Chapter 2 - The Betrayal
Aiden stepped squarely between me and Lorenzo, puffing out his chest in a desperate, foolish display of bravado.
"You need to leave," Aiden said, his voice trembling just enough to betray his fear. "She's working. You can't just barge into a private kitchen."
Lorenzo didn’t yell. He didn’t even blink. He simply stopped walking, his dark, terrifying eyes dragging slowly over Aiden as if he were looking at a stain on his expensive Italian shoes. The two massive men in tailored suits flanking Lorenzo shifted seamlessly, blocking the kitchen exits.
"Aiden Gallagher," Lorenzo murmured, his voice a low, vibrating rumble that made the stainless steel tables seem to rattle. "Floor manager. Thirty-two years old. You drive a leased Honda, you have twelve thousand dollars in credit card debt, and you are currently standing in my way."
Aiden swallowed hard, his face draining of color. "I'm just protecting Camila."
Lorenzo’s expression turned utterly lethal. A cold, wicked smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"Protecting her?" Lorenzo echoed softly. He took one step forward, and the sheer gravitational pull of his presence forced Aiden to stumble back. "Are you protecting her from me, Aiden? Or are you protecting the five-hundred-dollar bet you made with the line cooks that you could sleep with the 'big girl' by Friday?"
The kitchen fell dead silent.
The piping bag slipped from my hands, splattering vanilla cream across the stainless steel counter. My chest completely caved in. I stared at Aiden, praying for him to shout, to deny it, to look at me and swear Lorenzo was lying.
But Aiden didn't look at me. He looked at the floor, his face burning a violently guilty shade of red.
"You... you went through my texts?" Aiden stammered, entirely exposed.
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Humiliation washed over me in a burning, suffocating wave. The coffee. The smiles. The way he had made me feel seen—it was all a cruel, sickening game. I had spent years building my confidence, and in one sentence, Aiden had reduced me to a punchline.
Before the tears could even form in my eyes, Lorenzo moved.
