Chapter 1: The first fall

Rae’s POV

The bass hit so hard it pounded into my ribs. Laser lights flashed over the crowd, drowning everything in neon pinks and purples, like that made this place any less depressing. My mask itched against my face, the sequins digging into my skin. I smiled anyway. That’s what they paid for—the illusion.

Nobody in this room cared if my rent was due or if my little sister needed money for her school expenses. They just wanted to see a pretty girl spin around and pretend she loved every second of it.

Laura leaned in close, her perfume cutting through the smoke. “Table three. They asked for you.”

“Of course they did,” I muttered, but she shoved a shot of tequila in my hand before I could complain.

“Drink,” she said. “You’re too in your head.”

I tipped it back. It burned, but it did the job.

“You good?” she asked.

“Peachy,” I said with a smile that wasn’t fooling anyone.

She gave me that look—the one that said she wasn’t buying it—but the music shifted and that was my cue.

I held the shot glass out to Laura. “Pour me another one,” I said, letting my eyes do most of the convincing. She hesitated, giving me that little look, but finally sighed and filled it anyway.

I didn’t hesitate. I downed it in one gulp.

“One more,” I said.

Laura’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure? You haven’t eaten, and—”

“I’ll be fine,” I cut her off, rolling my eyes. I wasn’t listening to warnings, not tonight. I just needed to drown out the noise of my life, even if only for a second.

She hesitated, then poured the final shot. I took it without a word, letting it slide down before standing. I dropped the empty glass with a clink beside her. I tugged my mask tighter, plastered the smile back on, then moved toward my designated VIP lounge, ready for the night and the pole waiting for me.

The VIP lounge was darker than the rest of the club. Darker, quieter and more expensive. Men sat in booths with their cigars and their secrets, watching us like they owned the place.

And in the back, I saw her.

Not like the others. She wasn’t drinking, wasn’t leaning back with her arm stretched across the booth. She was stiff, controlled, almost… out of place. A silk scarf wrapped around her head, sunglasses hiding half her face. Sunglasses in the dark. Weird.

I didn’t have time to think about it. The spotlight found me, the beat dropped, and I started my routine.

Arch, spin, slide. Smile. Pretend—but suddenly my hand slipped. My foot missed the grip, and I wobbled hard. For a second, I thought I might catch myself but gravity had other plans.

I tumbled off the pole, hitting the floor harder than I expected. The music kept pounding in my ears, the crowd gasped, and I could feel my cheeks burning—not just from the fall, but from the tequila still buzzing through me, making every move sloppy.

Time slowed, my mask slipping right off my face. I scrambled to grab the mask, clutching it to my chest.

The manager’s voice cut through the music like a knife. “Rae! What the hell was that?” Tony Russo stormed toward me, face flushed with anger, his perpetual scowl making him look even meaner than usual. Tony was never a nice guy—always nagging, always looking for something to yell about, and tonight was no exception.

“Do you have any idea how many important people are in the VIP lounge tonight? CEOs, investors, big shots—and you just… just fall off the pole? It’s embarrassing! Completely unprofessional. And this—this weird, off behavior you’ve been showing lately? It’s starting to affect the business. Pack your things. You’re finished here.”

I froze. My stomach sank. Fired. Just like that.

Laura darted forward, kneeling beside me. “Please, Tony, she didn’t mean—”

“I said pack your things,” Tony snapped, eyes narrowing at her. “If you keep defending her, you’re out too.”

Laura stiffened. Bills, responsibilities, rent—she couldn’t risk it. She stayed silent, biting her lip, eyes pleading with me, but obedient.

And then… everything else faded. The music, the shouting, the clattering of glasses—it all drowned out like someone had turned the world down to nothing.

I wasn’t hearing Tony. I wasn’t hearing Laura.

I was staring at the woman in the corner.

She was staring back.

And she looked at me like I was a ghost.

⸻

Elena’s POV

I hated this place. The cheap perfume, the fake laughter, the desperate smell of it all. But business was business.

The deal wasn’t done yet, but soon this club would be mine. A neat little front. Money in, money out, no questions.

Except the second I walked in, some idiot staffer had sneered, “Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for your routine at the VIP lounge?”

My jaw had tightened. “Do you know who I am?”

They’d mumbled something and scurried off, but the sting lingered. Did I really look like one of them?

I tugged the silk scarf tighter around my hair and slid on my sunglasses. Ridiculous, yes, but I didn’t care. I wanted space. Privacy.

And then she stumbled onto the stage.

Her mask slipped, and for a second, I thought I was staring into a mirror.

⸻

Rae’s POV

The manager’s voice was still going, but my head was buzzing too loud to hear the words.

“You’re done. Don’t bother coming back,” he snapped.

I opened my mouth to argue, but nothing came out. My throat had closed up. My eyes burned.

Laura hooked her arm through mine and hauled me up. “Come on. There’s no need to argue”

She was right, but it didn’t stop the shame from crawling under my skin.

As we walked off, I glanced back. The woman with the scarf hadn’t looked away once.

I pulled the mask tighter to my chest and hurried to the locker room.

The night ended with whispers. Girls leaning in, gossiping about my fall, murmuring about how Rae finally cracked. Let them. I couldn’t have cared less.

The club drama didn’t matter. Laura Coles was the only one I could call a friend here—my only friend, really. We’d known each other since childhood, and she was the only one who’d ever been genuinely nice to me.

Everyone else… they were too wrapped up in their own problems to care about anyone else. No one here was truly united or empathetic. The workplace was hostile, always. The only thing that ever brought the other girls together was gossip—ways to belittle someone else. And the irony? Even the ones who gossiped in tandem ended up being gossiped about by the same people later. Everyone was fake.

But Laura? She was real. She was the one person I could count on in that mess.

I changed quickly, then I stepped outside into the cool night air, my bag slung over my shoulder.

Laura was there, eyes wide and worried. “Rae… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean… pouring those shots—it got out of hand.”

I shrugged, voice flat. “It’s fine. I’ll survive.”

She dug into her pocket, offering me some cash. “Here… maybe it helps a little.”

I shook my head. “No, I’ve got this.”

Her face fell, guilt written all over it. “I just… hate seeing you like this. Losing your job—because of me—hurts.”

I glanced at her, touched despite myself, but stayed silent.

“We’ll figure it out.” I nodded with my hand over her shoulder, even though my chest felt heavy.

But as I walked away visibly emotionless, I couldn’t shake the image of the woman in the scarf, sitting in the shadows, watching me like she already knew me.

And I had no idea that she was about to change everything.