Chapter 8

By now, a small crown had started to form, watching the whole exchange.

She turned to Damien. "I'm very sorry for the inconvenience sir. Please accept my apology." She stretched her hand out to shake Damien's but the hostess was having none of it.

Whispers emerged from the crowd.

"Why is such a gorgeous woman treating that beggar like an equal?"

"Exactly, he is clearly beneath her."

"If she treats him like that, she must see me as a god."

How dare he think he has the right to come close or touch her boss, the divinely beautiful Abigail McMichael. She slapped his hand away before he could reach Abigail's and stood between them, shielding her dear manager from the opportunistic scumbag.

"Get back. Don't you dare lay your filthy fingers on her," she growled at a shocked Damien.

Along with being an unrepentant classist, was she also deranged? Her eyes were so wild, you would think he had tried to steal her baby.

"Don't fall for his tricks, miss Abigail. I know his kind. They try to lure you in with their charm and a sympathetic story so they can take advantage of you. But don't worry, I made sure to humiliate him before and I will do it again. I will keep doing it till he gets the message that he doesn't belong here."

Abigail was both ashamed and angered at the hostess. She herself personally vetted her for the role and was sure she would be a good fit. To see her being so callous was like cold water being thrown on her.

"Why are you being so rude? So what if he doesn't look like our usual clientele, does that mean he doesn't deserve to dine here?" How could she be so judgmental, and at a stranger no less.

The crowd was incensed.

"Does she think we are in the same class as that man?"

"Does she think so little of use?

If only miss Abigail was present earlier, she would see Damien for who he really was, the hostess thought

"Miss Abigail, you wouldn't understand but this man has to be kicked out of here." She turned to the same bouncer from earlier and called him over. "You know what to do."

The bouncer placed his hands on Damien but Abigail stopped him.

"Get your hands off that man. What is your problem? Do you have no tact?" She couldn't believe the hostess was undermining her authority in a customer's presence. "I'm so sorry about this sir. Come with me and I'll get you a complimentary meal."

"What? How could she do that?"

"I thought Dame's Court was exclusive. They're giving out free meals now?"

Damien wasn't sure if it was his newly acquired status of the fact that he was used to getting ridiculed but none of the hostesses antics moved him. But the manager, Miss Abigail, was so kind. She was like an angel, inside and outside.

"Thank you so much, miss. That means a lot but there's no need. I can pay for my own meal."

The hostess could have burst a blood vessel right there. "You arrogant bastard. My magnanimous manager is offering you a free meal and you dare deny it? You have nothing. You can't even get proper clothes and you think you can come here and pretend to be somebody?"

With each word, she drew closer to Damien. In a flash, she raised her hand to strike him but mere inches before her hand collided with his face, Abigail grabbed it and pulled her back.

"What is going on here?" All heads turned to the entrance where Angela was coming in.

"Treated to the sight of two goddesses in one night how lucky we are," said someone from the crowd.

Abigail knew trouble would ensue if she didn't cool things all the way down soon.

"My apologies, there was a little misunderstanding."

The hostess noted Angela's classy attire and the grace with which she carried herself. Surely she would be able to tell that Damien was out of place and needed to be cast out.

The hostess pointed at Damien with her best withering look. "This man is a beggar who came in off the street and is disrupting our business."

Abigail facepalmed. "Can you shut your mouth for one second?" She whispered-shouted at the hostess.

Angela took the whole scene in. From why the valet acted to the hostess being rude, they must not know who Damien is and keep disrespecting him because they think he is a nobody.

She turned to Abigail. "So this is how you run the restaurant? You disrespect my guests?"

The hostess was taken aback. Surely an elegant woman like Angela could see that Damien was the one being disrespectful by fouling the place with his presence.

"Miss, I'm just trying to do my job and take out the trash. If you can't see that, maybe you're trash just like him", she said.

Abigail had enough of her. She raised her hand and the crisp sound of a slap filled the reception.

"Shut your mouth this instant. Just shut up. Are you crazy? Do you know who that is?" She asked, pointing at Angela. "That is the general manager in charge of all Dame's Court restaurants worldwide. She is my boss and you're speaking to her like this?"

The hostess was stunned. In her rage against Damien, she had failed to consider that Angela was a powerful woman. Before she could utter a word Angela spoke up.

"And he's my boss," she said, pointing at Damien.

The crown watching the altercation had their mouths slack open in disbelief.

"What? This lowly looking man is the owner of Dame's Court?"

"How is that possible?"

All the blood drained from the waitresses face. That wasn't possible. Damien had been here earlier and that family had told her all about him. He was their despised son-in-law who had nothing. He was even dumped this very night. How could he be her boss's boss?

"No, no, no, that's not possible. He was here earlier. He is a pauper. He can't be who you say he is," she stuttered. Surely there was a mistake somewhere.

Angela couldn't stand the sight of her anymore. "Get your things and get out. You're fired."

The hostess was stunned. No, this couldn't be. She couldn't lose her job because of this pauper. This couldn't be happening. She looked at Abigail who only shrugged.

"If my boss says you're fired then there's nothing I could do."

The hostess was reeling. Damien, who looked like an ant she wanted to crush under her feet now was a giant looming over her with her fate in the palm of his hands.

She fell to her knees and tried to clutch his leg but Angela got between them in a flash her and pushed her on her ass.

"Please sir. I'm sorry. I didn't realise who you were," she wailed with hot tears streaming down her face. She fell on her face and kept on begging.

Angela motioned to the bouncer who was sweating bullets. "Get her out of my sight."

The bouncer came over and picked her up. She struggled against him but he was too strong. As a last resort, she decided to take him down with her.

"He also helped me. In fact, it was his idea to pick the boss out," she screamed, clawing at the bouncer. If she was going down, then she wasn't going alone.

Angela glanced at Damien and asked if it was true. Damien didn't want to be the reason they both lost their job so he didn't answer.

"It's your unlucky day," Angela said to the bouncer. "Take yourself out along with her." She glanced back at Abigail. "If something like this ever happens again, you will be next out. I don't care how long we have known each other, this is unacceptable.”

Abigail took it on the chin, even though her former best friend was publicly scolding her. She accepted that it was her fault for hiring such a classist hostess.

"My apologies. It won't happen again."

Damien, however, knew Abigail was kind and helpful. Despite how raggedy he looked, she had treated him with respect and even offered him a free meal. She was a good person.

"She actually is good at her job. Those ones shouldn't represent her capacity. I think her salary should be doubled," he said.

Abigail's heart pounded in her chest. This man really doubled her salary on a whim? Just who exactly was he?

"Thank you so much sir, it is an honour to serve you," Abigail said with a glint in her eyes as she watched him go. Her old friend, Angela might have his attention but the fire of competition was lit inside her heart.

"See you soon, sir," Abigail said under her breath, watching him walk away from her.