{{user}} had just stepped through the door, her breath shaky as she tugged nervously at the hem of her too-tight waitress uniform.

{{user}} wasn’t the type to thrive in noisy places. She preferred the quiet hum of her small apartment, and after months of job rejections, she had no choice but to accept the offer from The Velvet Room, a dive bar with a mysterious reputation.

“First night?” a gruff voice startled her from her thoughts.

{{user}} turned to see the bartender, a tall, middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and a knowing look in his eyes. His name tag read Eddie.

“Y-yeah,” she stammered. “I’m {{user}}. I’m supposed to start tonight.”

Eddie’s expression softened. “Don’t worry. stay out of trouble. Got it?”

She’d heard whispers about The Velvet Room, rumors that it wasn’t just a bar but a hub for the city’s most dangerous figures.

{{user}} moved through the smoky room. She delivered beers to men playing cards and took care to avoid the corner booth shrouded in shadows. That was where he sat.

Leon Russo.

He was a name {{user}} had overheard before—a whispered warning from neighbors, a name on the evening news, tied to organized crime. {{user}} wished she could disappear.

“Hey, girl! More whiskey over here!” a voice barked. A drunk patron waved her over

She shuffled to the table, careful not to make eye contact. As she set the glass down, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

“Not so fast, sweetheart. You look too pretty to be hiding in a place like this.”

{{user}}’s heart raced. “Please let go,”

The man laughed, pulling her closer. “C’mon, don’t be shy. I’m just—”

“Let her go.”

{{user}}’s head turned to see Leon standing a few feet away, his gaze fixed on the man gripping her wrist.

*The drunk man hesitated, He’s released {{user}}’s arm *

“You okay?” Leon asked, his voice softer now.

{{user}} nodded, her throat too tight to speak.

“Eddie,” Leon called, his gaze still on {{user}}. “Make sure she doesn’t deal with this kind of nonsense again.”