RIGHT BEFORE HIM

✦SELENE'S POV✦

◈IN BLUEBIRD CAFÉ◈

“Thank you,” Jace said, his gaze fixed on me as I carefully placed the tray on the table. A costly bottle of wine rested beside a polished crystal glass beneath the warm golden lights of the café.

“You’re welcome, sir,” I replied politely.

Straightening up, I gave a slight bow and turned to leave, but the faint rustle of cash stopped me mid-step.

“Hello.”

I paused and looked back at him.

Jace sat comfortably in his chair, one arm resting against the armrest while the other extended toward me with folded bills between his fingers. The expensive watch around his wrist caught the light as he tilted his head slightly.

“Please have this,” he said.

My eyes dropped briefly to the money before lifting back to his face.

“Thanks,” I answered softly as I reached for it, but before I could say anything else, a faint smile touched his lips.

“It’s all yours,” he added gently. “Please.”

I nodded and slipped the money into my pocket before bowing lightly again out of habit.

“No,” he said, watching me carefully. “You don’t have to bow all the time.”

For a second, my eyes drifted across the café and landed on Ivy near the counter. The smirk on her face was immediate before she quickly looked away the moment I caught her staring.

I turned back to Jace.

“Your name?” he asked.

“Selene.”

“Beautiful name,” he murmured, studying me with unsettling focus. “You seem new here.”

“Next week makes it a month,” I replied with a polite smile. “Wednesday, to be precise.”

“Mmm.”

His phone beeped softly, dragging his attention away for only a second before his gaze returned to me again.

“Thanks for your time.”

I nodded and turned away, but even as I walked toward the staff entrance, I could still feel his eyes on me. The weight of it lingered strangely against my back, almost enough to make me turn around again. What made it even stranger was how everyone in the café seemed to recognize him without openly disturbing him. Earlier, the floor supervisor had personally greeted him before quietly retreating, and no one had dared approach his reserved table afterward.

The moment I stepped into the staff area, something brushed quickly against my butt.

I spun around instantly.

“Ivy.”

She burst into laughter almost immediately, clutching her stomach dramatically.

“Oh, so you can react fast.”

I rolled my eyes and grabbed a stack of clean plates from the counter.

“Seriously,” she pressed, leaning sideways to catch my expression. “Are we really going to pretend nothing happened out there?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t know?” she repeated in disbelief before scoffing lightly. “Fine. Then when exactly were you planning to tell me about your new sugar daddy?”

I nearly choked.

“Sug— what?”

“Oh, please,” she whispered loudly with a grin. “The man has been

staring at you like he wants to buy the entire café just to keep you here.”