Chapter 2 - The Price of a DegreeDavid practically threw himself forward, his hands clasped together in a frantic, desperate prayer.
"Mr. Delaney, please—she’s exhausted, she’s overworked, she didn't mean anything by it! It's just a joke, we love having Mr. Moretti here, table seven is on the house—"
Frank raised a single, massive finger. David stopped talking instantly, his mouth frozen open in a silent gasp.
Frank took two slow steps into the kitchen, the leather of his shoes squeaking softly against the floor. He stopped three feet away from Tessa. Up close, his face looked like it had been chiseled out of granite, bearing the faint, pale lines of old knife scars near his hairline.
"I asked you a question, miss," Frank said, his tone dangerously neutral. "Where did you study?"
Tessa didn't flinch. She wiped her hands on her apron, looking past the giant to the swinging doors where the amber light of the dining room spilled across the floor.
"Florence," Tessa said. "Università degli Studi di Firenze. Department of Medieval Literature and Philology."
Frank’s eyebrows flicked upward—a microscopic movement, but visible.
"A philologist," Frank muttered, tasting the word as if it were a strange wine. "Working tables with tape on her sneakers."
"Tuition is expensive," Tessa replied evenly. "And cancer treatments cost more than a master's degree."
For a long moment, the kitchen was entirely still. Even the refrigeration units seemed to hold their breath.
Then, a slow, grim smile touched the corner of Frank’s mouth.
"Bring the steak yourself," Frank said, turning on his heel. "And bring a fresh ashtray. The boss hates ash on the linen."
As Frank walked back through the doors, David slumped against the prep table, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a dirty side-towel.
"You're insane," David whispered, staring at Tessa as if she were a ghost. "You're genuinely, clinically insane."
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Tessa picked up the heavy silver tray with the sizzling ribeye. The rich, savory aroma of garlic-infused butter rose into the air, but her stomach remained hollow.
"Don't worry, David," Tessa said, her eyes flashing with a sudden, dangerous light. "I always deliver what I promise."
