Killer's Kiss

Chapter fourteen

The uniform clung to Chaeyoung like a suffocating corset, squeezing the air from her lungs with every breath. It was only the beginning of her shift, and already, the fabric felt oppressive. It was her first day back on the job since recovering from Taeil's dramatic kidnapping.

Not that she felt guilty about Taeil. No, the man was a shameless flirt who deserved every ounce of karmic reckoning sent his way. With him off to his home country, Chaeyoung could only hope the rest of Paris wasn't teeming with men like him. Once, as a little girl, she'd dreamed of marrying a Frenchman, enchanted by their reputation for romantic finesse. Now? She wasn't so sure.

What truly weighed on her was the realization that Lisa had been behind the ambush. Lisa Manoban—a figure already too tangled in Chaeyoung's thoughts—had been leading the operation. And alongside her? A vaguely familiar woman whose presence scratched at the edges of Chaeyoung's memory.

Lisa wasn't a saint; Chaeyoung had long since discerned that. But a kidnapper?

"Roseanne!" Jennie's urgent whisper jolted Chaeyoung out of her spiraling thoughts, the sound sharp against her ear. "Boss wants you to serve table number thirty-seven."

"Oh." The blonde almost dropped the cocktail she was mixing. Who had even ordered this drink? Huffing under her breath, Chaeyoung leaned against the kitchen counter, her exhaustion weighing heavier with each second. What she really needed was coffee—iced, sweet, and drowning in honey syrup.

"In a minute," she muttered, already debating whether to ditch the cocktail entirely.

Jennie eyed her suspiciously. "You wanna get fired on your first day?"

"I'm tired."

"Duh. 'I'm tired' is practically tattooed on your forehead," Jennie quipped, rolling her eyes.

Chaeyoung shoved her friend's shoulder playfully. "Go back to cat-walking around the restaurant for pity tips, Jen."

"At least I'm getting tips."

"For your round ass."

"Even better!"

Their laughter was brief but comforting, a moment of normalcy before Jennie disappeared into the restaurant's garden to serve another table.

Chaeyoung stared down at the cocktail in her hand. Was it meant for table twelve? Or nine?

To hell with it.

In one swift motion, she downed the entire drink. A pleasant warmth spread through her chest, momentarily lifting her spirits. Grabbing a stack of menus for the seven diners at table thirty-seven, she steeled herself and stepped into the bustling dining area.

The job suited her, really. Years spent navigating campus life, dodging advances from creeps like Taeil, and biting her tongue when professors crossed lines had prepared her for the demanding nature of this work. The only difference now was the paycheck.

Chaeyoung approached the table with a practiced smile. "Hi, everyone. Are you ready to order?"

Her gaze swept the group, and her breath hitched.

At the far end of the table, Lisa sat hunched over her phone, her expression as unreadable as ever. The hand holding the device trembled slightly, though Lisa's focus never wavered.

Beside her sat a striking woman with vibrant violet hair. She was beautiful—gorgeous, even—and far too comfortable in Lisa's space for Chaeyoung's liking.

The blonde's lips pressed together in a tight line as she forced her smile to remain intact.

"Um," a woman wearing a jeweled bra finally spoke up, fiddling with her brightly dyed curls. "Y'all gon' order, or...?"