Starlight Souls ✦

00:08

The restaurant was not that busy, if you were to compare it to the rest of its working days. The reason being that some businessman had booked the whole restaurant because he wanted to have a meeting over lunch with his clients peacefully, and it wasn't just any businessman—it was Eleanor Ivory—known for being one of the richest people on the continent. He lived in Diaville—the city of the rich—where everybody basically worshipped the ground he walked upon.

'Denzel, Lana.' A man chimed, 'You both will bring the order to their tables when it's ready.'

'Okay.' Both the workers said at the same time and nodded their heads, their faces sleepy because of how they had to wake up early on the weekend to work an extra shift. Good thing that it was paid.

'The food's ready.' The chef said as both of the waiters grabbed their trays and made their way to the tables where the guests were sitting.

Both of them started to place the dishes on the table as the meeting was in progress, their trays, which were filled with all sorts of dishes, growing lighter every second that they spent arranging the dishes on the tables.

Everything was going peacefully until Denzel saw a very familiar face sitting at the tables.

'Candace?' The words left his mouth before he realised that it was already too late; most of the eyes on the tables were on him. Candace saw him, and Denzel watched as he saw a flash of emotions waving past Candace's face.

'Madam, do you know him?' One of the older men sitting at the table asked.

Candace stayed quiet for a few seconds before answering, 'He's my friend.'

Her tone was calm, but Denzel could just make out the emotions she was trying to hide behind her voice. Confusion struck Denzel before the realisation did, and once the realisation struck him, he turned to stone for a second.

How did he never realise that Candace was the daughter of the Ivory's? Her last name was Ivory; she belonged to Diaville and resembled Eleanor Ivory in most of the ways she carried herself. How did he never realise?

'Ma'am,' The old man had a frown on his face as he talked to Candace, 'I don't think it is up to your standards to befriend a waiter.'

'I didn't befriend a waiter.' Candace tried to sound as confident as she could, but only Denzel could hear the confidence break beneath her voice. 'He's my classmate; we share the same classes; it doesn't seem like a valid point for me to break my friendship with him just because he works as a waiter.'

Denzel was so shocked, he could barely process what was happening. He knew that Candace appeared confident no matter where and always carried herself with grace, but he had never seen that side of her—not the valedictorian of her class, but the daughter of the Ivory's, a literal princess.

'Sorry to speak up against you, Madam,' The man added while the rest of the people watched the conversation happen, 'But don't you think you deserve to have friends who belong to the higher society and not the ones who work on minimum wage?' It isn't good for your image.'

'What's good for my image and what's not is completely my choice, and I don't think you have the right to tell me who I should befriend and who I shouldn't.' Candace's words cut through the air in the restaurant: 'So what if he works as a waiter? At least he doesn't have such a lowly mindset like you, Mr. Schewarff.'

The old man was taken aback by Candace's words as she added, 'And don't forget, Mr. Schewarff, you work under the part of the business that I'll be handling in a few years. I could make you and your son lose your job if I wanted.'

The man swallowed the lump in his throat and started down at his lap as she listened to what Candace had to say to him.

Candace looked up to see Denzel, who was standing there like a statue, and the look in her eyes immediately softened, the way it did when she was around her friends. 'Can I have a word with you, Denzel?'

'Umm, sure.' Denzel's words came out more clumsier than he had imagined.

Candace stood up from her chair and took the tray in Denzel's hands before placing it down on the table as she said to the man, 'Serve to the other with your own hands, Mr. Schewarff.'

'But-'

'Didn't you hear what I said?' Those words were enough for the old man to get to work and for Denzel to fear Candace, seeing how fearlessly she could act when she needed to. She turned to Denzel and grabbed his hand. 'Let's go.'

As both of them made their way to the verandah, Candace started by making an apology: 'Denzel, listen, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hide the truth from you all. It was just something that I had to do. Look, I'm sorry, I really am sorry.'

'Candace.' Denzel's words cut off Candace mid-sentence as she stared at him: 'Relax. It's okay that you hid your family background from us; it's completely fine.' He added, 'You don't have to be sorry for who you are. The one thing that you have to be sorry for is not being who you are.'

Candace looked at Denzel; she wanted to cry at that moment because never in her life did she think that someone would understand her reason behind hiding her family background, but it seemed as if she had finally found the people who would.

'I'm sorry, Denzel.' She looked down as she continued, 'It's just that whenever I have told people who my family is, they all start to look at me as if I'm someone important. They forget that I'm also a human being just like them. Some people grow distant because they feel like they aren't on the same level as me, and some people grow close because they want to take advantage of me. Till this day, the only genuine friendship I have had is the one I experienced after coming to Mirae Town, to be with you all. That had only fuelled up the belief I had of not disclosing my family background to anyone if I wanted to have people with genuine intentions in my life. I really am sorry.'

Denzel listened closely, not knowing what to say. 'You must have felt embarrassed.' Candace looked up at him, confusion in her eyes. 'To admit that a waiter like me was friends with a girl like you in front of all those people who barely pay attention to the people who work like me.'

Candace shook her head. 'Not at all.' Her voice was firm as she spoke, 'I'm happy to have a friend who works for himself, is independent, and is hardworking.' I'd love to have a friend like you. Just promise me one thing.'

'What?'

'That you won't tell the other about my family background.'

'Fine, I won't.' Denzel replied without any hesitation as Candace smiled at him. It was the first time that he noticed the dimples at the corners of her smile; it was the first time he had seen her smile genuinely.