Chapter Two

TOUCH OF A MONSTER

Ava’s heart slammed against her ribs, her fingers trembling as she wiped the last of the spilled coffee from her apron. Her breaths came sharp and fast, too loud in the silence he left behind.

Then, a door creaked behind her.

A man in a sleek grey suit stepped in from outside, holding a phone to his ear and looking completely unbothered, like this kind of scene was normal for him. He stopped beside Leo—clearly waiting for an order.

Leo didn’t look at Ava. He peeled off his soaked jacket, handed it to the man, and spoke in a voice that was quiet but absolute.

“Call the owner.”

The man gave a slight nod and stepped away to make the call, murmuring into the phone. Ava looked at Nico, who looked back like he had no clue what the hell was happening.

“Leo—Mr.—sir,” Ava tried, stepping forward. “I didn’t mean to—it was a mistake. Please. I’ll clean everything, I’ll—”

He finally looked at her, his expression cold. “You poured boiling liquid on me.”

“I didn’t mean to,” she said, voice rising slightly with panic. “You surprised me. I didn’t even see you standing there—”

“It’s not about what you meant,” he said evenly. “It’s about what you did.”

She swallowed hard.

The grey-suited man returned and whispered something in Leo’s ear. Leo nodded once.

A minute later, the owner of the diner, Mr. Carson, a round, balding man with always-sweaty hands, came rushing in through the back door, eyes wide and frantic.

“Mr. Moretti—” he started, voice shaking. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know—if I’d known you were here, we’d have—”

Leo held up a hand, and Carson shut up instantly.

“I’m shutting this place down,” Leo said, voice calm. “Effective immediately.”

Carson blinked. “W-what?”

“You can collect your things, but this building is no longer yours.”

“Please,” Carson stammered, glancing between Leo and Ava, sweat glistening on his forehead. “I’ve had this place twenty years. It’s my whole life. Don’t do this. We’ll comp your meals for life, I swear. We’ll fix it.”

“You can’t fix disrespect,” Leo said coolly. “And your staff just assaulted me.”

Carson’s eyes darted to Ava.

She shook her head. “No—I didn’t assault anyone—”

Leo ignored her. “You’ll also be fined one million dollars for damages. Legal will be in touch.”

Carson paled like someone had reached into his chest and yanked the heart out.

“A million dollars?” he whispered. “This place barely makes that in ten years—”

Leo didn’t care.

“Wait!” Ava said, stepping forward. “This is insane! You’re ruining people’s lives over coffee!”

His head turned toward her slowly. “I gave you a chance. I left. I let it go. But you touched me again. And now I’m done being generous.”

And with that, he walked out.

Ava stood there in the middle of the restaurant that had been her second home for years, her shoes sticking to the floor, the bitter smell of coffee still clinging to the air.

Leo Moretti didn’t just leave with his silence.

He left her life in ruins.

The silence left in Leo’s wake was suffocating.

Mr. Carson turned slowly toward Ava, red-faced and trembling. His hands clenched at his sides, and for the first time in years, there was nothing friendly or fatherly in his gaze.

“You,” he spat. “You stupid, clumsy little girl.”

Ava flinched.

“This was my life,” he growled, his voice raw. “You know how hard I worked for this place? How many nights I slept in that damn office just to keep the lights on?”

“I didn’t mean to—” Ava started, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Oh, you didn’t mean to,” he snapped, mocking her. “Is that what you’ll tell the lawyers when they come after me? When they rip this place out from under me and hand it over to that bastard? I should’ve fired you the first week you walked in here with that lost puppy look. You’ve been nothing but a magnet for chaos.”

Nico stepped in between them. “Okay, that’s enough, Mr. Carson. She didn’t do this on purpose. You saw it. It was a freak accident.”

Carson turned on him too, his voice rising. “And you—you think this is a joke? You let your friend play waitress while I was trying to run a business!”

“She’s not—” Nico started, but Carson was already storming toward the back.

“Don’t come back,” he threw over his shoulder. “Either of you.”

Ava stood there, stunned, her feet glued to the floor, her throat tight with unshed tears.

Nico looked at her, helpless. “I’m sorry, Ava.”

She shook her head slowly. “It’s not your fault.”

“He’s just scared. He didn’t mean all that—”

“Yes, he did,” she said softly, voice hollow.

She reached for her coat hanging near the register and slipped it on with slow, numb movements. Everything around her looked wrong now. The flickering light over the kitchen window. The salt shaker she’d refilled just an hour ago. The booth where she and Nico used to sneak fries after close.

It was all gone. All of it.

She walked out the front door without another word. No goodbye. No second glance. Just cold air and the weight of something she didn’t understand pressing down on her chest.

She’d spilled a cup of coffee.

And somehow, her entire world had shattered.

Ava barely remembered walking home. Her legs moved on autopilot, her mind still spinning. The words “You owe one million dollars” repeated in her head like a cruel joke.

By the time she reached their tiny porch, her clothes were soaked, her boots dragging with each step. The moment she touched the doorknob, the front door burst open.

Her mom stood there, eyes wide with panic. “Ava—thank God.”

Ava stepped inside, and warmth hit her like a wave. Her father was pacing near the couch, her grandmother was clutching a rosary with trembling hands, and her little brother, Jaden, peeked out from behind a pillow. Kayla, her 17-year-old sister, was at the window scrolling through her phone.

“Where have you been?” her dad snapped, voice tight with fear. “We’ve been calling you for hours!”

“I—my phone died,” Ava said quietly. “I just needed to walk.”

“Walk?” her mom echoed, brushing Ava’s wet hair from her face. “Sweetheart, the whole town is talking. There’s a video of you and the restaurant—Leo Moretti, that mafia man—”

“Is it true?” her dad interrupted. “Did he really shut it down? Demand a fine?”

Ava took a breath. “Yes.”

The room fell into a stunned silence.

“I didn’t mean to spill the coffee on him,” she added. “It just slipped. And then—he looked at me like I didn’t exist. Like I was something he stepped on. Next thing I know, the place is shut down and Mr. Carson’s blaming me for ruining his life.”

Her voice cracked.

Her dad sat down heavily in the worn recliner, rubbing his forehead. Her mom covered her mouth with her hand. Jaden quietly climbed into Ava’s lap and curled against her, as if sensing something was wrong.

“Mr. Carson’s suing,” Ava continued numbly. “They’re saying I owe a million dollars for damages.”

“A million?” her mom gasped. “How is that even legal?”

“Because it’s him,” Kayla muttered from the window. “Leo Moretti owns the city. He doesn’t follow rules—he is the rules.”

Her dad looked up. “This is bad, Ava. Really bad.”

“I know.”

“We have to do something,” her mom said. “This isn’t just a work issue. This is—this is dangerous.”

Grandma finally spoke. “She needs to leave.”

Ava looked at her, heart sinking. “Grandma…”

“Go to your aunt’s. Cynthia will take you in. Stay quiet, lie low, and wait for this madness to pass.”

“Cynthia?” Ava nearly laughed. “She called me a freeloader when I stayed for one weekend. She told Kayla her makeup made her look like a demon.”

Kayla held up her phone. “Confirmed. She’s a tyrant.”

“She’s still family,” Grandma said sternly. “And she lives far from here. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere safe.”

Ava’s mom nodded. “I don’t like it either, but Grandma’s right. He’s powerful. He could come after you.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Ava said, frustration cracking through her chest. “It was coffee. I didn’t stab him. I didn’t insult him. It spilled—by accident. That’s all it was!”

“And yet he still destroyed a man’s entire business,” her dad said grimly. “That should tell you everything.”

Silence followed.

Jaden tugged her sleeve. “Are you going away?”

Ava looked down at his big, innocent eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. “I don’t know yet, baby.”

Her mother came to sit beside her and gently squeezed her hand. “We’re not sending you away, Ava. We’re trying to keep you safe.”

“I know,” she whispered.

Her dad sighed. “We’ll talk to a lawyer, see if anything can be done. But in the meantime... maybe take a few days off. Get out of town. Just until the storm passes.”

Kayla mumbled, “If it ever does.”

Ava looked around the room—at her family, all worried, all scrambling to figure out how to fix something she didn’t break.

"I hope everything goes well"