"Ray, I'm coming in." Amora knocked on her son's bedroom door, then turned the doorknob and opened it.Rayden was sitting curled up on his bed, his face buried between his knees.Amora sighed softly. She walked over to him, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently patted the top of his head."Ray, does your wound still hurt?"Slowly, Rayden lifted his face and gave a small smile.But Amora could see that he was forcing himself to smile. She knew the bruise on his face still hurt."I'm sorry I dragged you into my past, Ray," Amora said softly, her voice filled with sorrow.Rayden shook his head. "It doesn't hurt, Mom. I'm just sleepy," he lied again.Amora smiled faintly. She cupped his face in her hands and said, "You can lean on me and cry, Ray. I'll always be here for you."Rayden's eyes had been welling up with tears, but he tried to stay strong so his mother wouldn't worry. He was in pain, not just in his

"Sorry for asking you to come on such short notice, Amora. I don't have much time. My flight leaves in an hour." Hearing Biana Curtiz’s explanation, Amora smiled slightly. “It’s okay, Bia. I’m free tonight anyway. Mrs. Houston said I don’t need to work the night shift.” Biana Curtiz was Amora’s coworker at WW Mart. She had asked Amora to come to Baymoon Restaurant, where she was interning as a server. Amora had planned to make up for the morning shift she missed, but Della Houston, the manager, told her to come in tomorrow instead, as a morning shift employee had taken leave. Amora hoped to earn extra money from the night shift to pay her rent. She thought she’d be going home empty-handed tonight. But while heading home, Biana called her, asking if she could cover her shift at the restaurant. Biana wanted to see

"Sorry, I'm late. My car had some trouble," said a young woman as she entered the VIP room."Finally, you're here, Chelsea. We have been waiting for you," replied Julia, standing up to welcome her.The young woman, stylish in a mini dress showing off a bit of her smooth thigh and a fur coat draped around her neck, approached Julia and greeted her with cheek kisses."Did your car break down?" Julia asked worriedly."Yes, Aunt. The engine died suddenly, so I had to take care of it," Chelsea replied, glancing at Mrs. Lorenzo, who had been watching her.Julia realized she hadn't introduced them yet. "Mrs. Lorenzo, this is the girl I wanted to introduce to you. Her name is Chelsea Harrison," she said to the woman beside her.Yes, the young woman she referred to as a 'distant relative' was Chelsea Harrison, who was also Amora's college friend!Amora couldn't believe they had this kind of relationship because Chelsea had never mentioned it. And Julia Brown never seemed to communicate with Ch

"Looks like the food has arrived."Netra Regis glanced at two chefs pushing the trolley into the room. A slight smirk appeared when he noticed the female servant still standing at the doorway. His attention shifted to the name tag on her uniform.‘So her name is Biana, huh?’ Regis thought, frowning slightly.The name felt unfamiliar to him, but seeing the wariness in her eyes made him even more intrigued to learn more about her.A smile formed on his lips again. He turned and walked back to the banquet table."The aroma of the food is really appetizing," Regis murmured, eyeing the appetizers being arranged on the table by the chefs.Ignoring everyone else's stares, Regis took an empty seat next to his father, who had argued with him earlier.His gaze shifted to Chelsea Harrison, who still looked confused but also pleased that he had decided to stay."I've been very busy with work today. I unconsciously said something very rude earlier. It seems my words and actions hurt your feelings.

"Do you have any idea who our important guest is tonight, Amora?!"Alvin Jones's angry shout echoed through the VIP room. Luckily, it was just him and Amora in there. Alvin had specifically asked her to come into the empty room to address her failure to provide satisfactory service to their VIP guest.He had already received a report from Hannah about what had happened. Instead of being satisfied, their VIP guest was frustrated and disappointed.Alvin couldn't believe Amora had made such a blunder. He had trusted her abilities after seeing her dedication and skill several times when she filled in as a substitute server. He never thought she would let him down. Now, Alvin regretted giving such an important task to someone who wasn't even a full-time employee!"I should never have given you this responsibility, Amora. It's my fault for overestimating your abilities," Alvin said, his voice filled with disappointment and regret.He felt he had made a mistake in trusting her. He should hav