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CHAPTERONE
VANESSA
After classes, I went to work at The Rose. With its all-glass exterior, red carpet that led out of doors into the sideway, and massive chandeliers, it was the most beautiful restaurant in the entire city. Even thoughit was a little too extravagant for me,it felt cool when peopleasked mewhere my part-time job was.
"Hey,Vanessa, aren't you coming in?" I heard a loud noise coming from the side door and saw Anna, my best friend and the source of all my problems, poking her head out of the restaurant. I hadn't realized I'd been staring at it for so long.
As I entered, I noticed herwalking toward the restroom. She raised her eyebrows at me to indicate that she was waiting forme.
I could see where this was going, and I wasn't about to be interrogated about my date like a criminal in an NCIS episode.
Don't get me wrong: she was my closest friend, and I enjoyed working with her, but the guy I went out with was far fromthe one. I felt like I'd rather stuff my head inside my chips than listen to him talk about his car-miniature collection again.
"Spill it already. I've been waiting for you for half an hour," Anna said impatiently, while I pretended I didn't understand what she meant.
"You won't like what I'm about to say, and I'm not sure why you keep setting me up on dates."
I felt a slap on my head. "Hey, stop that," I whined and then proceeded to explain my big date failure to her with a deadly look.
Anna thoughtthat my being twenty-one and still clueless as towhat my type of man is was deeply concerning, so she didn't believe me when I described how creepy the man was. She always assumed I was the odd and picky one. But let me tell you something: every single guy on the Tinder profile she created for me was definitely not a match.
As I made my way back to the restaurant tables to stop Anna's "men lessons," I noticed that it was a packed house this evening. Everyone was moving quickly, knowing exactly what to do and where to go.
"You ladies are late yet again.Vanessa, you honor us with your twenty-minute tardiness!" saidFrancesca, the assistant manager, in a sarcastic tone when shenoticed Anna following behind me.
She was in charge of the restaurant staff and had her gaze fixed on Anna, who was far from an angel. My best friend was a troublemaker, and I was frequently the one who paid the price because I was with her. So, in this case, Francesca thought or hoped that Anna's name was Vanessa.
However, sheand I had nothing in common. Anna White was blonde, tall, and self-assured, so she stood out more than I would have. On the other hand, I was shorter, curvier, and the typical brunette who wouldn't catch your attention on the street.
"We'll be changed in a few minutes, Miss Francesca," Anna raised her voice, drawing everyone's attention to us.
"Well, get on with it, Vanessa," Miss Francesca replied in a calm but firm tone. I was certain Anna intended to provoke her further, but I pushed her to the changing room.
"It's almost as if you enjoy getting on her nerves," I told her as I took off my large bomber jacket.
"She always calls me ‘Vanessa.’ I mean, I get that it's more memorable thanmy name.Still, I can't give my best to a woman who doesn't remember who the hell I am." Anna began undressing. "And I know she's doing it on purpose," she grumbled as she tossed her black jacket onto her bag.
"Oh come on, why would she do that? She generally seems like an okay person," I told her truthfully.
"Francesca knows everyone who works here, and yet she still refers to me as ‘Vanessa.’ She has a grudge against me, I'm telling you,but everyone loves her so much that they don't notice. Even you can't see it." Anna slipped into her pants.
I examined myself in the locker room'smirror. It felt strange wearing such tight pants. I was a jeans girl, but The Rose had a uniform, and I was more compliantthan Anna.
Anna teased behind me, "You should grow taller."
"You should try to be less obnoxious. The rest of the staff does not arrive late like us, Anna,"I saidto her in a motherly tone. "We're not the only part-timers, but every time we come in, I get called out. You and her need to work out your differences, and let's just try to enjoy our mundanejob as much as possible."
Anna remained quiet and nodded. She turned away from me, her face sad, to lace up her leather shoe.
"I'm sorry," I apologized even though I couldn't tell if Anna was acting hurt or not.
But then herexpression changed abruptly, as if she had remembered something important. "My father's coming tomorrow. I'm skipping, and I'm dragging you along withme," she stated.
So her grumpy demeanor finally made sense. I'd known Anna for a long time and knew that her family was a sensitive subject for her.
The Whites were anIrish Mafia family. Her father got us the job at The Rose, but it wasn't enough to repair their broken relationship. She didn't want to be a part of theirshady business, and whenever I happened to cross paths with them, it was like walking on thin ice.
In some ways, seeing her family and learning information from Anna had shaped my perception of the Mafia. Despite the fact that the city was peaceful, the Mafias terrified me. They were a gang of sick men who did whatever they pleased and killed whomever they wanted.
