Chapter 5

That night, I went to a bar for the first time in ages.

I never really liked these kinds of places, too noisy, too wild.

But every now and then, I just wanted to blend in with the crowd, get swept up in the noise.

I picked a brand-new spot, and when the manager came over to set up my table, he asked how many people I was with.

"Just me," I said.

He was quick on the uptake, reading the room like a pro. "Want me to get a few people over to keep you company? Make things a little more lively?"

I glanced around, my gaze stopping at a corner.

The manager followed my gaze, paused, then grinned. "That's our most popular guy. If you want him, it'll cost you a bit more."

I watched Alex sitting between two middle-aged women, a smile plastered on his face as he downed one drink after another.

"Money's not a problem," I said casually. "Send him over."

"You got it!"

I didn't have to wait long.

Alex strolled over, flashing a big grin. "Well, thanks for calling me over tonight..."

I looked up at him.

He stopped mid-sentence.

"Long time no see," I said, looking him up and down, not even trying to hide it. "Who dressed you tonight? Seriously, that's some next-level tacky."

His eyes flickered with embarrassment, but he kept that easy smile on his face. "Picked it up from some online tutorials. Apparently, this is what older ladies are into."

"Sit," I said, nodding at the chair. "So this is your big plan for making money? Working as a host at a bar?"

Of course, that was just a polite way of putting it.

To put it bluntly, he was basically working as a club escort, a gigolo for hire at the nightclub.

Alex didn't say a word.

"Did you get enough together for the surgery?" I asked.

Alex nodded, then immediately shook his head. "Not yet, but I'm close."

"How much are you short?"

"$30,000."

"When's the surgery?"

"The day after tomorrow."

I shot him a half-smile. "Trying to scrape together $30,000 in two days? What, you planning to sell yourself?"

I was half-joking, but Alex didn't even bother to deny it.

"Selling yourself isn't exactly easy these days, you know. $30,000? That's a steep price. Did you luck out and find a sugar mama?"

Alex nodded toward the booth he'd been sitting at. "Yeah, it's all set. They're pooling their money for it."

I was caught off guard and choked on my drink.

Alex instinctively reached out to pat my back, but then pulled his hand back at the last second.

But as he leaned in, I caught a whiff of that powdery, artificial scent clinging to him.

That overpowering, cheap cologne really put me off.

I still preferred the fresh, natural soap smell he had the first time we met.

It always made me think of Jonathan when he was young.

"Is this really your first time doing something like this?" I asked.

He just murmured, "Yeah."

I picked up my phone, tapped a few times, then held the screen up to his face.

It was our chat window, and right there, you could clearly see I'd just sent him $30,000.

"You're still young, and you're a star student from a top school. The sky's the limit for you," I said.

"Forget about working the nightclub scene. I could really use a personal assistant right now. Why not join my team?"