Chapter 8

After hearing that her mom's condition had stabilized, Emilia felt a lot more at ease. She packed up her stuff and headed back to the club for her shift. Her mom wouldn’t have a place to stay after she was discharged, so Emilia was determined to make more money—enough to buy a small house with a garden for the two of them to live quietly and comfortably. “Hey, Emilia,” someone called out as soon as she stepped into the locker room. A coworker scooted over quickly. “Heard you were with Mr. Hayes last night. Sooo... how was it over there?” Emilia was still a little out of it when another girl leaned in, whispering, “I heard from Liam and the others that Mr. Hayes is, like, not functioning anymore… Emilia, didn’t he just use his fingers last night or something like that?” Emilia’s lip twitched ever so slightly. Seriously? Judging by how intense Dominic had been last night, she couldn’t see how he was “not functioning.” “Yeah... totally,” Emilia decided to roll with it. She looked exhausted, pale, and with how drained she really felt, she didn’t need to fake anything. “Last night... just don’t ask. It’s a mess I don’t even wanna talk about.” The two girls shared a knowing look, their eyes gleaming with barely hidden glee. Whatever. No matter how rich the guy was, still just a useless man who couldn’t even perform? Gross. On the surface, though, they were nice enough and gave her a few words of sympathy. Emilia stuffed her jacket into her locker, zoning out a bit. Maybe she was thinking about how everyone in upper-class circles seemed to know about Dominic’s stuff. But the man himself didn’t even bother to clear the air once? “Whatever. Not my problem.” It was just one night. She got paid. End of story. They didn’t owe each other anything beyond that. *** In a place walled in with money and indulgence, time always seemed to slip away fast. Emilia’s good mood made her even more attentive and gentle with guests. When she came across generous clients, she could walk away with some serious tips. She did spot Liam Brooks coming by now and then, but Dominic? Nowhere in sight. That night, Emilia got assigned to a VIP room with some big client who’d just closed two huge deals worth billions. The guy was super generous—each hostess in the room got 30 grand in tips. Emilia was thrilled. “Cheers to you, sir!” Even with her great alcohol tolerance, after a few bottles, Emilia started to feel the crash. She smiled apologetically to the client and excused herself. In the restroom, she ended up throwing up for quite a while. Splashing water on her face, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her makeup was way too heavy—like some over-the-top stage performer. She stared at her reflection for a second and let out a faint, tired smile.