Chapter 4 Good Girl

Eleanor’s POV “Poor Eleanor, you were once the lead ballet dancer at Ravenhill High School, now look at you.” “It really took me a while to comfirm it was REALLY you,” “Tell me, how did you end up such a lowly waitress here?” Cate practically shouted her sentence, getting the attention of everyone around us. I watched recognition slowly creep onto the faces of the other guests and I wished I could disappear back into the kitchen. From what I could tell most of them were my former high school classmates and even though I didn’t know their names, they certainly knew mine. Cate was clearly satisfied with the attention we were getting and she glanced around at our audience before raising her voice again. “Oh yes, I remember that you supposedly went bankrupt? Because your father was an incompetent lawyer who foolishly gambled away your family fortune,” Cate laughed as she spoke, earning snickers and whispers from those around us. Her words struck something in me. My father may have been a failed investor and he may have thrust me into debt, but he was always fair. He was a good lawyer and a noble man and as much as he’d hurt me I wouldn’t let Cate of all people slander his good name. I set down my tray and took a step closer to her. “Yes Cate, my family went bankrupt, but what of it? Is there shame in earning my own living and working hard as a waitress? I suppose you wouldn’t know, you couldn’t even work hard enough to outdo me in ballet so you rely on pettiness to finally have a leg up.” In truth, I stung myself with my own words. Ballet with Cate brought up painful memories of how I had to drop out of the Royal Ballet Institute as I was unable to afford the high tuition fees. When I left, Cate naturally took my place at the top of the class and held it over me as if she’d won the title on her own. The desire to retake my rightful place at the head of the company and pursue my dream always drove me to take more shifts and work more, but I knew that my body was slowly slipping out of its prime and my dream would soon fade into nothing. My words had clearly infuriated Cate and without warning she raised her hand and poured wine right over my head. I gasped in shock as red liquid spilled all over me, staining my uniform a deep red like a wound spreading slowly. I suppose it was a metaphor for the way she’d wounded me when she took Lorenzo from me all of those years ago. “You insulate unwanted wretch! You’re just jealous because your fated mate chose me and not you!” Cate screamed. She watched with pure satisfaction as I wiped the wine from my eyes, blinking away the sting in my eyes and the sting of her words. I couldn’t let her continue to abuse me like this, not after she’d taken so much from me. I scoffed and did the only thing I could: “If Lorenzo cares about you so much Cate, why didn’t he show up to your banquet?” There were a few gasps from the crowd, and one of them might have been my own. Did I really just say that? Clearly Cate was thinking the same thing. “How dare you talk back to me, you miserable waitress!?” Cate shrieked, appalled at my insolence. She raised her hand to slap me across the face when a voice echoed throughout the restaurant. “Now now Cate, what are you doing to Eleanor?” It was Lorenzo. I couldn’t move my eyes from him as he approached us, no way this could be happening. As Lorenzo stepped towards us, Cate dropped her hand. She looked relieved and moved to seek comfort in Lorenzo’s arms, but the alpha merely brushed past her; and to my surprise, his arm made his way around my waist, not Cate’s. I briefly felt a sense of calm until my wits came about me. This was Lorenzo, not some knight in shining armor. “Get off me,” I hissed. “Whay if I don’t?” He gave me an easy smile. What a bastard. Is he also telling me I am a just pathetic waitress now and I can do nothing to fight against someone like him? “I need to go to the stuff restroom,” I muttered. “I don’t think you are willing to follow me there.” I ripped myself away from the alpha’s grip and excused myself without a second look towards Lorenzo or Cate. At that moment, it was like the room exploded and the onlookers regained consciousness, swarming towards the alpha. I thought I could hear Cate shrieking in outrage, something about ‘How dare you?’ and ‘Who do you think you are?’ which I’m sure didn’t go over very well with the city’s most up and coming billionaire. I didn’t care though, all I needed was to get as far away from the situation as possible so I ducked behind the curtain leading to the back of the house, then hurried to the staff bathroom. I simply wanted to clean myself off and escape the prying eyes of my former classmates. More importantly, I didn’t want to talk to Lorenzo. I would happily receive Cate’s emotional damage payments via mail and never see any of these people again. But clearly I should’ve checked behind me because as I moved to shut the door, I was stopped by a large figure pushing into the bathroom. Lorenzo did follow me here. He locked the door while keeping his eyes on mine. I stepped back in a vain attempt to create distance but my back hit the wall and he closed the distance between us. “Are you crazy?” Lorenzo's hands gripped my waist: “Do you really hate me this much, Eleanor?" “Behave yourself!" I warned him. "Be a good girl if you don't want to be heard."