One afternoon, Carl berated Mia in front of everyone for a missing order that wasn’t her fault.
Ethan’s fists clenched; every instinct told him to defend her—but it wasn’t time yet. Later, he quietly slipped a generous tip onto her tray. She looked at him, half amused.
“You’re strange, Ben Foster,” she teased with a tired smile.
That night, sitting in his penthouse overlooking the city, Ethan realized what no report could show—Mia was the heart of The Willow Garden. And Carl was slowly destroying everything she held together. He picked up his phone.
“Adam,” he said to his assistant, “I’m staying undercover for a while. Get me a proper uniform.”
Over the next few weeks, Ethan learned the rhythm of restaurant life—the dinner rushes, the laughter between shifts, the exhaustion after closing. And through it all, he grew closer to Mia.
Groceries
