“Sir,” the server stammered, his voice tinged with both fear and indignation. “I warned you to be careful while I was serving the broth. But you deliberately moved his hand into my path! If I hadn’t reacted quickly, this poor man could’ve been seriously injured!”
Odessa glared at me, her frustration boiling over. “Leif, I can’t believe you! Apologize to Kirk!”
The heat on my face rivaled the burning pain in my hand. Her words were a slap harder than any physical blow. My voice shook as I forced myself to speak. “Is this really what you think of me?”
She said nothing. Her silence was deafening, a final confirmation of where her loyalties lay.
Kirk watched the unfolding chaos with poorly concealed glee. He smirked, relishing every moment, before finally stepping in as though to play the magnanimous hero. “It’s okay,” he said, his tone dripping with false kindness. “It’s not entirely his fault. Don’t be too hard on him.”