Chapter 1 - The Echoes of a Silent Room
Tessa stared at Brett, her expression completely unreadable as she balanced the empty silver tray on her hip.
He had expected her to come out trembling, perhaps crying, completely broken by the icy demeanor of Salvatore Marquetti.
Instead, her eyes held a quiet strength that instantly wiped the smug smile off the host’s face.
“What took so long?” Brett demanded, his voice cracking slightly as the kitchen staff leaned closer to the service door.
Tessa didn’t owe him an explanation, nor did she plan to give him one for his cruel little game.
“He had questions about the menu,” Tessa replied smoothly, walking past him to the server station.
Carla scoffed from the corner, crossing her arms tightly across her chest.
“Right, the guy who hasn’t spoken a word in two years suddenly had questions about the sea bass,” Carla sneered.
Tessa ignored them, focusing on printing the final receipt for table seven.
When she returned to the private room, Salvatore had already stood up, his dark tailored coat resting effortlessly on his broad shoulders.
He left a crisp stack of hundred-dollar bills on the table, far exceeding the cost of his meal.
Beneath the money was a heavy, cream-colored napkin with three words written in sharp, elegant black ink.
Thank you, Tessa.
May you like
She looked up, but the heavy oak door was already clicking shut behind him.
When she walked back to the kitchen and dropped the massive stack of cash into her apron, Brett’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
