Chapter 5
2670 Words
The next morning, Drey had three messages from Marcus waiting on his phone.
The first contained a name.
“Toria.”
The second contained a brief information of her background.
“Twenty-four years old. No criminal record. No significant assets apart from a small inherited property. Several part-time jobs. No connection to the Carter family or anyone within their social circle.”
The third message contained a photograph.
Drey opened it while standing beside the windows of his office.
The woman in the photograph was nothing like the women who usually appeared beside him in magazines.
She wasn’t dressed in designer clothes or standing in front of some luxury car. She was wearing a plain shirt and jeans, holding a paper bag in one hand and her phone in the other. Her dark hair was pulled back loosely, giving her the candid, unguarded look of someone caught mid-thought before she even realized the camera was there.
There was nothing special about the photograph.
That was probably why Drey kept looking at it.
He opened the file Marcus had sent.
Toria’s financial records were sparse but concerning. Her late father had left behind a property carrying a substantial debt. A lawyer named Daniel Foster was handling the estate.
Drey’s eyes stopped on the amount.
$380,000.
He frowned.
His phone rang.
“Tell me about her.”
Marcus answered immediately. “I sent you everything I have.”
“I read it. I want the details.”
“She’s been working several jobs since her father’s death. She has a daytime position at a small retail store and works evenings at Bellmont.”
Drey looked at the photograph again.
“Bellmont?”
“Yes.”
“She’s a waitress there?”
“Part-time.”
Drey was familiar with Bellmont. It was one of the most expensive restaurants in the city, frequented by politicians, CEOs, celebrities, and old-money families. A single dinner there could cost more than some people’s monthly salaries.
“How does someone working there end up with three hundred and eighty thousand dollars in debt?”
“Her father.”
“Did he leave the debt to her?”
“Apparently. Foster is handling the estate, but the property is tied to it.”
Drey’s expression tightened.
“What else?”
“Her mother died when she was young.”
There was something about the way Marcus said it that made Drey pause.
“Anything suspicious?”
“Nothing confirmed.”
“Then don’t give me assumptions.”
“Understood.”
Drey scrolled through the file.
“What about relationships?”
“One former boyfriend. Steve.”
Drey stopped.
“Steve?”
“Steve Mitchell.”
Drey recognized the name. Not personally, but from the social pages and the occasional charity event.
“Isn’t he connected to Sophie?”
“Yes.”
Drey’s expression changed.
“How?”
“That’s what I’m still looking into.”
“Find out.”
“Already doing it.”
Drey locked his phone.
“Don’t approach Toria.”
Marcus was quiet for a moment.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“Good.”
Drey ended the call.
He looked at the photograph one more time before putting his phone away.
A woman with no connection to his world. A financial problem large enough to make a ridiculous offer sound reasonable. No obvious interest in Carter Enterprises.
She fit the requirements perfectly.
He just had to meet her.
That evening, Drey found himself sitting inside Bellmont.
He hadn’t planned on going there.
At least, that’s what he told himself.
A meeting with a private equity executive had been scheduled at the restaurant, and moving it would have been inconvenient. There was no reason to mention that he’d specifically chosen a table with a clear view of the dining room.
Drey sat across from the executive, barely listening as the man explained the proposed investment.
“The return is projected at eighteen percent within the first year,” the man said.
Drey looked over the documents.
“Based on what?”
The man hesitated.
“Current market conditions.”
“Current market conditions won’t exist in six months.”
The man shifted in his seat.
“We’re confident”
“Confidence isn’t a business model.”
The man went quiet.
Drey closed the folder.
“I’ll have my team review the numbers. If the projections are as weak as they appear, we’re not investing.”
“Mr. Carter, perhaps if you looked at the long-term..”
“I already did.”
Drey reached for his coffee.
His attention moved toward the entrance when the restaurant doors opened.
Steve walked in.
Drey recognized him immediately.
Sophie was beside him.
For a moment, Drey simply watched them.
Sophie was dressed elegantly in a fitted black dress, her hair perfectly styled. Steve looked equally polished in a dark suit.
They were laughing about something.
Then Sophie noticed Drey.
Her smile disappeared.
Steve followed her gaze.
Drey didn’t need to hear what they said to know Sophie was deciding whether to approach him.
She did.
“Drey.”
He looked up.
“Sophie.”
She stopped beside the table.
“I didn’t know you were here.”
Drey glanced around the restaurant.
“Apparently.”
Steve gave a small laugh.
“Still pleasant as ever.”
Drey looked at him.
“Do I know you?”
The smile on Steve’s face faltered.
Sophie quickly stepped in.
“Steve, this is Drey Carter.”
“I know who he is.”
“Then you should know better than to interrupt my dinner.”
Steve’s expression tightened.
Sophie ignored the comment.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“We have nothing to talk about.”
Her face hardened slightly.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
“Yes.”
“You could at least be honest.”
“I’ve been very honest.”
Sophie lowered her voice.
“You can’t keep pretending the engagement meant nothing.”
Drey leaned back.
“It ended months ago.”
“Because you decided it did.”
“Because I decided I didn’t want to marry you.”
Steve looked between them.
Drey noticed the flash of irritation on Sophie’s face.
She recovered quickly.
“You’re going to regret humiliating me.”
Drey’s expression remained calm.
“That’s your problem.”
Sophie stared at him.
Then she turned and walked away.
Steve followed.
Drey returned his attention to the man across from him.
The man looked uncomfortable.
“I think we’ve said enough for tonight,” Drey said.
“Of course.”
The meeting ended several minutes later.
Drey remained at the table, checking his phone while the other man left.
He wasn’t thinking about Sophie anymore.
He was thinking about the woman Marcus had described.
Then she appeared.
Toria.
He recognized her before she reached the table.
She was wearing Bellmont’s uniform, a simple black dress shirt and fitted trousers. Her hair was tied back, and she carried a tray with several glasses.
She looked tired.
Not careless.
Tired.
There was a difference.
She stopped beside another table and greeted the customers with a polite smile.
Drey watched her for a moment.
She didn’t have the polished manner of someone trying to impress wealthy customers. She simply did her job.
She moved quickly between tables, remembered orders, answered questions, and apologized whenever the kitchen was delayed.
A customer snapped his fingers at her.
She turned.
“Yes, sir?”
“We’ve been waiting twenty minutes.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll check on your order.”
“You should have checked already.”
Toria swallowed whatever response had been on the tip of her tongue.
“I’ll check now.”
She walked away.
Drey watched her.
Marcus had said she worked several jobs.
He understood why.
There was no expensive handbag sitting beneath her table because she didn’t have one. No jewelry except a tiny pair of earrings. Her shoes were neat but worn enough to suggest she’d owned them for a while.
She wasn’t pretending to belong there.
She was working there.
Drey looked down at his phone.
A message from Marcus appeared.
That’s her. Toria.
Drey didn’t reply.
He already knew.
Toria approached his table a few minutes later.
“Good evening.”
Her eyes moved to the empty chair across from him.
“Are you expecting someone else?”
“No.”
“Would you like to order?”
“Coffee.”
“Anything else?”
“No.”
She wrote it down.
“All right.”
She walked away.
Drey watched her leave.
She hadn’t recognized him.
That was unusual.
Most people recognized Drey Carter.
Even people who had no reason to care about business knew his face. His company appeared in newspapers. His name appeared in financial magazines. His photograph appeared beside stories about acquisitions, investments, and scandals.
Toria hadn’t even looked twice.
For some reason, that interested him.
The coffee arrived.
Toria placed it carefully on the table.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
She gave him a brief nod and turned away.
At that exact moment, Steve and Sophie passed behind her.
Toria saw them.
She stopped.
Drey noticed the change immediately.
Her face lost its professional expression.
Steve saw her too.
His steps slowed.
“Toria?”
She didn’t answer.
Sophie looked from Toria to Steve.
“You know her?”
Steve’s expression became uncomfortable.
“Yes.”
Toria’s fingers tightened around the edge of the tray.
“Excuse me.”
She tried to walk away.
Steve caught up with her.
“Wait.”
“I have work.”
“We need to talk.”
“No, we don’t.”
“Toria.”
She finally turned toward him.
Drey couldn’t hear every word over the noise of the restaurant, but he saw the expression on Steve’s face.
The same man who had walked in smiling beside Sophie was suddenly nervous.
Toria wasn’t.
She looked hurt.
But she wasn’t begging.
“I said I’m working,” she told him.
Steve lowered his voice.
“You can’t keep ignoring me.”
“I can.”
Sophie stepped closer.
“Steve, let’s go.”
Toria looked at her.
For a second, none of them spoke.
Then Toria smiled.
It wasn’t a happy smile.
“Enjoy your dinner.”
She walked away.
Drey watched Steve turn toward Sophie.
Whatever had happened between them, it was obvious that Toria had not expected to see either of them.
She reached the service station at the edge of the dining room and took a breath.
Then she picked up another tray.
Work continued.
Drey found himself watching her again.
He wasn’t sure why.
Perhaps because she had been embarrassed and still managed to keep working.
Perhaps because she hadn’t made a scene.
Or perhaps because she looked like someone who had already dealt with more than she should have at twenty-four.
His coffee sat untouched.
His attention was still on Toria when a waiter hurried past her.
The collision was small.
The consequences weren’t.
Toria’s tray tilted.
One of the wine glasses slid dangerously toward the edge.
She caught the tray before it fell, but the glass had already tipped.
Red wine spilled directly onto Drey’s suit.
The conversation at the surrounding tables seemed to disappear.
Toria stared at the stain.
Drey looked down.
A dark red mark spread across the front of his expensive charcoal suit.
Toria’s face drained of color.
“Oh my God.”
She immediately placed the tray on the nearest empty table.
“Mr. Carter, I’m so sorry.”
Drey looked at her.
She knew who he was now.
He hadn’t told her.
She’d simply heard the name from someone at the table beside them.
“I didn’t mean to”
“Don’t rub it.”
She stopped with a napkin in her hand.
“Right.”
She lowered it.
“I’m sorry.”
The manager hurried over.
“Toria, what happened?”
“It was an accident.”
“I know it was an accident,” the manager said quietly, glancing at Drey’s suit. “Are you all right, sir?”
“I’m fine.”
The manager looked relieved.
Toria wasn’t.
“I’ll pay for the cleaning.”
Drey looked at her.
“You’ll do what?”
“I’ll pay for it.”
“Do you know how much it costs?”
“No.”
She glanced down at his suit.
“I can guess.”
“You can’t afford it.”
The words came out more bluntly than Drey intended.
Toria’s expression changed.
Not because he’d insulted her.
Because he was right.
She looked at the stain again.
“You’re probably right.”
Drey studied her.
She wasn’t pretending otherwise.
“I’ll speak to the manager,” she said.
“You don’t need to.”
“I ruined it.”
“I said it’s fine.”
“It’s not fine.”
Drey raised an eyebrow.
Toria looked at him.
“I know you’re probably used to people replacing things without thinking about the price. I’m not.”
There was no accusation in her voice.
Just honesty.
For the first time that evening, Drey almost smiled.
“Go back to work.”
She hesitated.
“What?”
“Go back to work.”
“But your suit..”
“I’ll handle it.”
She looked as though she wanted to argue.
Instead, she said, “I’m really sorry.”
Then she picked up the tray and walked away.
Drey watched her disappear through the crowd.
The private equity executive, who had returned briefly to collect his phone, stood nearby with an amused expression.
“That was an expensive accident.”
Drey looked at the stain.
“Apparently.”
“You should have let her panic.”
“Why?”
“People usually do when they realize they’ve spilled something on you.”
Drey’s eyes followed Toria.
“She didn’t.”
“No.”
The man smiled.
“Interesting.”
Drey didn’t answer.
A few minutes later, he stood and left the restaurant.
Marcus was waiting outside.
“How did it go?”
Drey opened the car door.
“Prepare the information on Toria.”
Marcus frowned.
“I already sent it.”
“I want the full report.”
“You met her?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Drey paused before getting into the car.
“She’s suitable.”
Marcus stared at him.
“That fast?”
Drey looked at him.
“What were you expecting?”
“I don’t know. At least another day.”
“I don’t need another day.”
Marcus hesitated.
“You do realize she doesn’t know what you’re planning?”
“She doesn’t need to.”
“Not yet.”
Drey gave him a warning look.
Marcus immediately understood.
“Right.”
Drey got into the car.
As they pulled away from Bellmont, he looked through the window at the restaurant.
Through the glass, he could still see Toria moving between tables.
She was carrying another tray.
Working.
Ignoring the people who had hurt her.
Trying to get through the night.
Drey looked away.
“Send the contract to Nathaniel.”
Marcus turned in his seat.
“Already?”
“Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
Drey’s answer was immediate.
“Fifty thousand a month.”
Marcus went silent.
“One year,” Drey added.
“That’s six hundred thousand dollars.”
“I know.”
“And you’re prepared to pay that?”
Drey looked out the window again.
“She has three hundred and eighty thousand dollars in debt.”
Marcus said nothing.
Drey continued, “If she accepts, the debt disappears.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
Drey’s expression remained unreadable.
“Then I’ll find someone else.”
But even as he said it, he knew something had shifted.
Because for the first time since Foster had explained his grandfather’s condition, Drey wasn’t thinking about finding a wife.
He was thinking about Toria.
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