Chapter 9

Esmeralda’s POV

"Esmeralda?! Oh my God!"

Mulan's horrified voice barely registered in my head as her hands reached out for me. I couldn't even remember how my feet had carried me to her apartment. After leaving the ruins of what used to be my home, I had simply kept walking through the pouring rain until I found myself standing in front of her door.

“You're soaking wet! Can you stand? Here… give me your hand.” She pulled me inside without waiting for another word. She wrapped a thick blanket around my shoulders and pressed a steaming mug into my trembling hands.

"Drink,” she ordered before crouching down in front of me, searching my face for answers. “What happened to you?”

I sipped the hot tea, staring blankly ahead. But Mulan was undeterred. “Please, Esme. Talk to me.”

“I lost her, Mulan." The words left my lips so calmly that even I barely recognized my own voice.

“What?” she whispered, her eyes widening.

“My mother.” My voice came out completely devoid of emotion. “She died yesterday afternoon before I could even get back to the hospital. But thankfully, our medical bills were paid off by the man who received her organ donation.” I deliberately omitted the recipient's name and contact details.

Mulan's hand flew to her mouth, tears rolling freely down her cheeks. “I'm so sorry, Esme... Nobody deserves to lose their loved ones, especially not you.”

“It's okay,” I muttered, reaching out to wipe a tear from her cheek. I found myself consoling her even though I felt completely empty inside. “Stop crying…”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The room fell silent except for the sound of Mulan sniffing back her tears, trying to hold herself together.

“Thank you for the tea, but I have to get going.” I stood up abruptly and set the mug on the table.

“Where are you going?” Mulan looked at me as if she had just seen a ghost in broad daylight.

“To find a job,” I answered plainly, my eyes searching for the soaked shoes I had taken off earlier.

If I wanted a roof over my head by the end of the day, I needed to find a part-time job that came with staff accommodation.

“I'm sorry, what?” Mulan blinked, thoroughly bewildered.

“I still need money to bury my mother. And since I was evicted today, I need to earn enough for a new place, maybe a shared apartment.” I replied.

“You got evicted today?!” she gasped. I simply nodded. She looked deep in thought for a second before speaking again. “But what about the five thousand dollars from…? Can't you use that until you get back on your feet instead of rushing straight back to work?”

“Oh… I forgot to mention that part. Three men stopped me outside the hospital. They said Antonio used me as collateral. They took every dollar... and told me they'd come back for me if they couldn't find him.” I said with an indifferent shrug.

The one thing I refused to do was acknowledge Antonio as my father. Never. Not in this lifetime.

“That bastard… good-for-nothing old fool!” Mulan cursed under her breath before grabbing both of my hands. “Esme, if you're worried about a roof over your head, you can stay here with me until you're back on your feet. You don't have to force yourself to work this week. I don't want you to break down.”

“No, it's okay. I don't want to be a burden, you’ve helped me enough.”

“Please, I insist.” She pleaded

“Okay,” I agreed softly. “But I still can't just sit here and do nothing. I need something to keep my mind busy.”

She opened her mouth, closed it again, exhaled slowly through her nose, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You are the most stubborn human being I have ever met in my entire life.”

"I know.”

“Also the strongest.” She added quietly.

“Thank you.” A faint smile tugged at my lips before fading almost immediately. “Do you know anywhere that's hiring right now?"

She was quiet for a long moment. Then, she stood up and pulled me toward the bathroom. "Get in the shower," she demanded. "I'll find you something dry to wear and make us some toast. You are eating before we step foot outside this door. Non-negotiable."

"Fine.”

An hour later, Mulan walked into the room holding an event flyer. “The hotel where I work is hosting a major corporate event this weekend,” she passed it to me, before reaching for a towel to dry her hair. “They're severely short-staffed, and the pay is much better than a standard restaurant shift. It's temporary waitress work.”

“Which hotel?”

“The Meridian,” she answered, fiddling with her hair. "It's honestly the best option available on such short notice…”

I set down my piece of toast. The event was being hosted at the exact same hotel where I had made the absolute worst decision of my life.

It was the last place on earth I wanted to return to. But grief and pride wouldn't pay for my mother's funeral.

“Esme, you really don't have to take it if you're uncomfortable with going there.”

"No." I picked the toast back up, hardening my resolve. "It's fine. I can work there. It's not a problem.”

"If you're sure," she said quietly.

***

At The Meridian, Mulan spent less than five minutes in the floor manager's office before he walked out, thrust a folded uniform into my hands, and ordered me to start work immediately. No questions asked.

I changed quickly in the staff locker room, smoothing the crisp fabric down.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I closed my eyes and whispered. ‘Mom, please... give me strength.’

Then I pushed open the door and threw myself into work.

I kept my hands and mind completely occupied, table to table, order to order, tray to tray. I had just finished clearing a large table when the floor supervisor appeared in front of me.

"Table eleven." He pressed an order slip into my hand without slowing his pace. "VIP lounge. Right now."

"Yes, sir."

I loaded the tray, lifted my chin high, and pushed open the heavy frosted glass doors of the VIP lounge.

Stepping inside, my gaze swept the room only to lock directly onto the one man I thought I would never have to face again.

He was seated at the far end of table eleven in a tailored, jet-black suit, holding a glass of scotch as he spoke quietly to the executives around him.

For a second, the world stopped spinning, and I froze in the doorway.

‘Of course, I thought bitterly. ‘Of all the tables in this entire city, he had to be sitting at this one.’

Forcing the breath back into my lungs, I lifted my chin, straightened my spine, and stepped up to the table. "Good evening, gentlemen."

He paused mid-sentence and looked up.

His sharp, icy eyes locked onto mine, and for one unbearable moment, the entire room fell dead silent.