Page 22 of A Devious Arrangement

I fucking hate people like this. Ones who let their money and position within the Order of Saints inflate their egos until they believe the world is beneath them.

She has one hand gripping the poor server’s collar, and I grip the other one just before she can swing it forward.

“Do not touch him,” I grind out.

Her eyes shoot up, and her mouth drops open at my firm command. “Of course. I would never.”

I raise a brow, releasing her arm, and take my time to carefully unfold my handkerchief bit by bit. I make a show ofwiping my hand before dropping the expensive bit of cloth to the ground.

By the time I’m finished, she’s turned her rage on me, opening her mouth to no doubt yell at me. If I wasn’t already intrigued with my girl who got away, it would be entertaining to hear whatever this woman’s about to spit out at me.

Just before she could learn how foolish that would be, her daughter wraps her arm around her mother’s waist, giving her a firm tug. “I’m so sorry. My mother hasn’t been feeling well.”

I wait, letting the air grow cold around us, watching as both mother’s and daughter’s gazes round before slightly tilting my head forward. “Feel better.”

“Thank you. I’ll take her home right away,” the daughter says, but I’m not letting them off that easily.

“Don’t you owe him an apology?” I gesture to the waiter, who’s staring at the ground as if he wishes a teleportation portal would appear and whisk him off from here.

“Apologize?” Both women suck in shocked breaths like I asked them to walk on water rather than show some human decency. That being said, I can’t say what I’m doing is one hundred percent for the server’s benefit and not for my own amusement.

“Yes. Ask for forgiveness,” I state clearly.

“But he’s just a server—-” The daughter realizes her mistake before finishing her sentence. Ah…so the mother and daughter aren’t so different after all.

She clears her throat. “What I mean to say is he did ruin the dress. Wouldn’t it be he who has to apologize?”

Hmmm. “That’s true…”

The daughter’s eyes brighten like she’s somehow won this.

“But I heard him tell you several times. Which is why it’s your turn, Mrs. Winston, to say you’re sorry.”

There’s a muscle ticking in the older woman’s cheek, giving away her thoughts. She’s probably never expressed remorse to anyone in her adult life. Especially not someone who she’d deem below her. I have no idea where they get this self-importance from because no matter who they are, they are below the Lords of the Order of Saints. All her power is a mirage that can be lost.

My thoughts must show because she turns pale as the blood leaches from her face.

“I’m…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

“Your sorry is one thing, but don’t you think that would be expressed better with money?” The server tenses as I continue. He’s smart to remain looking at the ground. So long as the women can only focus on me, there’s nothing they can do. “You have so much, and he has so little. After all, one of your many dresses costs more than…what did you say…oh, yes…his entire pathetic life?”

“I will no—” Mrs. Winston’s working herself up again, but her daughter’s faster, whipping open her clutch. She doesn’t have a lot in there, but as expected, she has a few bills tucked away. No doubt nothing but change in her mind.

“Here, is this enough?” she asks the server, who is slowly rising.

His brows are pulled in and up as if he’s just trying to figure out what the hell is happening. He robotically takes the money in hand and gives a low bow. “Thank you. I didn’t mean to ruin your dress.”

The daughter grabs her mother’s arm and whisks her deeper into the ballroom before she can embarrass them anymore. Pity. I was having fun.

“Um…sir.” The server’s raised from his bow, but he’s still looking down. “Thank you…I…that’s it. Thank you.”

“No problem. Don’t come back here. You aren’t cut out for this place.”

He nods in response and pulls his wallet from his pocket. The black leather is bulging as it strains to remain shut.

I tilt my head as he takes it out, not noticing how closely I’m watching him. I huff out a laugh when he cracks it open, revealing several thousand dollars’ worth of bills already tucked inside.

“With cash like that, why are you even here?”

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