Chapter 2 The Gentle Bond

I was sweeping crumbs off the floor when the bell above the door rang again. But this time, the diner was almost empty.

I didn't need to look up to know who it was.

There was a silence that followed him, the kind that made my heart beat fast before I even saw his face. Mark Mogul walked in like he belonged everywhere and nowhere at once.

His eyes found mine almost immediately, and I hated the way my chest squeezed as if I had been holding my breath waiting for him.

"You're back again?" I asked, trying to sound casual, pretending like I hadn't been wishing he would come again.

He smiled faintly, putting his jacket on the order table. "What can I say? The coffee's better here."

I scoffed, shaking my head. "Better than the five-star hotel cafes that you're probably used to?"

His smiled again, much wider this time and for a moment, he looked younger.

"Those places don't come with your company, you know." He flattered me.

I felt heat crawl up my neck so I quickly turned away, pretending to busy myself with the coffee pot. "Careful rich guy, flattery won't get you another free cup."

"Then I'll pay double." His voice had a softness that stuck to me even though I tried to ignore it.

When I placed the mug in front of him, his hand touched mine accidentally or maybe it wasn't an accident. My skin went warm, and I pulled away too quickly, scolding myself in silence.

I couldn't afford to do this. Whatever this was.

We talked as the hours continued in the day. At first, it was about small things, how long I had worked there, the history of the diner, his odd preference for black coffee without sugar.

Then slowly, the walls I had built was beginning to crack.

He asked about Lily, and I found myself telling him more than I should, how she loved drawing, how she hated carrots but loved pancakes, how she sometimes woke crying at night asking why she didn't have a daddy like other kids.

His face held that softness that made me drool again when he heard what I said about her not having a daddy.

"She is lucky to have you."

I gave a short laugh, though it came out more like a sigh. "Lucky? I'm barely keeping us alive. Sometimes I feel like I'm one step away from losing everything. If luck was on my side, I wouldn't be cleaning tables at midnight."

Mark leaned closer to me, his voice was low, like he was whispering. "You're strong, Clara. Stronger than you know. Not everyone could do what you're doing for her."

His words hit me deeper than I expected. My throat went dry, my eyes burning with tears I refused to let fall. I quickly turned away, holding the the edge of the table until my knuckles became white.

Strong? . I didn't feel strong. I felt broken, like the world had chewed me and spit me out. But hearing it from him made me almost believe it.

The night continued, and once again he stayed longer than any other customer. I noticed how he checked his phone often, sighing heavily whenever messages came through.

At one point, his jaw was so tight that I thought he might break the screen.

"Work troubles?" I asked quietly. I don't know why I kept finding it hard to mind my business.

"Family troubles," he admitted to me, his voice was low.

I hesitated before speaking. "The kind you can't fix with money?"

He smiled, though it was a sad one.. "Exactly that kind."

I offered him another refill and let the silence linger between us.

When he finally left, I watched him walk into the night, and I hated myself again for caring, for wanting him to come back, for letting my heart stir when it had no business doing so.

But he did come back.

Again and again.

Night after night, Mark became a common sight in the diner. Sometimes he sat quietly, working on his laptop.

Other times, he asked me about my dreams, dreams I had buried so deep I had almost forgotten them. He made me laugh at silly jokes. He helped me carry heavy boxes when deliveries came late.

He even brought small gifts for Lily and asked me to give tnem to her. They were always simple gifts, crayons, storybooks, hair clips shaped like butterflies. He never overstepped, never made me feel like a charity case.

He treated my daughter with genuine kindness, kneeling down to her level, listening to her talk on the phone like she was the most important person in the world.

But I should have stopped it then.

I should have pushed him away before the lines became blurry. But I couldn't. Because for the first time in years, someone saw me not just the tired waitress or the single mother but as Clara.

Afterall, I woman who still had a heart, even if it was broken.

One night, after closing, he offered to walk me home. I hesitated, but the streets were dark and dangerous, and Lily was waiting for me. So I let him.

When he got to my house, I offered to give him a tour of the neighbourhood. Our footsteps were loud as we walked down the stairs of my apartment.

Lily ran ahead, singing a tune from her nursery ryhme, her teddy bear, baby buff buff kept bouncing with her on each step. Mark walked beside me, his hands were in his pockets, but his presence made me feel safe.

"Do you ever wish things were different?" he asked suddenly, his eyes fixed on the streetlights.

"All the time," I admitted, my arms huggin my upper body. "But wishing doesn't pay the bills."

He looked at me when I said those words, his gaze was intense. "What if they could be different?"

I stopped walking, my heart beating fast. "Mark..." I shook my head. "Don't. Please. You don't understand the mess my life is. You don't belong in it."

"And you think I belong in mine?" His voice cracked but it was sincere. "Clara, my parents control every breath I take. They decide who I'm supposed to be, who I should marry, how I should live. Do you think that's belonging? Do you think that's freedom?"

His pain scared me. For a moment, the billionaire's son standing before me looked as helpless as I often felt.

"I'm saying," he continued, but more soft now, "that maybe we're both lost in our own ways. And maybe we could find something together."

I stared at him, my chest was aching by this time. The night air was warm around us, it was heavy with the weight of what he was offering.

But before I could answer, Lily called out, "Mummy, mummy!" and the moment shattered like glass.