Chapter 3: The Man at the Top of the School's Food Chain Is Picking Up Money for Me?

Lori

A few girls exchanged meaningful glances. Catherine's face twisted, and she pulled five hundred-dollar bills from her handbag and flicked her wrist.

The bills scattered like snowflakes, drifting slowly to the floor.

"Here's your tip. Cheap little waitress."

Catherine stood there with her arms crossed, her tone brimming with vindictive madness. "Why aren't you picking it up? Still dreaming of crawling into Austin's bed, fantasizing about hooking a rich man?"

She stepped closer, lowering her voice so only I could hear.

"Lori, that's five hundred dollars. How many hours do you have to stand around at Nobu to earn that?"

I knew Catherine just wanted to humiliate me. But at my current income, pride was worth absolutely nothing to me. Just as I was about to bend down, pick up the clipboard, and leave, a low, cold male voice suddenly came from behind the crowd.

"Is something here supposed to be funny?"

The voice wasn't loud, yet it made everyone instinctively fall silent. The crowd parted to either side, and a tall man stepped out from the back. He wore a simple black shirt, cuffs casually rolled up to his forearms, broad-shouldered and long-legged, his features handsome to the point of being sharp. When the light fell on him, the entire mood of the room shifted.

I recognized him at once.

Bastian Galloway.

Captain of the Pepperdine University hockey team, the true heir of the Galloway family. There were too many rumors about him. Some said he was cold, some said he was arrogant, and some said he was simply born to stand above everyone else.

Whichever version, no one would deny that Bastian's every appearance was enough to drive all the girls wild.

I heard several people around me suck in a sharp breath.

"Catherine's really done it this time."

"That's Bastian Galloway."

"Austin doesn't even dare raise his voice around him."

I looked over at Austin—his expression had clearly changed.

Bastian ignored the whispers. His gaze landed on me, then slowly swept over the bills on the floor, the food bag, and the smugness Catherine hadn't quite managed to wipe from her face.

"Who threw that?"

Catherine's face went pale, but she still answered stubbornly.

"Bastian, it was just a joke."

"A joke?"

Bastian lowered his eyes to the five bills scattered at my feet, the presence of a man used to power sending a chill through the room.

But the next second, a stifled gasp rippled through the living room.

Bastian Galloway crouched down.

The man everyone in school knew to be the most arrogant, the one who disliked women getting close to him, actually knelt in full view of everyone and picked up, one by one, the money Catherine had thrown to the floor.

His long fingers moved unhurriedly. He stood, walked over to me, and held the money out.

"This is the tip you're owed. I apologize—I should have kept my teammates in line."

I froze for a moment.

In that instant, I suddenly didn't know whether to take the money first or to keep myself from looking too pathetic. I accepted it, my fingertips brushing his.

"Thank you," I said, my voice a little hoarse.

Bastian turned to face Catherine.

"Apologize, Catherine."

Catherine seemed slow to process it, her face growing even uglier.

"What did you say?"

Bastian's expression didn't change at all.

Catherine's fingers gripped the chain of her handbag so tightly her knuckles went white. "Bastian, it was just a joke. She herself didn't even—"

"I won't say it twice." He cut off the rest of her words in her throat. "Or I could let the Morris family hear for themselves exactly how you threw your weight around tonight, using their name."

Her eyes rimmed red with fury, and the way she looked at me made it clear she wanted to tear me apart.

But she didn't dare. She didn't dare keep making a scene in front of Bastian. And she certainly didn't dare let the Morris family learn what an ugly spectacle she'd made of herself tonight.

"I'm sorry."

She forced the words out through clenched teeth.

Two years ago, I probably would have summoned the grace and composure befitting a Miss Morris, swallowed the humiliation, and pretended nothing bothered me.

But now?

I glanced down at the signature pad in my hand, then held it back out to Catherine.

"Apology accepted."

I paused, my tone so calm it felt foreign even to me.

"Don't forget to sign." I handed her the pen. "And thank you so much for your generosity. If you're satisfied with our additional services, feel free to tip us more."

Someone couldn't hold it in and let out a snort of laughter.

Catherine's face flushed and paled in turns. After signing, she slammed the pen back into my hand, covered her face, and ran out.

"Catherine!"

Austin chased after her almost immediately.

I laughed at myself and turned to leave. The moment I shut my car door, the whole world finally went quiet. Outside the window, villa number nineteen was still ablaze with light, the music seeping through the glass, muffled, like noise from another world.

That was when my phone buzzed.

It was Austin.

I'll explain everything about tonight later. Don't be unreasonable.

And you should have picked up the money yourself. Do you have any idea how embarrassed you made Catherine? She cried for a long time. You have to apologize to her tomorrow.

So Austin's heart had shifted long ago. Catherine being forced to apologize counted as humiliation. But me? Being dismissed by him as just a waitress who'd once served him, having money thrown at my feet—that was nothing.

I took a deep breath, and my fingertips flew across the screen.

Austin, you make me sick.

Sent.

I didn't wait for his reply. I dragged his number straight into the blocked list and deleted our entire chat history.

The moment the screen went dark, the weight that had pressed on my chest for so long finally eased a little.

I tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, started the car, and the headlights lit up the winding mountain road ahead. I'd driven quite a distance before it suddenly occurred to me to reach into the side pocket of my canvas bag.

The ring I'd meant to give Austin was gone too.