Chapter 3

Willow held the tray tightly as she walked towards V8. She was afraid of any mishap that could shatter the bottles in her hands. "Ack!" Suddenly, someone emerged from a crossroad and accidentally bumped into Willow, exclaiming in surprise. Willow's heart raced, and she swiftly pulled the precariously balanced bottles closer to her chest. 'Oh, thank goodness I managed to keep the bottles safe!' "What's wrong with you? You bump into people and don't even apologize!" The voice sounded sharp and irritated. Willow turned to face the person, only to see a woman with a face full of hostility. Even though it wasn't her fault, customer satisfaction was paramount. She had intended to apologize, but upon seeing the woman, a surge of animosity coursed through her veins. "It's you!" "It's you!" The woman seemed equally surprised. Samantha stared at Willow, sizing her up, and then let out a snide chuckle. "Oh my, I can't believe you've fallen to the point of working in a nightclub. If you're really struggling to get by, you should come to me. I can arrange a decent job for you. After all, I'm a successful person with my own company. We're family, right? So helping each other out is only natural." Years ago, Samantha had set her sights on Xavier, Willow's boyfriend at the time. She had been utterly captivated by his striking looks. He was a thousand times more handsome than any guy she had dated before. Driven by her desires, she plotted to take Xavier away from Willow. She had deliberately stayed behind to cook dinner for them that night. During the meal, she had taken every opportunity to get Xavier drunk. He had ended up completely intoxicated. Under the pretense of Willow and Xavier needing to bathe, Samantha had told Willow to grab some firewood from the old storage house and locked her inside, leaving her stranded. And then, Samantha had slept with Willow's boyfriend! Originally, she had hoped to win Xavier's heart, but he had thoroughly rejected her advances. No matter what tricks she had tried, Xavier remained uninterested. She had no choice but to give up. Willow rolled her eyes and said disdainfully, "Get out of my way, you nuisance!" Willow wasn't naive. She realized that Samantha had locked her in the old storage house that day and shamelessly slept with Xavier! Samantha's selfish actions had destroyed her promising future! This woman was truly wicked and had no boundaries. Unfortunately, Samantha's luck had taken a turn for the better. She had somehow acquired a substantial amount of money and started her own company. She was now thriving in business and even had a wealthy boyfriend. After the incident five years ago, Willow had cut ties with Samantha and had not seen her since. However, she couldn't avoid hearing others praise Samantha, talking about how successful she had become in her career and how she was thriving. Upon hearing Willow's retort, Samantha immediately grew furious and shot back, "Who are you calling a nuisance?" She rolled up her sleeves, ready to give Willow a piece of her mind. Samantha had disliked Willow for a long time. She could easily captivate men with her beautiful face and seductive charm, leaving them completely smitten. Xavier was a prime example. Before Samantha could reach Willow, the door of a nearby private room swung open, revealing a man who exuded an air of aristocracy. Irritated, he snapped, "What's the commotion? Waitress, bring the items inside!" Samantha glanced and realized it was one of the Four Aristocrats of Buscen City, the noble son of the Sinclair family who owned Sinclair Corporation, Wyatt Sinclair. Having been in business for a while, Samantha had developed a keen eye for judging people—she knew who to provoke and who to avoid. She nodded politely at Wyatt, apologized with a slight bow, and then pulled her friend away. She had come to the club to have fun with her friends. She couldn't afford to offend the wrong people and ruin the night. Once Samantha left, Willow's tension eased. She looked at the doorplate and confirmed this was the V8 private room. She promptly replied, "I'm sorry. I'll bring the items in right away." "Hurry up," the man urged. Willow entered the private room and placed the ordered cigarettes on the table. As she looked around, she saw four men sitting on the couch, three of them flanked by two beautiful women each. These women were delicate and seemed submissive, feeding fruits to the men or lighting their cigarettes. Only one man, sitting on the outermost edge, appeared to be alone without any women attending to him. This man possessed a dignified and impressive demeanor. His eyes were bright, and he was incredibly handsome. His presence exuded an air of nobility that commanded respect without expressing anger or aggression. While the other men were teasing the women or singing karaoke, this man was focused on his phone, tapping on the screen as if he were working. It was Willow's first time working in a nightclub, and her goal was to sell drinks and earn commissions. Selling a single bottle would earn her ten thousand dollars, which would cover two months' worth of milk formula for her children. At the moment, it seemed that approaching this particular man for a sale would be the best strategy, as he was the only one seemingly available to engage with her. However, as a newcomer to sales and with the man's strong presence, Willow was unsure how to start the conversation. She gazed at him, wanting to speak but struggling to find the right opening words. Her hesitant expression was noticed by the others. The man who had opened the door earlier, Wyatt, had just taken a piece of fruit fed by a woman. He taunted, "Babe, why are you still here? Do you want to sit next to Mr. Jasper?" "Another brave soul trying to seduce Mr. Jasper? Babe, give up on that idea. Mr. Jasper's heart belongs to someone else. Besides his muse, no one can catch his eye," Christopher Landon, CEO of Landon Conglomerate, sneered. "Mr. Jasper can have any women he wants, but unfortunately, his heart has been captivated by a deceased woman. He has no interest in other women," Frederick Lewis of Lewis Group teased. It turned out that the handsome man who seemed to be the subject of admiration had lost the one he loved. That’s why he refrained from pursuing women, reserving all his feelings for the one who had passed away. He truly was a devoted soul. Willow, through the banter of the three men, learned the reason behind Mr. Jasper's apparent disinterest in romantic pursuits. However, she didn't want to be misunderstood. She was not someone who was easily swayed by appearances. After all, she was a mother of four children. Life's struggles had snuffed out her desires; how could there be room for frivolous thoughts? She explained, "Gentlemen, you've misunderstood. I was just asking if you need some drinks. The drinks here are quite good." Amidst the jesting among the young men, Jasper hadn't looked up. However, as soon as Willow spoke, he looked up with dark eyes and fixed his gaze on her. It felt like a lightning bolt had struck him when he heard her voice, tearing open the depths of his mind and rekindling long-sealed emotions. Why did her voice sound so familiar? "Is it really that good? Have you tried it?" Wyatt asked. Willow was honest and replied, "No." "In that case, open a bottle and taste it. Let us know how it tastes. If it's good, we'll buy it. If it's not... Well, we don't drink bad-tasting alcohol, you know?" Christopher said with a mischievous grin. They could have easily dismissed her, but Jasper had unexpectedly glanced at her. Plus, he hadn't shown any sign of anger or told her to leave. This was quite rare! For the first time in history, Jasper didn't tell a woman who admired his appearance to leave. Was Jasper actually interested in women? How could these three miss such a chance to gossip about Jasper? Willow felt somewhat awkward. How could she know what kind of alcohol they would like? If she opened a bottle and tasted it herself, only for them to reject it, wouldn't that mean she would have to pay for it? These people were quite cunning. It was as if they were playing games with her. She couldn't leave now; it would offend them and make them feel underestimated. Willow was caught in a dilemma. However, she still had the ability to think on her feet. "How about this? I'll pour a glass for each of your companions. After they taste it, they can tell you the flavor. This way, I won't be exaggerating, and it'll also prevent any misunderstanding. What do you think?" Willow cleverly shifted the decision-making back to them.