Max stood there, swirling his cocktail glass with a slow, hypnotic motion. He glanced between the two women before settling his gaze on the one with the 62 beauty score, Mia.
"I wouldn't say I'm lonely. But a night is always better with lovely company. Is the girl behind you free?"
Without waiting for an answer, Max ignored Mia entirely. He pointed his finger directly toward Emily.
Emily looked down, her face flushing with a mix of shyness and hesitation. Before she could find her voice, Mia quickly intervened.
Mia plastered a sugary sweet smile across her face. She swayed her slender waist and tried to cling to Max's arm.
"Big brother, why not book me too? It'll be a party! Two sisters sitting with you, a beauty on each arm. Wouldn't that be much better?"
Max felt a sharp surge of irritation at the interruption. He roughly shook off Mia's hand and gave her a cold, dismissive glare.
"Get lost."
The sudden ice in Max's eyes sent a shiver of genuine fear through Mia. She bit her lip, looking aggrieved as she backed away.
Before she left, she didn't dare direct her resentment toward Max. Instead, she shot a sharp, poisonous look at Emily.
Emily shrunk back, her head bowing even lower under the weight of the hostile glare. Max watched this play out with a cold smirk in his heart.
This is how society works, Max thought. The weak are blamed and envied even when they do nothing. The strong can be as unreasonable as they want, and no one dares to offend them.
If this were the Max from this morning, Mia wouldn't have even spared him a glance. This realization only sharpened his hunger for more power and money.
"Don't pay her any mind. As long as I'm here, she won't dare touch you."
"Why don't we go over there and have a drink?"
Max flashed a bright, sunny smile. He looked like a kind, gentle "good boy," a complete contrast to the cold man who had just chased Mia away.
Emily struggled to speak, her voice coming out in soft, unnatural stammers. After a brief internal battle, she gave a small nod.
It's just a drink, Emily tried to convince herself. It's part of the job I signed up for.
She had prepared herself mentally when she registered with the manager. But actually going to entertain a strange man still made her feel exposed and uncomfortable.
Her natural light blonde hair was tied in a simple ponytail. A few stray strands framed her face, which was devoid of makeup but radiated a youthful purity.
Her blue eyes were clouded with a hint of sadness and self pity. She looked up at him timidly.
"Yes... okay."
Damn, the more I look at her, the more I want to bully her, Max thought. He didn't understand why he felt this way.
But seeing her vulnerable expression only made his primal hunting instincts flare up. He wanted to see her break.
"Let's go then."
Max reached out and firmly gripped Emily's hand, pulling her toward the bar. Emily instinctively tried to pull away, but his grip was unyielding.
After a moment of futile resistance, she went quiet and followed him.
"What would you like to drink? By the way, what is your name?"
"My name is Emily. Anything is fine with me, sir."
Are women made in a factory? Max wondered. Why are they so hard to understand?
This was the first time he had met Emily, so he had no clue what she liked. He simply ordered a high end cocktail and two bottles of strong liquor.
Once the drinks were served, Max leaned in with a playful look.
"Emi, would you like to play a game with me?"
Before she could answer, another staff member approached. Max stood up and pulled the man aside, away from Emily's earshot.
"Sir, I see you have booked her for drinks. You can tip her as much as you like, but you still need to settle the hourly fee with the bar."
The staff member began to point at a price list, but Max didn't let him finish. He slammed a 10,000 dollar stack of cash onto the counter.
Max looked at the man with a deep, suggestive gaze.
"I might be taking her out for some air later. I assume your manager won't mind?"
The staff member stared at the thick stack of hundred dollar bills. He didn't know the exact count, but it was clearly well over 8,000 dollars.
Max then pulled out another 1,000 dollars and tucked it into the man's hand.
"I feel like we've been friends since we met. Consider this some pocket change for your next drink."
Seeing how "reasonable" Max was, the staff member grinned broadly. He patted Max on the shoulder with a conspiratorial air.
"Very easy to talk to, my friend. I will pass the word to the manager. You can take her out to clear her head whenever you like."
The two men shared a knowing, wicked smile before parting. When Max returned to his seat, Emily tilted her head to the right.
She touched her index finger to her lip, looking at him with genuine confusion.
"What were you two talking about? You both looked so happy."