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Sometimes it was as if she was the older one of the two and as she watched him think through some things, the biggest shock of all was dropped on her. People had always caught his eye and he would sketch and draw them but in a matter of days, hours even, he'd move on. For someone to still be in his mind this long after, well that was all she needed to know.

"Alright." She calmly said, rising up from her chair and picking up her glass. With a slow, easy motion, she dumped its entire contents into the center vase. "Give me five minutes and I'll be right back."

Giving his shoulder a squeeze and moving before he could stop her, those black heels carried her straight back to the bar. Anyone watching her would see that award-winning smile at work.

Five minutes, and another twenty bucks, had her smiling as she moved back towards the table. Yet before she could say anything to him, the peace was broken by the sound of a booming voice who had been given a microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, friends and family. If you would, please find your seat. My darling wife, who you may have noticed this fine, future five star resterant is named for, has informed me that dinner is ready."

Why anyone let Ned have a microphone after what happened two years ago at the Christmas party was beyond her. All they could do now was pray that no one let him try and do karaoke again.

Or maybe they should. Did someone have a camera on the ready?

Casting a quick and rather apologetic look at Mathias for not being able to join him, Delilah snaked her way around the tables to take a seat beside her mother at the table just to the left of the 'head'. This was Ned's way of not 'slighting' his brother, who was also an investor, but also making a small insult but putting his family to the side.

Thus began the twenty minutes of none stop, self-serving talks that Ned gave at all of these openings. Of course, the warm thank-yous, level of appreciation, and all of the standard things were mentioned. A story or two shared about how it was a dream come true to open such a high-end place that was already doing well.

But the ball dropped just as he was wrapping up and in true Edward White fashion, he revealed his NEXT project: a multistory condo going several blocks over where those who knew the city would wince. That was not the place for what he was purposing but everyone knew better than to say something.

That was her father's battle.

It was not until he called out for dinner to be served that the silence was broken by the gossip and whispers at tables. Delilah's eyes scanned the room, looking to see if she could judge her cousin's response to such a manic move and see if it was on par with her own.

Just as quickly, she jerked them away as staff began serving. Politely, and with a smile, she scanned the room to find the teal-haired woman they had been discussing before. According to the staff, her name was Imara Mason. She'd been there since opening and rumor was that Ned had her on his radar. Not sure for what but that was never a good sign...

~~~

Could the man be any more narcissistic?

For twenty minutes, Imara and her staff stood in the back listening to the fool prattle on and on about how he had done all this work and the good everything he was doing meant for Mayat. It made her sick to her stomach.

"Alright everyone," Imara finally said as it seemed he was finally shutting his mouth. "Show time. Put your best faces forward, get them fed and drunk and get them out of her." She grinned, finding most of her team enjoyed a bit of a chuckle. "And if any of them give you trouble, let me know immediately." Because with a group like this, there was going to be trouble.

Someone never liked the soup.

Pushing the door open behind her, the flood of staff took to the floor laying out the first course. In an attempt to buffer one of the worst offenders, Imara herself was assistenting in tending to the head table. She walked the room with her head up, eyes taking in everyone and everything as she scanned for possible problems.

Of course the main one was the cheap a** paying for the night.

In record time, every seat had been served their appetizer served. A beautiful presentation of three shrimp per person served with a sauce that should have been bottled and sold just itself. Simple and just enough to tempt the palette as the soups and salads were being plated. This was the stuff people posted on their social media.

And it was also the things spoiled brats screamed loudly about.

Imara had not even made it halfway out of the tables when the whine of someone who clearly did not know what 'fine dining' was all about began to complain that they only gave him three shrimp. There was no flicker of annoyance, no presentation of anger as she painted upon her face the perfect picture of customer service all while flagging her staff to keep moving.

If anyone was going to get fingers pointed at, she'd take them all. Mr. White was watching as she went to settle the matter and without question, had three more shrimp brought to the whiny baby of a grown man and left them to rot there since he never touched them.

Part of her knew that was just the beginning as she politely saw to it that glasses were filled, bread was at the ready, and everyone had a much pepper for salads as they wished.

What she had not expected was to only make it to the soup course before the sound of crashing dishes silenced the room.

Every eye turned towards the head table where the waitress who had clearly tried to balance more than she could, had lost her footing and resulted in a mess that had Imara suddenly standing a bit taller.

"I'm so sorry Ma'am, I didn't...here, let me help..."

"Don't touch me you wretched little fool!" Ned's wife was shrieking as she had jumped from her seat, soup dripping down the front of a dress that clearly had been made for her then altered down a size. "Do you realize what you have done? This dress costs more than you make in a month! It's ruined! How do you purpose to cover the cost of..."

"Ms. White," Imara was speaking, trying to get herself between her waitress and her owner's wife to defuse anything or at least redirect. "I assure you this was an accident. If you would just...."

"Accident. ACCIDENT? What sort of place are you running here? No confidenent manager would ever allow such a thing to happen on their watch! You, you planned this didn't you! You had it out to get..."

"Ma'am..." Imara held up both hands, trying to hold her cool as a vein began to tick in her forehead "Why don't we discuss this in the back and we can treat the stain before it sets." Without ever touching her, she motioned towards the back. "I would hate to see it ruined."

"It is you idiot! Don't you realize this is..."

If noise was going on around her, Delilah couldn't hear it. The moment she had seen Mathias move, she had been on her own feet, trying to cut him off at the pass. There was no doubt she felt for the manager, felt for the staff and everyone there but this was not the time nor place. Let the woman handle it, let her protect her crew and if she was fired on the spot, they would see her handed a better position elsewhere.

But do not make it worse!

Yet before she could get two steps from the table, her father's hand grabbed her wrist, jerking her to a stop. When she looked back at his face, he was cold, expressionless, and not looking at her. His red eyes glared daggers at his brother as the man rose to begin to protect his wife's 'honor' and Delilah knew what was going on.

Exhaling, she cast a glance over to Mathias only to join in the shocked expressions as he sent soda water all over the banshee's face. Hands covered her face and framed her wide eyes as she tried to stop from laughing at it all.
~~~

Christine screamed a second more high-pitched cry as the liquid soaked her. "Why you..." Her anger began to take hold as she reared back a hand and swung it forward intending to slap him with full force of her body behind it.

No sound ever came. Silence once more fell over the group gathered there and Ned froze in his tracks. In a split second, Imara had slipped around the black sheep of the family, jerked her own arm out and literally stopped the woman's slap mid swing.

Gone was the smile, the politeness and the trained woman who served the public. What was left was a stone cold, unreadable expression that glared daggers into the woman's face.

Christine jerked her arm but Imara didn't let go. The woman jerked again and Imara squeezed her wrist.

"You are hurting me! Let me go right now!" Christine cried out, starting to act like she was being attacked as fear feel into her face. Now she was no longer alpha. Now she was face to face with another woman of all things challenging her.

Her true colors were showing.

"Why you! Show some respect!" Christine hissed, looking towards Mathias for a half a second before her eyes flickered back to the lioness who still stared her down. Only when Mathias moved from beside her did she realize the woman's arm and stand back upright, sneering at the overdressed pig.

"You little punk." Ned started in, not backing down from Mathias in that moment as he met the 'boy's' eyes. "You think you can waltz in here and just do as you please? Your father was soft on you! He should have beat some sense into you long ago you filthy son of a..."

"That's enough Edward!"

When a single, booming voice spoke, everyone listened. From his chair, Richard White rose with a lazy sort of ease expressing just how little he thought of this situation. There was no mistaking the man who was viewed as second to the matriach of the family and in that moment, everyone knew why. Even his own brother backed down from him.

"I think we all can agree that this little show has gone on long enough. Your guest are hungry and from what you have shared with us, the meal currently sitting in the back is one of the best in town." Those blazing eyes shifted towards Imara who met it calmly.

"Miss, if you would be so kind, I think we would all prefer to take the main course together. Tonight has left us a bit...exhausted."

Ned fumed but said nothing as his fist clinched tighter though he shot a look towards Imara. "You....I'm not done with you Ms. Mason. I'll make sure you..."

But Imara said nothing as she turned on her heels and headed towards the kitchen flagging every one of her staff to do the same as they went under orders and used it as a chance to escape.

"Why you little..." Ned started up again but one sound of a throat clear from behind stopped him from lashing out on that unchecked temper. "This isn't over Mathias." He settled with as his eyes finally flickered to his wife.

The two preening parrots beginning working their own version of misunderstanding as Richard and Elizabeth, who had now joined her husband, took charge of cleaning up the mess.

Delilah was only able to shoot Mathias a look of disappointment before shaking her head, mouthing the words You are an idiot. She would take up her position assisting her parents as the staff brought out the boxes in groups of ten. Each one came with an apology and a thank you for your patience with herself and her mother.

Richard dealt with his brother and his hysterical wife, keeping them apart from the crowd at least long enough to get them to sit down.

That was when he turned his eyes on Mathias and moved to join the man at the table. He sat in silence as he watched his wife and daughter work, loosening his own tie.

"You know I can't save that woman's job." He finally said. "I can help her but Christine is set that she be fired and removed this evening."

Venting was half the reason Richard had taken the seat next to the young man and just a few words to let Mathias know he was indeed hearing all he said. Richard wasn't like most of the family. He was far quieter and that meant that when he did speak, the entire room listened.

When he didn't, it was for good reason.

"She'll get over it." Richard finally said, his eyes on his daughter as he watched her go to help one of their older relations out the door. "Out of everyone in this family, she relies on you too much not to. And secretly, just like most of the family," He admitted, finally cracking a smile and looking at the young man. "We all agree with you."

"No one just has the balls to do what you just did. They use you as a scapegoat and you let them. Why I won't ask but you know as well as I do that the majority of the people here tonight feel you did the right thing. Maybe with a bit more of your dramatic flare but you stood up for what was right. That makes you a better man than anyone."

Richard took a deep breath as his wife handed out the last box besides the remaining few people. He sat in silence for a moment, then with a groan to act older than he was, stood up. "And Mathias, word of advice from an old man. Own up to your actions. Apologizing for everything makes you appear...weak. If you believe in something, never apologize for it."

Those words, and a nod, were all he gave the young man before he moved to his wife's side, sharing a few simple words before the volcano erupted.

Delilah's head jerked first, catching the teal haired woman existing the back of the house. Only then did she realize that there was no other staff here. Those eyes flickered from the woman to Ned and then to Mathias as Ned say her begin to cross the room towards him.

That was the thing about trouble: it always showed up when it came to Ned White. The two had become such good friends that one could almost bank on it when something didn't go his way.

"You..." Ned's voice was low, seething with an anger that always followed one of his outburst. The edge of it shook as much as his fist did when he rose from the chair beside Christine and turned to face the oddly calm woman marching towards him. "You worthless piece of...I out to have you arrest for this! Do you realize what you have cost me?"

"You cost yourself." Imara threw back before he could say another word.

"Insolent! If I didn't know better I would say you planned this little act, Ms. Mason." He said her name like it was beneath him but Imara didn't flinch. "But that would require a brain between those two eyes of yours and we both know a country bumpkin like yourself wouldn't stand a chance in the city without a generous supporter like myself."

Imara's upper lip twitched just enough to make Ned's scowl deeper. He'd ticked the nerve he wanted and that meant he know had his way in.

"I dug you up off the ground, gave you the best of everything here and this is how you thank me? By not only embarressing me in front of my own family but reviewers as well! Oh I will make sure every place in town knows how much of a trouble maker you are! Mark my words, Imara Mason won't work another day in Mayet City so long as I..."

Imara's hand slapped the table beside her so hard that it creeked under the force. She'd barely moved more than an inch and her eyes blazed into the little man's very soul as she slid her hand back, revealing the paper she had placed there.

Ned's eyes jerked to it, as well as the rest of the family members in the room, before he narrowed them and picked it up. "What is this? Some silly joke?" He hissed, reading it before throwing it in her face. "What do you take me for? Some simplton that will respond to such a joke of a threat as this?"

The paper landed on the ground between them, the words We the undersign, quit! Effective immeditally.

Every name listed on that paper had been there that night. Cooks, servers, staff. All of them had left.

"To hell with them!" Ned screamed. "And to hell with you! If you so much as post one comment about this on that crappy blog of yours, so help me I will have you in court for slander faster than you can..."