CHAPTER 48: THE SEAT BESIDE HIM

"H-haha... Sirs..."

All of a sudden, our boss’s earlier arrogance melted away, his voice now nervous, almost pitiful in tone.

"I—I’m sorry for not realizing how important you all were. Please, forgive a humble man like me who’s just trying to live a quiet life..."

He forced a chuckle, lowering his head slightly. Then he turned his gaze toward me.

For a moment, there was a sharp glint in his eyes—cold and warning—before he softened his expression again and turned back to Rome’s group.

"Actually, it’s this woman’s fault for not telling me sooner. But don’t worry, next time, we’ll do our best to serve you properly."

Rome’s brows furrowed, and the other four men narrowed their eyes at him, their expressions darkening.

"Why are you blaming Sylvia for your rudeness?" Rome asked coldly. "You should be apologizing to her—not to us—for the way you treated her."

"A-ah... y-yes, of course... I’ll say sorry to her... l-later." my boss stammered, flashing a forced, awkward smile.

"Why later?" Alfonso cut in sharply. "You should apologize to her now."

"H-haha... Yes, yes... I’m sorry, Sylvia, for being rude. That’s fine now, right?" he said, not even bothering to mask the insincerity in his voice.

Rome’s group all frowned in unison, their brows knitting even more tightly at his half-hearted apology.

"Is he always like that to you, Sylvia?" Alpheus asked, turning his concerned gaze to me.

I quickly looked away. Why are they putting me in this situation?

If I admit that my boss treats me like this almost every day, what difference would it make?

Would they care beyond today?

Would anything actually change? If anything, this might only make things worse for me later.

I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Why aren’t you answering?" Rome’s voice was sharp again—cold and biting.

"Are you afraid of them?" He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Just say the word—that they’re mistreating you—and I’ll make sure this restaurant shuts down instantly."

"H-haha... Gentlemen, r-relax... I’m truly sorry for being rude—to all of you and to Sylvia.." my boss stammered, forcing an awkward laugh.

"Sylvia has been working with us for several years now, and if we weren’t treating her well, why would she still be here? Sylvia is like a daughter to me, so don’t misunderstand—of course we care about her... right, Sylvia?"

He shot me a subtle look and raised his brow, silently signaling that I should just go along with what he was saying.

"Y-yes... my boss has always been good to me," I replied quietly, before quickly averting my gaze. "He’s just naturally like that sometimes..."

At some point, I guess I am still grateful to my boss—for taking me in when I had nowhere else to go. I had no work experience, no knowledge of anything, and no one was willing to give me a chance.

They were the only ones who hired me—as a waitress and a dishwasher—even when I was pregnant. And because of that, I was able to raise my children properly.

So even if they don’t always treat me kindly, I can’t forget that they gave me a job when no one else would. At the very least, they do pay me fairly. That’s why, despite everything, a part of me still feels thankful to have work.

"Tsk. Then remind me—what was it you said again about kicking us out?" Calyx cut in coldly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"H-haha... How could someone like me even think of throwing you out of my restaurant?" my boss said, his laugh sounding forced and panicked.

"You’re all welcome here anytime. In fact, I—I’d be more than happy to serve you personally, just to show how sincere we are in welcoming you. Right, Taylor?"

He turned to the manager beside him, who simply nodded.

I caught the flicker of mischief on Calyx and Alfonso’s faces as they exchanged smirks after hearing my boss’s words.

"Really? Well, that’s good to hear," Calyx replied with a sly grin. "We’re actually new to this kind of restaurant, so naturally, we’re expecting a proper welcome. And now that you’ve said that... we’d appreciate it if you personally served us—instead of Sylvia."

A smirk tugged at his friend’s lips as he said that.

"W-what?" my boss blurted out in surprise.

"Why? Do you have a problem with that?" Alfonso immediately followed.

"H-haha, no—of course not!" my boss stammered again, forcing a smile. "It would be my utmost pleasure to serve you gentlemen myself—with sincerity and excellence."

He then turned to me with an arched brow, his expression suddenly sharp again.

"Sylvia, why are you still standing there? Didn’t you hear our precious customers? Taylor and I will take care of them from now on. You should be serving the other tables instead of just standing around!"

Then, just as quickly, he turned back to the five men with a cheerful face.

"Now then, handsome gentlemen—what would you like to order?"

I was about to step away and tend to another table when two firm hands grabbed each of my arms—one on the left and one on the right. It was Alpheus and Rome.

"Did I say you could leave?" Rome said.

"Don’t go.." Alpheus echoed at the same time.

Both of them held on to me, refusing to let me walk away.

I saw Rome’s expression darken for a brief moment as he turned sharply toward Alpheus. Then, without a word, he pried Alpheus’s hand off my arm before looking coldly at my boss and Taylor.

"Tsk. You two," Rome said in a low, icy tone. "Why are you so eager to make her serve other tables when she’s the only reason we came here in the first place? You should be grateful to her—because if it weren’t for Sylvia, we wouldn’t have stepped foot in your cheap little restaurant."

Shock was written all over my boss’s face as he turned to look at me.

"Y-you know her?" he asked, looking completely baffled.

Rome didn’t bother answering. Instead, he grabbed a chair from a nearby table, placed it right beside his own, then turned to me.

"Sit."

What the—?

I looked at his friends, wondering if he had gone insane or if he might be referring to someone else. But then, his gaze sharpened—toward Alpheus’s hand, which was still firmly gripping my arm.

Without another word, Rome yanked me away from Alpheus’s hold and forcibly made me sit in the chair next to him.

"Now that’s better. You should be sitting next to me, not working."

The entire table fell into an awkward silence. I could feel the stunned stares of Rome’s friends all fixated on me, their eyes silently screaming the same question as mine as to why is he suddenly acting so weird.

Then, as if something clicked among them, they all let out whistles and chuckles, their expressions shifting into teasing amusement.

"A-h-haha... Y-you and Sylvia seem very close, Mr. Hariston.." Taylor suddenly blurted out.

"You never mentioned the two of you were friends. If I didn’t know you had a wife, I would’ve assumed you were hitting on our dear Sylvia."

All eyes snapped to Taylor.

The mood shifted instantly, as if he had unknowingly crossed a line and brought up something that was never supposed to be mentioned.

"W-what? Did I say something wrong?"

Taylor asked in confusion, glancing nervously at each of Rome’s friends—who all immediately looked away.

Then, hesitantly, he turned to me.

"H-hey, Sylvia... I didn’t say anything offensive, did I?" he asked in a whisper, clueless and worried.

I didn’t answer. I simply averted my gaze.

Why would he ask me that? I don’t even know anything about his life.