Page 14 of Anastasia

“You know Mr. Romano, right?” I asked.

Her entire face dropped as she nodded her head slowly. “The man I told you to keep away from because he lives a very dangerous lifestyle?”

“Yes,” I drawled out guiltily.

“Gosh, Anastasia! What did you do?” she questioned.

My shoulders dropped in defeat. I hated that I let him do what he did, but I didn’t hate how pleased he made me feel. It made my body ache for more, but I knew that I couldn’t let that happen.

“I didn’t know who he was at first. When he asked for a private dance, I was going to let him down. Then, he offered me ten thousand dollars so I said yes because I really need the money,” I explained calmly.

“You gave him a dance? That’s fine. It is honestly kind of shocking, though, he never asks for dances. He checks out the club for a second and then leaves,” she informed me.

“That’s not all,” I whispered.

Her mouth dropped. For a second, I thought she was frozen. Janice wouldn’t even blink, and it was starting to scare me.

“I promised Liliana that I would take good care of you. You do realize that you are on Mr. Romano’s radar now. What he chooses to do with you is out of my control. He’s a lot more dangerous than you think,” she proclaimed. It was hilarious how scared she looked for me. He seemed like a harmless man. Maybe everyone was just overreacting.

“How dangerous of a lifestyle could he be in? It’s not like he’s in the mafia or something.” I laughed. I saw that she was not laughing with me. Her face was as hard as stone. “He is, isn’t he?”

She let out a sigh before nodding her head. My face immediately dropped. All I felt was fear strike itself into my heart as I thought back to what happened.

“So, this club is, what? His way of laundering dirty money? Now that I think about it, all of these men are mafia men, aren’t they? That’s why they always wear the damn suits!” I exclaimed in absolute horror. Everything was beginning to click into place as the wheels in my head turned.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Janice, what the hell did you get me into? I didn’t sign up to be working as some mafia stripper,” I told her. The danger I could put myself in didn’t even play as a factor in my mind. I only worried about my sister. I didn’t want her to be put in any danger.

“Look, it isn’t as bad or scary as you think. Valerio is in the mafia and he wasn’t a bad guy at all, right? It’s just Mr. Romano and Mr. Rossi that any of us girls worry about. Everyone else is absolutely harmless,” she said like it was absolutely nothing.

Shaking my head, I walked away. I wasn’t upset with her, I was upset with myself. I should’ve listened to Janice when she told me about Mr. Romano. Something about him was just pulling me in and it was impossible to stop it.

I spent the next couple of hours trying to get the entire situation out of my mind. I mingled with a few girls and even got to be a waitress. Luckily for me, there were no more men asking for private dances with an offering of ten thousand dollars.

As soon as my shift was over, I made my way backstage, where I grabbed my phone, my keys, and everything else I had brought before changing back into my regular clothes.

I completely forgot to say goodbye to Janice as I exited the club and headed over to my car.

The moment I started up my vehicle, I could feel a set of eyes burning into me. I looked up and my eyes caught those familiar sets of blue ones. It was Valentino himself, leaning against the wall with a cigar in his mouth.

I licked my bottom lip as I stared at him before starting up my car and driving away from the club. I was going to stay away from him, he was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.

For my family, the last thing I could afford were anymore risks.

Anastasia

“Today marks two months and she’s only been progressing, Ms. Smith,” Dr. Flores started with a smile gracing his features. I couldn’t help but cheer in happiness as I ran over to hug my sister. Her color was already returning, she was no longer as pale as before.

“Does this mean she can come home soon?” I questioned.

His smile dropped slightly as he shook his head. “Alex is progressing, but we still have to keep her close in order to monitor her. If things keep going how they are and if the chemotherapy continues to destroy more cancer cells, I believe she can go home within the next week or two,” he responded.

It wasn’t as good of news as I had anticipated, but it was better than what could’ve been said.

“Hey, you’re in the middle of the toughest battle, Alex. You just have to keep fighting so you can win in the end,” he muttered before giving Alex a small smile. She nodded her head slowly as she puckered her lips off to the side.

“You got this,” I told her.

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