CHAPTER 1
The Opportunity
The evening rush had begun, and the bar buzzed with life.
Laughter echoed through the room as glasses clinked together. The smell of grilled meat mixed with spilled beer, while loud conversations competed with an old rock song playing from the speakers overhead.
Near the corner of the room sat a man with a belly so large it nearly touched the edge of the table. Six empty beer bottles stood in front of him like trophies, yet he still looked unsatisfied.
He slammed his palm against the wooden table.
"Hey! I've been sitting here for hours! Where's my drink ?" he bellowed, his words slurred from the alcohol already clouding his mind.
Several customers glanced in his direction before returning to their meals.
A young Asian woman carrying a basket of beer calmly made her way toward him.
She was tall, with graceful features that drew attention wherever she went. Her long black hair flowed behind her as she walked, and despite wearing nothing more than the cafe-bar simple uniform, she possessed a natural beauty that couldn't be hidden. At twenty-one years old, Xia Zhao had already grown used to attracting stares, though she paid them little attention.
Without saying a word, she removed a bottle from the basket and placed it on the man's table.
As she turned to leave, she couldn't hide the look of disgust on her face.
"Your wife and children are probably hungry at home while you're wasting every penny on alcohol, "she thought bitterly.
"What was that look you gave?" he grumbled before letting out a loud belch. He grabbed the fresh bottle, popped off the cap, and drank nearly half of it in one gulp.
Xia ignored him.
Arguing with a drunk was as pointless, there's also the fact that she can lose her job which would be bad .
She simply returned to the counter.
Waiting there was another employee.
He looked about eighteen years old, with messy brown hair and a tiny mustache that seemed to be trying very hard to grow into something .. His name tag read Jake.
"You've really got to stop looking at Mr. Ben like that," Jake said with a chuckle.
Xia folded her arms.
"Look at him."
Jake glanced over.
He was already about to finish the beer he just ordered .
"He comes here almost every night," Xia continues"He spends every cent he haves with him getting drunk while his family struggles to survive. I can't stand people like him."
Jake shrugged casually.
"Maybe... but he's also one of our biggest customers." Jake replies as he stroked his tiny mustache proudly.
"We won't be making this much money without him you know "
Xia looked at the small mustache on Jakes faces and sighed.
"You know what disturbs me even more?"
Jake blinked.
"What?"
"That thing on your face." Xia said with a smirk
" Is there something on my face" Jake asked as he rubbed his handsome face frantically with both hands trying to get rid of the "thing" on his face .
Jake then gasped dramatically.
"My mustache?"
"Do me a favor will you " Xia said still wearing the same smug look on her face
"What?"
"Shave it."
Jake clutched his chest as though she'd stabbed him.
"Never."
Before Xia could respond, the bell above the entrance jingled.
A new customer had arrived.
"I gotta attend to the new customer" she said, walking toward the door.
Jake called after her.
"I am not shaving it!". He said we an hoarse voice not knowing he was shouting
His voice echoed through the bar.
Every customer turned to stare at him.
Jake immediately froze.
"...Uh..."
" I meant my moustache.. not another part "
An awkward silence settled over the room.
Jake rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed smile.
"Sh*t why would I say that now they'll think I meant that other part " Jake thought to himself
A few people laughed quietly before going back to their conversations.
Jake let out a sigh of relief.
To distract everyone and quickly get their mind off what just happened he reached for the television remote sitting behind the counter and increased the volume.
The television switched from a sports program to a live news broadcast.
A female reporter stood beside a sharply dressed male anchor.
The logo SHORE NEWS appeared across the top left corner of the screen.
"...Yes, Tronne," the female reporter began. "This could become one of the biggest employment announcements of the year."
The chatter inside the bar slowly faded.
The anchor whose name is Tronne nodded.
" Yes Stacy, the Dems' Cooperation and the Stark bio- scientific industry may have just done it again. Brief us with the details Stacy "
"Thank you, Tronne."
The camera zoomed slightly closer.
Stacy began
"Earlier today, Dems Corporation, in partnership with Stacks Bio-Scientific Company, announced a nationwide recruitment program. According to official statements, they are looking for workers across the country."
Stacy continued.
"The selected applicants will receive a monthly salary of ten thousand dollars."
The cafe-bar went into immediate silence
Even the bartender who was cleaning a glass stopped cleaning his glasses.
Stacy continued reading from her notes.
"What's even more surprising is that applicants are not required to possess any college degree, professional certification, or previous work experience."
The room exploded into murmurs.
"No way..."
"That ain't possible."
"Ten thousand a month?"
"They're kidding."
Someone laughed loudly.
"This has to be fake."
"Probably some internet scam."
"No qualifications? Yeah, right."
Everyone quickly reached the same conclusion.
" It's to good to be true "
But Xia wasn't listening anymore.
Her heart was pounding loudly against her chest .
Ten thousand dollars...
Every month."
Her thoughts drifted far away from the noisy bar.
She pictured her father lying in a hospital bed.
Machines beeping around him.
His breathing growing weaker and weaker with every passing week.
Her father who had worked himself nearly to death so she could grow up with food and daily necessities .
Now it was her turn to help him.
But the hospital bills kept growing.
Her father has Spinal cord compression, he was diagnosed with it 2yrs ago and his condition has worsened over the years . Now he needs a surgery for decompression and fusion of the spinal cord.
The surgery alone would cost more money than she could ever hope to save working at the bar. About fifteen thousand dollars in total
"Ten thousand dollars "
That amount could pay for the commencement of his treatment.
It could save his life.
The television continued.
"There are only two requirements for applicants," Stacy explained.
"Applicants must be in good physical health and must not suffer from any serious illnesses or disabilities."
Xia stared at the screen without blinking.
"We are still waiting for Dems Corporation to release further details regarding the exact nature of the work.".
The customers burst into laughter again.
"They don't even know what the job is!"
"Definitely fake."
"Who would believe this?"
Ignoring the comments around her, Xia quietly reached into the pocket of her apron.
She always carried a small notebook and pencil with her to right down orders when it starts getting to much for her .
Quickly, she began writing every contact details shown on the screen before it disappeared.
She wasn't going to risk forgetting it.
Not when her father's life might depend on it.