I was late
"You despicable girl!!! Stop pouring down the damn water. Can't you see that I am already drenching in it." The old man with zero hair yelled at the young girl.
In his anger, he flung his hand towards her face to slap her; however, the manager rushed in time.
"What's happening here? Why is here so much chaos and crowd standing?" He looked over to all the mess created by the bow of Alex, although that wasn't known to the manager.
The Oldman held back his hand and gritted his teeth in frustration before he observed the sickening look in other customers' eyes inside the restaurant.
His centre of attention turned from the girl to the manager.
"What type of staff do you have? Can't you teach them the basic etiquettes and manners? They can't even walk properly. This man here, threw the hot soup over my head."
The Oldman pointed at the young waiter, whose back got collided with Alex.
'If I wasn't in this reputed restaurant, I would have already slapped some senses into him.' The Oldman held back his irritation.
Seaside Hotel came under the Carter Corps., the leading corporation in the business world, sitting on the top of the throne. The hotel was an original project of theirs, it had many branches spread all over the world.
And the hotel catered to all members of the food chain, be it rich or middle class. They didn't discriminate among them. Each of them received privileges based on their money background however the respect and dignity wasn't traded.
The hotel accommodated everyone.
The Oldman was a second tier business owner. It was the only reason he could afford to reserve a seat in the A level floor of the restaurant of the hotel.
He had used a lot of his money to impress the young girl because he really liked her. Also her delectable body was a cherry on top for him. Yet his plans got spoiled by the unexpected turn of events that took place.
"Sorry, for the inconvenience. Kai, tell me the whole thing in detail." The manager glanced at his panic stricken waiter.
"Are you deaf or what? Didn't you hear what I said?" The old man growled at the manager. This time he forgot that he had an image to uphold and behaved like a wild animal.
"Sir, be mindful of your actions. You are inside a reputed and honorable hotel. We don't appreciate such vile behaviour."
Pushing up his glasses, the manager replied in a calm tone, an exact opposite to the old man's roars. His reply angered the old and bald headed man to his core.
His nostrils flared with rage. He gritted his teeth so tightly that it produced a shattering sound.
"You continue with your side of the story." The manager ordered the waiter.
Hesitatingly, the waiter told his manager, the whole incident and how the soup fell down over the old man's, burning his head.
"The waiter isn't the one at fault. What happened was only an accident."
"He didn't do it with intentions, it happened. I don't think he is the culprit here."
"The old man shouldn't react so vigorously. He should realise the reality that the waiter was also a victim."
"Rather than wasting his time shouting and yelling, I would suggest he go and meet a doctor immediately. Otherwise the scathing hot soup might leave burn marks over his head."
Meanwhile, the rest of the audience, other customers started to criticize the old man. They chatted about how the man was being an idiot. Their volume wasn't low therefore the old man heard their condemning retorts. It acted as a big and sharp blow to his ego.
He suppressed his rage as he didn't want to lose the remaining dignity.
"Sir, I am sincerely sorry that you had to suffer but you can also understand it wasn't done with a bad approach, everything was just a mere coincidence of events which purely ended up into an accident and ultimately you had to be the one to get hurt."
The manager slightly bowed as he apologized to him. His passive and poker face didn't change.
'Like you could buy me another pair of my expensive clothes and shoes.' The old man scoffed and felt disgust at the manager's apology yet he didn't let it appear on his face.
"As a token of our deepest sincerity and regret, your bill for tonight would be on the house."
Manager spoke. He looked nonchalant.
'Haa…. isn't he indirectly saying that I can't pay my own bill?'
The old man was immersed in his own fantasies and that didn't appreciate the manager's offer. Because for him, it was the same as begging.
The man believed he was being degraded by a simple and average manager. However, he could feel the judgemental eyes on himself so he politely smiled, "It's fine as long as you know your mistakes and rectify them."
His lips keep twitching as he meticulously faked smile but his insides were scorching with fury.
"Carl, you don't have to pay his bills." A powerful man's voice boomed.
_____________
"Sean, I told you to not let anything happen in my absence." Esther's serene voice lingered in the silent room.
Her silence was the sign of calm before the storm.
The guy named Sean, felt the tiny hairs on the back his straighten up as he heard Esther.
"My lady, I tried my best. However, I was late and…." He paused. He knew it would be a bad decision to talk about the past accident that happened with Alisha.
Esther had given him the sole responsibility to look after Alisha and make sure of her security. She warned him to not let a single strand of her hair in danger. She had made it clear to him on the first day, she assigned him the job as Alisha's security and safety. She told him that she trusted him and if he were to break her trust this time. She won't give him another chance.
Sean remembered Esther's each and every word yet he broke her trust. Now, he has to face the consequences. He can't run away nor was he a coward to do that. Certainly he had been trained by Esther and she always told him to learn how to face the challenges head on.
"I'll be arriving there within two hours. Be there on time. Call the doctor and tell her to wait until I come." And the call was cut.
Esther shut her eyes. She felt heavy. She didn't know how she would manage to encourage herself to see her friend after what she had gone through.
"Why do I let down everyone's trust in me?"