ch. 2 | MARK OUR WORDS

"Hello?"

I answered a customer's phone call. I was at the nightclub, working another shift, just the usual day, drunk customers, people stomping and dancing to the music, some probably making out at the corner of the club, and music pounding through my chest as there was a mix of red and purple lights everywhere.

"Yes, I'll inform the manager," I said nonchalantly and hung up. Another customer requested the reserved ordered beverages, which I was already used to, so I just did what I always did, informed my manager, delivered the right drinks, and returned to my shift, serving customers. It's almost like a cycle.

Placing the drinks on the tray, I walked to the tables as I was serving some customers. My typical uniform consisted of a black plain t-shirt and a pleated skirt, but an apron that reached above my knees covered it all.

"Here's your order, sir," I said as I placed the drinks on their table.

"Allura," a feminine voice called me. I turned around and went back to the counter. It was one of my closest friends at the nightclub who is also working as a waiter.

"Mai, what is it?" I replied as I was doing my job, wiping the wine glasses, and making drinks as I was placing each of them carefully on the tray.

"Some customers ordered from the VIP lounge." She said as she was looking at the entrance list papers of each customer. My jaw dropped as I heard the word VIP lounge.

"That lounge?" I gasped, I felt nervous and anxious entering there, because of the fact, that I've also been working for years, yet I never get to even step inside or take a glance, because they were reserved for the city's upper echelon, mostly politicians, artists, public figures, and well-served VIPs. Furthermore, only high-ranking nightclub personnel and reserved personal strippers are authorized to enter. It was understood though, simply because this nightclub is the largest and well-known in the city.

"Damn, what if I was mistaken as a stripper? I'm only a waiter. I can't just enter there." I grumbled, but still, I decided to finally take the job.

"Yup, good luck." Mai patted my back as she handed me the orders of those customers. Before walking away, she sent me a thumbs up and a wide good luck smile.

Picking up the paper, my eyes nearly sprang out of their sockets as I read the list of orders. They were all limited-edition, high-priced products from the menu.

"Who the fuck are these customers?"

I took a deep breath.

With a tray in my other hand, I knocked on the door, which was the VIP lounge. It was located on the highest floor of the club.

Even the door itself looked expensive, with diamond embellishments at the side, and a platinum design.

The door opened and there the air thickened with tension.

Standing at the door, all of them turned their heads and turned their attention to you.

Their piercing eyes were like daggers aiming at me, and a dark, heavy aura radiated off of them, making my heart race and making me unable to move due to the tension.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" One bodyguard snapped my attention, coming back to my senses. I bowed to them as I moved in front of the table to lay the beverages and food, but I never dared to make eye contact with them, fearing what I might see.

I felt like prey in a den full of hungry predators. I could feel their gazes on me as I bent to pour the glass of wine into each glass, my hands trembling slightly, which they noticed.

Taking a quick final glance, I spotted four men sitting on each corner of the large round velvet couch with a black marble table in the center, where I was standing and serving the food.

And then, having finished serving them and bowing, I walked to the door to exit till someone spoke up, his raspy voice resonating throughout the room.

"Leaving already? I thought waiters would serve us and stay here?"

Eyes widened, I turned around and faced them, their stares never left me, and I walked over to them, gulping.

"Yes, sirs? Is there anything you need?" I asked them. One man raised his brows at me which I noticed so keenly.

"Wait for us to finish, of course, aren't you trained yet?" One man chuckled. I scrunched up my nose from the response. He has a black mullet, wolf cut, which I glimpsed first from his appearance.

"Want us to train you, yeah?" Another man said with his narrowed slanted-like eyes and his hair was in a low bun.

I admitted to myself that their looks can be commendable, but their intimidation and aura were too much to handle. I'd say the first impression of them isn't quite good. They have such cocky, arrogant demeanor!

"No, thank you." I began to walk away, irritated by their blunt and smug feedback on my work, until I heard a gun click, which brought my body to a halt.

My eyes widened with horror, I turned around to see that one man with the mullet, wolf haircut leaning lazily on the couch, his head tilted and smirking, staring at me while twirling the gun around his long fingers as if it wasn't a heavy metal weapon, obviously showing you that he had a gun with him.

"Where are you going?" He clicked his tongue as his grin faded, his face turning serious. "Didn't we say to stay here?"

Not wanting to risk my life, one of them pats the seat, and I cautiously walked over to the large velvet couch and sat next to them, my hands on your lap. I didn't dare to move a single muscle. My eyes never met theirs as my gaze was on the floor.

I mean who wouldn't? A man with a gun and their words were basically menacing, plus the two mysterious men at on both of my sides who didn't even utter a single word, who wouldn't be scared and wary of their surroundings?

It's apparent how they secretly smirked and loved how I changed in a matter of seconds, noticing my subtle movements.

I glance at the corner of my eyes, beside me is a man who's wearing glasses, his eyes are droopy, and he is leaning on the couch, one foot on his other knee, sipping a glass of wine.

While the other man on my left had short, slicked-back hair and a drowsy look on his face, he was manspreading on the couch, getting all of the space. The two men alongside me were almost identical and had the same aura, but the one on the left was the calmest and wore a lazy smile on his face.

Well, at least that's what I thought.

It was difficult to sit in between them, especially because the man in front of me, the mullet, wolf cut man, who is what you call now, with a gun, might pull the trigger at any moment.

"How long have you been working here?" He asked.

My brows knitted as I raised my head and stared at him. Asking that question? Pft, I didn't even say my name for some reason, but on the other hand, if I lied, they might track me down, especially because I'm an employee here and it is easy to find my identity.

"Months," you simply answered.

"Hm," the man at your left hummed as he drank the glass of wine.

"Get out." The man on my right gestured with his hand for the bodyguards to leave the room, startling me a little. I looked at the man on my right, my face worried, but he didn't look at me, his gaze fixed forward, and I could see his side profile perfectly from that angle.

"Let's start, shall we?"

Hours had passed, the four men were simply talking about the usual business matters that I was unfamiliar with, and I was sitting beside them, doing nothing. This is fucking boring. 

I sighed and rolled my eyes.

When one of them noticed me, he placed his glass of wine on the black marble table with a loud clank.

"Someone's getting bored." He whistled. The guy with the short, slicked-back hair.

"If you guys are done, then I'll take my leave. I still have a lot of customers to serve." I hesitantly said, finally getting the courage to let out those words.

I stood up from the couch, stunning everyone, as the man with mullet hair lifted his brows while he peered at me with a you're-not-going-anywhere face.

"Shouldn't you be serving us, isn't that your job?" He asked with a smirk, provoking you.

"Excuse me, but I'm a waiter, not a stripper, so don't expect anything from me. Just hire some of our strippers in our club, I'm sure one of them might satisfy you all." I sneered, fed up with their excuses and orders that obviously lead to nothing but a slew of shitty intentions.

"What a change." They thought. 

"Wasting time with the employees here is prohibited in our workspace, I'll be leaving now." I said as I headed to the door, which I gripped tightly, but I heard someone utter a word in a stern tone.

"We'll meet again."

Hearing their final words, I opened the door and quickly went outside the room, gasping for air.

"Mark our words."

Making a run outside the VIP lounge, I ran to the counter and saw Mai.

"Allura! What took you so long?" She asked as she noticed my face. It shows a threatened one as if I have just seen a ghost.

"Who even are they?!" I breathed heavily, collecting air as I run out of breath from the tension a while ago and from the running.

"I don't know, but I think it's their first time going here. I never saw them," Mai said, shrugging. "Yet they already ordered those limited ones from the menu as if they are used to going here. Well, whatever."

"They don't look like just a regular customer," I said as I slouched on the chair, rubbing my temples.

"But what happened though? Did they hurt you?!" She worriedly asked, you only shook your head.

"Mhm, take a rest first, I'll be serving the other customers." Mai smiled, prompting me to hug her and squeal.

"Thank you, Mai! I could really rely on you!" I exclaimed as Mai then walked away to serve, returning to her shift.

My head rested at the counter, closing my eyes as I remembered something that shot my eyes open.

"We'll meet again." "Mark our words."

Those were the final words they said to me. What do they mean by that? Even if it's an empty threat, there's no way I'd go back into that hellhole.

And of course, they didn't introduce themselves or even say their names.

"I'm too high for this shit. Ew." I grunted.

Ring! Ring!

I picked up your phone, yawning and scratching my belly as I thought it was another customer. 

Shocked, I dropped your phone from the news. My eyes widened and chills ran down my spine. As if my day couldn't possibly get any worse.

"Y-Your stepmom... is in the hospital!"