Chapitre 2: Saving Love

April 1927, Shanghai.

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In the heart of Shanghai was the secret club for the grim members of the underworld.

People know better than to appear inside the club or enter as a civilian. Only those who seek death would enter the club without an invitation. But the club had never been bleak. On the contrary, it was filled with life, the bustling festive mood of men and women who enjoyed the company of the handsome waiters, where each one of them had been carefully selected by their beauty.

The westerners who couldn't find a normal job in daytime were an easy selection for the Chinese, who want to enjoy dominating the westerners who had triumphed over them. While the westerners had no choice but to bite down their pride and allow themselves to be an object of amusement to the Chinese.

There was one particular room that no one was allowed to enter and from there was the beautiful young woman sat at her luxurious red sofa. Her hourglass figure was clothed in the scarlet qipao. Her black hair was let loose so it could fall and frame over her oval face. Her sharp eyes were similar to a snake with her eyeliner winged thinly to give her gaze a blade-like glint.

Listening to the jazz was her favorite pastime. Even though she kept on flicking the lighter on her hand, she wasn't a smoker and didn't quite enjoy the aroma of smoke. She only loves the lighter for the ability this fire could burn.

While studying the club, she scoffed upon seeing the people tease the westerners. It's as though they were angered by the foreigners for appearing in their country, then slowly dominating and ruling over them. But these people weren't the problem, it was to see them vent their frustration on the innocent westerners that annoyed her.

In particular was the group of ladies who didn't hesitate to use the edge of their folding fans to poke the stomach of the waiter. His face was sadly covered by the curtain from where she had sat at but Ilyana Zhou didn't think that seeing his face was important.

She was more interested in seeing how more pathetic, Blaire Zhuang, the leader of those ladies, could be as she shamed the poor western waiter. As if it wasn't enough, they began to lift his shirt from with the folding fan, letting for Ilyana to find the man's fair skin and his tight stomach muscles.

Sighing, Ilyana pushed her back to the soft cushion sofa and turned her face to her bodyguard, "Bring that waiter here."

"Now? Lady Zhou?" The bodyguard questioned for her to raise her sharp drawn eyebrow that startled him.

"Did I stutter?" She questioned for the bodyguard to shake his head. "I only want to ruin those happiness from the ladies. Just call him here while I go and meet my mother— I mean, the Mistress." The bodyguard bent down to offer his affirmation to her order and went to the table where the waiter was.

Seeing from afar, it was difficult to see the waiter's face as he was too tall that the wall covered his small head. It was a little unfortunate for Ilyana as she was a little curious of the man's face. That pale skin and taut stomach muscle made her teeth ache. If she could, she would have taken a small nibble on his body but she didn't have time to do so. It was a little odd honestly. She wasn't so wild that she would bite anyone's stomach but her eyes couldn't tear away from his body.

She wondered if she was too desperate or if that man was just too alluring for her. Just like those moments when she suddenly crave for black cherry despite hating the overwhelming sweetness of it.

Ilyana could see at once how Blaire Zhuang's pretty face scrunched in anger after the bodyguard recited her words and couldn't help but chuckle in joy.

"Why does he need to leave?" Demanded Blaire Zhuang for an answer. Her tone short and offended that the bodyguard had stopped her amusement in teasing the waiter. Her fair fingers gripped tighter to her folding fan. "There are a lot of other waiters, take anyone else but him from our table."

The bodyguard didn't move, standing right in front of the waiter whose green eyes studied the people in front of him carefully. Despite them speaking in Chinese, he wasn't confused as though he was no stranger to the foreign language, unlike all the other waiters who appeared confused.

"A VIP customer request for him, Lady Zhuang. Her wishes is a must," the bodyguard turned his face to the handsome waiter. For a moment the bodyguard stopped and stared at the waiter's face as he didn't expect the man to appear like those painting of angels. He quickly snapped from the momentary awe and ordered, "Go to the VIP room."

The man's pink lips closed and opened. He looked confused as his black eyebrows which are hidden by his hair raised slowly. "Where is the VIP room?"

"You don't know?" The bodyguard questioned in surprise. He then realized he had never seen this waiter before. "You are a newbie," he noted in surprise.

The man innocently nodded his head.

"Wait!" Blaire Zhuang pulled the bodyguard by his collar. Her eyes turned sharp and green almost in the same color of her qipao. "Her? It's Ilyana isn't it? Tell her that I am not her dogs that would follow her orders. I want this waiter to stay here."

The man's eyebrows sloped down, troubled by how Blaire hadn't only sexual harassed him out in the open but also made his first day at work worse. Although he understood them perfectly, he appeared to be hesitant to refuse a customer for fear of being fired.

"Of course, you are not my dog Blaire. I would rather die than to have such a disobedient dog like you," Ilyana's voice appeared behind them, immediately taking the attention of the people who were invested in the drama Blaire had started. They all gasped upon seeing her doll-like face. Her tall nose ridge and her sharp jawline gave her flawless features. Due to her androgynous beauty, both men and women who saw her face couldn't help but gasp and admire her in awe.

Blaire's eyes immediately turned angry seeing the beautiful face appearing in front of her but fear caught her first as she took a step backward when Ilyana stepped forward, as if she didn't want to break the current distance between them.

"Ilyana Zhuang," Blaire repeated her name in frustration. "What had I done to you that cause you to ruin my enjoyment?"

"Ruin your happiness?" Ilyana chuckled lowly, placing her fair fingers that were covered in the leather black gloves across her red lips. "I didn't even know you'd be here. It's just something took my fancy."

When Ilyana turned her face, she was momentarily shocked by the beautiful face of the man behind her. He was handsome. The waiter who had piqued her curiosity was above and beyond in terms of his looks.

His features was those of a westerner's. It should have made him look rougher like those German mobs whom she had talked with last week as all the westerners she had talked with were mostly big in figure and rough in their appearance. Yet he wasn't rough like them. This young waiter instead appeared like those beautiful princes from the fairytales. His eyes were bright green, filled with dewiness and naivety of a sweet innocent soul. His features were that of a man but she wouldn't call his beauty as handsome and would rather describe it as lovely. She couldn't believe how he was even prettier than the girls of her clubhouse.

She saw how flustered he looked when their eyes met, as though he was trying to hide the fact he was admiring her since he heard her voice. She couldn't help but to think how he was too adorable for her.

His shoulders were wide. His face was pretty and even his behavior was adorable. Even though he looked meek, he didn't seem to be weak.

Without a thought, Ilyana raised her hand and settled them on his chest. The man's green eyes widneed. When his cheeks blushed, the red tint spread even to hise nose and his earlobes.

The man was startled to the point where Ilyana could feel his muscle twitched under her fingertips. His nose turn red and it was too easy to notice with his pale skin color. As her fingernails that she had painted in black slowly trace down from his chest to the same tummy she had peeked earlier, the man shuddered. His eyes were confused but he didn't voice out his dislike at all.

"You should say no when you don't like to be touched. Or these women would eat you alive," Ilyana advised him in English as she pulled her fingers away from him.

The man whose lips were pursed finally opened. His voice was as sweet and tempting as a spider web. "Will you eat me alive?" His ears turned even redder when she looked at him again, surprised by his words.

The corners of her lips tugged widely, turning her lips into a smile, "Depends on my mood but I don't want you to be eaten by them. It's such a pity someone as pretty as you being stained by those ugly witches. What's your name?"

"Lev," the man replied at once. She wondered if his parents didn't teach him the danger of giving his name to other strangers. "Lev?" His name was only three letters but it sounds so soft as though his name could be pronounced as Love. Ilyana who liked "love" better whispered, "Well Love, now be obedient and follow that guy behind you."

Lev, as though he was tamed like a dog, nodded his head at once. He whispered obediently without being able to take his eyes away from her, "Okay."

"Good boy," Ilyana praised, subconsciously setting her hand on his hair which she quickly pulled away.

Lev, the handsome waiter felt his cheeks burning looking at the gorgeous lady in front of him, at the same time not knowing if he should describe her as pretty or handsome or both. Even as he left, he couldn't tear his eyes away from Ilyana, wanting to be beside her for a longer time.

Ilyana looked back at Blaire who appeared miffed, "Come on we are not kids, Blaire. I was helping you for your own sake."

"For my own sake?" Scoffed Blaire. "You always do this— ruining my fun and gaining joy from having control over us just because you are the Pandora's eldest daughter!"

"Exactly," Ilyana confirmed. Her eyes shifted from the boring Blaire to her fingernails, checking whether they were chipped, "I do have power because I'm Pandora's eldest daughter. Think of it as such: that I'm helping you from making more embarrassment out of yourself."

"What?" Blaire demanded for her to flinch upon seeing Ilyana stepping forward toward her.

Ilyana enjoyed seeing how quickly Blaire's haughty expression turned that of a fear upon her forward steps. After cornering Blaire whose back hit the table, she settled her hand on Blaire's shoulders. "This club doesn't belong to you, Blaire. And yes, I do get what I want because I have this power on my hand. Stop teasing the westerners simply because your heart was broken by one. It's embarrassing." Tightening her fingers for a second, Ilyana then pulled away with her cocky smile. Although it angered Blaire, she couldn't be exactly mad when her fingers were trembling from fear.

"Milady," the same bodyguard stood behind her, alerting her of her schedule.

"Oh, it's time already?" Ilyana looked at the rest of the ladies sitting behind Blaire. They were so proud of themselves earlier but seemed to turn meek as fawns the moment she came. "Well I will see you guys again soon. Bye bye ladies."

Turning her body, Ilyana swipe her hair from her shoulders, unable to stop her grin as she had her fun.

Behind the red velvet curtain was Lev whose green eyes could never tear away from her, feeling inexplainable butterflies in his stomach.

Ilyana who didn't think much of her action would never expect the night to mark her involvement in the foreign emotions called "love".

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