Chapter 002

~ISABELLA~

A FEW HOURS AGO...

"What happened to that boyfriend of yours? I never see him come around anymore." Sarah asked during our shift at the club.

Sarah had been working at the club for over a year while my father found the job for me 5 months ago so that I'd be able to help around in the house, and because of that, Tom Creed, my boyfriend, had been distant.

"He's a douchebag that got cold balls when he saw me cleaning the floors the other night when he came with his friends," I rolled my eyes.

"So, he stopped coming because you weren't working behind the counter anymore?" She exclaimed.

"Can you believe it? I’m still surprised."

"His father owns a bakery downtown. He could have at least got you a job there if he thought you were embarrassing him by working at a club.”

“He’d rather watch me stay at home with nothing to do than help,” I huffed.

“So selfish of him to turn around and be a control freak, yuck.”

“I know…”

My heart broke a little because I was in love with him. Everything was great between us until I got a job at the club.

He started distancing himself from me as if I were a disease. When I tried to text or call him, he ignored me and never bothered to get back to me.

So much for someone who said he was going to stick around through anything.

While I was cleaning the floors, Sarah wiped the tables, and soon, we were done.

It was already 8 PM, and people were starting to pour inside the club. The club only operated from 7 PM to 5 AM.

So, when we were done cleaning for the opening, our manager would get us to serve people drinks or clean the boss' office until our shift was done.

"Hey Isa, can you take care of the VIP tonight?" Bruise, the club manager queried.

"Of course," I nodded and went to change my clothes in the changing room.

When Sarah and I were given shifts to serve drinks, we had to dress up as the other waitresses and blend in.

As much as I hated my job when it came to dressing up to encourage perverts of their perverted behavior, I had bills to pay, and my father didn't care what I had to do to make sure that I brought something to the table.

So, I untied my hair and put on my tight and short jeans with a see-through crop top.

I then looked at myself in the mirror and patted myself on the back to suck it up and get through this night like a big girl.

When I was done, I put all my things in my locker, got my heels on, and then returned to the club.

I went to the bar, got the most expensive bottle with four glasses, and went up to the VIP area.

I already knew what they were going to order, and when I got there, I found the four friends in their usual seats with girls on their sides, except for one guy.

"What do you have for us today, Bubbles?"

"Romanèe Conti 1945," I put the bottle down with the glasses and avoided eye contact with him.

"Do you mind pouring for us?"

I lifted my head and looked at him, and when our eyes met, he smirked.

There were a lot of rumors about Antonio Rodriguez, and the one that always sent shivers down my spine was that he once killed a man and held his beating heart in his hand until it stopped.

"Of course." I smiled at him and took the bottle and opened it gently with the corkscrew.

As I was busy opening the bottle, Antonio's eyes burned on my skin, but I didn't dare show that I was flushed.

"Yay!" The girls who were there squealed when the bottle made a popping sound.

I gently poured the wine into their glasses and laid the bottle down when I was done.

"Thank you, Bubbles." He looked at me as he picked up his glass from the table and sipped.

I took the tray and left.

"That must have been nerve-wracking," Sarah whispered when we met downstairs.

"What are you talking about?"

"Antonio is the boss, remember?"

"So?" We finally got to the counter and laid down our trays on the countertop.

"Everyone working here tries to avoid him as much as possible. I can't imagine being near that man with a reputation such as his."

"He likes staring at people's asses. There's nothing harmful in that." I rolled my eyes and spotted a table in the VIP that was starting to flood in with customers. "I have to go."

"I'll be waiting for more scoop!" Sarah whispered behind me.

To my lovely surprise, Tom was among the crew that just arrived in the VIP. He had a smirk on his face when he saw me approaching their table.

And when I got to them, a girl got up from her chair and sat on his lap. I swallowed.

"Welcome to Club Nightingale. What can I get you?" My throat was itching, and I felt a lump in my chest as I tried to keep the tears that were swelling up at the corners of my eyes when I realized that Tom had the guts to bring a girl with him after ghosting me for months.

"Are you a stripper now?" He looked at my clothes, and his friends giggled.

"Are you going to order anything?" I rolled my eyes.

"You were a cleaner a while ago, and now this. Aren't you tired of embarrassing yourself, Isabella?" He pushed the girl off his lap, got up, and came towards me.

"The name is Bubbles in here, asshole." I hissed.

He scoffed. "Oh, so you’re a stripper now? I knew that you're nothing but a gold digger who seeks validation from men by dressing herself up like a hoe." He looked down at me.

"I am working, Tom, so please, don't make my job difficult for me."

"Did you look at yourself, Isabella? You're a hoe. A shameless fucking hoe. What do you think people think when they see you like this and remember that you're my girl?"

I scoffed. "Your girl?"

"Don't fucking patronize me, you and I are leaving this club this minute." He tried to grab my arm, but I yanked his hand off me.

"Don't you dare touch me, Tom! You've been silent on me for months now and you think you can just say 'jump' and I'll ask how high? Leave me alone!” I snarled.

"Don't try me, Isa -"

"You heard the girl. Leave her alone."

It seemed like time stood still when I heard that voice.

"Or what are you going to do, huh, muscle man?" Tom approached him and pushed him.

When Antonio's friends got to his side trying to defend him, he held up his hand and restrained them.

"You think I'm scared of you? She is my girl, and I will talk with her however I want. Let's go, Bella." Tom tried to grab my arm again.

But before he could take another step, Antonio punched him in the face, and he stumbled back and fell on top of the table.

His friends got scared and ran away while the girl with him tried to help him up.

"I'll take you home," Antonio took my hand.

When we got inside his car outside the alley, I looked at him through the rear-view mirror as I sat in the back and couldn't believe what just happened.

I didn't know if I had to be grateful that he rescued me or beg for the job that I clearly needed.