Pretty Love

A/N: if you love this book and want to read more, please add this book to your collections, vote, and comment! It really help me to write more<3

——Recomended song: I'm yours— Isabel LaRosa——

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The club twinkled the red light that gave the ambience of desire inside the room. Lev was called to the manager room, his head hung down to stare at the wooden floorings, noticing the cracks here and there despite it being so clean that he could almost see his own reflection in it. After a while of waiting, a man came into the room, his harrumphing could be heard even before he opened the door.

Lev didn't have to look up to know it was the manager of the club, Mr. Chuang who always pick up on him ever since he entered the club as a waiter. The manager had a round body. His head was almost bald, shining as the manager room held a brighter light than the rest of the club. His eyes were covered with his thick round glasses while between his two fingers was the big brown cigar.

"Lift your face," ordered the manager.

Lev hoped this wouldn't be such a big deal but he knew appearance was an important thing in the club and his handsome face had been bruised yesterday by those debt collectors. He gritted his teeth and lifted his face, showing how bruised he was to the point that there was a large bluish purple mar on his cheekbones. Upon seeing it, Mr Chuang fell backward, looking pallid as he saw his jewel had been destroyed to pieces. "How did this happen?! I have warned you to never let your face wounded. Tiān Na!" He cursed in Chinese, a familiar word that Lev knew he meant to shout to god for help. "What have you done!"

No word could come out from Lev's mouth. If he told Mr Chuang he had to shoulder debts who aren't his own, would this man understood? He doubted Mr Chuang would care, knowing the man would tell him to deal it on his own as it's extremely rare for any locals to care about westerner's problem, even if it is unfair to their eyes.

Lev looked down, counting the seconds that pass as Mr Chuang called the other subordinates, talking in Chinese and cursing how they have lost a precious treasure. It wasn't as if his face had become deformed, thought Lev to himself. Wounds like these would disappear from his face in a few days if he took a rest but Mr Chuang wouldn't let a single day without profit and even if Lev wasn't the main face of his club, he would still use every single good looking waiter in his club to gather more wealthy guests.

"Bring him ice!" Yelled Mr Chuang to the subordinate who quickly rushed to put ice cubes on a green towel, running to Mr Chuang's side and passing it to his hand.

Mr Chuang snatched the ice cubes from the subordinate and pressed it tightly against Lev's cheeks. He clicked his tongue and began to whisper in Chinese to the man behind him, "If the young lady know about this she will be mad! It's her first time showing any interest to men of our club. I'm not going to let go of this chance easily."

"This is bad Sir Chuang!" Yelled the subordinate. "Miss HuLao said that Miss Ilyana will come to visit in another half an hour. That won't be enough time for us to erase the blemish in his face."

"Tsk," Mr Chuang appeared to be worried hearing how his time was running out. He raged, "Find another man! Anyone who look like this, anyone who will fit her taste! Do not make her angry at all cost!"

Lev's eyes that was dim and hollow turned bright the moment he realized the young lady the two men were talking about was Ilyana. Although he hadn't told it to anyone, Lev was able to understand Chinese by listening alone. Naturally, he also understood what Mr Chuang and his assistant was talking even if they had switched language but he didn't notice at first the young lady the two had mentioned was Ilyana until he heard her name whispered out.

His heartbeats that had been so silent that it almost sounded as if it's dead began to flutter. His green gaze was filled with a gleam of a bright eagerness when he voice out his emotion, "Is it bad if my face is bruised? I'm just a new waiter."

"Of course it's bad!" Mr Chuang raised his voice. "Just so you know, the woman who had brought you out yesterday night from this club is the same woman who own Shanghai! Just name one building and you will find out the owner of it is her."

Lev's pink lips pressed against each other as a naughty memory entered his head again. He recalled her long fingernail run through his golden locks and how her hand tightened the grip strongly as she reached to the tips of his short hair. "Good boy," she whispered. Her tantalizing voice that came after she saw his face twisted in pleasure had carved a deep trace in the back of his head that every time he dazed off, his body will shiver as he could still feel her around him. He felt somewhat it was unfair for him to be haunted by the memory of last night that constantly put him on edge of being in the height of joy and lust.

How could his body be this hot just by thinking her?

He felt his heart will break if he finds out that he was the only who had been thinking of her. Even when he was beaten up by the debt collectors, the sensation of her body and her devilish act still remain fresh all over his body.

"..But it's possible she won't ask for me again," Lev didn't meant to say out his words aloud but he could see both Mr Chuang and his subordinate stopped pressing ice on his face as though they have realized something.

Quickly the two men in front of him look at each other like a parrot, "That's true! That is indeed true! Maybe your face just fit to her preference."

The assistant spoke up to support, "Indeed the rest of the westerners rarely serve Miss Ilyana because we thought she disliked westerners. Maybe, just maybe, her type is westerner with golden hair and green eyes."

"That's easy then," Mr Chuang let go of the ice from his hand and smiled widely, "Call the rest of the western waiter. Make sure they all have the same green eyes and a blonde. I'm sure Miss Ilyana will be extremely happy after tonight."

Mr Chuang and his assistant seemed to be glad that they don't have to deal with the swelling on his cheeks, agreeing on how easily he could be replaceable by her and even though he knew he was the one who had spoken about it first, he couldn't help but feel a prick in his heart upon imagining her being with another waiter.

But even after he tightened his jaw, Lev couldn't escape from uncomfortableness that had suddenly appeared out of the blue.

Realizing how Mr Chuang was about to leave, Lev quickly raised his voice, "Sir.."

Mr Chuang turned his face, appearing to be mad that Lev had talked to him after making such a scene of himself. "What?" He asked plainly and curtly.

Lev felt that his mouth was about to ask if he can't meet Ilyana at all because his face has been bruised but knew that he was nothing but a waiter that could be changed. Ilyana must be happier seeing someone prettier than him around her, he thought.

"Where should I go if I cannot serve tonight?" Lev asked a different question and heard Mr Chuang harrumphing out of anger.

"Wash the dishes or anything, I don't know! Just do not show that ugly face of yours anywhere in the club. If you do, I will fire you at once!" Mr Chuang left the room, slamming the door behind him that made a loud echo enough for people near the hallway to flinch.

Left alone, Lev's lips were pressed into a thin line. "Even though you said I'm pretty…" he whispered to himself, feeling very upset as deep down from the bottom of his heart he wanted to see the woman who had praised him so much and look at him in love. Her words hadn't only lifted him up but coax him into believing that even angels would be envious as he had found Heaven.

Lev clenched his fists, reminding himself of his place. Even if Ilyana did love him, she is a wealthy lady who runs the club, someone who is so far from his reach. Maybe deep down, she also meant to spend last night with him and end it on that note. His back slumped as he never knew the feeling of being dropped from a very high place would hurt him this much. His green eyes closed while Ilyana's black eyes opened as she heard her chauffeur lightly waking her up as she had fallen asleep in her automobile.

"Milady we have arrived," the chauffeur said.

"Ugh," Ilyana groaned as she felt her head ache. Maybe it's because her dumb cousin Samuel who added more stress in her head by bringing Dexter Huang's name when she already have enough in her plate.

"You seem to come home late last night miss, are you sure you are alright?" The old chauffeur asked her, his lips smiling as he was an old friend of her father who had drove her around ever since her parents got married. His head was round and bald, his face however was always lighted with a smile despite his rough life where he always have to sleep without a blanket if Ilyana hadn't given him some. To him, Ilyana was more of his niece, someone he would always care for as he live a single life.

Ilyana forced a smile on her lips, "It's nothing," she knew even Driver Dean had heard of how her mother had announced she wouldn't be a permanent heir to Pandora. Not wanting to worry more people than necessary, she answered, "It's just Samuel. He keeps running his mouth off when I'm not in a good mood. Next time, I will rip his mouth. Even if I don't kill him, I'm sure I have plenty of other ways to stop that noisy mouth of him from talking ever again."

Driver Dean chuckled. Even if he knew Ilyana was half serious, he also knew Ilyana was a girl with common sense and she wouldn't attack Samuel without a reason. It was actually difficult to push her buttons but Samuel always manage to find her sorest spot and pressed her on it.

"Driver Dean," she called the elder man. "Have you heard anything about Dexter?"

Driver Dean's eyes widened. He was one of the only few people who knew her relation with Dexter Huang which ended in a rocky situation. He didn't know what to say and pressed his lips together as he didn't want to remind Ilyana of the bad memory that had robbed her from happiness seven years ago.

Seemingly unbothered, Ilyana whispered, "It's alright. Even if he appears before me, I won't feel anything. So tell me if you do have any rumors regarding him."

"I'm just surprised that you heard about it miss," Driver Dean answered as she had allowed him to speak, "As you know Dexter was sent back to Russia and apparently he will be returning to Shanghai very soon."

Ilyana felt somewhat unsettled. It's funny how the moment Samuel spoke about Dexter, that man arrived back to Shanghai. She knew there was no way Dexter wouldn't come back to Shanghai but she didn't expect him to come so quickly either. Quickly… seven years, Ilyan laughed as she realized that seven years wasn't short but it was short enough to wipe away the bitter memories she had with him.

"Soon when?" She asked.

"I still haven't heard much about it," Driver Dean replied honestly.

Ilyana pinched the space between her eyebrows and sighed, "Tell me if you knew. I won't let another problem to occur in such important moments like this."

Seeing how Ilyana had pushed herself from the car to walk out, Driver Dean quickly paused her, "Miss, will you be drinking? Pardon this old man but last night you drank a lot so I don't suggest you to drink again—" seeing the wide smile on her red lips, Driver Dean realized there was another reason, a special one, that made her want to come to the club.

"Don't worry, Dean," Ilyana's black fingernails settled on her lower lips, her lips curling higher in a twist. "I won't be drinking alcohol tonight. I'll just see my pretty Love. I'm sure he can heal my mood."