More Than What They See

CHAPTER 9: An Unexpected Encounter

Rhian’s POV

Because I wanted to help Mama with our expenses, I looked for a small job I could do every Saturday and Sunday. I went from house to house asking if they needed help, until finally the owner of a small eatery near our place agreed to take me in. I worked as a cleaner and server, wiping tables, washing dishes, and serving food to customers. It was not easy work—long hours on my feet, my hands rough from soap and water, and my body aching by the time I got home. Sometimes people would look at me strangely, or say mean things right to my face.

“Look at her face,” one customer whispered loud enough for me to hear. “Does she really belong here? Shouldn’t they hire someone who looks cleaner?”

“Maybe she should just stay home,” another added. “No one wants to be served by someone like her.”

I bit my lip and kept working. I did not answer back. I just wiped the tables harder, moved faster, and did my best to do everything perfectly. I endured every hurtful word and every judging look, because I knew every peso I earned would help Mama pay for our food and my school needs. This was for us, and that was enough to keep me going.

One Saturday afternoon, I was busy wiping down the long wooden table near the entrance when the door suddenly swung open. Three familiar faces walked in, and my heart almost stopped beating. It was Gio, Jace, and Francis. I froze for a second, then immediately looked down and kept my eyes on the table I was cleaning, hoping they would not notice me. They were dressed in neat, expensive clothes that looked brand new, and they carried themselves with ease, like they were used to being treated like royalty wherever they went.

“Hey look who is here,” Gio said with a mocking laugh the moment he spotted me. “Working so hard, aren’t we?”

I gripped the cloth tighter and kept wiping, even though my hands started to shake. I waited for the usual mean words, the laughter, and the humiliation I was used to. But I noticed something different right away—Francis did not laugh. He did not even smirk. He just stood there staring at me quietly, his face serious, like he was seeing something he never expected to see.

Jace leaned against the counter and looked me up and down. “Can we order?” he asked with a smirk. “Are you sure our food will not get dirty if you touch it?”

I took a deep breath and tried to speak, but before I could even make a sound, Francis stepped forward and spoke firmly.

“That is enough,” he said sharply, looking straight at Gio and Jace. “Let us just order and leave her alone.”

The other two fell silent instantly, looking shocked.

“Francis, why are you acting like you are defending her?” Gio asked, sounding confused. “You are the one who always picks on her the most.”

Francis did not answer. He just walked past them and sat down at the far corner table, away from everyone else. Gio and Jace exchanged a look before following him slowly, still whispering to each other.

When I gathered the courage to walk over and take their order, I kept my eyes down and held my notebook tight against my chest.

“Good afternoon, sirs,” I said softly. “What would you like to have?”

Gio was about to say something, but Francis gave him a sharp look that made him close his mouth right away. Francis looked at me, and for a moment his voice was not sharp or mean at all.

“Three bowls of beef noodle soup,” he said quietly. “And two glasses of iced tea.”

I wrote it down quickly. “Anything else?”

“Nothing else,” he answered.

I turned to walk away, but before I could take even one step, I heard him speak so softly that only I could hear.

“Take care of yourself,” he whispered. “Do not push yourself too hard.”

I stopped in my tracks. I turned my head slightly to look at him, but he was already looking down at his phone, like he never said a thing. I could not say a word. I just walked back to the kitchen slowly, my mind full of questions I could not answer. When they finished eating and left without saying another word, I stood by the door watching them go. I felt something different coming from Francis—something I could not understand yet. It felt like he had known me for much longer than I ever thought, and like there was something hidden behind all his cruelty that I had yet to find out.