"Are you guys ready?" Marion asked, clapping her hands.
"Yup!" Lily replied, dropping the heavy backpack onto the counter. "I’m going to leave my bag here, Cixi. Bring it with you when you co into work, okay?"
Cixi nodded, still completely overwheld by the ambush.
The three girls piled into a waiting taxi. Once they had settled inside, Cixi asked suspiciously, "Where is this other friend you were talking about? Is she coming straight to the club?"
Marion and Lily exchanged a quick side glance that carried a silent agreent before Lily finally confessed, "I lied."
"You did not!" Cixi’s eyes narrowed sharply at Lily, disbelief written all over her face.
"Yes, I did," Lily admitted without the slightest guilt. "And I’m not sorry about it either. It was the only way I could get you to co out with us." She looped her arm casually through Cixi’s, her tone turning playful. "Look, the three of us are going to have so much fun. Because of you, even Marion agreed to co. And it’s been ages since she went to a party just for herself." Lily smiled knowingly. "Just imagine, Cixi... you deciding to co to the party actually made soone else happy too." She gave her a teasing look. "Isn’t that a noble cause?"
Cixi shook her head, rolling her eyes at how Lily always seed to turn everything she did into a ’noble cause’.
By the ti they finally arrived at the venue, the dashboard clock showed twelve forty-five a.m. Cixi stepped out of the cab her heels and looked up at the huge, lively structure. It was a tall, four-storey building surrounded by a packed VIP car park.
The three won stood on the bustling pavent, staring up at the blinding red sign glowing against the modern façade.
’Cassanova.’
When they finally bypassed the massive queue and stepped inside, Cixi’s jaw nearly dropped.
The lobby was large, spacious, and brightly lit. The entire building had been designed with beautiful Italian marble, from the sweeping staircases to the towering pillars. It looked stunning.
"Okay, rookies, listen up," Lily announced jovially. She pulled Cixi and Marion closer. "The first floor of this gorgeous monstrosity is the casino. As for the floor above that... I have absolutely no clue, and I do not want to know. We are only allowed to enter the top two floors, which are strictly for the parties."
Lily held up her fingers, counting them off rapidly. "They have four separate stages. Hip-hop, House, Techno and Trance music. But listen to very carefully. We are absolutely not going anywhere near the trance floor. That room is not for people like you two."
Lily’s warning made Cixi and Marion exchange a deeply doubtful look.
"Why not?" Cixi asked, furrowing her brow.
Lily leaned in even closer, as if the expensive marble walls were listening. "Because all the highly illegal, deeply depraved shit happens on the Trance floor."
Cixi and Marion imdiately nodded in understanding.
’House music it is.’
Having never been to a club in her life, Cixi simply mirrored everything Lily and Marion did. She obediently handed over an exorbitant amount of cash for the cover charge, then held out her wrist so a massive, tattooed security guard could press a glowing CC seal onto the back of her hand.
When the door opened, their senses were jolted by a burst of laser light cutting through a thick cloud of artificial fog. The air slled of expensive freshener and alcohol. Bodies were already grinding violently against each other on the massive dance floor, brightly coloured drinks clutched in their hands.
They walked to the bar. Marion and Lily ordered their favourite cocktails and asked for a sweeter one for Cixi.
"You will love it," said Lily, winking at Cixi before turning her attention to the bartender mixing the drinks.
Cixi found herself fixated on the dance floor, where a couple were locked in a kiss that seed to have no end in sight. Their hands road over each other as if they were on a treasure hunt. However, they were not the only ones. Two or three other couples were engaged in similar displays.
Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly averted her eyes, directing her attention to the bartender instead.
"I don’t think I will be hitting the dance floor. I will be staying in the corner and watching you two."
"Dear, we did not co all the way here for you to sit in the corner while we are having fun. We ca to enjoy ourselves together," Marion said, throwing a playful glance towards the dance floor filled with swirling lights and reckless passion. "Once you have had a few drinks, you won’t be worrying about anything, and who knows? You might just find a heartthrob among the crowd."
"You two are so convinced I’m going to et soone here," Cixi replied uncertainly. It baffled her how her friends were so sure about her ability to connect with soone, especially when she herself had no intention of seeking romance that night.
The bartender brought over the three stunning drinks. They not only looked delightful to the eye, but were also ant to be savoured slowly, allowing each flavour to dance across the palate.
"To Cixi’s first clubbing!" the three won cheered before taking a swig.
With their drinks held high, they walked over to the table and set them down on the small, round surface.
They watched the dance floor and the stream of people coming and going.
Not far from them, a group of n kept an eye on the three won.
Among them, a tall man with broad shoulders, wearing a ridiculously tight designer shirt, broke away from his group. His eyes moved lazily from Cixi’s red heels to her gleaming golden hair as he navigated through the sweaty crowd like a wolf spotting its prey.
He slid into the empty space between Cixi and Marion. "I don’t think I have ever seen you ladies here before," he shouted over the music, flashing a blindingly white smile. "I co here often with my friends, and I’m absolutely sure I would have rembered—you." His dark eyes dragged lazily from the thin straps of Cixi’s red dress over her silky, smooth skin.
Lily rolled her eyes. Marion raised one brow at his audacity, both for approaching them and for openly ogling Cixi’s body. Cixi, anwhile, felt nothing but disgust.
"And we don’t rember asking you to join us." Cixi’s spirit was buoyed by the cocktail.
Just as the sleazy man opened his mouth to speak and ask for her na, Lily erged from the fog like a vengeful spectre, positioning herself protectively between Cixi and the man. She stood boldly before him, staring straight into his eyes.
"We are deeply religious," Lily lied with perfect seriousness. "We follow a sacred cult called Angology. Unless you are part of it and have already donated your liver and one kidney, I suggest you kindly get your arse out of here. We do not waste our ti talking to n who are not part of our circle." She pulled her phone from her purse and unlocked it. "And if you are interested in dating any of us, please leave your details. I will personally forward them to our priest so he can schedule your operation. Only after that... will you be eligible to date the won of our community!" She tapped the contacts icon. "Your na and phone number, please."
The man blinked, completely thrown off balance by Lily’s unhinged cult speech. He looked at Cixi, then at the feral, deranged expression on Lily’s face, before raising both hands and imdiately backing away towards his group.
Once he left, Marion and Cixi burst into breathless laughter and threw an arm around Lily’s neck.
However, the first man’s cowardly retreat was only the beginning.
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