Chapter 5

The next evening, when I went to work, Mr. Reynolds called me into his office.

He handed me a stack of cash. “Aria, this is your salary for the month. After this… you don’t have to come in anymore.”

“W-why?”

Years ago, desperate for money, I had nowhere else to turn but to apply for a bottle girl position at The Neon.

Mr. Reynolds, knowing my situation, had always looked out for me.

And the other girls, they were truly genuine with me.

For years, I had lost all my friends.

The Neon had become like my home.

The girls here, they were my family and friends.

Mr. Reynolds sighed. “Aria, I’m sorry. That person is someone we can’t afford to offend. I also have a wife and children to support, I hope you can understand.”

I suddenly remembered what Dominic had said last night: “I’ll be waiting for you to beg me.”

It was his doing. Mr. Reynolds indeed couldn’t afford to offend him.

Not just Mr. Reynolds, but the entire Neon Club couldn’t.

I nodded, forcing back the tears in my eyes. “It’s okay. Thank you for taking care of me all these years, Mr. Reynolds. I’ll always remember your kindness.”

He waved his hand. “Go find another job quickly. Your mom’s condition can’t be delayed. I’ve paid you an extra half-month’s salary. This is the last thing I can do for you.”

I bowed gratefully to Mr. Reynolds, then left with a heavy heart.

After leaving The Neon, I first rushed to the hospital to pay my mom’s medical fees for the month.

Then I went home and started preparing my resume.

In my current situation, I couldn't afford to waste a single day.

Half a month later, I found myself squatting by the roadside, feeling helpless, staring at the resume in my hand.

No matter what job I applied for, things would start off well.

But each time it came to the point of discussing employment, the HR manager would tell me I wasn't quite suitable.

One HR manager cryptically told me, “Miss Blackwood, you should really think about whether you’ve offended someone. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for you to find work here in Harbor City.”

I gave a bitter smile. Besides Dominic Thorne, who else could it be?

As I struggled to figure out how to break this deadlock,

my mom’s condition worsened, and she was admitted to the ICU.

Watching the money drain away like water, I felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

Was it just about dropping my pride and begging him?

When fate’s hand gripped your throat, what was pride truly worth?

I dialed the number etched in my heart.

*Beep… beep… beep…*

The phone’s ring seemed to have a magic of its own; with each ring, a shred of my soul was pulled away.

When the ringing stopped, I collapsed onto the sofa.

Relieved, yet also lost.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

Seeing the familiar number on the screen,

I felt as if I were dreaming.

As if answering it would take me back five years,

to a time before everything had happened.

After taking a deep breath, I answered the call.

Dominic Thorne coldly stated an address.

“You have twenty minutes. Get over here.”

I threw on a random jacket, rushed downstairs, and hailed a cab.

When I arrived at Dominic’s house, he was meticulously working on his laptop on the sofa.

Seeing me, he said dismissively, “When you’re begging someone, shouldn’t you have the attitude of someone who’s begging?”

I walked up to him and struggled to speak. “Mr. Thorne, please, overlook my foolishness. Don’t stoop to my level. Just let me have a way to live.”

He put down his laptop and gave me a playful smirk. “Alright, be my mistress, and I’ll cover your mom’s medical bills for a month.”

My face turned ashen as I pleaded with him. “Dominic, please don’t do this to me, okay?”

His expression changed drastically. “Shut up. Who gave you permission to call me that? I’m not negotiating with you. If you don’t agree, get out now. But I hear your mom’s condition isn’t looking too good.”

He knew me all too well.

I desperately wanted to walk away, but the thought of my mom, eyes closed in her hospital bed, made my legs feel as heavy as lead.

I had already lost too much in this life.

I couldn’t lose my mom too.

“Okay, I agree.”

Dominic Thorne looked at me in surprise, then said, “Aria Blackwood, you truly are pathetic.”