Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Ethan’s frown deepened, making Vivian panic. “No, no,” she blurted out, “that’s not what we meant! Mr. Mitchell, we were only trying to help. If she can’t pay, we’re willing to cover her bill. All she has to do is work as a maid in our homes to pay us back. But instead of being grateful, she is acting like we are the bad guys here p>

Ethan remained calm. It was as if his earlier intervention had never happened. He could see that Brenna, despite being accused, showed no trace of unease. Though her clothes were simple, there was something about her that made him feel like she wasn’t the type to need saving. Brenna turned her attention to the waitress, who had been trying to blend into the background ever since Ethan arrived.

Looking at her, Brenna said, “I never said I was leaving or that I was ready to pay. So why did you ask me to settle my bill earlier? Is this how the Flavor Restaurant treats its customers p>

All heads turned to the waitress, who paled instantly. She had just been following orders—she had never expected to be thrown into the spotlight like this. She couldn’t afford to offend so many important people or lose her well-paying job.

Desperate to save herself, she whipped around and pointed toward the doorway. “It wasn’t my decision!” she blurted. “Miss Harper ordered me to do it p>

Rosie’s heart sank. She hated the waitress for exposing her, but with all eyes now on her, she had no choice but to step inside.

She forced a smile. “Ethan… I didn’t do that. She’s lying. Why would I ever make things difficult for a stranger p>

Smirking, Brenna casually held up her phone, her chat records with Rosie in clear view. “See this, Rosie? You orchestrated this. Still going to deny it p>

Ethan’s eyes flicked toward Brenna’s phone. He scanned the messages, then turned his attention back to Rosie and spoke calmly. “Rosie, she’s your sister. Why would you do this to her? I think you better explain the situation now p>

Rosie’s face morphed through a series of expressions. She didn’t know how to reply for a moment. After a while, she finally said, “This is ridiculous! I was in a meeting at the company earlier. How could I have planned this p>

𝓜𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝗱𝘁𝗵𝓮 𝗰𝗵𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 @

Before she could finish, the waitress stepped forward again, her voice firmer this time. “It was indeed Miss Harper! She’s the one who asked me to do it p>

As proof, she pulled out her phone, showing Ethan her chat records with Rosie. “Mr. Mitchell, I’m just an employee here. Even if I had a hundred times the courage, I wouldn’t dare mistreat a customer like this p>

Ethan frowned. So, the Flavor Restaurant’s staff could be bribed to mistreat diners. This matter alone made the waitress unfit to serve in a place of this caliber.

Without a word, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to the restaurant’s owner.

Meanwhile, Brenna took the waitress’s phone, tapping a few times to pull up Rosie’s transfer records. Holding it up for Rosie to see, she smirked. “Well, dear sister, you really don’t want me home, do you p>

Ethan tossed his used handkerchief into the trash can, his eyes settling on Rosie with indifference as he said, “Care to explain this p>

Rosie could sense Ethan was giving her a chance to explain herself. Anxiety twisted in her gut, but alongside it, a flicker of hope. So what if Brenna, the Harper family’s real daughter, had returned? It couldn’t change a thing. Ethan would never choose someone like Brenna over her.