before and she was able to escape.
She has no intention of going back.
She took the coffee and brought it to the man's table, and then got busy with other customers.
Or at least she tried.
His eyes bore into her back at every turn. And as resolved as she was to ignore him, she still got so nervous that she would take orders from customers twice, only to realize that she couldn’t even understand what she had written in her notebook.
The second time, she had to go back to a table to retake the order.
Committing stupid mistakes weren't like her. It was beginning to irritate her. The black high heels she was wearing, obligatory rule of the management, were killing her legs and adding to her irritation.
And to make matters worse, her boss had picked this day to come to the coffee shop and check things out. He was already throwing her angry looks because of her stream of mistakes. She did not know if he even knew about this daily encounter because he would only come here occasionally and only in the mornings.
But she noticed how he became nervous of everyone’s actions, especially of hers, once he spotted the lone man in one of her tables. He has been guarding her every move. She couldn’t afford to make another mistake. She dreaded the idea of punishment, especially when it amounted to a dent in her salary.
Or, if the look the manager was throwing at her right now was any indication, she could get fired!
She was sure he has already noticed how Nickolas Benson watched her.
And Iliana couldn’t afford to lose this job. How long would it take to find another one? She was already low on funds. And she has friends here.
But the tension was just too much to bear.
She lost her cool barely thirty minutes later. A tray with four coffee pots slipped through her fingers onto the floor. Her heart skipped a beat as the dishes shattered on the tiles, abruptly transforming the relaxed murmur of conversation in the café into complete silence.
Oh my God… she thought as she felt cold all over. She could feel the manager’s glare at her back without her looking. She thought she would be sick.
She was cleaning up the mess when the boss approached her and whispered into her ear, “The cost for this loss will be deducted generously from your salary, Iliana…”
That was the final straw.
As she was throwing part of her month’s payment into the garbage, angry tears flooded her eyes.
It was his fault.
That green-eyed panther-pirate.
This really has to stop now.
She rushed straight to his table as soon as the manager slipped into his office to answer a call.
“Could you please stop staring at me?" she hissed at him. "What are you? Some kind of a pervert? Stop this now! Stop staring at me. In fact, stop coming here! You're only getting me in trouble! Go somewhere else to order coffee you don't drink anyway! You are not welcome here!"
She did not realize her voice had gone up until she noticed how quiet the coffee shop had become.
Horror-struck, she turned.
Everyone was staring at her. She could feel her face burning.
She heard as the man from the table stood up and she abruptly turned to him again.
She gaped as she adjusted her eyes to his height. Higher.
And she thought— God, I never knew he’s this tall! Somehow she’s always away from the tables whenever he would arrive, and also everytime he got up to leave. She felt sicker. Oh, why did I get angry again?
“I am terribly sorry, Miss Iliana,” he said, not looking at her name tag.
He already knew her name. That wasn’t such a surprise. His voice was soft, with no hint of anger.
Then he smiled.
She lost her breath because it literally brought light to his face.
“I never meant to make you nervous. On the contrary—”
"W-who told you I was nervous?" she replied defensively. “Why should I be? I don’t even know you.”
Instead of answering, he reached over and softly held her hand with his.
His touch, how her hand looked
She has no intention of going back.
She took the coffee and brought it to the man's table, and then got busy with other customers.
Or at least she tried.
His eyes bore into her back at every turn. And as resolved as she was to ignore him, she still got so nervous that she would take orders from customers twice, only to realize that she couldn’t even understand what she had written in her notebook.
The second time, she had to go back to a table to retake the order.
Committing stupid mistakes weren't like her. It was beginning to irritate her. The black high heels she was wearing, obligatory rule of the management, were killing her legs and adding to her irritation.
And to make matters worse, her boss had picked this day to come to the coffee shop and check things out. He was already throwing her angry looks because of her stream of mistakes. She did not know if he even knew about this daily encounter because he would only come here occasionally and only in the mornings.
But she noticed how he became nervous of everyone’s actions, especially of hers, once he spotted the lone man in one of her tables. He has been guarding her every move. She couldn’t afford to make another mistake. She dreaded the idea of punishment, especially when it amounted to a dent in her salary.
Or, if the look the manager was throwing at her right now was any indication, she could get fired!
She was sure he has already noticed how Nickolas Benson watched her.
And Iliana couldn’t afford to lose this job. How long would it take to find another one? She was already low on funds. And she has friends here.
But the tension was just too much to bear.
She lost her cool barely thirty minutes later. A tray with four coffee pots slipped through her fingers onto the floor. Her heart skipped a beat as the dishes shattered on the tiles, abruptly transforming the relaxed murmur of conversation in the café into complete silence.
Oh my God… she thought as she felt cold all over. She could feel the manager’s glare at her back without her looking. She thought she would be sick.
She was cleaning up the mess when the boss approached her and whispered into her ear, “The cost for this loss will be deducted generously from your salary, Iliana…”
That was the final straw.
As she was throwing part of her month’s payment into the garbage, angry tears flooded her eyes.
It was his fault.
That green-eyed panther-pirate.
This really has to stop now.
She rushed straight to his table as soon as the manager slipped into his office to answer a call.
“Could you please stop staring at me?" she hissed at him. "What are you? Some kind of a pervert? Stop this now! Stop staring at me. In fact, stop coming here! You're only getting me in trouble! Go somewhere else to order coffee you don't drink anyway! You are not welcome here!"
She did not realize her voice had gone up until she noticed how quiet the coffee shop had become.
Horror-struck, she turned.
Everyone was staring at her. She could feel her face burning.
She heard as the man from the table stood up and she abruptly turned to him again.
She gaped as she adjusted her eyes to his height. Higher.
And she thought— God, I never knew he’s this tall! Somehow she’s always away from the tables whenever he would arrive, and also everytime he got up to leave. She felt sicker. Oh, why did I get angry again?
“I am terribly sorry, Miss Iliana,” he said, not looking at her name tag.
He already knew her name. That wasn’t such a surprise. His voice was soft, with no hint of anger.
Then he smiled.
She lost her breath because it literally brought light to his face.
“I never meant to make you nervous. On the contrary—”
"W-who told you I was nervous?" she replied defensively. “Why should I be? I don’t even know you.”
Instead of answering, he reached over and softly held her hand with his.
His touch, how her hand looked
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