July Blossom Nightclub
Compared to a bar, the July Blossom Nightclub at eleven o'clock at night was even more bustling and lively.
The entire nightclub building was oval-shaped. As soon as you stepped in, you could see a dance floor filled with colorful lights. Directly ahead was a stage, usually occupied by a live band, and in the center of the dance floor, there were often impressive performances by pole dancers.
What made the nightclub unique were its private rooms, which encircled the first-floor hall. All the rooms had transparent glass walls, allowing guests to watch the performances from their windows. If they preferred not to watch, they could simply pull down the blackout curtains to shut out the outside world.
Royce and Lionel were at the bar in the first-floor hall. Lionel whistled at the pole dancer in the dance floor.
A waiter walked by, and Lionel snapped his fingers. "Send her a bouquet of flowers."
Royce leaned on the bar, pulling out his phone. The screen displayed a social media post from Julia.
There were only four photos, but he had looked at them several times.
"Can't she just post a selfie?" Royce muttered.
Just as he was lost in thought, a hand suddenly snatched his phone away.
"What are you looking at that's got you so hooked? You're not even watching the beauties!" Lionel glanced at him and then at the phone.
It was just a few pictures of a room. Lionel draped an arm over Royce's shoulder. "I say, buddy, what's so special about this room?"
Lionel tapped back to the original post and realized it was from Julia.
"Give it back!" Royce snatched his phone back.
Lionel licked his lips with a mischievous grin. "Missing the ladies, huh?"
"Shut up!" Royce retorted, taking a swig of his drink.
"Didn't you say your girl was just a supporting actress? And you invested three million to get her that role."
"I didn't help her get the role. I was just late, and the director gave her a chance," Royce quickly defended himself.
Lionel raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "But isn't her accommodation a bit too shabby? A double room? Looks like she's being bullied."
Royce immediately pulled out his phone and reopened the photo. To his surprise, there were indeed two beds in the room, something he hadn't noticed before.
Lionel slung an arm around Royce's shoulder. "Bro, let me tell you, hotel arrangements in a film crew are quite telling. They look at screen time, fame, and backing. With her role, she should at least have a single room."
As they were talking, a few arrogant voices suddenly came from behind them.
"Hey, girl, come have a drink with us! Hahaha—" The arrogance in their tone was unmatched in Zenith City.
Leading the group was a man in a white shirt, with several buttons undone, revealing his enticing skin. His face was fair and clean, with bright, captivating eyes that shone like stars. There was an indescribable aura about him, and when he squinted, it sent chills down one's spine.
This was Harry Edwards, known as the number one young master of Zenith City. He was a regular here, often bringing along the sons of wealthy families. Almost everyone in the place recognized him.
Royce frowned and turned his head slightly. "Let's head back to our private room."
Lionel didn't say anything as they both headed upstairs to their private room.
Lionel nudged Royce with his elbow. "Why do you keep avoiding him?"
"Annoying," Royce muttered, spitting out the word.
"He's asked me several times to introduce you two, and I've always turned him down for you. How are you going to thank me?"
Royce shot Lionel a glance that seemed to say, "Isn't that what friends are supposed to do?"
"Hey! You little punk!" Lionel and Royce had been friends for nearly ten years and knew each other's temperaments inside out.
After drinking for a while, Lionel started to feel bored.
"Seriously, you drag me out here and don't let me find some girls to hang out with? Are you trying to bore me to death?" Lionel slammed the bottle onto the table. "No way, I need to find some girls!"
Royce ignored him...
Lionel immediately scooted closer and patted the back of Royce's head. "The reason you're in a bad mood is because you need a woman. I'll find you a stunning one to cheer you up!"
With that, Lionel left the room.
As soon as he entered the main hall, Lionel started chatting up some girls.
Julia had a late shift today and had to take a cab, which took over an hour. By the time she arrived at the July Blossom Nightclub, it was already past ten, and she got a good scolding from the manager.
She quickly changed into her work clothes.
July Blossom Nightclub was a unique place, with many special features, one of which was its staff.
The waitstaff here all wore cartoonish maid outfits, each with a unique mask that covered only the upper half of their faces.
Despite the uniform theme, the maid outfits varied in style. As Julia donned her black-and-white maid outfit and began her shift with a tray of drinks, she noticed some maids wore red and black combinations, while others sported black and blue.
Last night, Linda had briefed her on some important rules and regulations of the place.
The red and black maid outfits were more revealing and indicated that those maids could be taken out for the night. The black and blue outfits, though also revealing, were less so and meant the maids could enter private rooms but not leave with clients.
Julia's black-and-white outfit signified that she was simply there to serve drinks and provide basic service. The guests knew that those in black-and-white were just regular waitstaff.
With these rules in place, Julia felt a sense of relief. Tonight was particularly busy, and her drink tray had been emptied several times already. Thinking about the substantial tips she could earn tonight, Julia felt even more motivated.
In one of the private rooms, Harry Edwards and his group of friends lounged around. One of them, named Shawn, rushed back excitedly. "Harry! Guess who I just saw!"
Harry, with his legs crossed and leaning back on the red leather sofa, took a sip of his drink. "Who?"
"Lionel Gonzalez! Mr. Lionel!"
Harry's eyes narrowed slightly. "Mr. Lionel? So, President must be here too?"
"I didn't see him. Even if I did, I wouldn't recognize him. Royce Butler is so mysterious. He's incredibly wealthy but never appears in newspapers or on TV. Probably only Lionel Gonzalez knows what he looks like."
Shawn leaned closer to Harry. "Harry, I heard Lionel is hitting on women, saying it's for a friend. Should we take advantage of this opportunity...?"
Shawn's face broke into a sly grin as he spoke.
Harry Edwards gave a devilish smile. "What are you waiting for? Go for it!"