Chapter 88 Realization
Mia's POV
"Hey," Dina said, nudging my arm lightly. "You should eat, Mia. Stop staring at your phone."
I blinked and looked down at my untouched lunch. "Oh," I muttered, picking up my fork. "Right."
"Yes," Daniel added, leaning back on the bench. "Your food is already getting cold."
I forced a small smile and took a bite, but the taste barely registered. My thoughts were still tangled somewhere else.
Daniel studied me for a moment, his expression turning serious. "Is everything okay?" he asked gently. "Did Stacy hurt you? We saw the two of you talking earlier."
I shook my head slowly. "No. She did not hurt me." I hesitated, then sighed. "She told me she was the one who asked the Golden Girls to leave me alone."
Dina's eyes widened. "Wait. What?"
I nodded. "Can you believe it? Not even Liam or Daniel could stop them. But with just one word from Stacy, they listened. It is like she really is the queen of this academy."
Daniel let out a quiet breath. "That actually explains a lot," he said. "I heard Stacy's dad bought out Chloe's father's company. That means she holds the power now."
Hearing that made everything click into place. The sudden silence. The way the Golden Girls avoided me completely. It all made sense now.
I poked at my food, my appetite gone again. What I did not tell them was the part that truly bothered me. Stacy's words about Liam. About how our relationship was temporary. About how she believed she still owned him in the end.
I was not ready to say that out loud.
So I stayed quiet, nodding along as Dina changed the subject, laughing when Daniel tried to lighten the mood. But inside, my thoughts kept circling back to Liam and the uneasy feeling that something bigger was moving around us.
And I could not shake the fear that this calm might not last forever.
The restaurant was packed that night. Every table was full, orders kept coming in, and Josh and I barely had time to exchange more than a few words. Strangely, I was grateful for how busy my shift was. It kept my hands moving and my mind occupied. It gave me no time to sit and wonder why Liam had not texted me all day.
For a while, the noise and rush helped me forget.
Then I stepped outside to take the orders of newly arrived customers.
The moment I looked up, my steps faltered.
Liam was seated at a table near the window, dressed neatly, his posture stiff. Across from him were his parents. And beside them, sitting far too comfortably, was Stacy.
My heart dropped straight into my stomach.
Before I could turn away, my manager's sharp voice cut through my shock. "Where are you going, Mia? That is Rafael Alcaraz and his family. You should take their orders now. Do not make them wait."
I froze.
I wanted to ask for help. I wanted to look for Josh. But when I glanced around, I remembered he was on his break. My manager was already watching me closely, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. There was no escaping it.
With heavy steps, I walked toward their table.
As I approached, I saw Liam notice me. His jaw tightened instantly, his eyes flicking to mine for just a second before looking away. It was enough to make my chest ache. I forced myself to breathe and lifted my head, slipping into the polite smile I had practiced so many times at work.
"Good evening," I said softly. "Welcome."
His parents greeted me warmly, unaware of the storm inside me. Stacy, however, smiled at me slowly, her lips curving into something that felt almost triumphant. Like this was exactly what she wanted me to see.
I stood there, pen trembling slightly in my hand, taking their orders as professionally as I could. Inside, everything hurt.
I had given Liam everything I had. My trust. My heart. My firsts. I had believed, foolishly, that love would be enough. That what we shared mattered more than wealth, expectations, or power.
But standing there, watching him sit beside Stacy with his parents at the same table, I finally understood something I had been trying not to face.
His father had met me before. We had been introduced on the yacht, and he had been polite then, even cordial. That was why this moment hurt more than I expected.
Standing there alone in my uniform, I knew he recognized me. There was no doubt about that. But tonight, he chose not to acknowledge it. To him, I was no longer the girl he had once spoken to on a yacht. I was simply a part time waitress doing her job.
He gave his order with calm authority, his voice firm and distant, never once meeting my eyes. Each word felt like it pushed me further into the background. I nodded, wrote everything down, and kept my polite smile in place, even as my chest tightened.
In that moment, something painful settled deep inside me.
No matter how much I loved Liam, no matter how real what we shared felt, I would never truly belong in his world. His life was built on wealth, power, and expectations I could never reach. I was someone meant to serve at the table, not sit at it.
That realization hurt more than anything else I had ever felt.
And as I turned away, carrying their order back into the noise of the restaurant, the weight of that truth stayed with me.
After I finished serving their food, they thanked me politely. Then Rafael Alcaraz reached into his wallet and handed me a thick stack of bills before they had even touched their meals.
The weight of it shocked me. It was not generosity.
It was a message.
It felt like he was showing everyone at the table exactly what I was worth in his eyes.
"Sir," I said quietly, forcing my voice to stay steady as I stared at the money in his hand. I could tell immediately it was more than a thousand dollars. "I am sorry, but I cannot accept this much."
He looked at me then, his brows knitting together slightly. "Are you trying to insult me?" he asked coolly. "I am giving you this to thank you for your service."
My fingers trembled as I lowered my hand.
"I heard from Stacy that you study at Suncrest," he continued, his tone turning sharp and calculating. "And I can tell right away you must be a scholar. Otherwise, someone is sponsoring your education. Every student at Suncrest comes from a wealthy family unless they are exceptionally intelligent."
The words drained all the warmth from my body. I felt cold from the inside out, like I had been stripped down and examined.
Before I could respond, Liam finally spoke.
"Dad, that is enough," he said, his voice tight. "Mia is a scholar at Suncrest. And... I am sorry. I always came second to her, no matter how much I tried to compete."
Rafael did not soften. He only smiled faintly.
"I am still not convinced," he said calmly. "Intelligence means very little without money. Intelligent people still work for the powerful, Liam. Always remember that."
My chest tightened.
"And since you will be marrying Stacy in the future," he went on proudly, "our family connections will only grow stronger. Bigger. More influential."
Each word felt like a dagger stabbing my chest.
He turned back to me and pushed the money forward again. "Now take this," he said dismissively. "And leave us alone."
That was all. No thank you, no acknowledgment of who I was beyond my uniform.
Just a dismissal. I accepted the money because I had no choice. But as I turned away, my hands felt heavy, my heart heavier still.
In that moment, I understood something painful and final. To him, I was never a person. I was a reminder of what Liam should leave behind. And that realization hurt more than the money ever could.