The manager's eyes Landed on Catherine.

Though she was dressed in the standard server uniform, her striking features and poised demeanor stood out. Compared to the other servers, who had undergone formal training, she was more than capable of blending in-or even surpassing them in appearance.

He remembered her background.

Her family had gone bankrupt, leaving her in dire financial straits—otherwise, she would never have ended up working in a place like this.

"Catherine, come here, " he called her over to the side."We're short-staffed tonight.Change into the VIP server outfit and deliver drinks to the private room.

That's all you need to do. Don't get involved in anything else.

Once you've completed the task, find an excuse to leave. I'll make it worth your while—tonight's pay will be five times your usual rate!"

"How's it going?"

The manager asked casually, though he had no intention of letting Catherine refuse. With a quick gesture, he ordered someone to take Catherine to change clothes and instructed them, right in front of her, to take good care of Catherine.

Catherine was led to the dressing room by the woman, who handed her a tailored, form-fitting cheongsam—a traditional Chinese form-fitting dress that exuded elegance. She pursed her lips tightly.

Bankruptcy, dropping out of school, debts, her father's exorbitant medical bills. From the moment she had no choice but to work in a place like this, she had understood that certain things were inevitable.

No matter how cautious she was, it had come to this.

Fortunately, the manager didn't seem to have any other intentions—otherwise, even this job, which barely covered her family's day-to-day expenses, would have come to an end.

Her fingers reached for the buttons at the collar, and she changed into the outfit.

When she stepped out of the dressing room, the manager's eyes lit up immediately, but his expression quickly shifted to a frown.

After some thought, he arranged for Catherine to walk behind the other women and reminded her again to be careful.

Catherine nodded and agreed before joining the group. She carried a tray filled with wine glasses and delicacies, and knocked on the door of the private room.

"Come in, " a voice called.

The door opened, and Catherine followed the women inside.

As soon as she entered the dimly lit, hazy room, she felt several gazes land squarely on her.

Uncomfortable, she pressed her lips together slightly, eager to set down the tray and leave as quickly as possible.

But one of the men pointed directly at her. "The last one—come here and pour me a drink."

The woman in front of Catherine smiled and started walking toward the man, but a sharp clatter echoed as he slammed a glass heavily onto the table, raising his voice.

"I said the last one-was that you?"