She called security on a father and his little girl, never realizing the man she wanted removed could fire her entire management team.

Emma walked down the grand staircase with her heart pounding against her ribs.

The revelation that Daniel’s crash wasn't an accident changed everything. She looked across the dining room toward Table 17 with entirely new eyes.

Daniel was sitting quietly, sipping a cup of black coffee while Lily happily devoured her second blueberry pancake. He looked exhaustion personified, his shoulders slumped, his eyes carrying dark circles that spoke of years of heavy burdens.

Emma walked over to the kitchen pass, picking up a tray containing a fresh carafe of hot coffee, a glass of orange juice, and a small bowl of fresh strawberries.

She walked up to Table 17, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.

"Excuse me, Mr. Calloway," Emma said softly, setting the fresh juice down in front of Lily. "I brought some fresh strawberries for the young lady, and fresh coffee for you."

Daniel looked up, offering a gentle, warm smile that instantly made Emma’s heart ache with guilt.

"Thank you, Miss Reed," Daniel said kindly. "You really don't have to wait on us yourself. I know you have a full dining room to run."

"It's my absolute privilege," Emma said sincerely, filling his coffee mug. She stepped closer, lowering her voice so surrounding tables couldn't hear. "Mr. Calloway... I want to apologize to you and Lily from the bottom of my heart for how I treated you earlier. It was unpardonable."

Daniel set his cup down, looking at her with deep understanding in his eyes.

"You don't need to apologize, Emma," Daniel said softly. "Look at me. I look like a ghost that crawled out of a swamp. You were just protecting the standard of the venue."

"No," Emma insisted quietly, looking down at Lily, who was happily dipping a strawberry in whipped cream. "I was blind. And I am deeply sorry."

Lily looked up at Emma, her dark brown eyes bright and innocent. "It's okay, lady. Daddy says people are just busy sometimes."

Emma felt tears threaten her eyes again. She pulled out a small silver key from her pocket and set it gently on the table beside Daniel’s mug.

"This is the key to the private suite on the third floor," Emma whispered. "Mr. Everett instructed me to prepare it for you. There are clean clothes, hot water, and fresh shoes waiting for both of you whenever you're ready."

Daniel looked at the key, a profound look of relief washing over his face. "Thank you, Emma. Truly."

As Emma picked up her empty tray, she glanced up toward the mezzanine level.

Julian Vance was standing by the mahogany railing above, his glass of scotch held loosely in his hand, his eyes cold and fixed squarely on Daniel.

Beside Julian stood a burly, thick-necked man wearing an unmarked dark suit—Julian’s private chauffeur and head of security, a man named Viktor.

Julian leaned down, whispering something into Viktor’s ear. Viktor nodded once, turned, and walked briskly down the service stairwell toward the rear exit of the building.