Chapter 2 A bunch of foolish men

The game began, and Violetta learned how to play. Initially confusing, she gradually caught on. However, the man playing cards for her wasn't very skilled, and half of her money had already changed hands.

"Ck! Are you stupid? I don't care about losing my money, but teach me how to play to win!" snapped Violetta.

"Hey, Miss! In gambling, you need not only skill to win but also a bit of luck," retorted the middle-aged man who had taken some of her money.

Violetta sighed in frustration. She grabbed a cigarette from the table, lit it, and said, "Don't underestimate me. You'll all be surprised to know what my job is." She took a strong puff and blew out the smoke.

"So, what's your job? Judging by your looks, I guess you're just a model," one of the men guessed.

Violetta burst into laughter. It was amusing that everyone who met her for the first time always guessed that she was a model.

"We're not models," Helena interjected nervously.

"Mistress?" guessed another man.

"Watch your mouth! Have you ever been hit with a high-heeled shoe?" Violetta retorted.

All the men at the table laughed, and the game resumed. Now Violetta joined in, determined to show how lucky she could be at the gambling table.

The game heated up, and Violetta began to enjoy it. She understood the flow of the game and was willing to bet all the money she had.

"All in."

"Are you serious, Miss?"

Violetta finished her cigarette. "Please tally up all the money I'll get if I win this third round!"

The dealer added up the money, and the total reached fifty thousand dollars.

"Wow, Helena, you can pay off your family debt if I get that money. Plus, there's still some left for you to splurge," Violetta said with a grin as she revealed her cards, frustrating everyone at the table. Even the dealer was surprised, knowing it was Violetta's first game.

"Oh, damn! That money should've been mine! Damn woman!" grumbled the middle-aged man, banging the table.

Violetta couldn't stand being insulted like that. They had already called her a mistress, and now they were calling her a damn woman. So, with emotion, she took off her shoe and threw it right at the old man's head.

"You bastard! How dare you say that to me!"

The man yelled at her, but Violetta just grinned, ignoring him. Instead, she asked Helena to hand over her bag, then put all her winnings inside.

"Are you ignoring me? Do you even know who I am?" the man shouted.

"Are you so important that I should know you?"

Violetta remained remarkably calm, while Helena was sweating cold, pondering her fate. Unfortunately, why did she have to be trapped in this situation?

"Do you think you can still live when you leave here?" the old man taunted, standing up to challenge Violetta. Helena was scared, unlike Violetta, who didn't seem to be intimidated at all. Helena was now thinking about how to get both of them out of trouble, but the more she thought and observed the situation, the less she found any solution.

"Would you like to have a drink with me?" whispered a man, surprising Helena. Apparently, the guy who had been playing on behalf of his boss was inviting her. But how could he be so casual about it?

"Are you kidding?" Helena exclaimed.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"My boss's life is in danger!"

"I don't think so."

Bragh!

Helena was startled when Violetta threw the bag full of money at the man threatening them, causing him to fall to the floor.

"Oh damn! Okay, take all that money. I don't want to argue over such a small amount!" he conceded.

A crowd began to gather around their table. Violetta and Helena became the center of attention.

"Stop being so arrogant!" the man scolded.

"Oh God! What else do you want? I've given you the money you wanted, take it!"

Everyone was astonished by Violetta's arrogant attitude, while the man at the center of attention seemed indifferent and was now looking for the shoe he had thrown earlier.

"Don't insult me!" the man scolded again.

"Who's insulting you? You're the one who can't accept losing and called me a damn woman! Now, I've given you the money, and you're still mad at me. What else do you want? Is the money not enough?"

Annoyed, Violetta then took out her wallet from her bag. She searched for money inside her wallet and found a coin in there.

"There, I'll give you more." Violetta tossed the coin, and everyone in the crowd burst into laughter.

"Helena, don't just stand there! Find my shoe!" Violetta snapped.

Helena promptly bent down and searched for her boss's shoe. Instead of finding the shoe, she was handed a business card by the man who had invited her for a drink.

"You can contact me in your free time."

"You're out of your mind! Beware!"

"Arrrgh!"

Helena stood up immediately, hearing her boss scream. She thought something was wrong or that she was injured, but it turned out her boss was screaming because there was a bug on her clothes. Helena quickly shooed the bug away, and Violetta shivered in disgust.

"This place is terrible! You recommended a lousy place, Helena!" grumbled Violetta.

"I'm sorry!"

"I gambled with foolish men, and this place looks filthy with bugs everywhere!"

Violetta didn't want to bother about her missing shoe anymore. She immediately stormed out of there in peak anger, limping in her steps. However, her steps halted when someone blocked her way.

"Move aside!" snapped Violetta.

Instead of moving, the man stared at Violetta with a piercing gaze.

"Are most men here stupid?!" Violetta exclaimed, frustrated.

"Miss, don't shout! Let's just leave," Helena tried to pull Violetta's hand to find another way.

"Who are you calling stupid?"

Helena shivered as the tall and imposing man uttered a deep, intimidating voice.

"You! And the guy over there! Also, the bug that landed on my clothes!" Violetta pushed the big man, and then several men behind him immediately pointed their guns at her. Instantly, Violetta and Helena tensed in their places.

"Miss, you should apologize to him," Helena muttered with a trembling voice.

Violetta sighed deeply, then blew it forcefully towards the man until he turned his face away.

"If you shoot me now, I'll make sure my spirit haunts and torments all of you. When that happens, I'll drive you crazy, and you'll regret your lives. And remember, when I become a ghost, your bullets won't be able to kill me!"

"Miss, this is not the time to joke," Helena whispered.

The big man asked his men to lower their guns. Helena breathed a sigh of relief, and so did Violetta.

"This is the first time I've seen you," the man said.

"It's also the first time I've seen you. So, let me go." Violetta and Helena walked, looking for an escape, but they were truly trapped there.

"Is the commotion here because of you?"

Violetta glared in annoyance. She had run out of patience.

"Me?!" Violetta then laughed, her laughter so loud that it silenced everyone. "Big sir, can you step aside from my way?"

The man remained silent, but he silently observed Violetta's appearance. He couldn't believe that there was a woman this audacious in front of him, even after being threatened by a gun.

"Brother! You've missed an interesting show." The man who acted as a decoy for Violetta approached.

"Foolish man! Can you tell your brother to step aside from my way?!" Violetta retorted.

The man grimaced, then shrugged his shoulders. "Don't you know who my brother is?"

"Why should I know? Is he that important to me?!" Violetta couldn't take it anymore. Stupid men, bugs, and people whispering surrounded them, making her furious. "Fine, if the polite way doesn't work. I'll try another approach."

Violetta then grabbed her phone from her bag and called someone. "I'm trapped at FK Club, and a bunch of big guys with guns are blocking my way out. Please come quickly!"

After ending the call, Violetta bent down and took off her other shoe. The decoy man quickly avoided, afraid the shoe might fly towards him. But what he feared didn't happen; instead, Violetta walked through the crowd towards the bar, followed by a terrified Helena.

"Please make me a strong cocktail and a mocktail for the lady next to me!" Violetta ordered the bartender. Even the bartender, Helena, and the people there were surprised by Violetta's calm demeanor.

"Miss, we could die here," Helena whispered.

"If that person is smart, he won't dare to shoot someone like me."

"What about me?"

"Because you're my secretary, you won't be shot here either."

Violetta then looked at the silent bartender who had not made her drink yet. "Are you also stupid?"

The bartender then glanced behind Violetta, precisely towards the big man. Curious, Violetta turned to look back, and then shouted at the big man.

"Do you also employ stupid people?!"

The big man gritted his teeth, then walked towards Violetta and asked his men to leave them alone. He also told the people to go back to their business and stop crowding around Violetta.

"As my brother said, it seems I've missed an interesting show tonight," said the big man, then he signaled the bartender.

"It should be, the club owner is busy with his big business," Violetta remarked.

The man grinned, then stood leaning on the bar table, looking at Violetta. "What's your name?"

"You don't need to know."

"You seem not from an ordinary background."

"Is that important?"

The man laughed, then handed his business card to Violetta. But Violetta didn't bother to read it; instead, she handed the business card to Helena.

"You might need it someday."

"I'll make sure my secretary remembers your name."

The man couldn't say anything more. Usually, when he met women, they would give him two different reactions. First, they would be frightened, like what Helena felt, and second, they would go hysterical, completely infatuated with him. However, this one behaved arrogantly and indifferent towards him.

"I'll make sure we meet again soon."

"Yes, I could already guess that. We will meet again, even sooner than you think, Mr. Big Guy," taunted Violetta.

The man then brought his face closer to Violetta's, and she didn't avoid it at all. Instead, she gave him her best smile.

"Later, when you're sound asleep, I'll come into your dreams," he continued.

"Really? I'm looking forward to it," the man bit his lower lip.

"Then I'll point a gun to your head and shoot you dead on the spot." Violetta boldly declared.

The man then laughed, even bursting into laughter, attracting everyone's attention. But Violetta didn't care; she immediately downed the cocktail just served by the bartender.

"Miss, should I keep his business card?" Helena whispered.

"Just throw it away; I don't need it," mumbled Violetta.

A group of tall men then entered the club. The big man's assistants were immediately on guard, ready with their respective guns.

"Oh, they've arrived," said Violetta.

"Are they your bodyguards?" the man asked.

"You could say that. My father knows how intimidating Vegas can be, so reluctantly, he sent them for me."

A man then walked towards Violetta with a worried expression. He even made sure Violetta had no injuries whatsoever.

"Are you okay?"

"Stop being overly concerned, Andreas," Violetta said, feeling uncomfortable.

Andreas nodded. Then Violetta immediately got off her chair, as did Helena.

"I won't pay for my drink, and I'll consider it compensation for the unpleasant behavior you've shown me," Violetta said to the big man.

"Miss, what happened?" Andreas looked panicked and glanced at the big man.

"It's not a big deal, actually. But I'm too tired to deal with all of them."

The big man chuckled hearing Violetta's words; he was quite impressed with her bravery.

Violetta then walked barefoot, surprising Andreas.

"Miss, where are your shoes?"

"I don't know! Don't bother, I just want to sleep in my room."

The big man's guards then cleared the way for Violetta and Helena.

"Andreas!"

Violetta turned when Andreas was called by the big man.

"You should have come to see me as soon as you returned to Vegas. Don't you miss me?" The man smiled thinly.

Violetta furrowed her brow. "Do you know him?"

"Just an old friend." Andreas continued to lead their way and ignored the big man's words.

"Don't be friends with foolish men, Andreas!"

"Yes, Miss."