Chapter 2 - The Stolen Pride
Thiago watched in absolute disbelief as Cassie slammed three hundred and eighty dollars onto the table.
It was entirely comprised of small bills—twenties, tens, and fives—clearly tips she had painstakingly saved.
Mr. Marino snatched the money with a greedy, satisfied grunt and marched back to the kitchen.
Cassie let out a shaky breath, her shoulders instantly dropping with exhaustion and silent panic.
Thiago stood up slowly, his towering frame forcing Cassie to take a small step back.
"Why did you just do that?" he asked, his deep voice rumbling with quiet intensity.
Cassie avoided his gaze, frantically wiping down the table with her white rag.
"You had a bad night," she muttered. "Nobody deserves to be treated like that."
Thiago reached out and gently caught her wrist, stopping her frantic cleaning.
His touch was warm, solid, and completely unexpected.
"That was your own money," he stated, leaving absolutely no room for denial.
Cassie’s cheeks flushed a deep, embarrassed crimson.
"It doesn't matter," she said, pulling her arm away carefully. "Just go home. Have a better night."
Thiago looked at the crumpled bills clutched in Mr. Marino's hand across the room.
He knew he could buy the entire restaurant with a single phone call and fire the miserable manager on the spot.
But exposing his true identity now would completely ruin the genuine, selfless kindness this woman had just shown him.
He pulled a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet and placed it under his half-empty water glass.
It was all the cash he had on him in his disguise.
"I will repay you for this, Cassandra," Thiago promised, reading her nametag.
Cassie offered him a tired, genuine smile that made her blue-gray eyes light up beautifully.
"Don't worry about it," she said softly. "Just be careful out there."
Thiago walked out of the restaurant and climbed into the battered Toyota Corolla.
He sat in the driver's seat for a long time, staring at the glowing neon sign of Marino's Table.
He pulled out his encrypted smartphone and dialed his head of security, Mateo.
"Mateo," Thiago said coldly. "Find out everything there is to know about a waitress named Cassandra Doyle at Marino's Table."
"Yes, Boss. Is there a problem?"
"No," Thiago replied, a rare, genuine smile touching his lips. "I think I just found exactly what I was looking for."
The next morning, Cassie arrived at the restaurant for her lunch shift, her stomach tied in anxious knots.
She was completely broke, and her landlord had already threatened eviction if she was late again.
She pushed open the glass doors, preparing to beg Mr. Marino for extra hours.
But the restaurant was entirely empty of customers.
Mr. Marino was standing near the host stand, shaking violently and sweating profusely.
Sitting in a booth near the window were two massive, intimidating men in tailored dark suits.
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One of the men looked up and pointed a scarred finger directly at Cassie.
"That's her," the man growled. "Grab her and bring her to the boss."
