One.

Natalia was in a hurry, because she had to be at work in less than ten minutes, and she had to walk, or rather run, about seven long blocks to get there.

She hadn't even combed her hair properly, so her hair fell messy past her shoulders as if a hurricane had brushed it instead of a brush.

She was fixing her uniform along the way since she hadn't given him time to iron the fabric once it had dried.

“Dammit! Why does this kind of thing only happen to me? My boss will fire me as soon as he sees me.”

She was saying expletives through the middle of the street without caring who could hear her.

She was busy in her bubble of problems that low-income people often live in, especially those who work for a living, not the other way around.

Her feet were almost on fire from how fast she was walking down the sidewalk, since wearing heels wasn't the easiest thing to do.

She had worked so hard to get that position at a major restaurant that she didn't want to disappoint those who gave her the opportunity.

She almost stumbles upon reaching the entrance to the tower where the famous restaurant is located.

Furthermore, she was in such a hurry because her boss had just specified that very relevant people would be there that night, and being late was something he would not tolerate from her.

They had already spent several similar nights, in which she needed to be there like a carnation.

She marked the floor to which she was going in the elevator when she entered the car, and at the same time looked at her watch, it was 7:59 p.m.

She bit her lip, hoping to reach the selected plant on time.

Likewise, she recognized an important man next to her by the characteristic smell of good perfume and the good clothes he had on him since the VIP elevator was undergoing maintenance at that time.

Not only that, but she did not turn to see him under any circumstances, as she was forbidden to look directly into the eyes of VIP clients for more than a few seconds.

Natalia wanted to avoid problems.

She walked into the restaurant as soon as she could, her boss being the one waiting for her at the entrance.

“You're a minute late. What part of – twenty minutes earlier – didn't you understand?”

“I'm sorry. I won't do it again, today was hard being on time.”

“Today and every significant night. What a coincidence, right? Come in at once, and change those clothes. All the waitresses already have their evening attire.”

“I will. It won't happen again, sir.”

“And comb your hair, for God's sake. You already have an assigned table, look for the number on the uniform” he said with a frown.

Her boss was an elderly man who had more style than all the women who worked there.

The girl herself went to the changing rooms of the employee bathrooms, where she changed into the VIP outfit, the one they only used on specific occasions.

Natalia was nervous for no reason, thinking that perhaps they would fire her at that precise moment if they did not require her services.

She looked at herself in the full-length mirror that was there to know that everything was in order.

She styled her hair with plenty of gels that she always carried in her tote bag, as she knew she needed it.

At least her makeup looked presentable, despite her almost running from her house to this place.

The girl went out to the area where the most important customers were, so she put the same fake smile on her face that the employees had to sound and look friendly.

The table number was on a gold-colored resin sheet with black digits on top of the uniform, as the man said.

When she realized the table she had to attend to, she headed over there without wasting any time.

When she arrived, the first thing she could see was three men and an elderly woman, all elegantly dressed.

“Good evening. My name is Natalia, and I'll be your waitress tonight” she said with a smile that reached almost from ear to ear.

She handed them each a copy of the menu without looking directly at their faces for long, as she was asked to do.

“Thank you, miss. When we decide, we'll call you.”

“Perfect. I'll leave this device with you then. When you press the button, I'll come to serve you.”

Natalia was tired of almost always having to base everything on things like hierarchy, a somewhat absurd world order.

She moved away from the table and at that time the men hadn't paid her the slightest attention, something that was very common in essential people.

They were always thinking about their own business that they forgot to have manners.

The girl headed to the bar, where she helped her partner prepare drinks when she had free time with her clients.

A man had ordered ten Cuban Mojitos, so they both started making them.

“You were lost, Arrubal” pointed out the girl with striking red hair, who worked as a bartender.

“Not at all, I just had time that they didn't assign me VIP nights” replied the one with dark brown hair.

“I already missed you around here. I thought for a moment that you had been fired.”

“Wow, that wouldn't be a surprise, considering I haven't been able to hit a single one lately. Leopold's had enough of me, but he needs me, that's why he hasn't kicked me out. I don't know how to feel about that.”

“You know that you work well, he also leaves you because you do not disappoint in terms of the quality of customer service. That is what matters.”

“I'd like to think it's that easy, however, things aren't that simple, Leslie” Natalia commented with a certain disapproving air as if she didn't believe that she was a good employee.

“It doesn't hurt to keep trying. I'm saying if you try a different schedule with Ethan, you might have a little more time for yourself and this job.”

“You know that since my mother got sick, I'm the only one he has… If I could manage better, I would!".

“It's just an opinion, I have my two-year-old son and even so I arrive the twenty minutes before they ask us” Leslie insisted.

“It's because he still doesn't go to school. Believe me, that stage is a nightmare for adults and their time.”

When her friend was about to answer, the device that Natalia was carrying in her apron pocket began to beep and turn on its lights. She had to hang up and leave the last drink half done.

“Sorry, I'll be back in a minute,” she said, and then her friend just waved that it was fine.

Back at the table, the woman seemed very determined with what she wanted to eat for herself and the men.

“We want an Argentinian grill, a special paella with extra shrimp, and a carbonara spaghetti without pepper," the woman commented.

“Understood. Would you like something to drink?” Natalia asked, placing the order on the tablet that was left for the employees.

“Yes, please, a bottle of champagne and two light beers” ended up saying one of the men present.

Natalia's neck hairs stood up just listening to his deep voice, which had soft and light tones, but also sounded rude.

She blinked a few times and continued with the order.

“I'll be with you in a moment. Please, wait patiently” she commented, as she went for a round of free appetizers that the restaurant gave to keep diners at ease. She also brought plenty of water and ice.

She started to feel nervous when she came back with her friend from the bar.

“Something wrong? You're pale” her friend told her.

“Yes, I'm perfect. It's just that I don't get used to being with that kind of people. I feel like there's a whole world of difference between them and me.”

“There is, honey. There's no reason to feel bad about that, sometimes it's awkward to deal with them, and that's why I stopped being a waitress years ago. Being at the bar is much more liberating, they tend to be more transparent when they drink”.

“I know, maybe I should quit and work with you.”

“That's a decision for the bosses to make.”

“Yes, you're right. We'll talk later, Leslie.”

“Where are you going?" wanted to know the redhead.

“To help Stella.”

Leslie smiled, knowing that Natalia had a heart of gold.

The order she had placed came via notification to the kitchen staff, so she didn't have to go there to drop off any orders.

In the little time, she had free before the meal was ready, she decided that she would help arrange the cloth napkins, cutlery, and glasses to get them ready.

The girl who was in charge of that was sick, so she was doing her job slower than usual.

She felt a little bad for her since she knew that her life wasn't easy either, they were in the same boat.

Stella smiled as soon as she saw her in the cellar and they both began to order everything to be perfect since they demanded only the best for their clients.

Once they finished doing that, the alarm went off again in her apron pocket, so she would go to the kitchen to get the food.

Natalia went to pick it up with all the speed that her feet gave her, and she saw her boss on top of her without taking off for a second.

She took the tray with the food and the other with the drinks and went to the table that she was serving.

Seeing her arrive, those present were surprised that a girl who looked as fragile as she could with such trays but managed quite well.

She placed each item in its place, beginning by asking whose each item belonged.

She took the glasses and poured the wine for the lady and one of the men. Likewise, she did the same with the glasses and the beers of the rest.

As she placed the glass in front of the man she had heard speaking earlier, he had put his hand before her and she hadn't noticed it, so she was a bit embarrassed to make contact with him.

She swallowed and continued with her work, trying to get her heartbeat to even out a bit.

She served him the drink, and she only saw that he smiled at her sideways, as if he wanted to tell her something with that gesture.

If there was one thing that was clear to her, it was that she wasn't an escort, so she didn't pay attention to him.

The food was in its rightful place, letting her know that she was ready to leave.

She barely walked a step away from the table, she knew that she had forgotten to put ice cubes in the beer glass as the customers had requested, due to the distraction of the man and his blessed smile.

Natalia mentally scolded herself for forgetting a detail like that.

When she turned back, she approached the man, so she could serve him.

At the precise moment she did this, she felt a whiplash of fire go through her shoulder, only realizing a moment later that she had been shot.

The people in the restaurant began to panic, and several men dressed in black burst into the establishment, opening fire at the table where they were.

By this time, the family's bodyguards were already counterattacking.

The world turned black for Natalia, and the only thing she observed before falling into the void was the perfect man's face that she had attended to.