Chapter 4 Part-time Job at the Bar_1

Sophia Cloud thought she was going to spend the night on the streets today when, finally, heaven seemed to take pity on her, and her best friend Tiana Cooper finally returned from her business trip.

Standing on the street with her luggage, she looked at the incoming call on her phone and couldn't help but burst into tears.

Without a word, Tiana Cooper asked her to send her location, picked her and her son up, and took them back to her own home.

"Natalie Carter, that old witch, is simply intolerable, and Leo Harrell, that scumbag—if I ever run into him, I'll tear him apart with my own hands!"

After hearing about what Sophia Cloud had been through these past few days, Tiana Cooper was so furious she jumped up from the sofa and started cursing.

All it took was a two-month business trip for her best friend to suffer like this.

"Don't worry! Sophia, from now on, I'll take care of you and Arthur, and let those people get lost!"

Tiana Cooper cursed the Harrell Family and the Cloud Family repeatedly before sitting back down and assured her while thumping her chest.

Sophia Cloud slightly curved the corners of her mouth, feeling very lucky to have Tiana Cooper as a friend. Tiana was now a junior white-collar worker at a company, and indeed, she could afford to provide for her and Arthur.

However, Tiana Cooper was used to spending extravagantly, and she definitely didn't have any savings at the moment. Even if she did, Sophia couldn't always rely on her.

So, Sophia Cloud still decided to go out and look for a job on her own. The sooner she found one, the better.

Tiana Cooper couldn't persuade her otherwise and reluctantly said, "Then you must look for a legitimate company, and not be cheated. Luckily, I've taken a month's annual leave, so I can help you look after Arthur at home. If it really doesn't work out, come back, and even if I have to cut off my own hand and stop shopping, I'll support you both."

Sophia Cloud smiled in agreement and playfully teased her through a text on her phone.

——You're such a nag!

In truth, she was very moved. She never thought the day would come when her own relatives would do anything to exploit her, while her best friend, with no blood relation, was the one helping her.

With Tiana Cooper's help in taking care of the child, Sophia Cloud could search for a job with peace of mind.

However, finding a job was not as easy as she had anticipated.

Everyone was quite satisfied at first glance, but as soon as they learned she was mute, they disdainfully asked her to leave.

Only a subterranean bar, impressed by her good looks, did not turn her away.

Watching the diverse crowd in the dance floor twist and turn, men and women scantily clad, she instinctively felt repulsed by the place.

But after one morning, this was the only place that had not rejected her.

After much deliberation, Sophia Cloud still decided to stay. She needed money, needed it for living security. The boss said she only had to work as a waitress, wiping plates and serving drinks.

With a bit of caution, there shouldn't be any trouble.

The bar was quiet in the afternoon, and after trying it for half a day, Sophia Cloud felt it was not bad and agreed to stay on with the boss.

As evening arrived and the crowd began to pick up, Sophia Cloud sent a text to Tiana Cooper telling her she might come back late and busied herself in the bar.

Cautiously maneuvering through the crowd with a tray full of pink liquid, she looked for table 189.

Table 189 was a VIP seat, and Sophia Cloud felt anxious, hoping she wouldn't encounter any troublesome rich playboys.

"Sister?" A voice she knew all too well forced her to look up.

As soon as she lifted her gaze, she saw Evelyn Smith at VIP table alongside Leo Harrell, and their table number was exactly 189.

What a coincidence—like Mickey munching on Crispy Cones and stepping into Wonder House, it was just too perfect!

Sophia Cloud pulled at the corner of her mouth with a forced smile and quickened her steps. This was even more distressing than facing a rich playboy.

She hastily wanted to put down the wine and leave as quickly as possible, completely unaware of the foot that Evelyn Smith discreetly extended from under the table.

With a "rip", she toppled forward, the entire contents of the tray spilling flawlessly all over Leo Harrell, and concentrated on a particular indescribable area.

This job was hard-won, and Sophia Cloud instinctively gestured an apology to him. Watching Leo Harrell's face grow darker, she hurriedly took out a handkerchief she carried to wipe him down.

Leo Harrell went from initial shock to anger, as a certain part of his body actually responded to her wiping.

He frowned deeply, his face filled with annoyance, and with a kick, he pushed her away, bellowing in a heavy voice, "Get lost!"

Spectators at the bar cast glances of amused interest, and there were whispers mocking Sophia Cloud for her shameless attempt to seduce a man.

She fell to the ground, her face blank with astonishment, looking up at the man who towered over her. She had already apologized, so why did he still demand her to 'get lost' in front of everyone?

Sophia Cloud bit her lip as she got up from the floor and quickly went to the restroom, fearing her tears would fall in the next second.

"Leo, brother, don't be angry just yet. Sister didn't do it on purpose, I'll go check on her!" Evelyn Smith followed right behind.

In the restroom, Sophia Cloud splashed handfuls of cold water on her face, forcing back the tears.

As she raised her head, she saw Evelyn Smith's victorious look in the mirror.

"Sister, who would've thought you'd have the virtue of thrift, running here to work as a waitress! Or is it? You knew Leo would often come to this bar, so you stayed here with ulterior motives?"

Evelyn Smith's smiling face gradually showed cruelty, "If that's your game, I'd advise you to get as far away as possible, don't show up in front of Leo, brother. Otherwise, I'll make you pay the price!"

Sophia Cloud's lips curled in a faint sneer; she wanted to tell Evelyn Smith that she had no interest in Leo Harrell, that she just wanted to work properly.

—I won't leave, this is my job.

She gestured emphatically.

Evelyn Smith understood her denial, and her eyes grew even more fierce as she pulled out her phone and made a call.

Within two minutes, two or three burly men appeared at the door.

"My dear sister, enjoy! Think carefully about what I said!" Evelyn Smith's mouth twisted into a sinister smile, and as she left, she didn't forget to instruct the men, "Remember to take photos!"

Sophia Cloud's mind flashed a bad premonition, and she quickly ran into a toilet stall, locking the door behind her.

The men locked the entire women's restroom, their sleazy laughter filling the air.

"Beauty, come out and let us take good care of you!"

Sophia Cloud started to sweat; trembling, she desperately pressed her phone, only to find that it had automatically shut down.

The laughter outside grew more brazen, and with a "snap", the stall door was forcefully twisted. Sophia Cloud was dragged out of the stall.

—Don't!

She desperately waved her hands, her eyes brimming with fear.

Her clothes were ripped off with a swish, revealing the thin undershirt beneath. Sophia Cloud began flailing wildly, trying to resist.

"Behave yourself! You wretch!"

A man with a scar on his face delivered a powerful slap, sending Sophia Cloud staggering a few steps before being brutally thrown against the stall partition.

Just when she was nearly incapable of fighting back, the restroom door was kicked open.

Leo Harrell stood at the doorway like a deity, his expression intensely grim.