Chapter 4

• [ARIETTA’S POV]
• He looked in my direction, and our eyes met. I could see the narrowing of his eyes as he seemed to study me. I gasped.
• A waiter quickly stepped between us to serve his dinner, so I took that moment to look away and head to the kitchen to deliver my customer’s order.
• My heart was still racing. Does this mean he’s not a new employee but the owner of the entire farm and resort? The man I saw having sex last night is from the family that owns this place?
• I broke into a cold sweat as these thoughts ran through my mind. What if he reports me to my supervisor because he saw me witnessing his intimate moment with his woman? I could suddenly be kicked out of this internship or, worse, fail. I hope that doesn’t happen.
• I wasn’t myself when I delivered my customer’s order. Thankfully, I didn’t make any mistakes.
• I was about to leave when Pierce Grimaldi suddenly called for a waiter.
• I looked over at him and saw that he was clearly looking at me, calling me. I swallowed hard, as I was once again overwhelmed with nervousness.
• I approached him and forced a smile, even though I felt like I was about to melt from the anxiety I was feeling.
• "Another glass of Macallan, please."
• I caught a glimpse of a smirk on his lips, almost as if he were mocking me. At that moment, I knew things were not going to go well.
• "Okay, sir," I replied politely. I took his glass, but he told me to leave it there. I left and headed to the bar to place Pierce Grimaldi's order.
• As I waited for Sir Pierce's glass of Macallan, I tried to calm myself. I needed to maintain my composure. I couldn't afford to mess up now. I also couldn't let my personal emotions get in the way of my work.
• I was on my way to Sir Pierce’s table. I put on a smile, even though my lips were sore from holding it. I was so close to him now, and I thought I could manage to do my job properly...when suddenly I stumbled, causing the drink I was carrying to spill and the glass to shatter, making a loud noise.
• I looked at Pierce Grimaldi. His clothes were splashed with alcohol, but instead of criticizing it, a smirk curled on his lips. He had done that on purpose!
• As other waiters and the restaurant manager hurried over, Sir Pierce's smirk disappeared, and he pretended to be shocked and annoyed by what happened.
• "What happened—Oh, my!" The head waiter immediately attended to Pierce. Some of the staff panicked and rushed to get clean tissues to give to Sir Pierce for his wet clothes.
• The head waiter turned to me, and I could see the anger in his eyes.
• "What have you done?!" he almost whispered, but I could feel the fury in every word.
• I was still in shock, and even though I wanted to explain, I chose to remain silent. Even if I told them that Pierce Grimaldi had caused me to stumble, no one would believe me. In the end, I would still be blamed.
• “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Pierce replied as people around the restaurant kept apologizing to him.
• I had no choice but to lower my head. In the end, no matter what really happened, I would still be the one blamed. Everyone would think it was my fault.
• The head waiter turned to me and moved me away from where Sir Pierce was sitting. He spoke to me, and I knew he was going to scold me, so I braced myself.
• "Do you know what you’ve done? This could reach your supervisor, who will be grading your internship!" he insisted.
• I kept my head down, absorbing every word he said. I felt so small because I couldn’t even defend myself.
• "Do you know how much one glass of the wine you wasted costs? They’ll deduct that from the allowance the resort gave you!"
• I blinked at what he said. My lips parted. Why would they deduct it from me? I wasn’t at fault—well, I was in everyone’s eyes.
• The head waiter shook his head and returned to attend to Sir Pierce. I gasped because...what could I do? Nothing, right?
• I quickly ran back over. I didn’t want them to get even more mad at me if I just stood there.
• “Accommodate Mr. Grimaldi. You’ll take care of him as payback for what happened earlier. Take him to his private house and bring him everything he needs.” The head waiter came up to me. “And don’t mess this up.”
• I nodded nervously. I looked at Sir Pierce and saw a ghost of a smile on his lips. He’s freaking enjoying this!
• I followed the instructions from the seniors. I took Sir Pierce to his residence here at the villa.
• He entered his room, and I was left standing in the living area. I took a deep breath to try to relieve the weight I was feeling.
• I scanned the room and observed the interior of the house. The furniture was expensive, and there was a small chandelier. The house had two floors.
• I stood up straight and glanced at him. I saw him leaning against the wall, arms crossed, staring directly at me. He had already changed into a different outfit.
• He started walking toward me, and I instinctively took a step back. His gaze was sharp, but there was a smile on his lips.
• "You were the one who was watching me while I was having sex with that girl last night." It wasn’t a question. It was a confirmation of what he thought.
• I didn’t speak, continuing to back away from him. If he only wanted to talk to me, he could have done so earlier when we were still at the farm. Instead, he chose to humiliate me now.
• "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t remember anything like that happening last night," I lied, hoping he would stop if I denied his accusation.
• He chuckled, and when he noticed there was no space for me to back away anymore due to a table behind me, he quickly cornered me, trapping me between his arms. I was shocked by how forcefully he blocked me in. Shit, I’m trapped!
• "You don’t remember?" I could sense a tone in his voice that sent a shiver down my spine.
• I looked up at him, immediately regretting it. I avoided his gaze and shook my head, still denying what he claimed to have happened last night.
• I felt his breath warm against my cheek. He was so close to my ear now!
• I squeezed my eyes shut, terrified of what he might do next.
• "If that’s the case, shall we re-enact what happened last night, hmm? So you can remember."
• It felt like time stopped. I completely forgot how to breathe. My cheek was so hot it felt like I could fry an egg on it.
• I didn’t know how I was going to get away from him. His hands were planted firmly on either side of me. If I pushed him away, would I be strong enough? With his large frame, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to.
• He tilted his head and studied my face closely. It made me feel even more uncomfortable. I really didn’t know how to interact with men. Most of the time, the ones I come across are aggressive—just like the man in front of me now.
• The smile never left his lips. He licked his lower lip, making me swallow hard. His eyes also dropped to my lips, and he stared at them for a long moment.
• “What can you say about that, huh? Do you want me...to make you remember?” As he brought his lips closer to mine, I pushed him away with all my strength. I put everything into it just to get him off of me.
• “Pervert!” I yelled at him.
• He laughed deeply. I immediately backed away from him, afraid he would trap me again, and I wouldn’t be able to escape the second time.
• “Damn, you’re turning me on!” He laughed and tried to approach me again, but I quickly moved away from him. “You’re making me hard, fuck!”