Chapter 1

Alice’s POV

“Can I take your order, Sir?” I asked, tried my best to maintain a polite smile on my face. It was almost ten hours. I was working continuously and now I am serving my last customer.  

“A seafood plateau, snapper carpaccio, and bacon-and-caramelized-onion pizza Tarte flambé.” He ordered and I left to bring him his food.

“Here is the order for one.” I hand over the slip to Jason, “All this for one?” He looked surprised and I shook my head, he always does this.

“Don’t be surprised, Jason, everyone has their appetite. Everyone is not like you babe, ate like a mouse.”  I laughed out and he glared at me.

“Hey! Babe when were you going home.” Alexa, my co-worker and one of my good friends from work asked. She is beautiful, humble and kind but if someone tries to get on her nerves, she wouldn’t leave the person easily. 

“ Only this last one is left,” I replied, running my hand through my hair as I sat down on the nearby chair.

Only after fifteen minutes, I heard Jason's voice as the order was ready. I took the food serving trolley to the customer and served him.

“Enjoy your dinner, Sir,” I said and stand at a distance if he needs something. My eyes were getting heavy, begging for some sleep.

“Can I get anything else for you, sir?” I asked and he eyed me up and down, a perverted old man. 

“Can I get you in the desert?” He split out from his dirty mouth, I just want to kick his potbelly so hard that he never said these kinds of words to some other innocent girl.

“Here is your bill sir,” I said with a tightlipped smile, acting like I didn’t hear him. 

He kept looking at me and put two thousand dollars on the bill. “One is for you, baby girl.”He said and smiled creepily. I avoided looking at him, quickly grabbed the bill with money and hurried my steps towards the office. 

I changed my uniform and grabbed my stuff. Alexa was already waiting for me at the exit. We both hopped on her two-wheeler and she drove off towards my house as it came first on the way.

“We are here, babe.” She said and I stood on my feet. “Thanks, Babe.” I thanked her and she glared at me and shook her head in disappointment. She always says not to thank her but what can I do? It's my habit. 

“Take care of your uncle and yourself too. Bye! See you tomorrow.” She said and drove off to her home.

“Welcome back, baby girl. How was your day, sweetie?” Dad asked, handing me a glass of warm water. 

"It was good, dad. Have you taken your medicine and your dinner?” I asked

“Yes, I had my dinner. I think I left something on the gas. Let me go and see,” He tried to escape without answering my second question. 

“Dad! You can’t leave like this, just answer my question first. Yes or no?” He sighed and sat down on the old wooden chair. 

I knew he would not take his medicine on his own as he hates medicine, they make him feel like a weak person. I shook my head in disappointment and handed him his tablets and water. 

I changed myself into more comfortable clothes and came out of my room. Dad was still on the chair, drowned in his thoughts. 

“Penny of your thoughts dad, What are you thinking?” I asked and sat down on the floor in front of him. 

“I was thinking about you, my child. What good work I have done that I got a daughter like you. What we were and now what we are. I failed as a father and now I am a burden on you. I don’t know if I will ever be able to fulfil your mother’s promise .” He said and his eyes got moist. 

I took his old weak hands in mine and says “Dad, you never failed as a father, you gave me all the luxuries of life, it is just time is not in our favour and don’t worry soon it will be and don’t you dare to call yourself a burden next time  ” He listens to me carefully and nodded. I led him towards his room and after he was in deep sleep I left his room.

I came into my room and sat on my bed. My dad was a millionaire,  owner of a famous textile company, he is the most humble and kind man, trusting a person easily but this became his weakness soon. I am the only child of my parents. After mom died, when I was fourteen years old, something broke inside him because she didn’t die alone, his unborn baby boy and my unborn brother also died with her. But he didn’t lose hope and took care of himself for me. Everything was going good in our life until last year, one of his business partners who was treated as a brother by my father backstabbed him and took all of our business in his control. He too has connections with the Russian mafia, he wanted my father to be dead but we ran away from our beautiful country, Italy and shifted here to the USA.

It was too much for dad. He wasn’t able to deal with the news that his all hard earnings were gone and he was backstabbed by his own best friend, he started to lose his health and had a minor heart attack ten months ago. He was not in the working stage. At first, I decided to drop my studies and started working. But my love and passion to become a lawyer didn't let me quit my studies. So, I decided to continue my studies by getting a scholarship in a reputed university in the US and start working at a law firm in the daytime and in a famous bar at night time to fill our stomachs. Men used to pass dirty comments and always say disgusting words to me but to hold on to this job I ignored them and concentrated on my work. But I always think about which promise he always talks about. What mom’s promise he wants to fulfil. 

I took a long breath and shook my head to clear my thoughts and close my eyes to let the darkness consume me.  Tomorrow is Sunday, so no college.