Chapter 7 - Unveiling the PastAs the diner grew quieter, save for the hum of medical equipment, Knox helped Belle to her feet. She winced as her burned cheek throbbed, but her primary concern remained the old diner and Old Ray, who was currently being treated by the human medical team in a corner booth.
"Ray is going to be fine," Knox anticipated her question, his eyes softening as he looked at her. "Mild concussion, but he's resting."
Belle looked around the familiar, battle-scarred room. Tables were overturned, the floor was stained, but the spirit of her father's place—and her own fierce defiance—remained intact.
"Who... who are you really?" Belle asked quietly, her fingers tracing the edge of the expensive wool coat Knox had given her. "You walk in here like you own the world, and yet you care so much about a dog..."
Knox reached down, picking up the black leather collar that Tiffany had tossed into the trash earlier. He ran his thumb over the carved letter C on the inner leather.
"My sister Giana gave him to me five years ago," Knox explained, his gaze distant, haunted by a grief he rarely shared. "She passed away shortly after. Caesar was all I had left of her. Two weeks ago, during a transport out of state, he was stolen by a rival faction trying to get to me. I've been searching for him ever since."
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He looked back at Belle, the cold, ruthless underworld boss entirely vanishing, replaced by a man looking at a savior with deep, unfiltered gratitude. "And you... an ordinary waitress with nothing, risked your life to shield him from a boot. You didn't know who he was, or who I was. You just saw an animal in pain."
"You don't need a name to know cruelty when you see it," Belle whispered, her voice steady despite the pain.
