Chapter 2 Elena

• ELENA'S POV
• THEY'RE FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF, THEY SAY—Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.
• Scratch out the last part. There's no way in hell I'm accepting the murder of my brother. That's no way to honor my brother's death; revenge was.
• “Elena, over here!" A voice called loudly. "What are you doing? We have customers waiting over here.”
• I turned to my boss, biting back a response. You don't have to be so rude, sir!
• It's been a year since I held my brother in a pool of his own blood. I was deeply traumatized, even after I left. It broke my heart more and more every time I recalled that night.
• If I had listened to Marco and stayed at home, maybe he would still be alive.
• I moved out of our little apartment after conducting a self-arranged burial for my beloved brother. We had no friends and no relatives; it was just the two of us. Well, now it was just me.
• Settling into the city was difficult, as you can see, I'm still struggling to relate with people.
• I approached the table, forcing a smile. “Ma'am, what would you like to order?" I asked politely.
• The lady stared at me over, her expression harsh. “What took you so long? I've been sitting here for hours."
• Oh, come on, lady. It's barely been 10 minutes since you walked in here.
• I cleared my throat, holding it tighter onto my notepad. “I'm sorry, ma'am.”
• She scoffed. "Don't tell me sorry. You did this on purpose, right?”
• Oh God! "What?”
• "You got a problem with me? I know for sure that you left me here waiting on purpose.” She ranted.
• My lips parted to retort, but a man appeared behind me. He placed his palm lightly on my shoulder, and I immediately stepped back.
• His voice was calm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" he stopped, turning his attention to the lady. “Babe, relax. You're creating a scene."
• She glared at him. "No, I won't relax. Unless she tells me what her problem is with me. Is it because I'm prettier than she is? She is just jealous.”
• What the…? Someone better hold me or I'mma design this woman's face.
• The man looked at me, and back at the fuming woman, clearing his throat lightly. It dawned on me what his actions meant, and a snicker escaped my lips before I could hold it back in.
• Her eyes widened. “How dare you, Denver?"
• Confusion spread on his face. “What did I do now? Babe, you're creating a scene." He tried to touch her, but he slapped his hand away.
• Jerking to her feet, she pointed a finger at him. “You don't think I'm prettier than she is. How dare you embarrass me like this?"
• Oh God! She is such a drama queen.
• “Babe…”
• "You,” she turned to me next, "and you. You will regret this!”
• The next second, she was storming out of the restaurant. My boss appeared at this point, and I immediately excused myself. I won't stand and wait for his trouble too.
• I didn't step out of the kitchen after that, waiting for my boss to come reprimand me, but he didn't. However, I couldn't risk it. As soon as the clock struck 6, I left the restaurant.
• I got this job about a month after I moved to the city. I didn't really need the job for the pay, more like for the exposure it would offer me. Rome is a big city, and the restaurant stands at its heart. It was large and seldom less busy. Almost everyone came here, it was the perfect place to get the information I needed.
• “Hey!" A voice stopped me as I crossed the street.
• I turned abruptly, my guard rising. It was the guy from earlier. “Oh! It's just you." I exclaimed, exhaling.
• He chuckled. "Yes, it's just me. Were you expecting anyone else?”
• I shrugged. “Maybe your psycho girlfriend."
• His eyes lit up as he laughed. “Maybe! She'll probably break up with me after this, but it's all in good timing."
• Raising my brows, I took an unconscious step back. "Oh really? Well, that works for you.”
• "Well, I won't waste your time. There's this party tonight, and I'd love to see you. What do you think?” He stretched a small card to me.
• I scoffed. “You think I'll just show up to a party filled with strangers which I was invited to by a stranger?”
• "That's one way to see it. Another way to see it is as little time to yourself to unwind. You look like you need it." He said.
• I rolled my eyes. He's not going to give up!
• I took the card, stuffing it in my pocket without looking into it. “Think about it," he said.
• “Yeah, whatever.”
• I'd pick my bed, over any goddamn party. That was the thought that rang in my head as I walked out on him, but as I settled into my bed later that night, I found myself considering it all over again.
• He was right. I did need some time to unwind. My life was so frigid, stuck in the same daily routine. I had worked in the same place for a year, and I barely knew the names of my colleagues.
• I tried to shake the thought out of my head and sleep, but it was futile. So I got out of bed and began to get ready to step out into the world.
• For the first time in what felt like forever.
• The party was not what I expected it to be—it was better. While I worked as a waitress during the day, my hacking skills came in handy during the night, I was really renowned in the underground world. This party was just one they threw every now and then.
• “The Genius," I heard someone call out, and I turned immediately.
• “Conner, can you keep it down? That's supposed to be a secret, dude." I lashed at the dark-haired man who approached me.
• “I'm sorry, my lady. I'm just really surprised to see you here, you never leave that lair of yours." He said.
• I rolled my eyes. “This dude named Denver invited me, just thought to give it a try."
• He clicked his tongue. “Oh, my boy! He ain't here tonight."
• My face twisted. Did that asshole stand me up?
• Conner was still talking. “You never accepted any of my invitations, Russo. And yet you fall for Playboy Denver." He whistled lowly.
• I glared at him. “Get lost, Conner."
• He raised his hand in surrender, disappearing into the crowd. I rolled my eyes again, finding my way to the bar counter.
• Conner is just some dude; he is very reliable, though. He's like the middleman between my clients and me. Only that he's annoying as hell.
• As I settled into the stool, I felt someone's eyes on me. I would have left but since I was already here, I decided to stay. My bed does get lonely at times.
• I waited, but he didn't stop staring at me, so I turned to him.
• However, my eyes met him, and the words got stuck in my throat.
• Oh!