Ezoic
The tray went flying — glasses shattered across the deck — and Emily plunged backward into the pool.
For a moment, there was only the splash. Then came the laughter.
Phones lifted. Cameras flashed. Mocking voices filled the air.
“Hey, waitress, maybe swim for tips!” someone shouted.
“Bet she’s never seen a pool that clean!” another sneered.
Emily’s breath caught as she surfaced, her soaked uniform clinging to her body. She blinked against tears, gripping the pool’s edge, wishing she could disappear beneath the water and never come up again.
Ezoic
But even as she struggled to pull herself out, a hush swept over the crowd.
The Man Who Stopped the Laughter
The music cut off. The laughter died.
A tall man had just stepped through the glass doors — dark hair, crisp navy suit, and an unmistakable presence that made every head turn.
Ezoic
Alexander Reed.
The name alone commanded silence. A self-made billionaire, Alexander had built his empire from nothing. His story was known across the city — the orphan who rose from poverty to power.
He stopped at the edge of the pool, his sharp gaze locking on Emily — drenched, trembling, humiliated.
Ezoic
For a long moment, no one moved. Everyone waited for him to scold her, to demand why a soaked waitress was ruining his exclusive party.
Instead, he did something no one expected.
