“Because I can't find a job elsewhere,” I replied sternly.
He raised a brow at me before batting his lashes in astonishment.
That wasn't the answer he expected—I knew that wasn't the answer I should be giving, but considering the fact that I had nothing, absolutely no 'good' reason why I chose to work at the most highly committed crime club in New York, then it was better off I get straight to the point.
“Okay? So, why should I employ you?”
“Because I can't find a job elsewhere,” I repeated, my gaze momentarily roaming about the club before going back to meet his puzzled look.
“If I may ask, do you realize where you are?”
I sucked in a dry breath, drawing back the confidence that was slowly oozing out of me. His question had a lot to say.
I knew where I was and I also knew I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be here applying as a waitress in a club owned by the notorious gang leader that his reputation was enough to get me shaking on my feet just by stepping my feet in his club. But, do I have a choice? No.
As far as my complicated life was concerned, this was the only place I thought, maybe, I could get employed.
I nodded my head before responding, “Yes!”
He sighed as he also drew in a long deep breath as if thinking of the right word to use before speaking.
“Do you realize that your resumé is not required here so you should give me a good impression?”
Again, I nodded my head gaining an almost-unnoticed eye roll from him. He stared at me for a while before speaking.
“Did you even try?”
His eyes, which seemed to be obviously grabbing hold of my whole being, taking in everything I had placed on, I knew exactly what he meant. Did I try?—Did I even try to look good for this job?
“No, I didn't,” I grumbled, lowering my gaze to meet the floor. He scoffed and then chuckled mockingly.
“So, why are you here—?”
“Because I need the job,” I replied, almost cutting him mid-sentenced; my tone sounding a bit persistent this time.
I needed the job—my persistent tone had proven how much I needed the job.
Everything I did, every one of my stern words and even my expressionless-confident appearance was to hide the fear that has been building up in me. I was at “Vincenzo Ace's” club and I still can't believe it myself. If they had told me that I would be here, even in a million years, I wouldn't have believed it.
I feared the man I was applying as a waitress in his club—everyone, literally everyone in New York feared him. He was the devil, the monster, he takes lives, destroys and permanently ruins one's life.
The stinking reputation that followed his name has always been rumored all over New York, and even to my hearings, yet, the complications, and the misery I lived in, have led me here to apply to that one club that has recorded so many accounts of murder, all of those, in Vincenzo's name.
“We need—” He paused, taking a moment to stare at me right from my head to my toe before he continued to speak, “sexy-looking workers. At least, you must have heard of that.”
Again, I nodded my head without uttering a word.
Sincerity was all I could afford at this point. I have heard of that. I have heard a lot more. I have heard so much that despite it being my first time here, I knew the almighty Vincenzo Ace had his office up on the second floor.
My gaze which feared death has been moving on its own accord to check the stairs that lead directly to the devil's office.
Despite the numerous clubs Vincenzo had, my bad luck ended me at the one club his office was at.
He could be up there, he could be anywhere close. But as they say, Vincenzo wasn't the type to be interested in the affairs of his workers cause he had so many people in charge of that and he was a busy person traveling here and there for business, to begin with.
And because I knew perfectly that even though I ended up working in his club, we were most likely to never cross part, I had to grab hold of that as my only motivation to be here at this moment.
But the fear—the fear of breathing the same air he might be breathing right now – the fear of standing here where so many people have been murdered under his merciless grip, gun, or knife, I just couldn't possibly think straight.
“I know I am not fit enough for this job—” I began saying but he cut me off.
“Thank goodness you know that.”
I continued speaking anyway.
“But—”
“There's no “but.” We can't give you this job, Ms.” He uttered the words so harshly that I knew he had been dying to say that a long time ago.
If my life hasn't taken such twists, then I should be so happy to run out of this place that seems to have filled my brain with so many scary imaginations. The reputation keeps on sending different thoughts to my head.
But if I leave now, where will I turn to? I can't possibly go back to my dad after running away from home.
The thought of going back scares me. I have to see my father again, raise his hands at me, call me names, yell at me, and even sometimes lock me up—all of those, for my tiniest mistakes. I can't. I can't return to the nightmares I had run away from.
Returning to him was like going back to get punished for running away in the first place. The consequences this time would surely be unbearable.
“If you had put on more appealing clothes, I definitely would have considered giving you this job.” He murmured while turning to place a bottle of drink on the shelf.
He had confidence that appealing clothes would have gotten me the job, but I didn't have that much confidence in myself. I never grew up to meet a dad who made me see my beauty. My dad was a living nightmare, and I, standing here with the intention of working here only proves that I had bad luck. I had run away from a monster, only to end up applying for a job in the club of the most feared man in New York. Jesus!
“I can—do, do anything to get this job. I can—” I stuttered but eventually ran out of words. I sighed, running my hands through my hair in obvious frustration.
He halted his movement for a while before letting out, “I mean—” then turned around to face me and leaned forward over the counter. A little smile arched the corner of his lips.
His voice went significantly lower as he spoke, “You are just my type. If I can have a taste of you tonight, I guarantee you that the job is yours.”
I stared at him for a while before taking a step back, creating some space between us.
A big jerk he was. I wasn't appealing enough to get the job but I was just his type to mess with.
I could remember how it was trying to get in here. I had stood outside of the club, contemplating, thinking, regretting my decisions from a week back till this moment, and before I knew it, two hours had gone by and I was still there, roaming about outside the club.
So I made the decision. If I go in there, I must get the job, but if It gets beyond me, then I won't force it. I won't bite more than I could chew and shamefully return to my dad regardless of if he treats me like garbage.
I have tried all I could, yet, my dad won anyway. He didn't come over to this city to get me because he wanted to prove one thing to me:
I can't live without him, and so far, truly, he was just right.
I opened my mouth to speak but his ringing phone cut me off. When he pulled out the phone from his pants pocket and looked at the screen, his whole body got noticeably tense. He stared at it for the longest second, as if, pondering over something before finally sliding over the answer Icon.
“Hello, Capo.” He said to the caller on the other end.
Regardless, I muttered what I was going to say to him anyway. “Thanks for your time,” before grabbing my bag
I won't and I can't, regardless of the situation I find myself in, sell my body for anything. So, leaving without making a fuss was a better option. I had to keep my anger in check so I won't end up making a mistake even at a place like this.
I knew a lot of them. Begging and being persistent about how much I needed the job will only give him more opportunity to stand firm on his words of sleeping with me first before I get the job. I wasn't doing that anymore. I, obviously, was tired of begging, but still, nothing good comes out of it at the end of the day, and since I know this would end up like the others, I'd rather leave. Quietly.
And so, I turned on my heels and began walking towards the exit door.
I give up. I end this rollercoaster terrible ride of running away from home. I will be returning to my dad. Shamefully—
“Hey, wait!”
I heard him call and I halted before turning to face him. Just then he slid his phone into his pants pocket before motioning for me to come over.
What was he trying to do? Continue his conversation about sleeping with me for the job? I think I need to make the clarification that I wasn't that cheap.
“I'm sorry for wasting your time but I simply cannot do what you've asked me to—”
“The Boss said I should get you employed.” He cut me off, ignorantly.
I couldn't believe the turnout but still, silence enveloped me as a bittersweet feeling hit me.
Wait… what? I got the job. I finally got employed!
I won't be returning to my dad!
I can finally make some money on my own and continue staying far away from my dad.
Everything and every reason for me to be excited about getting this job were because of my dad! The rotten reputation of this club, and the sane part of me that has constantly been reminding me that this wasn't a place I should be, had gone significantly lower until it vanished.
Excitement built in me but just when my lips were about to stretch out in a smile, my build-up excitement crumbled right in front of me, when a certain word struck me—a certain word I had ignorantly ignored – a certain word that could get me into more shit than I already was.
Did he just say the “Boss” said I should get you employed?
My lips fell apart – my eyes widened as I walked over to him. Once I was standing right in front of him, I leaned over on the counter and asked, completely taken aback. “The Capo you mentioned earlier was—? I mean the boss—”
He furrowed his brows taking a moment to process my words. Probably wondering why I'd just asked him a question with an already-obvious answer.
I, personally, had chosen to not believe my ears.
He shook his head and asked, “Who do you think owns this place?”
My hands trembled as I cupped my mouth. The realization I had ignored hit me so hard this time.
Did I just get noticed by the devil?
No!
I just got noticed by the devil – I just got noticed by VINCENZO ACE!
Didn't they say he wasn't the type to be interested in the affairs of his workers? Didn't they say—?
How in the world did he see me?
Hello Lovely Readers😍. Thank you so much for giving my book a chance. Vincenzo Ace will be taking different twists, but all of those, are for the sake of a happy ending😇. Do not forget to comment to let me know of your thoughts as I will be interacting with you also. I love you all and xoxo😻.
*Vincenzo Ace* “You know—” He cleared his throat and continued speaking, “we can combine our shares to take the control away from him.” Sitting at the corner of the room, I drummed my finger on the wooden armrest wondering how in the world they could come up with such a lame idea, thinking they could trick me into giving away my shares. They could already sense the tense atmosphere—they knew I wasn't falling for their tricks, yet, their ego wouldn't let them accept defeat until they had a knife cutting through their fingers and digging deep right into their throats. In my presence, these fucked up men won't walk out here alive—it was what I was best known for—killing, murdering, torturing, and breaking every bone in anybody that becomes a barrier in my way. I'd only get all the satisfaction I want after I have done that to these two pot-bellied idiots. I raised my head to look at them and I saw the man sitting beside the obvious masterpiece of the whole plan, almost shivering
Lily's P.O.V The Next Day. Neglecting all odds—neglecting how weird it was getting employed by Vincenzo who I knew wasn't nice enough to do such out of goodwill, I had walked in on the landline ringing on the counter. A cold silence swims through the empty club as I roam my eyes around, searching for, maybe, the young man I met here the other day who seems to be a bartender too, but there was no sight of anyone. It sends a cold shiver of fear down my spine. I knew I came pretty early, even earlier than the said time for the resumption of work for all waitresses, but despite how skeptical I was, wanting to earn a living had pushed me to be punctual. Wanting to clear up all my debts had forced me to accept my fate. It's not like I had a choice anyway. I can't possibly decline the only job I got because I got employed and noticed by the devil. But a part of me knew one thing for sure: ‘I do not want to meet the devil.’ I wanted to ignore it. I knew I should have ignored the ringi
My legs shivered as I climbed up the flight of stairs that led to the devil's office while holding the tray with the tequila on it.Vincenzo has been watching me. That, I was sure of. But, not like it made any difference – not like It would change anything even after acknowledging the fact that he has been watching me.But then, Why did he specifically ask me, an amateur, to serve him drinks?Vincenzo wasn't a man I'd wish to meet: this was my major concern.The hope I had that we were most likely to never cross paths because he wasn't the type to be interested in the affairs of his workers was already crumbling right in front of me as I climbed up these stairs. And in just a few seconds of walking through the hallway, I was already standing right in front of this huge wooden double door with a silver plate reading “Vincenzo's Office.”I was scared of meeting him, but I needed money. I needed to do my duties to earn the money. But then, I knew I was clumsy, combined with the fact that
Lily's P.O.V. “I could help you clear up all your debts and even cover up for the loss you cost me—” he paused for a while taking in my bewildered expression before continuing to speak, ” Just let me fuck you, Angel.” At first, I knew it was fear. At first, I knew it was nervousness, awkwardness, and the waves of freight surging through me, but when his words had registered in my head, everything I felt back then was gradually turning into something else – annoyance, anger, and boiling rage at its peak, was an understatement. The tension between us drifted to something else. The undeniable anger I felt for my frustrated life, the debts, and the mess I'd stupidly gotten myself into, all of this slowly forming a fit of anger in my chest, and yes, It didn’t take me a second to send a striking slap across his face as his head wiped to the side and I could almost see the imprint of my finger on his face. I'd just slapped the dangerous man of the city. The man who could put a bullet thr
*VINCENZO ACE*There was something about the world I lived in:Possessively claiming and breaking down the bones of any barrier in my way. Seeing the wrong as right and the right as wrong. It was something I'd grown up to believe—it was something I'd done out of ignorance. Power was one thing I held and it seems to have clung a bit of selfishness in me—a selfishness I'd used to get everything I wanted as long as I was satisfied. Whoever gets involved would be bearing the consequences of my selfishness and not me.Once we have that power, it leads to selfishness, and at the end of the day, we never know when to stop. We never had a limit.And then, there was Lily. She was surprisingly bold even when she wasn't supposed to be—she was everything I wanted to claim. She ignited a lot of selfishness in me that I couldn't get my head off the thought of having her and claiming her, even just for a night. Obviously, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with me, but then, I, Vincenzo Ace, wante
LILY'S P.O.V “You mean—” She took a sharp deep breath before continuing to speak, “Vincenzo made an order and asked you to bring his order yourself?” I slowly nodded my head as I re-adjusted uncomfortably on the counter stool they had pulled me to sit on, getting heated already under the influence of the heavy gazes of these strangers sitting at my left and right-hand side. This would probably be the third time I had given an answer to that same question. They had this expression—an expression of utmost disbelief. Judging from their knitted brows and slightly apart lips, I knew perfectly that they found it difficult to believe whatever shit I was saying to them, for whatever reason I don't know yet. The blonde head sitting at my left, let out a sigh before speaking. “No, I mean—” She ran her hands through her hair and tilted her head to the redhead at my left, “It is strange, isn’t it?” In response, the redhead nodded her head and they both turned to look at me at once. If, by ch
*This chapter has almost everything you need to know about Lily's past. Enjoy~*Lily's P.O.VAfter the day's work, I'd gone home that day feeling exhausted. It's not like I had done much work, no, far from it, but despite not serving any drink yet, walking on three-inch heels while learning the basics of being a waitress from Elena wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.Nevertheless, I was home already. What could be more perfect than having a deep sleep after a stressful day?I had my bath and jumped on the bed, and before I realized it, I was already dozing off. But of course, the most needed moments will always get ruined.I groaned and cussed sleepily under my breath when my phone began ringing beside me. I managed to grab my phone and swipe through the answer icon even with closed eyes, then placed it on my ears.“Hello—”“Smart move,” he hummed “Smart thinking.” Comes a deep voice from the other end.I snapped out of feeling sleepy and immediately jumped up. It didn't take me a
“Again. I repeat. What may I offer you?” With heavy dark bags beneath my eyelids and my dizzy eyes, I have been working my ass out because today was a packed night filled with so many drunk dancing bodies.It makes me wonder. Why the heck they'd choose to come clubbing at the most committed crime club? Weren't they scared for their lives?Technically, I knew I looked like a ghost cause I spent the time I should have been sleeping, sobbing, tossing, and rolling on the bed. I could remember thinking about my dad and the next second, I was thinking about how different Vincenzo was. It's not like I wanted to have anything to do with him, but, I was just—crazy, I will say.My legs were shaking in the three-inch heels I wore, my tone should probably get these three kids who obviously just got into a legal age shaking, but, they did nothing but smirk mischievously at me. “Again, I answer. You.” The one who seemed to be the youngest replied, gaining an eye roll from me. “I mean—drinks,” I