1 Chapter 1: Prologue Part 1
It was late at night in the crime capital of the world, Gotham, yet the city remained loud and bustling as if it were the day still.
Numerous bars, nightclubs, and other facilities that stayed open late were becoming increasingly crowded with all kinds of people searching for a break after yet another exhausting workweek.
One such establishment was Club Caesar, a posh bar where some of Gotham's wealthier residents went to spend money on cocktails and attractive women.
Such a place was only open to people who appeared wealthy and carried themselves accordingly. Men would dress in their most dapper designer suits, while ladies would dress seductively and make themselves look beautiful in the hopes of getting inside.
However, the bouncer stationed at the club's door was highly selective about who he let inside. One's fate would only rest on his opinion of them if they weren't on the list.
A young man who appeared to be in his early twenties walked ahead, completely disregarding the line, as the crowd patiently waited for their turn in a line that didn't seem to be moving.
He was dressed in an opulent-looking black suit with a matching white shirt inside. His left hand was adorned with an exquisite silver watch as he walked while adjusting the sleeves of his suit.
His stern demeanor exuded a threatening yet confident air that was heightened by his icy gray eyes.
As he went, the chilly nighthawk breeze caused his medium-length dark hair to wave slightly.
He was currently as good-looking as some of the gentlemen who had been arriving in pricey foreign cars, if not better.
The enormous bouncer, who was around seven feet tall, gazed down at the young man when he arrived at the entrance. The young man was an impressive six feet and eight inches tall.
"Name?"
The bouncer asked, frowning and crossing his arms as though assessing the individual.
"Arias Markovic." The young man responded in a quiet, deep voice that radiated confidence.
The bouncer gave him a long look, giving the bystanders the impression that he was ready to be bounced.
But the bouncer smiled and laughed the next second.
"Oh you're Dmitri's friend, I've heard good things about you, nice of you to finally stop by. Enjoy your night."
The bouncer's demeanor changed to one of friendliness, and he made way for Arias to enter.
Arias smiled and nodded in response.
"You know how Dmitri can get, he wouldn't stop urging me to visit him here…" he added in a somewhat friendly yet formal manner of speech with a small yet noticeable Western European accent.
"That I do, try not to let him get you wasted. Haha."
Before starting his shift again, the bouncer observed him enter and laughed at his remarks.
As soon as Arias walked into the club, he was greeted by a brilliant display of flashing lights and upbeat electronic music.
"Welcome to club Caesar, here's a compliment-"
He was greeted by a woman in a provocative costume holding a tray of beverages at the entryway, but she was interrupted by a loud voice before she could finish.
"Are my eyes fooling me? Arias! You son of a bitch is that you?"
A young man with blonde hair and an accent resembling Arias entered the room dressed in an all-black suit and gold aviators.
He promptly removed the spectacles and walked over to Arias with his arms spread wide.
'As energetic as ever I see…'
As Arias raised his arms to embrace the hug, he sighed yet cracked a little smile.
Before abruptly breaking their embrace, the two men gave each other firm pats on the back.
"Good to see you too Dmitri."
"Is that all you have to say after disappearing for over four years. I was shocked when I got your call, I couldn't believe it. You have a lot of explaining to do." Dmitri urged while sporting an ecstatic grin.
On the outside, Arias could only grin back, but his thoughts were totally different.
'Unfortunately I couldn't do this job without getting entry into this club… well good thing I left things on good terms with him.'
"I see you haven't changed your nosey nature and terrible sense of fashion at least." As Arias reached for the woman's tray to fetch a drink, his mouth curved into a grin.
Dmitri, however, intervened and stopped him.
"Smh whatever, anyway leave those free drinks. My dad owns this place, we're partying in the VIP section tonight, let's go." The girl manning the bar was perplexed as Dmitri wrapped his arm around Arias's shoulder and dragged him to the second-floor VIP area.
When he got to the second floor, which was much more airy and had music that was more relaxed and mellow, Arias focused on the bar and the people sat there.
"Well, welcome to the-huh? What's wrong, see someone you know?" Dmitri caught on to where Arias directed his gaze and so he questioned him on this but Arias shook his head.
"I was just looking at the beauties here, am I not supposed to?" Arias handled it well, and his demeanor changed significantly.
Dmitri chuckled, gave him a pat on the back, and then shook his head. "You used to be so stiff, are you really Arias? Anyway you can have any girl you want since you're with me except that girl over there at the bar seated next to the huge hairy dude."
Arias played it off and continued to ask questions even though Dmitri was referring to the same pair he had his sights on. "Oh? How come, are they mafia or something?"
Dmitri flinched as he said those words and gave him the shush sign while leaning in to whisper.
"Don't say that out loud, they really are mafia. Both of those two have father's who are major players on the Gotham scene, like the dirty scene. Even my dad doesn't get involved carelessly so just stay out of their way. Now come this way."
Arias and Dmitri separated , and Dmitri motioned for Arias to follow.
Arias pulled out his phone, read his messages, and then started typing before he continued.
"I'm in, be ready."
