Chapter 1

Adam jolted awake, his heart pounding in his chest. He glanced at the clock and cursed under his breath.

'Fuck!'

It was already 8 pm. He had overslept again.

The 22-year-old man quickly headed to the bathroom, but he heard a faint sound of sobbing from his sister’s room. He stopped and moved closer, peeking through the slightly open door. There, he saw his mother, Sarah, sitting on the edge of the bed hugging Rachel, his sister.

Sarah stroked Rachel’s hair, trying to comfort her. "I’m sorry, sweetie. I promise I’ll pay your tuition next week. Don’t listen to those mean kids. I may always be late, but I always manage to pay it, right?"

Adam felt a pang of sadness. He knew how much Rachel loved school, and how much she suffered from being bullied by her friends for being poor. As for his mother, she worked as a tailor, whose income had declined due to her health condition. Adam wished he could do something to help them, but he felt powerless and useless.

When Adam was about to walk away, his mother noticed him and gave a weak smile before heading to the kitchen. Adam followed her and sat on a wooden chair.

Sarah said, "Son, staying up all night is bad for your health. Why don’t you apply for a job at Mr. Brown’s construction site? You’d have regular hours and a steady income."

Adam sighed. "Please, Mom. I earn more at the club than I would as a bricklayer."

For the past year, Adam had been working as a waiter in a local night club. He didn’t earn much, but he got good tips from the customers.

Sarah shook her head, concerned about the nightlife's influence on her son. But before she could say anything, Adam interrupted her.

"If only dad were still alive..."

Sarah flinched, and she rubbed Adam’s shoulder. "We have to move on. I hope–"

"Why, Mom?" Adam interjected. "Why did he have to play the hero and try to stop those robbers? Didn't he think about us in case something happened to him? Don’t you see how hard–"

Adam stopped, his anger melting as he saw his mother’s weary but loving eyes. He took a breath before continued, "Forget it. I have to go to work."

He got up and walked out of the kitchen, bumping into Rachel, who was 16 at the time. She saw the look on their mother’s face and came over to hug her.

"Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll talk to him later."

Sarah managed to force a smile. "It's okay, sweetie. He just misses your father too much."

After a quick shower, Adam rushed to work on foot since it was nearby. When he arrived at Electric Eden, the nightclub where he worked, he went straight to the dressing room to change into his uniform. But as soon as he entered, a wave of hostility washed over him. His coworkers were already there, glaring at him with hatred.

"Look who's here," one of them sneered, "Mr. Popular."

Another one joined in. "Did you get enough tips from those thirsty ladies last night?"

Adam ignored them and walked to his locker. He knew they were jealous of the attention he received from the female customers and the generous tips that came with it.

"Hey, I’m talking to you!" one of them, Joe, grabbed Adam by the collar and pulled him back. "Don’t you dare ignore me, you little shit!"

Adam tried to break free, but Joe's grip was too strong. He felt a jolt of pain in his neck. "Let me go, Joe! I don’t want any trouble!"

"Trouble? You’re the one who’s causing trouble, you bastard! You think you’re better than us? You think you can steal our customers and our money?"

Adam shook his head. "No, I don’t. I just do my job, that’s all."

"Bullshit," Joe snapped. "You're stealing our tips, that's what you're doing. You're using your pretty face and your sweet talk to make them give you more money."

"That's not true," Adam said. "I don't ask for anything. They give me what they want. Please, guys, can't we just get along? We're all on the same team here. We're all working hard to–"

"Shut up!" The other guy barked. "You're not one of us. You're an outsider. A pretty boy who thinks he's better than us."

He stepped closer to Adam and grabbed his hair. He pulled his head back and whispered in his ear. "You need to learn your place, punk."

That man punched Adam in the stomach, making him gasp for air and fall to the floor. Joe laughed and joined in the beating. They kicked and punched Adam all over his body, ignoring his cries for mercy. They stopped when they heard someone coming.

"Quick, let's go," Joe said, wiping the blood off his knuckles.

The other guy added, "That’s what you get for being an asshole, and don’t think this is over. We'll make your life here a living hell until you quit or get fired."

Adam curled up into a ball and tried to stop the bleeding from his nose and mouth. He had to get back to work. He had to pretend that nothing happened.

So, he turned on the faucet and splashed some water on his face, then opened his locker and took out a clean uniform. He put it on quickly and checked himself in the mirror again. He still looked terrible, but he hoped no one would notice.

Adam headed to the bar, where he greeted his boss, Mr. Lee. Mr. Lee was a middle-aged man with a bald head and a thick mustache. He managed Electric Eden.

Mr. Lee looked at Adam with a stern expression. "You’re late again. This is the third time this week. Do you have any idea how important this night is?"

Adam felt a surge of resentment. He hated working at this place, but he had no choice. He needed the money to support his family. He tried to apologize, but Mr. Lee cut him off.

"Save it. I don’t want to hear your excuses. You’re lucky I don’t fire you right now. But if you ever show up late again, you’re out of here. Do you understand?"

Adam nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Now listen. There’s a very important guest on the second floor, table one. This person specifically requested you to serve them. Remember, don't piss them off. If you mess this up, consider yourself fired. Got it?"

Adam swallowed hard, feeling the pressure from Mr. Lee's words. "I got it, sir."

"Good. Now get your ass up there and make sure our VIP guest leaves satisfied."

Adam nodded and made his way to the second floor. But when he saw who was sitting at table one, he was shocked.

There, he saw Lily, his girlfriend of two years. Lily was a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She worked as a receptionist at a nearby hotel.

'What's Lily doing here?'

But what Adam saw next made his blood boil. Lily was being hugged by a man. A man who was not him.

The man was dressed in a costly suit and a flashy watch on his wrist. Adam didn’t know the man's name, but he recognized him as a frequent guest, a rich playboy who often wasted his money on booze and women.

At the moment, the man was clinging to Lily, whispering something in her ear. Lily looked happy and relaxed, laughing and nodding at the man’s words. She didn’t notice Adam standing there, frozen in shock and anger.

Adam gritted his teeth. He wanted to confront them and punch the man in the face, but he knew he couldn’t. He had to act professional and do his job, so he put on a fake smile and walked towards the table.

"Good evening," Adam said in a polite tone. "I'm Adam, and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I bring you anything to start?"