“I know,” I said, and I was clearly aware that Briar was incredibly popular.
The group settled into a booth, and I brought over their drinks.
I overheard their conversation.
“Briar, you’re amazing. You just joined the boxing club and nearly beat that Kael. You’re only going to get stronger.”
“Yeah, and now Kael’s caught up in that doping scandal. I support the coach. I think he’s guilty.”
I was furious, tempted to pour their drinks over their heads.
Just because they were rivals, they spread rumors about him using drugs?
“Enough. Don’t make baseless accusations. I believe he didn’t use anything,” Briar said. “But even if he did, I’d still work to beat him.”
I couldn’t help but glance at him.
From what I’d heard Briar say these past few days, he seemed decent, someone worthy of respect.
He respected his opponents, after all.
But I wasn’t sure the others in the Iron Fist Club deserved the same.
I looked at Briar without thinking and found him staring back.
His gaze was the same as last night-observant, intense.
My anger was too raw to hide.
His expression was strange.
Had he recognized me?
I thought of my makeup. Evelyn couldn’t tell it was me; surely Briar couldn’t either.
I set down the drinks, picked up the tray, and left.
But I could still feel Briar’s eyes on me.
Something told me trouble was coming.
The busy night shift soon pushed the thought aside.
They stayed in their corner, laughing and drinking, becoming the center of attention.
Girls recognized Briar and flocked to him, but he turned them all away.
He was nothing like Kael.
The bar filled with more women, as if they’d gotten some insider tip.
Yet every girl who approached Briar left disappointed.
“Seraphina, look. Briar’s different. All these pretty girls, and he ignores every one,” Jack said with a grin.
“I wonder what his girlfriend’s like.”
I smiled but said nothing, wiping bottles and arranging them neatly.
I kept an eye on the room, tending to the customers’ needs.
Briar and his friends stayed until 3 a. m.
The bar began to empty.
I leaned against the counter, cleaning up as people left.
The late shift was tiring; I wasn’t used to it anymore.
Briar approached me. “Excuse me, where’s the restroom?”
“Just ahead, then turn right,” I pointed to the back.
He smiled. “Can you show me?”
As a server, I couldn’t refuse.
I smiled back. “Of course, follow me.”
We walked to the end of the bar, into the hallway.
“The restroom’s straight ahead,” I said.
Being alone with Briar made me nervous.
Maybe because I still saw him as an enemy.
I’d been with Eagle Club, and he was from Iron Fist.
My mind hadn’t adjusted.
The hallway was quiet, unlike the lively bar.
My brain urged me to leave.
I turned to go, but Briar stopped me. “Wait.”
I looked back.
“Unless I’m mistaken, you’re the girl from Eagle Club last night, aren’t you?”
My body tensed. My breath hitched.
He’d recognized me after all.
Damn it. I thought my makeup was perfect, but first Kael, now him.
He’d only seen me once.
“Yes… How did you know?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was intuition,” Briar said with a smile. “Why are you working here? You’re not holding down two jobs, are you?”
His question stung.
A stranger’s concern, and from a rival club, no less.
Life could be strange, even dramatic.
“No, I was fired.”
“That’s a shame,” Briar said, looking genuinely shocked. “They lost a great employee-someone brave enough to stand up for them.”
I bit my lip, silent.
His praise left me with mixed feelings.
I’d stood up for Kael, for Eagle Club’s honor.
But it was all meaningless now.
“I don’t know your name,” Briar said suddenly.
“Seraphina.”
“A good name. Can I have your number? And maybe find you later on WhatsApp?”
I froze. “What… WhatsApp?”
Tonight, I’d seen at least ten girls approach Briar, wanting his number or a drink.
He’d ignored them all.
Yet now, he was asking for mine?
I couldn’t believe it.
Why me? Compared to those glamorous girls, I was invisible.
“You’re brave. No one else would’ve spoken up like you did. I want to know you,” Briar said, his gaze appreciative.
He was strikingly handsome up close, his face flawless, his dark eyes like obsidian.
When he looked at me, I felt his focus.
But I refused. “Sorry, I don’t give out my number to just anyone.”