Chapter 44 Too Far

Chapter 44 Too Far
Kai’s POV

Alina lounged on one of the oversized cushioned chairs under the canopy like she belonged in a movie scene, legs crossed, that same brown hair falling over one shoulder. 

My chest tightened the second our eyes met. She looked... different tonight. Softer in the golden lights, wearing a simple white sundress that hugged her figure just enough to make my thoughts stutter. 

But of course…she wasn’t alone. 

Blake sat right next to her, arm draped possessively over the back of her chair, laughing with three of his buddies…rich, entitled pricks in expensive polos who looked like they’d never worked a day in their lives. A couple of girls in tiny bikinis giggled along, sipping from crystal flutes.

I stepped forward, tray steady in my hands even though my pulse was hammering. “Excellence ’85 for the table?”

Blake’s head snapped up. His eyes narrowed the moment he recognized me, that smug grin spreading slow across his face like he’d just spotted fresh meat. 

“Well, well. If it isn’t the little help. Pour it out, boy. And make it quick.”

“Don't talk to him like that,” I heard Alina saying almost immediately…but this was exactly what I wanted.

“Easy princess…he's just a server,” Blake said smugly in response.

I kept my face blank, professional, but inside I was already calculating. This was already becoming so perfect. 

I poured the wine carefully, the deep red liquid catching the light as it filled each glass. The air under the canopy was thicker…perfume, spilled champagne, the faint chlorine bite from the pool just steps away.

Music thumped in the background, laughter from the main party swirling around us.

One of Blake’s friends leaned back, eyeing me up and down. “Hey, server kid. Do a trick and maybeI'll spare you a few dollars. Balance the tray on your head while you pour the next round.”

The others broke into quiet snickers, feeding off Blake's smug amusement.

Blake let out a low chuckle, lazily folding his arms across his chest. "Yeah," he drawled, the mockery dripping from every word. "Let's see some entertainment. You people are good at that, aren't you? Jumping through hoops for a few tips." His grin widened as he tilted his chin toward me. "Go on, boy. Do it."

Laughter rippled through the group.

Heat climbed the back of my neck, spreading beneath my skin until it burned, but I refused to let it show on my face. This was exactly what I'd wanted. I had walked into this knowing they would look down on me, insult me, try to strip away every ounce of my dignity.

Knowing it would happen didn't make it hurt any less.

Every instinct screamed at me to close the distance between us, grab Blake by the throat, and introduce his skull to the nearest wall until that arrogant smirk disappeared for good. 

But no. I needed this.

Every insult. Every sneer. Every ugly word that spilled from Blake's mouth chipped away at the polished image he'd so carefully built around himself. I wasn't here to defend my pride. I was here to create more cracks in his perfect mask.

I wanted Alina to clearly see him for who he truly was…not the charming man he pretended to be, but the cruel, entitled bastard lurking beneath the surface. Once she saw that side of him with her own eyes, there would be no pretending it didn't exist.

Before I could respond, Alina sat up straighter. “Blake, quit it. That’s enough. He’s just doing his job.”

Blake’s laugh died instantly as he turned to her, eyebrows raised. “What? We are just having fun, princess. Why do you always jump in like this? Why are you defending him?”

Alina’s jaw tightened. She clenched her fists in her lap, knuckles going white. “Because you’re being unbearable. Treating another human being like trash. I can’t just sit here and watch.”

Blake’s face flushed red. He pulled his arm back from her chair, leaning forward. “Is it just him, Alina? Or every human being? If I told the other servers to lick my shoe right now, would you get all defensive about that too? Huh?”

The tension crackled. His buddies shifted, smirking like they were watching a show. The girls exchanged wide-eyed glances. 

I fought back a grin, biting the inside of my cheek hard. ‘This is exactly what I wanted.’ 

Blake was digging his own grave, playing right into it. Alina’s eyes flashed with real anger and disgust now…cold, furious glares directed straight at him. 

Every word out of his mouth pushed her further away from him and closer to seeing me as... something else.

I stayed quiet, playing the part. Victim mode activated fully. “It’s fine, Alina. I’ll just…”

“No,” Alina cut in, standing up halfway. “It’s not fine.”

Blake shot to his feet, anger boiling over. “You know what? Screw this.” 

He yanked the heavy signet ring off his finger…the one that probably cost more than everything I own…and hurled it in a glittering arc straight into the deep end of the pool. 

It hit the water with a small splash, disappearing into the turquoise depths. “Go get it, server boy. Jump in and don’t come out until you find it. That’s an order.”

The whole canopy went dead silent for a beat, except for the distant bass and laughter from the main party. My heart raced with dark excitement at how nice and smooth my plan was unfolding.

Alina’s voice rose sharp. “Blake, have you lost your mind? This isn’t funny! Stop it!”

I stepped forward, shoulders slumped just enough to sell it. “I’ll get it. It's not a problem.” 

Inside, I was having a field day. Adrenaline surged through me like electricity. ‘Look at her face. Those furious cold glares at him.’ 

This was working better than I’d planned. Blake had handed me the perfect trap on a silver platter.

I set the tray down carefully on the edge of the table. The night air felt charged as I kicked off my shoes. 

More people were beginning to notice.

Heads turned from the nearby loungers as conversations gradually died away, curiosity pulling more eyes in our direction with each passing second. 

Whispers spread through the crowd, growing louder as guests nudged one another and pointed. Before long, phones were being raised into the air, camera flashes cutting through the evening as people recorded the unfolding spectacle or snapped photos, eager not to miss a second of the drama.

Sensing an audience, Blake's friends only grew louder. Their jeers rang out across the venue, egging one another on as they turned my humiliation into the night's entertainment. 

Even the DJ seemed to realize something was happening. The music faded to a low murmur, allowing the laughter, taunts, and murmurs from the gathering crowd to fill the space instead.

“Jump, jump, jump!” their voices grew louder.

Alina lunged forward. “Kai, don’t…”

Blake grabbed her arm, yanking her back. “Let him do it. He wants to prove he’s useful, right?”

I met her eyes for a split second…hers wide with worry, mine calm on the surface. Then I turned and dove.

The water hit me like a shock…cool, enveloping, chlorine stinging my eyes as I sliced deeper. Bubbles rushed past my ears as the pool lights glowed eerie blue all around. 

I spotted the ring almost immediately, glinting against the tiled bottom. I snatched it up, closing my fist tight around the metal. But I didn’t surface immediately.

I stayed under longer, lungs burning just enough to make it real. Seconds stretched. I could hear muffled screams from above, distorted through the water. Alina’s voice…panicked, furious. 

“Someone help him! He’s drowning! Blake, you idiot, he’s drowning!”

‘Perfect.’ I timed it carefully. No one else was getting in this spotlight. This moment was mine.

Finally, I pushed off the bottom and rose slowly and dramatically. 

My head broke the surface first, then my shoulders. Water streamed down my face, dripping from my hair. 

I climbed the ladder at the edge with deliberate slowness, the soaked server shirt clinging to every ridge of my chest and abs like a second skin. 

The thin white fabric had gone nearly transparent, outlining the hard lines I’d earned from years of scraping by…defined muscle from hauling through shifts and fixing shit, not some gym-bro routine. 

Droplets traced down my neck, over my pecs, soaking the waistband of my black pants low on my hips.

Girls around the pool started whispering, then openly fawning. 

“Oh my God, look at him...” 

“Those abs...” A few whistled. 

More phones came out as the energy shifted instantly.

Blake’s face twisted in rage. “What the hell are you—” But his outburst got swallowed by the growing wave of giggles and cheers from the girls crowding closer. Even the jeers from his buddies’ faltered.

I shook my hair once, water flying, and walked straight over to them, dripping all the way. 

The wet shirt stuck to me with every step, cool air raising goosebumps on my skin while the girls’ eyes lingered. 

I stopped in front of Blake and Alina, extending my open palm to Blake with the ring resting in the center.

“Your ring, princess,” I said, voice low and steady, a faint smile playing at my lips.

Laughter erupted. Not just a few giggles…loud, mocking bursts from the girls and even some of the guys around the canopy. 

“Princess!” someone repeated. “He called Blake a princess!”

Blake’s face went beet red, his fists clenched at his sides as the humiliation landed like a slap.

But Alina wasn’t laughing.

The second I looked at her face…really looked…the regret hit me like a punch to the gut. 

Her eyes weren’t just filled with worry anymore. They were... something worse. Disappointment. Hurt. Confusion swirling in that gaze locked on mine. 

The party noise faded into the background as her expression twisted, and for the first time tonight, my perfect plan felt like it might have gone too far.