Chapter 1

When I saw Dominic Thorne again, he was the high-flying CEO of a publicly listed company.

And I was just a bottle girl in a club.

He stared at me, his eyes cold and disdainful, a smirk even in the curve of his brows.

Later, when he was drunk, he grabbed my chin, completely losing his composure. “Hmph, Miss Blackwood, the notorious Miss Blackwood, really will do anything for money, won’t she?”

Inside the booming Neon Club, Mr. Reynolds, the manager, excitedly told us, “VIP Penthouse Suite 101, all big spenders in there. You girls put in some effort, push a lot of drinks.”

“Especially you, Aria. If you do well tonight, you might just cover your mom’s medical bills for a month.”

“That’s right, Aria, go for it!”

“You got this, Aria!”

I gave them a grateful smile.

I never thought that amidst the cold, flashy lights of this place, there would still be such warm-hearted people.

My sisters and I, dressed in sexy outfits, each holding a bottle of fine wine ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, lined up and appeared in VIP Penthouse Suite 101.

The room was dim, the music pumping.

We wore smiles that held little truth.

I scanned the dozen or so men in the room.

They were all in suits, with playful, arrogant smiles on their faces.

They openly scrutinized us, as if we were merchandise on a shelf, waiting to be bought.

I’d long grown accustomed to such gazes.

Suddenly, as my gaze swept over one particular man,

the half-million-dollar bottle of imported liquor in my hand almost slipped to the floor.

Dominic Thorne?

The moment our eyes met, his showed shock.

It was quickly replaced by disgust.

The group of men with him said deferentially, “Mr. Thorne, you first, pick one.”

Dominic walked up to me, gave a dismissive smirk, then pulled Chloe, a sister next to me.

After that, the other men came one by one to choose their hostesses.

A few who initially wanted to pick me, seeing the price of the wine in my hand, sheepishly picked other girls.

As I was about to leave, a pot-bellied man called out to me with an unwelcome leer.

“Tsk, the price of that bottle is enough to buy you entirely.”

I forced out a smile, using every ounce of strength I had. “Sir, fine wine for a hero. This bottle may be expensive, but for you, it’s worth it.”

My flattery made the greasy man beam with delight. He wrapped an arm around my neck.

“Oh, your sweet talk is something else. How about a little kiss, huh?”

I don’t know if it was my imagination, but Dominic’s arm around Chloe seemed to tremble slightly.

I cleverly dodged him. “Sir, you haven’t even had a drink yet, and you’re already drunk.”

He didn’t seem annoyed, pulling me down to sit beside him.

“I get it, I get it. Drinks first, right? You women here, once you’re drunk enough, it’s not just your lips, is it? You’ll let a guy kiss you anywhere. Hahaha…”

Dominic, looking impatient, told Chloe, “Open the bottle.”

Only then did the greasy man stop pestering me and started raising his glass with the others.