Chapter 1
“Damn that old bastard! Doesn’t he realize he already reeks of medicated oil? And he keeps lunging at me like some damn goose!”
Evelyn continued grumbling as she slipped on her jacket and pulled on a pair of long pants.
Beside her, Tiana merely smiled in understanding as she wrapped a beach cover-up around herself to hide the mini skirt she had been wearing all night. They had just finished their night shift at one of the most famous nightclubs in the capital.
“Well, what do you expect? This kind of job means drinking with horny men, keeping them company, and helping them forget their stress. Whether we like it or not, we have to put up with being treated that way,” Tiana said as she slung her crossbody bag over her shoulder. The bag looked terribly worn and shabby.
“If you played it safe like I do—just taking their orders and keeping track of what they want—you wouldn’t have to deal with things like that,” she continued.
“Yeah, yeah... But it’s such a waste, don’t you think? We’re already working in a place like this. People already think badly of us anyway, so we might as well do what they expect. At least it’s easier to make money that way.”
Evelyn’s words earned nothing but a helpless shake of Tiana’s head.
“Then stop complaining if that’s the choice you made. No one forced you to take a job like this, did they?”
Tiana hadn’t meant to sound harsh, but she was starting to get fed up with hearing Evelyn complain almost every single day.
Not once or twice.
Every. Single. Day.
Evelyn was always complaining about how customers didn’t respect her and how she was constantly being harassed. Yet she continued doing the same job as if none of it was enough to make her quit.
Honestly, who wouldn’t get annoyed after listening to the same complaints day after day?
“Whatever. I’m going home first. I’m exhausted,” Tiana said as she slowly made her way out of the dressing room.
Evelyn merely muttered something in response.
She clearly had no intention of going home yet. Instead, she was busy touching up her makeup.
Apparently, she had a late-night date with one of the customers.
Tiana slowly made her way into the narrow alley that led to her tiny shack. She let out yet another tired sigh.
Somehow, life seemed to get harder and harder with every passing day.
She lowered her head and glanced at her left wrist. The watch resting around it showed two in the morning, yet she was still walking alone through this deserted street.
The same street she took home every night.
“Tiana, you’re doing great. Just making it this far is already something to be proud of. You’ve survived this long, after all,” she whispered to herself, giving herself the same little pep talk she always did.
She continued walking slowly, her eyes drifting up toward the stars.
Another sigh escaped her lips as she dragged her feet forward. Her legs felt as though they no longer wanted to take another step.
While girls her age were already curled up comfortably in bed, lost in sweet dreams, Tiana was only just returning home from her night shift.
Being born into a broken family and having a father who couldn’t be relied on for anything had forced Tiana to learn how to live on her own from a very young age.
She worked at a fast-food restaurant during the day and as a waitress at one of the well-known nightclubs on the outskirts of the city at night.
A woman of the night.
That was what some people called her.
The truth, however, was that Tiana was only selling her services. She wasn’t selling her body.
But the label still stuck.
Simply because of where she worked, people were quick to assume the worst.
It wasn’t uncommon for Tiana to catch shameless, leering looks from men she encountered, whether at the nightclub or even around the neighborhood where she lived.
After all, her job at the nightclub was hardly a secret.
But Tiana didn’t care.
No matter how degrading other people thought her job was, it still put food on her table and allowed her to survive.
And as for the people who judged and insulted her?
Tiana simply couldn’t be bothered.
Let them talk.
Talking was the only thing they were good at anyway.
They weren’t helping her. They weren’t offering solutions. They weren’t even giving her a single useful piece of advice.
Tiana technically still had a family, but her life could easily be considered worse than that of someone who had no family at all.
How could it not be?
The father who was supposed to be the breadwinner of the family had instead turned himself into the family’s biggest burden.
All the man knew how to do was drink, gamble, and borrow money from anyone who would lend it to him.
And in the end, those debts became Tiana’s responsibility.
That was also the reason her mother had finally walked away.
She had simply reached her limit.
She could no longer tolerate her husband’s increasingly reckless behavior.
Her mother had left with her lover right in front of Tiana, who was still in her final year of high school at the time.
Before leaving, the woman had told Tiana to grow into a strong person so she would never have to depend on anyone else.
Especially not a man like her father.
Quite the advice to give your own daughter.
With the small amount of money her mother had left behind, Tiana began taking whatever odd jobs she could find.
Whatever work was offered to her, she would take it—as long as it didn’t hurt anyone and, of course, wasn’t against the law.
It wasn’t until she finally received her high school diploma that Tiana managed to find something more stable.
She got a job at a fast-food restaurant, where the salary was considered fairly decent for someone with only a high school education.
“Stop!”
The sudden shout that cut through the silence of the night snapped Tiana out of her thoughts.
“What was that?” she murmured, glancing around.
A moment later, she heard several loud noises coming from a narrow alley not far ahead.
It sounded as though something had fallen.
Or perhaps been slammed against the ground.
Then came several screams, followed by muffled groans of pain.
The sound sent a shiver down Tiana’s spine.
Was someone fighting?
Or was it a robbery?
Tiana wondered nervously.
She wasn’t particularly brave. In fact, she was the kind of girl who would go out of her way to avoid trouble whenever possible.
She had absolutely no desire to get involved in whatever was happening down that alley.
So Tiana slowly backed away, doing her best to make sure her footsteps were as quiet as possible.
For a while, she stood in front of a small convenience store.
There was no other route she could take. The alley was the only way to get to her home.
Which meant the only thing she could do was wait.
Hopefully, whatever was happening would be over soon.
And hopefully, whoever was responsible would leave.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, three muscular men with intimidating expressions emerged from the narrow alley.
They walked right past the convenience store where Tiana was hiding without even bothering to look in her direction.
A moment later, they climbed into a black car that had apparently been parked at the end of the street the entire time.
Tiana finally let out the breath she had been holding.
Thank goodness.
At least she wouldn’t have to wait there until morning.
She quickly stepped out from her hiding place and continued down the narrow alley.
It was the only route leading to her tiny home.
“Ugh... damn it!”
Tiana suddenly stopped again when she heard a man’s muffled groan.
Wait...
Had one of those men been left behind?
Or was this man actually the victim of the attack?
Her curiosity got the better of her.
Tiana cautiously continued forward, following the direction of the sound.
A man dressed entirely in black was lying on the ground.
The alley was dark, making it difficult for Tiana to see him clearly.
But even from where she stood, it was obvious that he was badly injured.
Every now and then, a restrained groan escaped his lips.
Then Tiana’s eyes widened.
Something black was lying near the man’s feet.
A gun.
And judging by its appearance, it certainly wasn’t a toy.
Was this guy a criminal?!
Tiana immediately tried to convince herself to walk away.
She hadn’t seen anything.
She had simply finished work and was heading home like she always did.
Nothing unusual had happened.
Nothing at all.
That was what she told herself.
Tiana forced herself to keep walking, desperately trying to convince herself that whatever she had just seen had nothing to do with her.
She couldn’t get involved.
She absolutely did not want to get dragged into some complicated mess.
Tiana had spent her entire life trying to stay away from trouble.
“Ugh...”
The man’s groan stopped her again.
Damn it!
Why couldn’t her conscience just leave her alone?
With a frustrated sigh, Tiana quickly turned around and headed back toward the injured man.
At the very least, she needed to make sure he was still alive.
She reached into her bag and pulled out the small first-aid supplies she always carried with her.
A few adhesive bandages, some antiseptic solution, and a roll of gauze.
But one look at the man’s condition told her that her little first-aid kit was practically useless.
His injuries were clearly far too serious to be fixed with a few bandages.
“Hey... wake up! Can you hear me?”
Tiana gently patted the man’s cheek.
“Ugh...”
The man groaned faintly in response to the gentle taps.
“Can you hear me? Are you still conscious?” Tiana asked again.
The man slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze landed on Tiana, who was still gently patting his cheek.
“I’m going to call an ambulance. Just hang on for a moment, okay?”
The man didn’t answer.
Tiana reached for her phone and prepared to call an ambulance.
But before she could make the call, the man suddenly raised his hand and pushed her phone away.
“What is it?” Tiana asked, confused by his reaction.
“Take... my pho-ne...”
The man’s voice was weak and strained as he pointed toward the pocket of his pants.
Tiana blinked.
Did he want her to take his phone?
Not wanting to waste any more time, she did as he asked.
She reached into the pocket of his pants and found his phone.
“What now?” she asked, holding it up as she looked at him.
The man was staring directly at her.
“Find... con-tact... Bas-tian.”
His words came out slowly, broken by his ragged breathing.
It seemed as though his entire body hurt so badly that even speaking was a struggle.
“And then what? Do you want me to tell him to come pick you up?” Tiana asked.
The man nodded.
Tiana did exactly as he requested.
A moment later, she handed his phone back to him.
“Done. Your friend will be here soon,” she said.
She then placed the adhesive bandages, antiseptic, and gauze beside him.
“Use them if you think you need them.”
With that, Tiana stood up.
She brushed the dust from her clothes before adjusting the strap of her worn-out crossbody bag.
Then she looked at the injured man with a reassuring smile.
“Hang in there a little longer. Your friend will be here soon.”
Without waiting for a response, Tiana turned around and continued walking.
She didn’t look back even once.
Behind her, the injured man remained where he was, his eyes following her until she disappeared into the darkness.
