"A billionaire’s son shoved me to the marble floor of a packed Manhattan restaurant, then stood over me while wealthy strangers watched in silence. He thought I was just a waitress he could humiliate without consequences, until the most feared man in the room pushed back his chair and stood up.

I woke up at 10:00 AM the next morning, my hip throbbing with a dull, heavy ache.

I dragged myself out of bed, popped two ibuprofen, and hobbled toward the kitchen to make cheap coffee. As I walked past my front door, something caught my eye.

A bright yellow piece of paper was taped directly over my peephole.

I pulled it off. My blood ran completely cold.

It was a 24-hour eviction notice. The signature at the bottom belonged to the property management company—a subsidiary of Caldwell Real Estate Holdings.

Ethan hadn't wasted a single minute. He couldn't touch Victor DeLuca, so he was burning my life to the ground instead.

Tears of sheer panic pricked my eyes. My mother was staying at a care facility, but this apartment was all I had. If I lost it, I’d be on the streets.

My phone buzzed on the counter. It was David, my manager from Le Petit Palais.

“David, please,” I answered, my voice cracking. “I need my advance on this week’s tips. I’m being evicted.”

There was a long, heavy silence on the line.

“Anna, I… I can't do that,” David said, his voice laced with genuine terror.

“Why not?”

“Because you don't work here anymore,” David whispered. “Richard Caldwell called the owner this morning. He threatened to pull the restaurant’s lease if you weren't fired immediately. I’m so sorry, Anna. I had no choice.”

The line went dead.

I dropped the phone onto the counter, my legs giving out. I sank to the linoleum floor, pulling my knees to my chest. In less than twelve hours, Ethan Caldwell had stripped me of my job and my home. I had fifty dollars in my bank account.

I buried my face in my hands and finally broke down sobbing.

A heavy knock at my front door made me jump.

I scrambled up, wiping my face, terrified that the Caldwells had sent someone to throw me out physically.

I unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open.