Night at J-Club

Rhys fell silent while continuing to gaze out of the window. Now he's in his office on the fifteenth floor of the W Corp building. Since deciding to return to the office after trying to calm down, Rhys hasn't been able to stop thinking about Serena. Even since his return, he has been daydreaming while staring blankly out of the window, observing the skyscrapers surrounding his company building.

Days passed, and much time was wasted as he continued to daydream. Unaware, the sun had moved westward, ready to give way to the night. It's already evening, and Rhys shows no signs of stopping his daydreaming.

"Sir!" Jasper startles him. He immediately turns towards the source of the sound. At the entrance, he sees Jasper approaching. "It's time to leave the office," he says.

Rhys, hearing this, spontaneously shifts his attention to the circular clock on his wrist. Indeed, it's already evening, and the workday is over. "Oh, right. Thank you for today. You can go home."

"Is everything okay, Sir? Sorry, but I've noticed you've been daydreaming all day. You even seemed unfocused on work. Is something bothering you?"

"I'm fine. There's nothing for you to worry about," Rhys replies. He gets up from his seat, tidying his desk before getting ready to leave. Once done, he grabs his car keys and the suit jacket he had taken off earlier. He walks over to Jasper. "So, you can go home now."

"Alright, Sir." Rhys gives him a gentle pat, then walks away from his office. Jasper remains silent, watching his boss leave. For some reason, he is convinced that something is bothering Rhys. Jasper feels like he's seeing a version of Rhys from a few years ago, when the man had to come to the office reluctantly, his mind unable to focus on work.

*

Rhys steps out of the elevator that just brought him to the basement. He quickly approaches his car, parked not far from the elevator. While walking, he still feels unable to focus. Finally, he steps into his car and sits for a moment. "I can't stop thinking about Serena."

Today's events will forever be etched in Rhys's memory. Everything he experienced truly shocked him. Rhys can't believe that the woman he loves has chosen to leave with someone else, abandoning him. His heart still aches, and he feels the pain intensely. Rhys can sense the tightness in his chest, and tears flow once again, making him even more distressed. Frustrated, he feels the need to let it all out. He starts the car and drives out of the basement. The only place he usually visits for catharsis is J-Club.

*

Everyone around them couldn't turn away from the man sitting beside them. Since earlier, he has been talking in a semi-conscious state due to the influence of alcohol.

Jeremiah, the owner and bartender of J-Club, seems familiar with him. He has been responding to every remark since then. "I know you didn't come here without a reason. Something is really bothering you, right? What's happening, Rhys?" Jeremiah asks, folding his hands on the bar table while looking at him with a curious face. The man in front of him is one of his loyal customers who always comes when feeling truly troubled. Therefore, it's no surprise to him why the man is here, even drinking until he's intoxicated like this.

"You always know what I feel when I come here." Rhys smiles with a blurry gaze. He has had too much to drink; since he arrived until now, he hasn't stopped drinking. Rhys has been at J-Club for hours, and he's lost count of how many glasses he's had. "Of course I know because I'm your good friend. Now, what else is bothering your mind? Is Hailey still making you annoyed?"

"No. This time, it's not about her." Rhys sips his drink and places the shot glass in his hand on the table. He rests his chin between his folded hands. His eyes now stare blankly at the empty glass he just finished. "You know, I finally found Serena," he answers with a smile.

Jeremiah's facial expression instantly changes 180 degrees upon hearing his words. He is truly surprised by what he just said. "What did you say? You've successfully found Serena?"

Rhys nods in response. Jeremiah falls silent for a moment, his face showing surprise. How could he not be surprised? Jeremiah, too, has been puzzled about where that woman went. He knows Serena because she used to work at his bar as a waitress. But she was not just a waitress, Serena also used to be an entertainer at one of his friends' nightclubs, and she was known for her skill in pleasing customers. Serena was once the most valuable asset of his friend's club. But since she disappeared, no one knows where she went. Many people tried to find her because she truly vanished without a trace. There was no news of her whereabouts. "How did you meet Serena?"

"I met her just after I finished a meeting outside the office with my client. At first, I was genuinely happy to meet her, but I didn't expect her to disappoint me." Rhys's demeanor changes. His face looks even more somber, his eyes are teary, and he almost cries. Jeremiah falls silent, furrowing his brow. He doesn't understand what's really happening here.

"What do you mean by Serena disappointing you? What has she done?"

"Serena left me. She..." Rhys pauses in his sentence. There's a tightness in his chest as he's about to reveal everything. "...She left me and chose to go with another man."

"What?" Jeremiah is shocked by his words. He can't believe that Serena would do that to Rhys. From what Jeremiah knows, Serena and Rhys loved each other deeply. Since they met and eventually started a relationship, Serena even stopped being an entertainer because she didn't want to jeopardize her relationship with Rhys. But hearing that she left with another man makes Jeremiah truly surprised that the woman would betray the man who sincerely loved her. "Maybe you misunderstood. Have you talked to her calmly?" Jeremiah tries not to jump to conclusions quickly, as it could be Rhys misinterpreting the situation.

"No. Herself said that they were already married."

"Married?" Jeremiah is even more astonished. Rhys just nods. Rhys slams his head on the bar table so hard that everything on it vibrates. "My world feels shattered, Jer..." Rhys starts sobbing, occasionally hitting the table very hard, drawing everyone's attention to him. In an instant, Rhys becomes the center of attention.

Jeremiah starts to panic as he sees some people getting disturbed by Rhys's actions. He tries to calm him down, but instead of stopping, Rhys becomes more frustrated and hits the table even harder. Not wanting to drive away his customers, Jeremiah quickly looks for a way to stop Rhys. He decides to call Romeo, Rhys's trusted person who usually handles unexpected situations like this. Jeremiah is briefly alarmed when he hears that Romeo is currently on duty abroad and can't handle his boss immediately. However, the next words from Romeo manage to reassure Jeremiah. "I'll contact Jasper to pick him up. In the meantime, please handle him and make sure he doesn't do anything that could jeopardize his safety."

"Alright, please ask him to come as soon as possible!" Jeremiah says. The phone call ends, and Jeremiah starts to busy himself trying to manage Rhys until Jasper arrives to pick him up. Fortunately, Jasper doesn't take too long since he received the call from Romeo. Hurriedly, he enters J-Club and sees his boss causing a disturbance, bothering some customers.

"I'll take him home." Jasper promptly hands some bills to Jeremiah to pay for the drinks Rhys ordered. Without further delay, Jasper quickly assisted his boss out of the bar. He seats Rhys in the passenger seat and promptly drives him home.

"Serena... Serena..."

Jasper can only observe Rhys through the rearview mirror. Throughout the journey, the semi-conscious man keeps repeating the same name. "I suspected that something was wrong with him since he returned from the meeting. No wonder he visited the bar. It seems whatever is on his mind is bothering him so much that he needed an outlet." Jasper mumbles quietly. Like Rhys's closest people, it's not the first time for Jasper to see his boss in such a chaotic state.

Jasper falls silent. Seeing Rhys in this messy condition feels like déjà vu for him. It's as if he's witnessing Rhys from five years ago. Back then, Rhys would always go to J-Club to drink until he got drunk, ending up like this. And just like before, Jasper always heard Rhys murmuring the same name with the same sad expression. Rhys would always whisper her name with tears streaming down his face.

"Serena, who is this woman that boss mentions? Judging by his behavior, it seems Serena is the most significant person in his life. Could it be that this is somehow related to why Romeo was sent on a mission and never came back until now?" Various questions arise in Jasper's mind. He is genuinely curious about the woman who always comes out of Rhys's mouth when he's unconscious.

***