Falling For The Ruthless Billionaire CEO

Selena's POV

"Order up on table three!"

Marcus yelled, his voice cutting through my thoughts, snapping me back to reality. I stood there, wearing a white sleeves, a short dark skirt and a black apron on-my hair was tied up and covered with a hair net. My hands felt shaky inside my pocket as I waited for the coffee machine to do its job.

After what felt like hours the coffee cup was filled and I pulled it out of the coffee machine. I smiled. A facade I had built over time to conceal the brewing anger inside of me and to protect the world from seeing the broken girl in me.

I walked fast heading to table three, I didn't see Mr. Edgar coming in. I bumped into him, spilling hot coffee on him. My face stings. My cheek turned red as he landed a slap on my face.

"Are you blind? Do you know how much this suit cost?"

Mr. Edgar yelled, I didn't look up-I couldn't. I lowered my head as I apologized endlessly. I brought out a white piece of cloth from my pocket in an attempt to clean the coffee spillage on his suit but he held my hand throwing me to the floor.

My hair net fell off, my hair falling down my face in shades of black. I squat there, quiet. I didn't know what to say. I had nothing to say.

"Sorry..." I muttered.

I had expected Mr. Edgar to walk away. I had expected him to just leave and order whatever he came here for but he didn't. Instead, he kicked the cup of coffee, what was left of the content splashing on my face. Everyone watched without doing anything, there was no trace of sympathy on their face, just disgust.

Then I heard it. I heard the whispers. I heard the gossip. I heard the harsh reality of mine that I never wanted to talk about again.

"Isn't she the daughter of the Blackwoods?"

"Yes. The ones who were blacklisted in the corporate world."

"Yeah! I heard her father is rotting in jail, paying for his sins."

"I'm happy justice was served. No corporate mogul is legit nowadays."

It stings. Their words bit into my flesh. I knew this was my reality, I had said it to myself countless times when I was alone but hearing it coming from someone else hurts me more than I expected. I really wanted to stand up and yell. I wanted to stand up and curse at them, but I couldn't. I didn't want to lose this job, no other place would hire the daughter of a convict, a fraud, a manipulator-as the Internet painted my father.

I stood up, squatting as I picked up the cup of coffee. I didn't know when Mr. Edgar left. I picked up the cups arranging them on the tray I was carrying, I had wished I could arrange my life back into the right order the way I had arranged this cup after their fall-but I couldn't.

I stood up walking to the counter. I placed the tray on top of it while I walked back to the backroom to get a mop. I came out with a mop and a bucket, walking towards the coffee spill on the floor while cleaning it.

"We bring to you today another successful feat of the Hawke....."

The newscaster voice from the TV echoed in my ear. I turned to the TV to see a polished American woman with blonde hair and blue eyes and beside her was a picture of Elias Hawke. The heir of the Hawke Conglomerate Group.

"Elias Hawke, heir of the Hawke Conglomerate Group has successfully landed an energy deal with the country of Oman, in Asia. This feat means that their Group would be in charge of the supply of electricity throughout the country. With the finalization between the Hawke's and the Omani sultan, they are expected to take full control in two weeks time......"

The voice of the newscaster faded into the background, my grip tightened around the wooden mop with anger seething through my vein. The Hawke had always been a long standing enemy to my family. I knew they had some sort of vendetta against my father, it was a corporate game.

Ever since our company went down the mud and my dad was accused of illicit activities which led to his arrest and blacklisting, I had suspected the Hawkes as a major player in framing my family. But no one believed we were framed except me. I wouldn't blame them though, in this society that we are now people tend to believe what they want as long as it satisfies their inner rage. People believed anything they saw on the Internet as long as it suits their perspective.

"Are you working or staring?" Marcus said, his voice disrupting my thoughts as he materialized behind me.

"I'm sorry," I said, bowing my head lightly. Marcus was the only person who had agreed to hire me. I still don't understand why. I was never mistreated or underpaid by him, he still pays me the normal amount for people in my job field but something was off. The way he looked at me, the way he called my name and talked to me was different.

He had feelings for me.

Those are facts I didn't want to believe or even establish, it was just my intuition. I moved the mop around the floor drying the coffee that had spilled on the floor.

"Remember, your shift ends by 7pm today." Marcus said, walking away towards the counter.

I placed the mop into the bucket as I took it to the back room. I came out, dust my apron, wore another hair net and put on a smile. Nothing happened Selena. Go back out there with this smile on your face and serve those menaces like you didn't just hear them gossiping about your family. Just pretend like you don't want to rip them apart although you want to rip them apart limb by limb.

I said to myself as I walked back to the counter carrying a tray of beer heading to table seven.

"Here you go."

I said placing the tray on the table, I dropped the first glass on the then the other and the last then I walked away. Time flew faster than I had expected. It was already 6:57pm and I was already rounding off so I could leave. Marcus usually left before me, I was in charge of locking up. Restaurants like his other places usually operate 24/7 but because of the ghetto-ness of this place we usually close on time.

I waved the last of customers goodbye before locking up the restaurant. I took off my apron, folding it in a perfect square and placing it in a cabinet in the backroom. I took off her hair net and placed it on top of my apron. I ran my hands over my hair trying to arrange them in perfect stands.

I walked out of the restaurant afterwards, locking the door behind me.

Ding! Ding!

A notification popped up on my screen. It was a message from my landlord. I didn't open it, at least not yet.

What was wrong this time? Did I forget to renew my rent?