The Revenger's System

6. Unqualified Waiter

Robert Crowne’s sixtieth birthday party was bigger than Ryan expected.

The party matched his father-in-law’s liking. A red carpet with plenty of entertainment and business journalists. Big convention hall of a five-star hotel. And live music performed by Skittles – an old-school acoustic band that flew straight from Finland.

To be honest, Ryan was quite surprised that he was invited to be here in the first place. He was forbidden to attend all of the Crowne family’s birthday parties since he married Violet two years ago.

But he was here now. Dressed in Jared’s discarded suit pants that he saved from the trash and a second-hand white shirt he got for 2 dollars in the market. And for the leather shoes, he was lucky that the family’s previous driver had left them there. Ryan looked like a rug compared to all the nicely-dressed businessmen and beautiful entertainment figures, some of whom he spotted as Violet’s cast mates.

Ryan never attends any party. So, after he slipped through the back door – because his wife and in-laws didn’t want to be photographed with him through the red carpet – he had no idea what to do.

The hall was decorated with gold and silver colours. Delicious-looking, one-bite snacks on each side of the place, inviting everyone to taste them. An open bar with several bartenders tending to the guests was opposite the stage, where Skittles played soft melodies to set the atmosphere.

When Ryan walked to the nearest snack table, someone grabbed his arm. “What are you doing here?”

“Sorry?” He turned to face the stranger who still held his arm.

From the nametag and suits he wore, the stranger looked to be the event organizer’s manager, trusted to handle Robert’s birthday party. He jerked Ryan to the back of the convention hall. “You’re the new kid Dan hired, right? I can’t believe you roam the party like that.”

Ryan couldn’t follow what this EO manager was talking about. “Sir, I’m not–“

“What’s with your face?”

He flinched. The punches Ashton gave left some marks. It didn’t hurt anymore, and he already put some ice earlier. He also applied some concealer before going out, but it must still look obvious if the manager noticed.

“Forget that. I don’t care. Just keep your head down and remember your training.” The manager shoved a stack of clothes to his chest and hurriedly said, “Change and get to your post. The party is going to start now, so you better do your job. If it’s up to me, I’d fire you for your unprofessional manner.”

And he left Ryan without a second glance, already commanding the other servants to move out and carry on their job.

Being mistaken as a mere servant was nothing new for Ryan.

Hell, that summarized his life in the Crowne family. However, it was the first it happened outside of the Crowne residence. Although, it was also the first time he was brought to an event like this.

Ryan sighed as he wore the black vest and half-waist apron. Maybe this was why he was invited in the first place. Despite his status as Violet's husband, his in-laws wanted to humiliate him into serving the guests. No wonder they did that, he thought as he fixed the black butterfly tie around his neck.

Now, he looked like the other waiters, and no one would even think he meant anything to the Crowne family.

Picking up one of the trays with glasses of clear, amber liquid, he walked around the hall. He hoped Ashton was not invited to the party, but they probably wanted him there because his in-laws just had lunch with him.

He shoved that speculation in his mind and kept serving whiskey from the bar to whoever wanted them.

Someone tried to get his attention on his third round around the hall. It was Robert and his colleagues. The birthday boy – man? – lifted his hand and snapped his fingers impatiently.

Ryan looked down and came to them, slightly bending down to offer them whiskey. All five of them picked one, leaving a single glass on the tray.

One of Robert’s colleagues raised his glass, saying, “For Rob’s glory and money!”

They all laughed but clanked their glasses to each other. His father-in-law looked amused as they all gulped the whiskey all the way to the bottom. Once they were done, they returned the glasses to Ryan’s tray.

Clank!

Robert’s glass knocked the remaining whiskey from the tray and spilt its liquid onto Ryan’s clothes. The resounding crash as other glasses dropped from his tray made several heads turn to him.

“What are you doing?” Robert exclaimed, glaring at him as he took one step away from Ryan, shards of broken glasses on his feet. “Don’t just stand around. Clean this mess right now!”

“So-sorry,” Ryan stumbled to do as he was told. He crouched and quickly picked up the broken glasses.

“Jesus! Where’s your manager? I’d like to talk with him. How can he hire such unqualified waiter like you?” Robert was not the one who got his clothes wet with whiskey, but he did act like he was.

Ryan gritted his teeth. Of course, he wasn’t qualified for the job. It wasn’t his job, to begin with.

When he was done picking up the broken glasses, he saw the EO manager rush to face Robert with an apologetic expression. “Mr. Crowne, I am very sorry for what my employee did.”

Ryan stood with a straight back, not saying anything else as his father-in-law tilted his head slightly. “I don’t need this mess in my birthday party. Didn’t I pay you much for this?”

“I am very sorry, sir.” The manager said as he bent forward, then glanced at Ryan, who was beside him. Without warning, he grabbed Ryan’s neck and made him lower his head until he bent, too. “We are very sorry, sir.”

“If you don’t fire him, I’ll cut some of your fee. Your waiter caused a scene and now my party is no longer perfect. You have cause me enough embarassment to my guests.”

What embarrassment? Ryan thought to himself.

“Of course, sir. I will fire him.” The manager said. But when Robert didn’t say anything in response, he added,” I will even get you 10% discount for this event and the one after this, if you still deem my company worthy for you, sir.”

“15% and I’ll think about it.”

“Of course, sir.”

He thought they would go away after that, but one of Robert’s colleagues stopped him.

“You kind of looks familiar.” He said, rubbing his bearded jaw as he looked at Ryan’s face with such scrutiny. “Have we met before?”

Ryan never saw this guy, so he shook his head. “I don’t think so, sir.”

The bearded man turned to his friends. “He did look familiar, right?”

They all responded negatively, but the bearded man insisted, “I swear he looks familiar, like… remember that billionaire who got into a plane accident last year? What’s his name again?”

“Howard Ashford?”

“Yeah, Ashford.” The bearded man pointed to Ryan. “He looks like him, if you think about it.”

Slowly, Robert’s group studied his face again, with renewed information in their head.

“I don’t think so,” one of them said, which the other agreed.

“Of course, not exactly. Ashford is older. I bet he looks like the younger Ashford.”

“Nah. That guy never let anyone take his picture. You can’t prove that.”

They didn’t look convinced, and that was a good thing.

That was a good thing, damn it!

Ryan would do anything to keep his identity hidden. They couldn’t know. They must not find out about him and his past. His life was in danger. Everything he had sacrificed would be for nought if they found out about his relation to Howard Ashford.

He had to do something.

“You know what, let me take a picture.” And the bearded man snapped a photo of Ryan, who looked like a deer caught in the headlight. “My daughter works at Ashford Group, I’ll send it to her and see what she thought.”

“Yeah, yeah. If your daughter can get younger Ashford’s picture, I’ll give you 2% shares in my company.” Robert’s other friend said, setting the bet. “And if you lose, you have to do the same for me.”

“Deal.”

They laughed and moved on, sipping a new glass of wine from the passing waiter. Soon, Ryan’s father-in-law stole their attention again. The party's main event would start soon, and he had to greet all the guests.

Unbeknownst to them, they left a panicking Ryan with his wild thought. He had to do something, or his identity would be exposed.

Ryan couldn’t afford it. Even the thought itself left a bitter taste in his mouth. His stomach churned uncomfortably as his heart beat like crazy, pumping blood to rush through his veins.

He had to do something, but what?

He was on the brink of a mental breakdown in the middle of his father-in-law’s birthday party. And then–

TEETS.

What were the abilities TEETS gave him again?