Chapter 1

Luca tried to steady the plates in his hands but as he took a step forward everything came crashing down. This is the third time he had broken the plates this week, but it wasn't his fault it was the slippery tiles in the kitchen area were to blame, and his shoes too, which were slowly falling apart.

"Luca!" The sound of his name being called, made him turn back sharply. His eyes landed on his boss, Mr Ben.

"You bastard!" Mr Ben yelled as his hands moved towards Luca's cheeks, hitting him across the face. "How many times have I told you to be careful, huh?"

Luca tried to defend him but during that moment, he felt another slap on his face harder than the last.

His face stung but not as much as the pain he felt as he took a step forward. He had stepped on a piece of the broken plate, and it penetrated into his shoes.

Luca swallowed the pain, turning to look at his boss. "I…I will clean it!" He said.

"You better hurry up. People are waiting for their orders." 

Luca nodded his head, watching his boss walk away. Once he was out of sight, he bent down, removing the glass from my shoes. Then he proceeded to clean everything up.

The task was a bit difficult because Luca was heavily bleeding, but he managed to push through.

Immediately he was done, he headed to the back room, to collect another plate of food.

"Send this to table 9." His colleague said. "Aaron has attended to table 10 already."

He nodded without saying a word, walking as slowly as he could so he didn't fall again.

 When he arrived at the table, his brows furrowed. He didn't expect to see Coleman. If he had sighted him earlier, he would have given someone else to handle the order.

But Coleman had changed over the years-he wasn't the same blonde-haired boy he was in the Froster's home; he was now brown, which made him unrecognizable from afar. 

Luca guessed that was what was being adopted by a wealthy man then. It changes you.

Now Coleman owned properties, sat on boards, rubbed shoulders with influential people. And when he didn't like something, everyone knew about it.

Luca doubted that Coleman had changed. He was probably still the heartless little boy that bullied him.

Luca's hands shook as he balanced the tray of dishes on his arm. He knew he had to be extra careful.

As Luca approached the table, his palms were slick with sweat, his breath uneven.

"Here we are, sir," Luca said, forcing a smile, as he carefully set the plates down.

Coleman barely glanced at him, too busy chatting with someone on his phone. Luca turned to walk away when his foot caught on the leg of a nearby chair. The tray slipped from his grasp, and before he could react, food went flying.

Pasta, sauce, and salad scattered across Coleman's lap.

The table fell silent. The noise of the bustling restaurant seemed to vanish. 

Coleman's eyes moved slowly down to the mess on his expensive suit. He didn't even bother to stand up or wipe the food away.

Luca's heart hammered in his chest as he stammered, "I, I'm so sorry, sir. I, I'll get this cleaned up right away. It was an accident."

Coleman leaned back in his chair, still calm. Too calm. "An accident, you say?" He stared up at Luca with a disdainful smirk. "After all these years, you're still a wretch, aren't you?"

Luca blinked, pain burning in his chest. "I... I'm sorry, sir, it won't happen again."

"Oh, I'm sure it won't," Coleman sneered, rising to his feet. His large frame towered over Luca, and with a swift motion, he grabbed the plate from the table and slammed it into Luca's chest. The pasta, sauce, and salad were smeared across Luca's shirt and apron. The room seemed to gasp collectively.

"You think you belong here, serving people like me? You think you've made something of yourself? You're just as worthless as you were as a child. Probably that's why nobody adopted you and your sister."

Luca felt the sting of tears behind his eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall. Not here. Not in front of Coleman. He could feel everyone watching, waiting to see what he'd do next. His heart sank as he saw the owner, Mr. Ben, hurrying over.

"Mr. Coleman!" Mr. Battista called out. "I am so sorry, sir. Please, please, let me—"

Coleman cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand. "Your employee sneezed on my food before he even brought it to me. Is this the kind of establishment you run? A filthy one?"

Luca's stomach dropped. "No! That's not true. I didn't—"

Mr. Ben's face paled. "Luca, please... Mr. Coleman is a valued customer. If he says—"

"I didn't sneeze at his food!" Luca protested, stepping forward, but Mr. Ben shot him a warning look.

Coleman scoffed and turned away from the mess, brushing his jacket off as if Luca's very presence was contaminating. "I've had enough of this place," he growled. "You'll be hearing from my lawyer."

"Mr. Coleman, please!" Mr. Ben called after him, desperation in his voice. "Please, let me do this right. I—I beg you."

But Coleman didn't even turn around. He simply walked out of the restaurant.

For a moment, no one spoke. Luca stood frozen, still covered in food, as Mr. Ben's face twisted with frustration. He wiped a hand over his slicked-back hair, then finally , he looked at Luca, his eyes cold. 

"What the hell were you thinking, Luca?"

Luca's mouth went dry. "It was an accident. I didn't sneeze. You know me, Mr. Ben. I've worked here for over a year. I—"

"You think that matters?" Mr. Ben snapped. "Look at the mess you've caused. Look at what you've done! Do you have any idea who Coleman is?"

"I know. I know, but I swear—"

"I can't have someone like you working here, Luca," Mr. Ben interrupted, shaking his head. "Not after this. You're fired."

The words hit Luca like a punch to the gut. His knees nearly buckled, but he caught himself on the edge of the table. 

"Please," he said, his voice cracking. "You can't fire me. I need this job. My sister, she's sick, and I need the money for her treatments. I'll do anything. Please, Mr. Ben. Just, just give me one more chance."

"You're a liability now," he said flatly. "Coleman could ruin me with one bad word to the press. I'm not risking my business for you."

Luca's heart pounded in his chest, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. He opened his mouth to plead again, but before he could get another word out, Mr. Ben stepped forward and yanked the apron off his chest.

"Get out of my restaurant."

Luca staggered back as Mr. Ben threw the apron on the ground in front of him. The stares of the other customers burned into his skin as he stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do.

"Go!" Mr. Ben shouted, shoving him toward the door.

Luca stumbled, his shoes slipping in the sauce still clinging to his clothes. His mind was spinning, he couldn't think straight, couldn't breathe. He needed this job. He needed to pay the rent, to get medicine for Rosa.

"I'm begging you, please," Luca tried one last time.

But Mr. Ben was already walking away, muttering angrily to himself.

With trembling legs, Luca bent down, picked up his apron, and walked out of the restaurant, the door closing behind him with a heavy thud.

Outside, the cold air hit his face, mixing with the tears that had finally started to fall. He stood there, alone on the street, his hands still clutching the apron as though it could somehow bring him back inside.

Just then, his phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket.

"Hello!" Luca said flatly as he answered the phone. "Who's this?"

"Am I speaking to Mr. Luca?" The voice asked.

"Yea," Luca replied. "Can I know who this is?"

"I'm the nurse at Riveridge hospital calling to remind you that you haven't sorted your sister's bills yet."

"I'm going to work on it." Luca replied.

"Sir, if you don't pay the bills on time then—"

"I'm aware of the consequences that come with it." I cut her short. "Give me some time."

"We aren't running a charity home sir." The nurse's voice sounded edgy. "It's either you pay or your sister stops getting treatment."

He was about to reply, when the phone call ended.

Luca sighed, he didn't know what step to take when an idea crossed his mind.

He began to walk, taking the road that led to the street owned by the most famous people in town when he arrived there. 

He knocked on the door, and the door was opened by Annabelle, his contract wife. She was dressed in a long flowing gown, and wearing heavy make-up which indicated that she was heading somewhere.

"What are you doing here?" Annabelle asked.

"I need your help!" Luca said with a shaky tone.

"The contract is over, Luca." She snarled. "I can't offer you any help."

"Please, my sister's medical bills need to be paid, and—"

"Ciao Luca." Annabelle went down from the porch.

"I helped you to get what you wanted, Annabelle. Please don't do this to me. " 

"The world doesn't work that way Luca." Annabelle laughed. "Don't you know that? Just because you helped me means I have to."

She pulled open her door, and Luca rushed in her direction, grabbing her hand.

"Annabelle—"

"Get off me, you filthy thing." She yelled, her voice had alerted her father who happened to be in the garden. He rushed in our direction, and the minute he saw me his face grew stern.

"What are you doing here?" He snapped.

"I asked him the same thing. This dirt bag doesn't know his place anymore, father. After the money we gave him after the contract, he still wants more."

"What's all the commotion?" He asked.

"Is that true?" Annabelle's father asked.

"I need some money to sort my sister's medical bills. She's really sick." 

"I thought you had a job," Annabelle's father asked.

"I did, but I got sacked. I really need the money sir, I could do some work around the house." I said in a desperate tone.

"We already have enough maids," Annabelle snapped.

"What about a chauffeur?" I asked. "I can be Annabelle's chauffeur. Just please help me."

"I'm sorry boy, we have nothing to offer you or no vacant position at the moment," he said. 

"Why don't you lend me the money instead?" Luca said, fighting back tears that threatened to take over his face and over again. "Once I get a new job, I will pay you back."

"The audacity." A voice said behind me, and I turned to see Karen—Annabelle's mother, who hated me more than Annabelle.

"This lowlife thinks he can borrow money from a prestigious family like ours how hilarious." She spat.

"Very," Annabelle added.

"Go back to the filth hole you crawled out of, boy. We have nothing to give you." 

"Please!" Luca said, dropping on his knees.

"Didn't you hear what my mother and father said?" Annabelle spoke up. "Or are you deaf?"

"It seems he's," Karen said chuckling. "I guess that's what poverty does to you."

She stopped laughing after a while, taking a step forward. "Are you going to leave or do you want us to call the police on you for trespassing?"

Luca was about to speak when Annabelle's father spoke up. 

"Wait Karen!" He said, and his wife looked in his direction.

"I have the perfect job for Luca," he said.

"What is it that?"

"The down brothers." Annabelle's father said. "I'm sure he can handle it."

"I can." I said, without knowing what the job entails.

"If you do this job well," he said, wrapping his hands around my shoulder. "You will become a multimillionaire."

My eyes shore brightly. "I can, sir." I said. "Trust me."