Resent, Reject, Regret by Aqua Summers

Chapter 261 You’re Here to Drink With Us!

“If getting a lofty gift troubles you, then you can balance the trade after you get your first salary. Buy me dinner.”

That was it? A dinner was supposed to somehow be equal to a luxurious piano? Deirdre found the idea wild, though admittedly, she had no other excuse. The reminder of her salary eased her mind a little too, so she agreed. “Okay.”

The call ended. She took a seat behind the piano and began to learn the songs on her sheet. As it turned out, Deirdre was quite possibly musically gifted, as it took her only an afternoon to master all but one song on the entire sheet. She was strapped for time to learn the last one, so she took the music sheet book to work.

The front–desk girl immediately caught sight of the wooden book. “What’s that?!” She gasped. “Looks like the sort of stuff you’d keep in your cabinet of curiosities!”

Deirdre flashed her a smile. “A friend gave it to me as a gift.”

“Dang, hon! That’s code for ‘not–your–typical–friend‘ if I ever heard one!” the front- desk girl quipped. “I’m no expert here, but this thing has gotta cost at least 15,000$. Emphasis on ‘at least!“”

Deirdre felt her cheeks growing hot. “No, it’s not that expensive!” She denied it, lowering her eyes and approaching the piano. She let her fingers graze the keys for a moment and began.

The entrance door swung open. Charlene McKinney strutted inside with her impatience on full display. One of the waitresses stepped forward quickly and welcomed her. “Miss McKinney! Your friends are already waiting for you in their private room. Allow me to escort you there.”

“Fine,” Charlene answered, nodding noncommittally. She climbed the stairs to the first floor, her stilettos clicking, when the sound of the piano made her turn her head.

The pianist’s face burned into her eyes, and her pupils seemed to dilate.

The waitress chimed in, “That? That’s one of our newest recruits. She’s a pretty good pianist, but she doesn’t look… the most presentable, right? I hope she didn’t scare you that much, Miss McKinney!”

Charlene simply narrowed her eyes quietly.

The sonata then ended. Deirdre hugged her music sheet and headed to the break room to catch her breath, but a waitress stopped her. “Deirdre? The VIPs on the first floor want you to play for them.”

The pianist’s job at this restaurant was more than just serenading diners on the common floor. There were times when wealthy patrons would ask for private. listening sessions in their exclusive suites too. Every private room had its own piano, and any performer was liable to earn commission by fulfilling these requests.

She stiffened, but not out of annoyance. The fact that any patron would want her close came more as a shock to her. She was hideous–to be more accurate, her disfigurement was too terrifying to behold at a close distance. Since most. customers would not want their appetite disturbed, they only wanted to enjoy her playing on the ground floor, where they could keep a wide berth from her.

This was the first time anyone had ever asked her to play in their private room.

“I envy your luck, Deirdre. The people who want you are listed VIPS, so… gotta expect a hefty amount of tips!” The waitress joked. “I’ll lead the way, so remember to share some of that sweet moolah with me when it’s over!”

She led Deirdre to the door. “This is the one. Knock on the door and enter on your own. I won’t be joining you.”

Deirdre nodded appreciatively. “Thanks.”

She smoothed down her dress, prepared herself, and knocked on the door. A male voice answered, “Come in.”

She pushed the door open at his invitation–and suddenly felt an ominous air weighing down on her. Dread began to crop up in her mind, and despite her blindness, she could somehow feel extreme malice in every gaze shot at her. Her smile turned mechanical, but she willed herself to introduce herself. “Hello, everyone. I’m the pianist. Glad to add music to your dining experience today.”

She turned in the piano’s direction from memory. She had barely taken two steps. when she felt her wrist being yanked by one of the guests. She quickly drew her hand away, and a man snickered. “Why so tense, sweetheart? You’re safe with us! Just wanted to tell you that you went in the wrong direction.”

The wrong direction? Deirdre was confused. “Isn’t the piano there?”

The man laughed. “Piano? Oh, sweetheart, no. No, no, no. Hedonists like us don’t do pretentious classical sh*t like that! We want you to drink with us, okay? So you should be heading to our table!”

“Exactly, right?” Another male voice joined him. Deirdre heard the sound of him slapping the seat next to him pointedly. He sized her up and could not stop his disgust and scorn from bleeding into his invitation. “This beer here costs like 15,000 dollars, okay? I’m sure you’ve never tasted something like this before, but we’re al

couple of nice guys in the mood. Come on, our treat!”

Deirdre’s face turned pale. “I’m here to play the piano. I don’t drink.”

“How much can you f*cking earn by playing the piano? Please, b*tch. You can’t even make 150 bucks a day! But if you have one glass with us, you’ll get that 150 dollars on your face, guaranteed!”