O P H E L I A ' S   P O V

I winced as I cleaned my bloody shoulder with the rubbing alcohol that I found in the kitchen cabinet.

My shoulder ached and the bleeding stopped a few moments ago. I also found some gauge and carefully wrapped it around my upper arm to ensure that if it continued to bleed, that it wouldn't be that big of an issue.

I wiped the last of my tears with a piece of paper towel.

Just as I'm about to leave, Rachel, my manager and the current owner of this institution, barged into the kitchen and stomped toward my direction.

Rachel was a stunning lady in her early twenties. Her parents owned the diner before they gave it to her and were the kindest couple that you could ever meet.

She had dark red hair and green eyes. Her lips were always glossed with a shiny red lipstick and eyebrows plucked to perfection. Her makeup was always perfect, not a shade out of place.

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't envious of her beauty.

As usual, she wore a loose blouse which was tucked neatly inside of her tight pencil skirt which hugged her curves nicely. On the left side of her blouse, her name tag was pinned straight with the words Manager and her name, Rachel Lockwood, just below it.

"What was that shit that you pulled out there?" She barked at me as I cowered back slightly.

I hated when people cursed.

"I-I..." I began, unable to form a proper sentence.

She rolled her eyes and responded. "You've been working here for two and a half years and yet you still manage to make a complete fool of yourself." Her eyes traveled up and down my body in disgust.

I locked down my jaw, hoping that the burning in my eyes would go away.

I was used to the workers here speaking badly about me. Some to my face and some behind my back.

So why was I even more upset when Rachel did it?

She constantly insulted me and each time I would feel like sobbing my eyes out at her words.

There was always some type of truth in them. There was something about a woman who was as intimidating and gorgeous as Rachel that made me feel that every word she spoke was the gospel truth.

And it was.

"The only difference was that this time, not only did you manage to completely embarrass yourself, but to also embarrass me with your incompetence." She seethed.

"I'm sorry." I managed to get out without stammering.

"You're sorry?" She mocked me as she raised one of her perfect eyebrows. "You just managed to get billionaire Levi Morterez to leave my restaurant and gave his girlfriend bad service and all you have to say is sorry?" She gritted out as she took menacingly slow steps towards me.

I kept my eyes planted on the floor, my heart beating rapidly against my chest.

She gripped my chin, tugging it up to forcefully meet her glare, "You're lucky I don't fire your ass right now." She said as she pushed me back and I almost fall backward.

My eyes widened at her words and I'm nearly ready to get on my knees and beg her.

"P-Please..." I pleaded.

"Shut up." She interrupted my whimpering. "Get your shit together and serve the rest of the customers, you pathetic fool." And with those words, she pushed the door open and only then do I let the angry-tears fall.

I slid down on the wall behind me, bringing my knees to my chest as I leaned my head back, a stray tear planting itself between my lips.

She was right.

I was pathetic.

Stupid.

If those were the words I continued to hear, then my guess would be that they were true.

I caught my breath as I wiped the tears with the back of my hand as my cries turned into little sniffles.

I had gotten this job when I was eighteen. After leaving the orphanage with absolutely nowhere to go, I landed this job because of Mr. and Mrs. Vincent.

They were so kind to me and even made my paycheck more than what I actually needed. I thought that my life was starting to look up for once since my parents died.

That didn't last long though.

Mr. Vincent had grown very sick and Mrs. Vincent had to take care of him at home.

Each day, she was spending less and less time at the diner until she decided that she didn't want to leave this place abandoned, which is when she gave the rights to her daughter, Rachel.

I was elated that someone my age was going to be here for me to talk to.

I was never good at making friends.

The first few days were okay, she never really paid attention to me despite my many attempts at trying to get her attention.

That was until she started to brush me constantly while walking past, scoffing in my presence and insulting me every chance she got.

I had no idea what I had done, if anything at all. After all, I thought that I should be kind to everyone and Rachel was no exception.

I had gotten used to that behavior but then it had gotten worse.

She had cut my paycheck to less than half of what I was usually getting, made me do more than what my job had assigned, staying late hours and unlike all the other workers, I wasn't allowed to eat or drink from any of the plates or glasses and wasn't allowed any discount meals that the other employees were privileged with.

Speaking about food, my belly grumbled loudly as a waitress walked pass holding a croissant and a cup of coffee on her tray.

I licked my lips as I gazed down at the food, the sweet aroma hitting my nose.

She looked at me weirdly as I quickly averted my eyes and sent her a sheepish, shy smile.

She just rolled her eyes and continued on her way.

I hunched over a little as a pain hit my side.

I hadn't eaten anything in 2 days; I only had a few cups of water.

I couldn't afford it and I had gone longer without eating food anyways.

Wiping off my tear-stained cheek, I grabbed my pen and notepad and headed to my next customer.

"Good Morning, welcome to Vincent's diner. M-May I take your order?" I said the line that I was forced to memorize without a look at my customer as yet.

As I say this, a weird sense of deja vu hit me as I thought about earlier this morning.

It was still early at that time, maybe ten o'clock, and I had just taken an order and was ready to head back to the kitchen when I saw all the younger girls who worked here bursting through the door, nearly trampling over me in the process.

It should be noted that all the staff who worked here were young and what could be considered 'attractive.' Rachel had fired all of the other workers because she claimed that this way, it would attract more customers.

Anyways, I ignored the hassle because I was sure it had nothing to with me although I was curious.

With that, I grabbed a stool, tiptoed and peeked through the little glass window above the door.

I saw the girls in the corner gushing and gossiping about something or someone on the other side of the room.

I followed their line of sight and I nearly tripped up and fell flat on my face as I looked at table 9.

He was the most handsome man I had ever seen.

I didn't pay much attention to men, or rather, they didn't even look at me twice but this man was... indescribable.

From what I could see, he had black hair that was gelled in a type of hairstyle.

He wore a black shirt that stuck to his body like a second skin which accentuated his bulging muscles. He was wearing ripped jeans and the leather jacket on his shoulders somehow completed his look. As his long legs stretch under the table, he shrugged the jacket off his shoulders and rubbed his hands over his thighs.

He had the sharpest jawline I had ever seen and along his arms, ran a few tattoos which managed to make him look even more attractive, if possible.

I don't think he had noticed that he had taken everybody's attention in the room but if he did, it surely didn't faze him.

Despite his casual attire, he looked like a man of power.

One that could bring anyone to their knees with a snap of their fingers.

I only then realized that he wasn't alone. Opposite him was a beautiful woman with strawberry blonde hair straightened to perfection.

Although she was sitting, I didn't fail to miss her model-like body.

Standing next to her, I would look like a potato.

In fact, I looked that way next to everyone.

I quickly jumped off the stool, resting my back flat against the door and took deep breaths.

I hadn't had this problem before since I never wanted a relationship, or maybe it was that no one wanted me.

Point being, I had to remind myself of my goal.

Work, Sleep, College.

I couldn't be distracted by a man. I had to earn enough money to pay for my college and not worry about someone that I had no chance with.

I scrunched my eyebrows together as a thought came to my mind.

Although there was no doubt that he was an attractive man, I still didn't understand why everyone was looking at him like he was some type of celebrity.

I stopped mid-way in my thoughts when something clicked.

Table 9?

That was my table!

My eyes nearly bulged out of my sockets when I realized that that was one of my tables that had to be waited.

Although I knew I had no chance with him, my insecurities only heightened when he didn't even maintain eye contact with me.

He barely noticed me as I took their orders and the lady he was with seemed a bit upset.

She probably had a bad morning or something, I thought to myself at the time.

I knew that my constant stuttering and nervousness was annoying, but I didn't think that I deserved what she did to me, no one did. I was hoping that when she got home that she reevaluated her attitude and realized that she had done wrong.

Rachel's previous words had somehow managed to return to my head.

Billionaire?

Girlfriend?

The realization struck me as I placed the pieces together.

That was why everyone was staring at him!

I internally groaned at the thought.

I had completely managed to make a fool of myself in front of a billionaire and his girlfriend.

How was I supposed to know? I didn't even have a television at home which led me to having no knowledge of the outside world.

"Ophelia? Did you hear me?" Someone called. I was suddenly snapped back to the present when I heard the familiar voice.

I recognized that voice to be Jacob. He was a footballer at the university nearby and was always nice to me.

"God, what happened to your arm?" He asked with concern written all over his face.

I smiled at the thought of someone actually caring about me.

"Oh, well—" I began but he cut me off.

"Yeah, that's great. So, I was wondering..." He started and I frowned, mentally scolding myself.

I knew that I talked way too much. I guess that I thought that was my way of trying to make friends.

"—If you wanted to go out tonight." He grabbed my hand and rubbed circles in it which resulted in me blushing from the contact and attention.

"O-Out? Out where?" I questioned.

I saw him retrieve his hand and roll his eyes slightly, growing annoyed at me.

"It's called a date, Ophelia." He explained briefly, looking at me with a bored expression. "It was quite obvious sweetheart, don't be so slow." He forced a smile but I can still see the impatience lingering in his eyes.

"Oh," I say. "S-Sorry, I can't." I apologized.

I really wanted to go because no one's ever asked me out before, or even showed interest but going on a date would mean missing work time which would be less pay and I already couldn't afford my salary.

Not to mention that I didn't have any clothes to wear and I wouldn't want to embarrass him by wearing clothes filled with holes.

Sending him a small smile and afraid to see his reaction, I scurried away to my next customer.

-----

"Hey Ophelia, could you cover for me again tonight? My boyfriend just got admitted to the hospital." Ashley, one of my co-workers, asked while sending me a sad smile.

"B-But didn't he get hospitalized t-two days ago?" I said quickly as she removed her apron and headband and threw them into my outstretched hands.

Her smile vanished and she replied to me. "Well, he's just accident-prone." She snapped. "I was just hoping that you'll be kind enough to help." She folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh, n-no. I'll be happy to cover for you again, I guess." I mumbled just as she took off her overall revealing a tight, sparkly, blue dress.

She ignored my statement and sat on one of the stools and placed what looks like 4-inch heels on.

"That's so kind of you, Ophelia. Now I gotta go before the club gets too full." She said as she fixed her dress.

"But I thought you said—" I began.

"Bye!" She cut me off and scurried outside before I can get another word in.

Just then, a red pickup truck appeared with about 4 guys inside screaming loudly and coming to a quick halt before Ashley gets in the car, and then they're off in a flash.

I sighed deeply as I placed her clothes on the counter and rested my head in my hands.

Once again, it's 8:30 and I'm left alone at work.

A frown forms on my lips as I rubbed my forehead tiredly.

It had originally started with Lizzie who said that she had a family emergency and had to rush home. She asked me to cover her shift for her in which I accepted like I did every other night when she asked.

She must be at a rough patch in her life because she always had family emergencies, I forced myself to think.

Anyways, after that, about three other of the employees asked me to cover for them since they had important things to do.

Ashley said that her boyfriend was in the hospital again and yet she still mentioned a club.

She must be one of those people who can't stand to see their loved ones hurt and hooked up to wires so she decided to go and have some fun to relax, I desperately wanted to think.

Already familiar with this routine, I retrieved the broom from the kitchen, along with disinfectant and a cloth to wipe down all the tables.

Afterward, I mopped the diner one last time and washed the dishes that Megan had asked me to do for her.

When I had completed everything, I checked my phone, which should really not even be even called that, to check the time. It had the tiniest little cracks in it and was always glitching out.

I had it for about 5 years now and I don't plan on changing it anytime soon. This has to do with the fact that I can't afford another one and that it just wouldn't make a difference.

I had absolutely no contacts in my phone excluding two classmates from high school who I hadn't been in touch with since graduation.

Basically, the main purpose of my phone was for entertainment at lunch. I would try to become distracted by the fact that I had nothing to eat, by playing a game or something.

The time read 10:05.

Hmm, that was a new record actually.

My shift would always finish at five o'clock every evening I worked, but out of instinct, I would just stay and wait for the girls to ask me to do stuff for them.

I would usually finish at about 10:30 to 11:00 so that made today a slightly better record.

Shutting off all the lights and grabbing my ripped old purse, I headed outside and afterward, locked the door and placed the keys in my bag since I will be the first one here in the morning anyway.

I'm supposed to be here at nine but once again, my employees would ask me to come in early because they were going to be busy. That usually led me to being here from as early as about six in the morning.

Taking a loud sigh, I began to walk home under the pitch-black sky.

No buses worked this late in this part of town because I lived in an area where gang-play took place and no one would be caught dead driving on these roads.

Because of this, I would walk 20 minutes every night to make my way home.

It didn't really matter much anyway because I wouldn't have been able to pay the bus fare either way.

I took my time as I walked home, just like I did every night.

Outside was freezing, to say the least, and I had no jacket or anything to cover up with.

A full moon was present in the sky with his friends, the little stars, dancing around him happily.

My parents always used to tell me that the moon loved the sun so much, that instead of spending the morning with his little stars, each morning, he would go just so that the sun could come alive and shine us with her bright light.

I looked up at the sky as a sad smile made its way upon my face thinking about my parents.

I still had about a ten-minute walk until I would make it towards my neighborhood. That would be the time that I would speed up my walking.

No one was caught outside roaming the streets of our neighborhood because no one wanted to die, especially if any gang leaders caught them.

Just as I was thinking, a light red car pulls up slowly beside me.

I looked at the car confused and began to slow down my pace as the car did the same.

I never knew anything about cars but by the looks of this one, it was surely very expensive.

The tinted windows slowly winded down and I came face to face with the gentleman from the diner.

No scratch that, the billionaire from the diner. He smiled at me and I finally closed my mouth that was hanging open.

I clutched my worn out purse closer to my side as I took a step back.

"Good evening, Ophelia." He said as he turned off the engine.

I tucked one of the strands of hair that fell from my bun, behind my ear as I replied shyly, "H-Hello, sir." I stuttered foolishly.

There was something about having a billionaire that was as attractive as him talking to you that would just make anyone nervous.

Right now, I just wanted to head home before I could embarrass myself any further.

He frowned at this. "Please, I'd appreciate it if you called me Levi." He stated.

"Yes, sir," I replied, still looking at the ground.

He doesn't reply for a while; neither do I look up. "So..." He started.

Before he can continue, I quickly speak, "I-I have to go. Nice speaking to you, sir." I quickly scurry off, hoping that he doesn't catch up to me.

Luck is never on my side.