Back to Claim My Life

Richard's Birthday

Richard watched Jenna's car leave before turning to look at me with fire blazing in his eyes.

I could tell that he never expected me to survive the fire. He certainly didn't expect me to be so lucky to cross paths with a legend of the business world. If looks could kill, I'd definitely be dead once more.

I stared right back at him. Richard had always lived the life of a pampered brat. So, there were now dark bruises under his eyes despite it having only been a few days since we last saw each other. It seemed he was exhausted from running a pasta shop.

"Why did you come here all of a sudden? Did you have something to say to me?"

His eyes were turning bloodshot from fury. He was about to say something when his phone suddenly rang.

When he glanced at it, he found it to be a call from the pasta shop's staff.

Apparently, a drunk customer had started a brawl in the shop, and he was urgently needed to sort things out.

"You're all so useless! Why do you even need me to handle something so trivial? God, why did I even hire you? Alright, I get it! I'm heading back right now."

He hung up the call after yelling at his staff and drove off in a huff.

Before he left, he didn't forget to shoot me a glare full of disdain and resentment.

Soon, it was Richard's birthday.

Amelie proudly sang his praises at the banquet hall, "Richard is such a sweet boy. He inherited his grandma's pasta shop just to spend more time with me. He truly is my greatest pride and joy!"

After she said that, a commotion broke out.

Everyone turned to stare in shock at the woman standing at the entrance. They whispered and chattered amongst themselves.

"Goodness! Isn't that the legendary Jenna Close?"

"It really is her! Why is she here?"

"I hear Jenna keeps a low profile. Even the journalists are hard-pressed to take a proper picture of her face!"

"Since when has the Lane family been connected to the Close family?"

...

Jenna elegantly scanned the hall before slowly walking toward me.

"It's been a while, Hank. How has work been treating you?"

"Hello, Ms. Close. Everything has been going well. Thanks for asking," I replied with a smile.

My parents had been busy bragging about their outstanding son, but they still managed to swiftly make their way to us upon spotting Jenna.

Theo had a dazed look on his face as he greeted her. "Hello, Ms. Close. I'm Hank's father. We didn't know you'd be coming today. Apologies for not greeting you sooner."

Jenna replied with a bland smile, "Well met, Mr. Lane. There was a minor incident at my hotel a few days ago. Luckily, Hank was there to stop things from progressing past a point of no return. I'm here to talk to him about working for me in the future.

"After all, he's quite the talent. I really wish that he'd work under me."

Theo's eyes went wide in shock. He couldn't believe that I could ever be hired by a legend like her.

After a few moments of silence, Amelie spoke up with a sly smile. "Oh, Hank truly is honored by your recognition. Ms. Close, this is Richard, my youngest son. He's always been smarter than everyone else and much more mature than his brother.

"I'm sure Richard would be able to deliver great results if he worked for you!"

I felt my heart sink as I stood on the sidelines.

I should've known that I could never compare to Richard in Amelie's eyes.

Jenna calmly gave Richard a once-over. "You seem to be healing well, Richard. I heard you got into an argument with a customer a few days ago and even had the police called in. As someone who once worked in the food and beverage industry, I have some advice for you.

"One should learn to resolve all issues peacefully. The number one priority in this industry is to ensure the customer is satisfied. You still have much to learn."

There was an awkward look on Richard's face as he reached up to hide his wound from view.

Richard had charged back to the stop in anger that day. He started arguing with the customer as soon as he stepped through the door. Their altercation spiraled out of control, and they ended up fighting.

After all, he was a pampered and spoiled brat. Naturally, he was never taught rules such as "The customer is always right."