Just a moment after that mishap...
Katie appeared beside me just then, whispering, "What the hell just happened? Did you just argue with Nicholas Knight?"
I turned to her, completely horrified. "Wait, you know him?"
She grinned. "Uh, everyone knows him. He owns half the companies in this city and apparently has a thing for being scary and hot at the same time. Why?"
I groaned, muttering under my breath, "Because I think I might've just called him arrogant."
Katie's mouth fell open. Then she laughed — loudly. "Oh my God, Emma, only you!"
I smacked her arm lightly. "Don't laugh! What if he recognises me?"
"Relax," she said between laughs. "You're in a waitress outfit. No one recognises the help."
Her words stung a little, but she was right. Still, something in me twisted uneasily.
The rest of the evening, I kept my head down, avoiding that side of the terrace where he stood surrounded by his business associates. But now and then, I caught myself glancing toward him — the way he carried himself, the subtle confidence in his posture, the way people just listened when he spoke.
He was infuriating.
Annoying.
And maybe… just a little too magnetic for his own good.
A few minutes later, as I placed my empty tray near the counter, someone came up beside me. A guy—tall, with messy brown hair, warm brown eyes, and a slightly awkward but charming smile. He looked… normal, not polished or arrogant like the rest.
"Rough night?" he asked lightly, eyes twinkling.
"You could say that," I said, half-smiling. "You work here too?"
He chuckled. "Not exactly. I'm Daniel. My family's… uh, kind of friends with the host."
Ah. Another rich guest. Great.
But he didn't act like one. He seemed almost shy, scratching the back of his neck as if unsure what to say next.
"I saw that little collision earlier," he continued. "Brave of you to talk back to Nicholas Knight."
"Right, Mr Nicholas Knight !"
He nodded. "Yeah, the one you just called a statue."
I bit my lip to keep from groaning. "Of course, it had to be him."
Daniel laughed softly, his eyes never leaving mine. "Don't worry, he deserves someone to put him in his place once in a while."
There was something gentle about the way he said it, and for a second, I noticed the small details—the faint calluses on his fingers, the way he looked at me like he actually saw me.
Katie came right at that moment, wiggling her eyebrows. "So, who's this?"
"Daniel," he said, smiling, extending his hand. "And you are?"
"Katie. Emma's friend. The better-looking one," she teased, bumping me with her elbow.
Daniel laughed again, a bit too eagerly, and I could see it—oh no, that look. He was smitten.
He turned to me again. "You know, if you're not too busy sometime, maybe we could grab coffee? I'd love to hear more about how you managed to survive, Mr Knight."
Katie grinned before I could even speak. "Sure! Here—Emma, give him your number."
I blinked. "What? Katie—"
"Oh, come on," she whispered. "He's cute, not scary."
Daniel's hopeful smile didn't help. I sighed, reluctantly pulling out my phone and typing my number in his contact list.
"There," I said, handing it back. "Don't text me past midnight."
He chuckled. "Noted."
As he left, Katie smirked and whispered, "Someone's already falling for you."
"Yeah, right," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "Because that's exactly what I need right now—a crush from a party I'm working at."
When the party finally ended, Katie and I stepped out into the cool night air. The string lights swayed gently above us as she sighed, stretching her arms.
"Well," she said, "at least we survived the elites."
"Barely," I muttered, my mind still replaying that encounter.
Katie grinned again. "You sure you don't have a thing for him?"
I shot her a glare. "Oh, shut up."
She laughed, looping her arm through mine as we started walking toward the bus stop. "I'm just saying — it's always the grumpy ones."
"Yeah, well, this one's not grumpy," I said, exhaling.
When I got home that night, I threw my belongings and flopped onto the couch. My phone buzzed — a message from Ms Cora.
"Mr Knight will be returning early tomorrow morning. Be on time."
I stared at the message for a long second, my heart sinking to my stomach.
I buried my face in a pillow and groaned out loud.
"God, kill me now," I muttered.
Katie laughed from across the room. "At least it's not boring anymore."
I threw a pillow at her. "Shut up."
But deep down, I knew things were about to get a lot less boring.
Because if Nicholas Knight remembered me — the clumsy waitress who called him arrogant — tomorrow's shift was going to be a disaster.