Chapter 2

Evelyn's body stiffened. The moment she looked up, she saw Claire clinging to Richard's arm, staring at her with a smug smile. Claire was dressed in the latest Chanel, and the huge diamond ring on her finger marked her as Mrs. Stone.

Richard frowned, his gaze falling on Evelyn's cheap cleaning uniform. A flash of satisfaction and contempt crossed his face. "Evelyn, I thought maybe you'd make something of yourself after leaving the Stone Family. Didn't expect you to end up cleaning toilets here."

Claire covered her mouth in fake shock. "Evelyn, how did you end up this pathetic? If you'd told me earlier, I could've asked Rich to get you a janitor job at Stone Medical Center. That would've been better than humiliating yourself here."

As she spoke, Claire deliberately loosened her grip. Crash! The expensive wineglass in her hand shattered right by Evelyn's feet, splashing red wine all over her pant legs and shoes.

"Oops, my hand slipped," Claire gave a sugary laugh, but her eyes were full of malice. "Evelyn, the floor's dirty now. Why don't you kneel down and wipe it clean? If another guest slips, you could never afford to pay for it."

Nearby servers and guests all looked over with amused, mocking eyes. Evelyn clenched the rag so hard her knuckles popped.

"Wipe it. What are you standing there for?" Richard said as he lifted his foot and ground his expensive leather shoe onto the very spot she was about to clean. "Evelyn, this is the price of your pride."

Humiliation crashed over Evelyn. She was just about to snap when steady footsteps sounded behind her. Everyone turned.

"Since when did Mr. Stone get to discipline people in my restaurant?" The voice was low and icy, full of unquestionable authority.

A man in a black chef's jacket with the sleeves rolled to his elbows was striding over. His features were cold, and a dangerous edge lingered in his eyes. Even in plain chef's clothes, he couldn't hide the natural authority that clung to him.

He was Cloud Nine's owner and head chef, Charles Rowe.

"Chef Charles, this was just an accident," Richard pulled his foot back, his tone turning more polite. He knew Charles wasn't someone to provoke. Even Riverdale's biggest players treated him with respect.

Charles didn't even spare Richard a glance. He walked over to the cleaning cart, grabbed the bucket of dirty water, and flung it out.

Splash!

The whole bucket landed right at Richard and Claire's feet, filthy water instantly soaking Richard's dress pants and the hem of Claire's skirt.

"Charles Rowe, what the hell are you doing?" Claire screamed.

"The floor was dirty, so I washed it." Charles tossed the bucket aside with a dull thud, then lifted his eyes and stared at Richard coldly. "My staff answers only to me.

"Since you two think the floor here is dirty, get out. Cloud Nine doesn't welcome filthy animals that foul the place."

"You..." Richard's face turned livid with rage.

"Get out." Charles said only that, and several bodyguards moved in at once.

Richard knew he was in the wrong and didn't dare cause trouble on Charles's turf. He could only shoot Evelyn a hateful glare before dragging the soaked Claire away.

The hallway fell silent again. Evelyn lowered her head, her voice hoarse. "Thank you, Mr. Rowe."

Charles turned to look at her, his gaze pausing for a second on the web of her right hand. His voice stayed as cold as ever. "Go to the kitchen and wash your hands. They're filthy."

The kitchen was thick with rich aromas.

Standing at the sink, Evelyn washed her hands over and over with soap, from the spaces between her fingers to her wrists, a habit ingrained by years in surgery.

"Come here," Charles sat on a bench in the break area with a medical kit in hand.

Evelyn hesitated, then walked over. He took her right hand, frowned at the wound in the web between her thumb and forefinger, which reopened from overexertion, and dabbed it with iodine.

His movements were stiff, but careful.

"Are you a doctor?" Charles asked suddenly.

Evelyn's heart skipped. She denied it at once, "No. I just used to do odd jobs at a hospital."

Charles said nothing, only staring at her long, astonishingly steady hands. Just as he was about to bandage her, his right hand suddenly twitched in a strange spasm, and the tweezers clinked to the floor.

Evelyn instantly knew it wasn't fatigue but a sudden cramp caused by nerve compression.

Charles bent to pick them up as if he were used to it.