Touch the Billionaire

Chapter 7

“Uh…” Jojo began but couldn’t say anything, so he pretended to chop off a chicken leg.

“Actually, Ma’am Karen… a customer asked for a special cocktail that’s not in the menu, so Rosetta made it for him,” Angelie butted in when she came into the kitchen. She secretly gave the others a warning look.

Everyone went quiet. Since they cared about Rosetta, no one breathed a word.

Karen stared at Angelie for a long moment before she nodded. “It’s fine.”

Meanwhile, Rosetta carefully placed the tall glass of the golden cocktail. She also placed the little basket—made of coconut leaves—with the bill in it. The total amount was six thousand five hundred pesos (about $133). She watched as the dark blond man took his fat wallet after checking the total amount. Even without counting, she knew he put more than the amount. It was seldom customers gave them tips since it wasn’t mandatory.

She looked at the basket and back at Yuri’s face. She discovered he was staring at her, like he was studying her expression.

“I-I think you put more than what you need to pay, sir,” she pointed out, starting to take the money to give it back to him.

His arresting eyes moved from her face to her hand and back again to her face, meeting her dark brown gaze. “I’m giving you a tip for creating the best cocktail I ever tasted. It’s actually a small amount to reward you for a world-class cocktail, so just keep it,” he calmly spoke.

Her jaw fell while staring at him. She had no idea, but he became handsome in her eyes with each passing minute.

OMG! A world-class cocktail? Is he serious or is he just pulling my leg?

“B-but…” she started to protest, counting how much was on top of the bill he was supposed to pay. “I-I think—”

“Is there any problem here, Rosetta?” Karen approached them, seeing that they were in some sort of a debate. The golden cocktail never escaped from her hawk-like eyes.

All the four men’s eyes transferred to her manager before the three males’ eyes went back to Yuri.

“Is your staff not allowed to accept a tip?” Yuri straightforwardly asked Karen, quickly glancing at the manager’s nameplate where her name and rank were reflected.

“Oh! Of course they’re allowed, sir.” Karen smiled, which she usually gave to the customers but not so much to the staff. “I’m just wondering what’s the server is fussing about. I thought there was a problem.”

Rosetta blinked and swallowed, couldn’t meet the manager’s eyes.

“Rosetta? Just say your thanks to the kind man and get on with your work, alright?” Karen told her in an oddly sweet voice.

She was forced to nod, couldn’t protest anymore. Her eyes drifted to Yuri’s face. “T-thank you, sir. I hope you’ll come again,” she said in a small voice.

“Oh! Definitely! We’ll come back!” the dark-haired man said.

She just glanced at him and gave him a small smile before she looked at Yuri once again before she left, leaving Karen to talk with the Russians. She wasn’t at ease for taking a tip that was a hundred percent of the total amount paid. It was as much as her monthly salary.

When she went over to the cashier, she gave the right amount and kept the tip, as Yuri said. Angelie came up to her with a big and excited smile.

“Hey! What’s going on? Ma’am Karen went over to those hunks’ table!” she asked as the cashier punched in, giving the receipt to her.

She rolled the money and inserted it into her jeans front pocket. Angelie’s eyes went big as saucers.

“You got a tip?” She looked excited for her. She even hugged Rosetta and then released her, only to cup her face. “That’s great! I think you’re lucky today in spite of that unfortunate incident earlier with the ancient beyotch!” She grinned from ear to ear.

Rosetta couldn’t help but smile. In her mind and heart, she thanked Yuri and also God for giving her such luck. She hoped it would be like this from now on.

***

Rosetta served more customers until around ten in the evening. The restaurant closed at eleven and that was when she could logout and go home. Most of the time, she and Angelie would take a pedicab home together with the other staff that lived in Dumaguete City. Even though Exotic Sunny Resort was situated in Sibulan, a town next to the city, it was safe enough for her to go home at this hour. Usually, her brother Russel would wait for her in the corner going to their house so that she wouldn’t be walking alone all the way home, especially that crimes are rampant these days. The main road was about a block away from their house. There were houses all around, but they would never know if some criminal would strike or just lurk in the shadows. There were some street posts that had no lights as they weren’t changed by the local government. It was either not in the budget or it was simply neglected.

She bade her colleagues goodbye when she got off the pedicab and saw her brother waiting for her, leaning against the post with a bright light overhead. She linked arms with him as they walked back home.

“You know what?” She started to strike a conversation with her brother, who was almost a head taller than her.

“Just tell me, ‘Nang,” he uttered, yawning.

“I met someone today.”

He looked at her, surprised. His eyebrows rose. They stopped as he pulled out his cheap cell phone to turn the flashlight on. That part in the middle of their home and the street was always dark. And that part always had someone or some bystanders smoking as there was a closed sari-sari store, which had two wooden benches where people could sit and observe bypassers without their knowledge.

“Who?” Russel asked his older sister. He directed the light to the right where the store was. There was no one there tonight, which was kind of a relief.

“Well, just a customer at the restaurant. He gave me a huge tip!” she whispered the last two words in his ear.

He whipped his head in her direction. “Really? Why would he? What did you do? Did you do something special? Or does he like you? Is he old, like MMMM (Matandang Mayaman Madaling Mamatay)?” He squinted his eyes at her.

She laughed at him, bumping his arm with her shoulder. “No! He’s not an old rich man that dies quickly (ORMTDQ)! Silly!”

He sighed. “You gave me a scare! Papa will throw a fit if it’s the case!”

She laughed softly. “You think so?”

Their steps were light and almost didn’t make a sound, but the dogs barked at them. They just ignored these since the dogs couldn’t get out through the fence or the gate, which was either made of concrete and iron or plainly bamboo sticks.

“So… you like this guy?” Russel asked curiously.

Rosetta couldn’t speak as she watched her brother’s face, thankful that a couple of street lights ahead were on.