Chapter 14 Learning The Ropes

I was a little surprised that Mr. Adler was personally bringing me into MIX to get me signed up for work. After entering the nightclub, he led me into an elevator which took us all the way to the top floor. Everyone who passed us by would give me a curious stare before addressing him respectfully, much to my confusion. It wasn't until he led me into his office that I realized he was the owner of MIX. Along the way, I was able to see clearly what he meant by MIX being completely different from Phoenix. Like its name, Phoenix opted to look as fancy and extravagant as possible. MIX, on the other hand, placed more emphasis on the quality of its furniture and decor as the crowd there were of a much higher class. Mr. Adler then had Mannie from the Public Relations Department arrange for me to start work. She looked really beautiful and seemed like she was in her late twenties. On top of that, she had a strong character as opposed to Sonia and Felicia who were cold and arrogant, so I could probably learn a lot from her. Mannie showed me the ropes at MIX, which blew my mind at how different it was from Phoenix. She told me that bargirls had to support each other and be very respectful towards the customers who were mostly of great wealth or power. However, we were not required to give in to unreasonable demands as that would ruin MIX's reputation. In Phoenix, our income mainly relied on tips and how much booze we were able to sell. Given how booking a private room at MIX would already cost tens of thousands, the sale of booze was practically a guaranteed thing, so no promotions were required at all. Mannie then told me the many rules of working at MIX and chose not to assign me any work on my first day as she wanted me to get used to the environment before doing anything else. On my second day, Mannie took me to a dance studio and had a professional teach me all about etiquette rules for ladies. Feeling a little curious, I asked her if it was necessary for every employee to learn all of this. According to her reply, only the stars of MIX or any other employees with great potential were required to master etiquette rules, wine tasting, and languages. However, Mr. Adler had specifically requested that I master that knowledge. I hadn't seen Mr. Adler since yesterday as he hardly came over to MIX. Although it was merely a business he owned outside of his existing family business, it had become an incredibly well-known and high-end club in the city. I did not expect Mr. Adler to make me learn all this, and the tutor was very serious about teaching me as well. She had no issues with scolding me for whatever mistakes I made and even demanded that I go swimming for at least thirty minutes every day. I was also required to do a lot of stretching exercises in conjunction with swimming to help make my legs look slimmer. Seeing that I was already exhausted after a day of training, she told me that she would slowly teach me the rest when I was ready for more. Given how professional the tutor was, it was rather obvious why MIX was at the top of its field. Mr. Adler was home when I got back from work and asked me if I had gotten used to the place yet. “There's simply too huge of a gap between me and the girls at MIX, so why did you insist on having me learn all that stuff?” I asked in confusion. He was in a great mood that night and motioned at me to come over. I did as told, and he pulled me into his lap before whispering gently into my ear, “Erica, do you think the stuff you learn at school are of any use?” I nodded in response. Although I had dropped out of university in order to start working, I had missed every moment of my life on campus. He let out a low chuckle and breathed into my ear as he continued, “It's the same thing here at MIX, really. School provides you with academic knowledge, and MIX provides you with practical skills for survival. What you find useless now might come in handy at some point in the future.” It was rare of him to be so talkative, let alone taking the time to explain something meaningful to me. I nodded at him once again, and he buried his face into my shoulder as he whispered, “Erica, you have to become strong if you don't want others to bully you.”