Chapter 2

Alessio and three other men were seated at a table in a classy restaurant. They seemed busy, buried in conversation. A lady approached their table to take their orders, though hesitant at first, as they all looked grumpy and arrogant. Still, she had a job to do.

She stood by their table, yet not a single one of the men noticed her. They were so engrossed in their conversation. She couldn't even make out what was being said, as they were speaking in Italian. Clearing her throat to gain their attention, she immediately regretted the action. One of the men hissed at her, while the others looked irritated. They didn't seem pleased that she had interrupted their discussion. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she managed to speak, though her words came out croaked.

"I'd like to take your orders, sirs."

"We'll have a bottle of your finest red wine accompanied by number two on your dinner menu," Alessio instructed, briefly looking at her.

Kim caught his piercing gaze and immediately avoided prolonged eye contact. For some unknown reason, he made her uncomfortable. "Number two on the menu is steak and baked potatoes," she confirmed.

Alessio replied with a cigarette between his lips, "Yes, I suppose."

Kim was irritated by how arrogant he could be. For Christ's sake, smoking wasn't allowed in the restaurant, yet here he was puffing away like a bull in a ring. Two of the other men had also lit cigarettes. Unable to contain herself, Kim blurted out in irritation, "Excuse me, sirs, but smoking isn't allowed in the restaurant."

Alessio raised an eyebrow. The rest of the men must have cursed her in Italian because she heard muttering and caught their irritated expressions.

"Where else would you have us smoke, señorita?" Alessio questioned, staring back at her. For some reason, Kim couldn't break eye contact with him. She stared back, captivated. Gosh, aside from his arrogance, this man was outrageously attractive.

"Back to earth, lady," one of the men said, chuckling.

Kim flushed with embarrassment, managing to speak. "Smoking isn't allowed on the premises, sirs. I'm only following orders—it's the rules."

"Well, it's okay to bend the rules sometimes," Alessio commented, still holding her gaze.

Gosh, what was wrong with this man? Why did he keep staring into her eyes? She was practically turning red. She needed to get out of there before she made a fool of herself again.

Finally accepting defeat, Kim decided to drop the smoking issue. Come to think of it, they didn't even pay her enough to worry about things like this. "I'll have your order ready in 20 minutes, sirs. Any preference for how you want your steak cooked?" she asked, taking notes.

One of the seated men replied, "I like my meat medium well. I find it quite juicy," he said with a smirk.

The other men chuckled at his remark, including Alessio.

Kim bit her tongue in embarrassment. She could tell the man wasn't talking about steak. "One medium-well steak coming up," she said before quickly leaving. She was pretty sure she might as well have run—she was desperate to get out of there. As she made her way into the kitchen, she could hear their loud chuckles from the table.

"Fucking jerks," she muttered under her breath as she entered the kitchen.

"Are you swearing at my customers, young lady?" one of the chefs asked, giving her a questioning look. He must have overheard her. She hadn't even realized she spoke out loud.

"No, sir. Table five will have four plates of medium-well steak with baked potatoes," she said, handing over the order.

The chef nodded as he took note. She then went over to the wine cellar to pick out their finest bottle of wine. She could never understand why people would throw away thousands of dollars just to drink bottled spoiled grapes. Arrogant scums, she thought.

Still, that guy who kept staring at her—he was like a god in human form. She shook herself back to reality. This was no time to be fantasizing about men. Especially arrogant pricks.

After her shift, Kim went outside to take out the trash. After disposing of it, she pulled out a cigarette from her apron pocket and lit it with a lighter. Oh, what a stressful day, she thought as she quietly puffed her cigarette. She was finally done with today's shift and couldn't wait to get home and plop down on her bed.

Oh, fuck! She suddenly remembered she had an academic report to write for tomorrow's classes. Letting out a sigh, she continued smoking.

She wished life could be a little easier on her. It hadn't been easy—juggling college and part-time jobs just to make ends meet. But she wasn't going to give up. She had a plan: go to college, get a good job, and pay off her debts. She was determined to create a better life for herself. Still, it was all easier said than done, she supposed. Life was hellishly difficult for her right now.

Kim's thoughts were interrupted by noises coming from the backyard of the restaurant. Earlier, she'd noticed a fleet of expensive cars parked there and wondered why anyone would park at the back instead of the front.

Standing near the dumpster, she saw Alessio and the group of men she had served earlier. Those arrogant pricks, she thought to herself. They were accompanied by Diego, the owner of the restaurant, and they all seemed well-acquainted. No wonder they had the audacity to smoke inside the restaurant without anyone confronting them.

As she watched them walk toward their cars, Alessio suddenly looked in her direction, and their eyes met. She froze, unable to move as they stared at each other. Alessio smirked and gave her a small salute with two fingers before getting into one of the cars.

Kim turned red with embarrassment. Why the fuck do I always freeze every time our eyes meet? she thought, exasperated. Who the hell is this man?

She finished her cigarette as she watched the fleet of cars drive past her