Chapter 2

I pinned the briefcase in place and grabbed the cup from the coffee table. The coffee poured over the back of her hand and splashed onto the woman’s pale skirt.

She shrieked and let go.

"How dare you pour coffee on me!"

I moved the briefcase to the inside of the sofa and set down the cup.

"Can you understand me now? Don't touch it."

Coffee dripped from her fingertips, leaving a spreading brown stain across her skirt. She stared at the damage, then looked up at me, her face turning bright red.

"Marco bought me this dress! How are you going to pay me back?"

Marco?

I raised my eyes to hers.

"You mean Marco Moretti, the heir?"

"Who else?" She thrust the hand wearing a ruby ring toward me. "He gave me this gold card. Anything I want on this ship is mine for the taking."

Marco was my hotheaded little brother.

A few months ago, he lost a yacht in a race and got himself kicked out of our father's study. After that, he insisted on taking over the Royal, determined to prove to our father that he could accomplish something on his own.

Father had agreed to let him run it on a trial basis for one quarter. I had even approved the funds to renovate the casino for him.

The woman took my silence as a sign that I was afraid to cross her.

"Now that you know who I am, learn your place. Don't make me teach you some manners myself!"

She stuck out the toe of her shoe, still damp from the spilled coffee.

"Wipe my shoe clean and pay for my dress. Once I'm in a better mood, I might even let you stay in a cabin down below."

Julian immediately held out a white napkin to me.

"Miss Liliana Valenti is willing to give you a chance. You should be grateful."

I made no move to take it.

"She tried to snatch my luggage first. You saw it."

"All I saw was you throwing coffee on our VIP guest." He kept the napkin extended, his gaze fixed on the briefcase in my hand. "If you refuse to cooperate, we'll have to call security."

Liliana let out an icy laugh and settled into the chair she had occupied earlier.

"Now you want to leave? Too late! Get security in here and hold her. I want to see what makes her think she can act so high and mighty in front of me!"

Several crew members had gathered in the doorway.

One glanced at her soaked skirt and immediately looked away. The porter who had spoken up for me earlier was pressed against the edge of the crowd, his face pale. No one dared touch the reservation confirmation I had left on the table.

I picked it up and slipped it into my coat pocket.

"Get me whoever's in charge."

Liliana laughed.

"You still think anyone here is going to take your side?"

She waved the gold card.

"Marco is at the private club on the pier right now. He'll be coming aboard to have dinner with me soon. You'd better hope this gets settled before he arrives."

Julian had barely finished reporting the incident when hurried footsteps pounded down the corridor.

The cruise ship's general manager entered the room. His name tag read ‘Sebastian Ricci’.

He glanced at the cup on the table and my briefcase. Without asking a single question, he bent toward Liliana.

"I'm terribly sorry you've been treated this way."

She raised the back of her hand, still stained with coffee.

"Someone dared to lay a hand on me on a ship that flies the Moretti family flag. What do you think should happen to her?"

Sebastian's expression darkened. He turned to me.

"Apologize. Now!"