na'

o

ly with his jaw, sending a s

eyes wide with shock, before

ing his dining chair down with him in a

y by a suffocating, pin-drop silence. I stood over him, my s

cross the tile floor. Mouths hung agape. Beside the counter, two of my fello

tle boy said from a corner booth,

lay your filthy han

e. The man's girlfriend was trembling with rage, her

l defend that bastard after what he just did?" I thought

a hawk, but Marco appeared out of nowhere, planting

de even the slightest contact with my skin, I would have

am? Do you know what I can do to y

d with a thick, deep red blood running down his nose. We

ng itself across my face. He had spent the last twenty minutes tr

first!" a woman at table four

" a gentleman beside her chi

Second to God?!" my ride-or-die coworker, Mia, sho

era!" a teenager in a hoodie a

iend ducked their heads, instinctively

a reputation by sunset. The last thing a self-important creep like hims

air, the man scrambled to his feet, threw a wad of

tter shame, his girlfriend scurrying

iator who had just won a battle in the arena. The entire re

cheered, patting my shoulder gently as s

an instant. I smoothed down my white apron, held my hea

, dropping unusually heavy bills into my apron

den door of the bac

My offic

ly dropped into my

s the counter. In our restaurant, being summon

pron, my heart hammering

under my breath, making a swift, sub

ked with sweat. I had a reputation for causing a little chaos wherever

desk, rubbing his temples in silence. Finally, he ge

minding me of the rare occasions my father u

unnaturally calm, lacking the fiery Italian tongue-lashing I

"He grabbed my butt and demanded my perso

"Diana, you are a remarkably beautiful young woman, and I know men a

e I was holding. Relief flooded through

art," Marco continued quietly

m my lungs. "What? N

sly. Cold sweat broke out

out a small handkerchief to dab at my forehead, bu

stand. That man isn't just rich, his family holds so much power. If he files a formal assault complai

, plea

longings. You

family's head and food on our table for the last two

keep his hands to himself, and a poor

he kept his eyes fixed firmly on his desk. I turned and walked toward the e

coworkers. Mia, Alice, and Mrs. Ginevra were hovering in the

to keep smiling through double shifts and struggling

and tears spilled down my cheeks. In a second, all three of them w

bed, burying her face into my shoulder, her hot

rmured gently, stroking my hair. "You did the r

y I could barely turn the small padlock. I opened the narrow m

ly washe

Mia had bought me f

filled with my

ntaining the meager cash wag

pped up beside me, holding out a large, heavy gla

"The customers were so proud of you for standing up to that

against my ribs and threw my arms around he

is kindness would buy us a

my head down, my spirits lower than

look at the warm, glowing dining room. My coworkers lined

dn't say a word, but as my eyes met his, his

open, and stepped out onto the pavement as the littl

eets. The rich, mouth-watering aroma of freshly baked bread and buttery pastries drifte

kfast to make it t

ag and peeked i

pt

y, but my fingers froze. No. This money is

was an abso

llowing down the hunger pains, when my ph

ashing across the screen in bold ca

and brought the phon

r me out!" Sofia's energetic voice boomed throu

y eyes shut, my brow f

ofia? I'm really

sharp and dripping with excitement. "A gig that pays more