"That fuckers are impossible to meet!" Eva yelled with frustration.

"Don't you know someone from high school who knows them?" I asked although I'm sure my friend already thought of it.

"I called few people who were hanging out with them, hell I even called former girlfriends"

Okay, Eva was clearly committed to her investigation.

"Were they playboys or something?" I asked curiously. Not that it matters I just needed to ask them for a favor so their personalities and attitudes towards women didn't mean anything to me it was just curiosity.

"I mean they were always surrounded by the girls. The younger one, Lorenzo, for sure was a womanizer type and was quite invested in dating. Rafael on the other hand not at all. The opposite to be said about our school's female population the girls were very committed to drawing Rafael's attention. There was always that one girl who had untold permission to stay by his side. It always looked a little off as if he was treating them like objects of some sort, decorations." Eva explained after few seconds of thinking it through.

"So why they were hanging out with him?"I continued my questioning wondering how does Eva know the answer to the former question.

Could it be she was observing with the rest of the kids Vincentis every move? It really felt like they were the star of the show in that high school.

This time Eva shrugged her shoulders.

"First, he was hot as fuck, okay? Besides some girls are attracted to unapproachable men. And there was always a more practical reason - to climb up on a social ladder of course"

"That's so shallow...Not that I can judge people after all I'm trying to bring to life this insane plane of yours"

"About brining it to life... Damn it would be easier to schedule a meeting with the president than Rafael but here's still a chance. Because it was hard to gather info about Vincentis I started gathering info about Dante their closest friend from high school and apparently he frequently visits a certain nightclub where the city's elite likes to gather. I think there's a chance we can encounter Vincentis at this place"

"Okay, it won't hurt to check if they're there, right? So when do we plan to go there?"

"No, we're not going"

Wait, what? It was always Eva in our duo who insisted on doing things, she wasn't the one who would just resign and gave up for no reason.

"Why not?"

Eva sighed heavily, typed something on her laptop, and fancy looking site with a Himeros logo showed up.

"Look at the entrance fee"

"Holy shit"

We're definitely not going.

"The price is ridiculous"

"We can't visit as customers but maybe we can get hired there at some point. Or we can just wait somewhere outside of the club if we're desperate enough"

Am I? Am I desperate enough?

♦️♦️♦️

Next week was peaceful so I let my guard down. I was telling myself that maybe there's a small chance that my uncle and his son left me alone after what happened. Has Ethan really planned to beat me up? Can't be. He lost control and now he's probably ashamed and so is Harvey. They will just quit behaving like that. Right? Right.

No, of course not. But I had to lie to myself because I was terrified. Those lies were the only thing that was keeping me sane at the moment.

"Himeros club is searching for employees"' Eva said with excitement it's been few days since our last conversation about the Vincentis. I already forgot about the issue, it was a long shot anyway.

"We don't even know if they will be there. Our plan didn't work out, it's okay"

"It's not okay. Look - They're looking for a waitress for the Saturday event. It's just for the weekend"

"Me waitressing at the nightclub? Eva but I think we should just... stop"

"C'mon it's our chance"

Yeah, a chance to become deaf.

"Look" Eva continued speaking "they offer good money and it's for one night. There will be many candidates who say they will pick us of all people? Let's just give it a try"

"No Eva. I'm putting a stop to this. Look, this week was fine, nothing happened. Maybe Harvey gave up?" I wasn't sure if I'm lying to her or myself. I could still feel the deep bruise under my makeup as I was speaking. It still hurt.

"Fine, suit yourself," Eva said clearly tired and frustrated, I suddenly felt guilty because at least she was trying while I was stuck unable to move in any direction.

♦️♦️♦️

"Fired? Why"

"We're forced to laid off some employees because the company isn't doing well," Jessica said but I could feel something wasn't right, she wasn't even looking at me.

"I had no idea that company is struggling I'm sorry it's just so unexpected"

"I understand," I said with a choked voice that's all I managed to say before I left Jessica's office. Tears were running down my cheeks, I felt shame and guilt. What do I do now? They will take Casey away from me.

Despite feeling the need to just lie down in bed and give up I've spent the next day browsing job offers and sending my CV to every place I could. Then the phone rang "

"How are you doing, niece?"

"Harvey?" I asked quietly, I could feel the chills running down my spine.

"And what's this? Were you crying, Eliana? Do you have enough fighting me?"

"Go fuck yourself"

"So rude. Truly a shame your parents died before they could teach you manners. I already made it clear when I said I want you to sign off your inheritance rights, but you weren't listening. Aren't you tired of paying the price for your stupidity?"

Then the realization hit me.

"What are you... are you the one who got me fired?"

"She fired you for a few pennies I think your landlord would kick you out on the snap of my fingers. Imagine what else can happen to you and your dear Casey if you keep being stubborn"

"I hate you" I whispered through tears "You're a monster"

"Use your head, child. Do you think your petty insults have any effect on me? Carry on like this it won't end well for you. Next week, Ethan will be visiting you to ask if you got smarter and I hope for your sake you did"

After that, he hung up on me.

Got smarter? Who does he think he is? How dare he mention Casey's name? In the split second, I've made a decision. I called Eva.

"Eva, I want this job. At the nightclub. Are they still recruiting?"

"Yes. Wait, I will send you a link"

"Thank you"

♦️♦️♦️

Dear readers,

First, I'd like to thank you for all votes you have left so far without them I don't know if I would be able to continue writing this story without your support, I appreciate your help. ♥️

I'd likes to ask if you find a story to be interesting so far. Do you like the plot? Is there anything you don't like about it? Please let me know if you like it or if you don't like it I can still make some adjustments, if you have any suggestions or prompts I will also welcome them.

If you have any questions let me know as well. ♥️