The morning sun streamed through the curtains as Alice woke up early, the day beginning with the familiar routine of motherhood. Her mind was still weighed down by the incident the night before, but she pushed the thoughts aside. Her children, Jackson and Emily, would be up soon, and she had to focus on them. She got to work in the kitchen, preparing their favorite breakfast—pancakes, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. She packed their lunches with care, picking out their favorite sandwiches, apple slices, and carrot sticks.
Once breakfast was ready, Alice went to wake Jackson and Emily. They were groggy at first, but Alice's voice was soothing, guiding them to start their day. She made sure they were dressed in their school uniforms, checked their backpacks for books and supplies, and kissed them good-bye as they left for Oakdale Public School. The school, though modest in resources, was the place where her children were thriving.
Brenda, Alice's best friend and colleague, was ready to leave for work as well. The two of them escorted the kids to school, their laughter and chatter the only sounds breaking the morning stillness. Once the kids were safely dropped off, Alice and Brenda headed to work at Bistro Bliss, a cozy yet popular restaurant in the heart of the city.
As they entered the restaurant, their boss, Joe, greeted them with infectious enthusiasm. "Today's the day, ladies! The richest and youngest billionaires in town are dining with us. Everything needs to be perfect!" His voice was filled with excitement, and Alice and Brenda exchanged glances, both equally thrilled by the prospect of serving some of the wealthiest individuals in the city.
The morning passed in a blur of preparation. The kitchen was filled with the aroma of fresh pastries and sizzling meats, and the waitstaff moved with practiced efficiency. At 1 PM sharp, the door swung open, and Diego Montago, accompanied by his close friends Leo and Steve, strode into the restaurant with an air of authority. They exuded confidence, and their mere presence seemed to draw the attention of every diner in the room.
Brenda and Joe exchanged a glance, and Joe nodded discreetly, signaling Alice to take charge of their table. She smoothed out her apron, straightened her shoulders, and made her way toward them, her professional demeanor in full force.
Steve and Leo greeted her warmly, their orders coming quickly and with ease. But when Alice turned to Diego, he remained silent, his attention fixed on the menu, as though ignoring her entirely.
"Excuse me, sir," Alice said, her voice polite, "Can I take your order?"
Diego's eyes remained glued to the menu, his silence unbroken.
Alice, her patience slowly thinning, asked again. "Sir, your order?"
Still, no response. A knot began to form in her stomach. She asked a third time, her voice now tinged with a hint of frustration. "Sir, I need to take your order."
Finally, Diego looked up, his gaze cold and disdainful. "Do you know who you're talking to?" His voice was dripping with condescension.
Alice's anger flared. She straightened up, her voice sharp. "Oh, didn't your father teach you how to speak to people with respect, you arrogant brute?" she retorted, her words cutting through the tension that had begun to build.
Leo intervened quickly, sensing the escalating conflict. "Diego, let's just order something. I'll take care of it." He placed Diego's order with a request for coffee.
As Alice walked away, her heart raced with the sting of the exchange. She didn't let it show, but her frustration simmered beneath the surface.
A few minutes later, Alice returned to serve their orders. As she poured coffee for Diego, he immediately complained that it was too sugary. Brenda, ever the professional, apologized with a thinly veiled sarcasm and offered to replace it.
But it didn't stop there. Diego called her over again, this time complaining that the coffee was too hot. Alice's anger, already fraying, finally broke free. In a flash of defiance, she took the scalding coffee and poured it all over Diego's expensive suit.
The diner's patrons gasped in shock, their eyes wide as they watched the drama unfold. Diego's face turned beet red with rage, his jaw clenched in fury. But Alice stood her ground, her eyes flashing with unrepentant defiance.
Diego, towering at 6'2", glared down at her, but Alice didn't flinch. She met his icy gaze with equal force.
"What, you think you can beat me?" Alice sneered, her voice dripping with disdain. "Well, I'm not surprised. You brutes always lash out at women who bruise your ego."
Diego's nostrils flared with anger. "You're lucky I don't hit women," he growled, his voice low and menacing.
At that moment, a college student, sitting nearby, raised her phone, clearly ready to capture the heated exchange. Diego's gaze shifted to her in an instant, his voice thundering with authority.
"If I see this posted anywhere tonight, you'll regret it," he warned, his tone brokering no argument. The student, her face pale with fear, quickly lowered her phone and scurried away.
Diego turned back to Alice, but before the situation could escalate any further, Leo stepped in, his voice calm but firm. "Diego, let's just leave. This is a scene we don't need."
Diego's face twisted with fury, but he nodded curtly, tossing a thick wad of cash onto the table. Without another word, the three men stormed out of the restaurant, leaving behind a stunned silence.
As soon as the door slammed behind them, the room erupted in whispers. Patrons leaned toward each other, exchanging gossip, their eyes wide with disbelief.
One elderly man spoke up, his voice trembling with awe. "Do you know who they were? Diego Montago... Leo King... Steve Harrison... the richest men in the world!"
The whispers grew louder, the names of the Montago men carrying weight even in a place like this.
Back in the kitchen, Alice was venting her frustration to Joe and Brenda. "I should've poured a whole vat of boiling water on him, not just coffee!" she exclaimed, her hands clenched into fists.
Brenda gave her a worried look. "Alice, you've got to calm down. You just offended a very powerful man."
Alice scoffed, not backing down. "To hell with him. He offended a single mother, even if he didn't know it."
Joe placed a soothing hand on Alice's shoulder, trying to defuse the situation. "Alice, honey, let's just forget about it, okay? It's not worth losing your job over."
Alice took a deep breath, nodding reluctantly. She wasn't ready to let go of the anger just yet, but she knew she had to stay composed.
Meanwhile, across town, Diego was still seething with rage. The confrontation had bruised his ego in a way he couldn't ignore. The three men arrived at their private lounge in the Golden Suites Hotel, and as soon as the door closed behind them, Diego's anger exploded.
Leo, always the voice of reason, tried to calm him down. "Diego, she was just standing up for herself. You were at fault too, you know."
Diego scoffed, clearly not in the mood for reason. "She's going to pay for making me lose my pride today. This is just the beginning of her nightmare."
Steve, ever concerned, raised an eyebrow. "Diego, don't do anything rash. You're not thinking clearly."
Diego's cold smile was calculating, his voice dripping with menace. "Oh, I'm thinking perfectly clearly, Steve. And soon, that girl will understand exactly what it means to challenge me."
Just as Diego's smile curled into a sinister smirk, James, his personal assistant, rushed into the room, looking flustered.
"Boss, Elder Montago is on the phone," James said, holding out the phone with a sense of urgency.
Diego's demeanor shifted instantly. His anger faded in an instant, replaced by the respect he held for his grandfather. He took the phone from James and answered, his tone now formal.
"Hello, Grandfather?"
"Diego, it's Giovanni," came the warm, familiar voice on the other end. "I trust everything's going well?"
"Yes, Grandfather," Diego replied, his voice respectful.
"I'm sending Alex and Sophia back home. They've been with me for two years now, and it's time they returned to their lives," Giovanni said, a hint of pride in his voice.
Diego, intrigued, asked, "What about you, Grandfather? When are you coming back?"
Giovanni chuckled softly. "I'll join them soon, but not just yet. And by the time I get back, I expect you to have found a suitable woman to settle down with. You're not getting any younger, Diego."
Diego's heart skipped a beat. His grandfather's teasing words carried an underlying seriousness that made him flush with embarrassment.
"Yes, Grandfather," Diego replied, trying to sound casual.
"Good," Giovanni said, his voice warm with approval. "I'm counting on you, Diego. Don't disappoint me."
The line went dead, and Diego stared at the phone in his hand, his thoughts racing. The weight of his grandfather's expectations pressed on him, leaving him wondering how much longer he could avoid his family's push for him to settle