Tangled Vows.

Lina’s POV

The noise was the first thing that got to me.

It was the same time someone walked past me in such a blur that I would have missed him if I hadn’t been paying so much attention.

But I saw his back.

He was lean, but at the same time, well built, the neat cut of his dark hair grazing the white collar of his shirt. He looked back a fraction, the side of his face slightly visible.

I swallowed immediately, wondering why it felt as if someone had hit me straight in the heart. He vanished behind a door just as my legs shuffled in the opposite direction.

“No!”

A hysterical voice screamed as I tried to take my seat at the first table I found. I looked up at her, my brows scrunched in confusion.

“You cannot sit there! That spot is reserved for our CEO alone. You can go scurry out and find some other place to sit.”

My best friend, Cindy, would warn me to let it go, to just do as she wanted, and move on. After all, I was here for a reason. The moment I got it, I would be out of here.

I brought out my phone and scribbled something into my notepad: "Customer Service, 0 rating."

“This table was empty, so I sat on it. If you didn’t intend for anyone to sit there, you should have put a reserved card or something on it. That way, you wouldn’t have had to yell at me.” She scoffed. It was the first time I noticed the disdain on her face. Who the hell hired her?

“How dare you speak to me like that?” Her eyes passed through my features from my hair down to my feet. “And can you even afford our services?”

“What do you mean?”

“You are dressed like a bloody wannabe in those pants and shirt. I think I have seen Rihanna in the same outfit as well. You are one of those, right?”

She moved closer, her nose in the air. “You are a fake, and fakes don’t deserve to be here.”

I shook my head. It was true that I was dressed in a similar outfit to the one she spoke about, but it was personally designed by my family's designer. Of course, I didn't expect her to know that.

“You will regret this!” I said as calmly as I could, even though my eyes communicated something else entirely. “Get me your CEO right at this instant.”

A few other diners had begun to watch the scene, but the waitress didn’t seem to care about that.

“Right,” she sneered. “I will get him so he can kick you out of here.”

I knew she was bluffing. Not about the kicking me out of here part, but the part where she would get him.

I had done my research and even though the owner of The Barnes didn’t have an online personality, he wasn’t one that could easily be approached. This waitress was perhaps going to call the head of this chain.

And if that person was anything like this waitress, it would be the end of this restaurant.

“Fine!” I murmured, getting on my feet. “In fact, I will make it faster so you don’t have to stress yourself. Why don’t I walk you there?”

I didn't wait for her response as I got on my feet, heading in the direction where I saw the man with the black hair go.

But before I could get there, she walked ahead of me and pushed me out of the way with so much strength that I almost fell to the floor.

My eyes jerked to hers as I stabled my feet. “What the hell was that?” Now, I was angry. “You have no right to treat anyone who walks in through that door this way.”

“Wait here,” she rolled her eyes, then pushed the door and walked in, leaving me standing there with different pairs of eyes on me.

‘It’s fine, Lina,' I told myself. 'A few more minutes and you will be out of here. You have to go through this to get the recognition you want. Remember, the goal is to be a world-class chef.'

"I don't care about that," I heard a deep baritone voice travel from behind the doors. It made every part of my being stop, made me take an unconscious step closer.

“Handle it, Martha, and while at it, ensure it never happens again. I don’t want the slightest thing to go wrong with any of my diners. If this happens again, your jobs will be on the line.”

I guessed he was talking to the people in that room with him, and I could bet my head that it was the kitchen.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open and stepped in. An abrupt silence travelled through the space as everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at the person who had just walked in.

The door at the other end banged shut, the same black hair visible before it disappeared. A sharp gasp escaped my lips as I took in the scene before me.

“Why the hell is this kitchen dirty? Is this where meals are being prepared to serve your guests? Do you care about sanitation at all?”

“You cannot be in here, ma’am,” the lady I guessed was called Martha walked over to me, her dark eyes giving me one look before placing a hand on the small of my waist and pushing me out through the doors.

“Stay out there, or better still, visit some other restaurant. There are no extra tables at the moment.”

“But…”

“There are no extra tables, ma’am!” she repeated, her voice getting stern. “Get out if you don’t want me calling security on you.”

Sighing, I turned around and headed out of the restaurant. My phone chimed in my purse, and it took me a few seconds to reach it.

“Mom?”

“Your father has set up a dinner tonight with the man you are to marry. Make sure you show up. This is the last chance he will be giving you.”