Mafia's Mate

Party trouble

>>Clio

This was the most unexpected thing of the decade for me.

I was not expecting this.

When my coworkers suddenly surrounded me and enthusiastically dragged me towards a shady-looking street, confusion washed over me like a tidal wave. I couldn't comprehend the abruptness of the situation, nor could I fathom the reason for such a thing. As we walked down the street, I couldn't help but notice that it led to a small restaurant nestled in a rather shady part of town, adding to my bewilderment.

The atmosphere was strange and surreal as we entered the dimly lit restaurant that had low tables and cushions on the floor instead of chairs.

The flickering neon lights outside cast an eerie glow on the surroundings, and the unfamiliarity of the place only intensified my confusion.

"Surprise!" They exclaimed, "We're giving you a welcome dinner!" I couldn't help but wonder why they chose this particular location for a welcome party. I looked at them in bewilderment as they let me go and settled into their seats, I tried to make sense of the situation.

"Sit down," Imani gestured,

"He looks dumbstruck." Jacob laughed, "Come here." He patted at the cushion beside him. Despite my confusion, my coworkers seemed genuinely excited and delighted about the dinner, their laughter and chatter created a stark contrast to my inner turmoil. I didn't want to dampen their spirits, so I put on a hesitant smile and joined, even though I felt like an outsider.

"Why a welcome dinner all of the sudden?" It didn't make sense, "I'm just a temporary intern."

"Don't think too much about it," Chris said, "Everyone just wanted an excuse to eat out on the company card."

"Ah~" That made sense.

As the evening progressed, I settled in and ended up enjoying the small gathering. The workers were a lively bunch

"I have to leave now." Chris got up to leave but nobody stopped her. It was like it was normal, "See you all tomorrow." She waved and left.

"Does she always leave first?" I asked.

"She's got family to take care of," Imani answered and we all continued drinking. Not much time passed after that when I felt something strange loom around me.

"Who's this?" A whisper of a girl right next to my ear startled me and I shot my head around in panic. The others laughed while I looked at a blonde-haired girl staring at me curiously while I stared back at her in horror with my hand on my ear.

"This is the new intern," Lizzo said, "We're giving him a welcome party."

"Ah~" She nodded and then pushed Jacob aside to make space and come sit right beside me.

"Hey!" Jacob protested but she didn't give him any attention. I was confused, but when I looked at the rest of the workers my confusion only intensified because none of them found this weird.

A random girl just joined us at my welcome party and everyone's fine with it?

I looked back at the girl, "And you are?"

"Rameen," She kept staring at me, "Since you look confused let me clarify, I'm your co-worker, Chris's daughter,"

"OH!" I let out an exclamation of understanding, "Oh, I see, I'm Clio," I relaxed a little but then I had a thought. Chris doesn't look that old though. I didn't think she'd have a teenage daughter... Unless she had a teenage pregnancy...

Oh shit... Did I discover something I'm not supposed to? But everyone here seems to know...

"Everyone here knows Rameen," Jacob adjusted himself on another cushion, "Even the bosses." Now that I think about it, I think I saw her yesterday with Chris. At that time I thought she was her sister.