it was just pouring wine—why were you so careless? Maybe it’s because he was in a good mood tonight that he didn’t have you beaten. If this happens again, I’m afraid…”

Emma stared at Hina in shock. She was new and had just made a small mistake. It wasn’t anything serious. She didn’t understand and softly asked,

“Beaten? Why…? I was just a bit careless…”

“Yes, you were just careless. And there were many before you who were just as careless. All of them were dragged out by his bodyguards and beaten. Sometimes, if the mood struck him, he’d even beat them himself right there. The ‘carelessness’ you mentioned can be paid for in blood,” Hina said bitterly, though she only dared to whisper it to Emma.

Thinking about the possibility of being beaten to death or crippled next time, Emma’s face turned pale. Suddenly, she remembered Hina once said that as long as she hadn’t signed a contract, she could still leave this place. Tonight could just be considered a trial shift. Emma tried to comfort herself, but Hina’s words kept echoing in her ears.

“What should I do…” Emma whispered to herself.

Hina wasn’t trying to scare Emma; she was just telling the truth. Who would have known that on her very first day, Emma would be assigned to clean the private room of the Boss?

As a mid-level manager at the bar and the one responsible for training newcomers, Hina had witnessed countless horrific things. The only rule in this bar was hiring people over eighteen years old — apart from that one regulation showing some regard for human rights, most activities here were inhumane.

And Emma wasn’t even sixteen yet — far too young and naive to survive in such a filthy environment.

Emma was allowed to leave early. Before leaving, she saw her mother embracing and kissing a strange man. She couldn’t understand why her mother kept doing things like this — why must it be this kind of job?

Her first day of work had already exhausted her to the point where she felt like collapsing on the street. She forced herself to walk home step by step.

She didn’t know how much time had passed. By the time she arrived home, it was already early the next morning. Now it was the afternoon, and her mother still hadn’t come back. Emma didn’t want to care anymore, but her heart couldn’t stop worrying. Normally, her mother would return by eight or nine in the morning at the latest. Something was definitely wrong today.

Emma called her mother’s number many times, but no one answered. She gripped the phone tightly, biting her lip. “I don’t want to go back to that place again… but Mom…” She could no longer bear the anxiety and fear. Emma decided to go to the bar from last night to look for her mother.

But before she could even reach the door, it suddenly swung open. May, wearing a bright, cheerful smile and draped in expensive designer jewelry, walked out. Behind her were two tall men in elegant suits escorting her. Seeing her mother transformed into a completely different person left Emma momentarily unable to recognize her.

“Mom… Why are you…?” Emma didn’t know what to ask first.

May quickly entered the house, her eyes lighting up as she looked at Emma. “Sweetheart, you’re truly my lucky star. Did you with Hina clean the Boss’s private room last night?”

Emma nodded slightly, but what did that have to do with anything?

“This morning, the Boss called me into his private room. He wants me to be his wife. We’ve made it, we’re rich now! Why are you still standing there? Hurry up, we’re moving into your new daddy’s mansion!” The more May spoke, the more excited she became. She had originally planned to go straight to his mansion and never come back to this place.

To May, there was nothing here worth taking. But the Boss made it clear: she had to bring her daughter. Since May had once worked as a high-end escort, many people knew about her and her daughter. To avoid anyone mentioning her lowly past, it was mandatory to bring Emma along.

Emma couldn’t believe what her mother was saying. She had only just met the Boss last night — barely even saw his face — and now her mother was supposedly his wife? But no matter what, it meant Emma could finally leave this place. If her mother became the Boss’s wife, surely she wouldn’t have to do that kind of work anymore.

Emma turned to go pack her things, but her mother stopped her with an annoyed look. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I need to bring—”

“There’s no need to bring anything. From now on, we’ll buy everything new. Those cheap things aren’t worth taking with us.”

Under her mother’s urging, Emma got into the car with her and the two bodyguards. It was her first time riding in a luxury car, so she sat nervously and awkwardly. She stole glances at the two bodyguards, then looked at her mother, who wasn’t paying her any attention and was completely absorbed in her new phone.

Soon, the car arrived at the gates of a grand mansion. Emma looked at the huge mansion ahead, then glanced down at her wrinkled clothes. Although they were clean and smelled fresh, they were old, faded clothes bought many years ago — making her look utterly poor.

An elderly butler with a stern expression, icy eyes, and an emotionless tone stepped out to greet them.

“I am the butler here. You may call me Alfred. I received Mr. Thorne’s orders early. Please, follow me — your rooms have already been prepared. Mr. Thorne is busy and cannot return immediately.”

Upon hearing that, May frowned in displeasure and asked, “You prepared a room for me? I’m Damien’s wife — of course, I should sleep in the same room as him.”

But Alfred didn’t respond to May’s question. Instead, he furrowed his brows and warned coldly, “Please refrain from calling Mr. Thorne by his name directly — unless you wish to be replaced by another woman.”