6. When He Stepped In

Serena’s Point of View

“For table seven!”

Lucy called from the kitchen, and I quickly picked up the tray.

It was a Friday evening, my third day at Lena’s. With Lena suddenly ill, Marco was managing the restaurant, and the whole place felt slightly off.

I made my way through the crowded tables.

The man at table seven had been difficult from the start.

He sent back his drink without tasting it. Called me over repeatedly for things he could have asked at once.

“Customers can be assholes sometimes. Just don’t lose your cool.”

I repeated Lena’s words in my head.

“Enjoy your meal, sir,” I said, smiling politely as I served the food.

“Wait…”

His hand closed around my wrist before I could move away.

Not grabbing. Just… enough to stop me.

His eyes moved over me in a way that made my skin crawl.

“You’re too pretty to be rushing around like this. Stay with us.”

His two companions laughed.

I removed my wrist from his hand with a single, quiet motion.

“Is there anything else I can get for you?” I asked, keeping my tone as polite as possible.

“Give me your number.”

“Excuse me, sir?”

“We can meet after your shift. I promise you can earn much more than you make in a week.”

My stomach churned.

Much more than I make in a week. As if I were something to be purchased.

“Enjoy your food.”

I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm again.

“Don’t be so proud. You’re just a waitress.”

I pulled my hand away, anger rising inside me. I needed to leave before I said something that would cost me my job.

But right then,

He shoved his bowl toward the edge of the table…

The bowl tipped.

Hot soup spilled across the white tablecloth and onto my apron, splashing onto the sleeve of my shirt.

“This is cold!” he shouted, loud enough for the surrounding tables to hear.

“I’ve been waiting twenty minutes, and the food arrives cold? This is completely unacceptable!”

The remaining soup in the bowl was still warm. But I chose not to argue.

“I’ll get you another bowl, sir,” I said.

“Another bowl?” he scoffed, leaning back and crossing his arms. “No. I want the manager.”

His voice carried across the room.

Marco hurried over.

“I want her to apologize,” the man said, pointing at me as if I were an object.

Marco nodded immediately.

“Serena. Apologize. We’ll replace the dish.”

He didn’t even look at me. He didn’t hear what I had to say.

However, I was not ready to apologize for a mistake I didn’t make.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I said quietly. “He grabbed my wrist twice and made inappropriate requests. Then he pushed the bowl himself.”

“He’s a regular,” Marco said. His tone didn’t change. “Just apologize. Ten seconds, and it’s over.”

“No.”

Marco’s jaw tightened. “Serena!”

“I said no.”

I turned to walk away. I felt suffocated. I needed air.

But the man from table seven stood up and blocked my path.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

His voice was low now. Controlled. Dangerous.

“Please calm down, sir,” Marco tried to intervene. “I’ll handle her…”

“If she doesn’t apologize to me in front of everyone right now,” the man cut him off, “I’ll make sure everyone in this city knows what kind of place this is and what kind of people work here.”

The restaurant went completely silent.

Marco was saying something to me, but I barely heard him.

A few weeks ago, I would have already been in tears, apologizing just to protect my job.

But now…

After everything…

After Rowen…After losing everything I had built… After trying so hard to rebuild my dignity…

I wasn’t going to let anyone play with it again.

I would not apologize. Not to someone who didn’t even have basic human decency.

I opened my mouth, ready to refuse him in front of everyone.

But before I could speak,

A voice came from a little distance.

Deep. Calm. Unhurried.

The kind of voice that drew attention without trying.

“I would suggest,” the voice said, “that you apologize to her instead.”

Everything stopped. The customer. Marco. The entire room.

Even me.

Something about that voice made my heart pause.

Slowly, I turned.

A tall man sat at the table by the window, dressed in a dark, well-fitted suit. His posture was straight, his presence commanding.

Not someone ordinary.

But more than anything, it was his eyes that caught my attention.

Cold green. Sharp. Focused. Indifferent.

And yet, for a fleeting moment…

I felt like I had seen those eyes before.

“Sir! You…”

I heard both Marco and the customer speak at the same time, their voices filled with not just surprise but fear, too.