Chapter 2 - The Man Who Walked Into My Family’s Judgment
The restaurant went silent when Roman Rossi walked through the entrance holding my hand.
Not because anyone knew who I was.
Because everyone knew who he was.
My fingers were still wrapped around his.
I could feel every pair of eyes in the room moving toward us.
My mother was the first person to stop smiling.
She stood near the entrance of the private dining room, one hand holding a champagne glass, the other frozen halfway through adjusting her necklace.
For a second, she looked like she had forgotten how to breathe.
Then her eyes moved from Roman’s face to our joined hands.
And finally to me.
“Sadi?”
Her voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
The kind of quiet that meant she was trying to understand how her least impressive daughter had just walked into her perfect family event with a man who looked like he belonged on the cover of a business magazine.
Roman didn’t release my hand.
That small detail mattered.
Because I knew my family.
They noticed everything.
Especially when it came to me.
If I had walked in alone, my mother would have immediately guided me toward table twelve near the kitchen.
She would have whispered that I should “try to be comfortable.”
She would have introduced me with that careful smile people used when they were apologizing for someone.
But tonight…
Tonight, Roman Rossi was standing beside me.
And nobody knew what to do.
“Mom,” I said.
My voice sounded calmer than I felt.
“This is Roman.”
My mother blinked.
“Yes.”
She looked at him.
“Of course.”
I frowned slightly.
“You know him?”
The room became even quieter.
My mother quickly smiled.
“No, sweetheart. I mean… everyone knows of him.”
Everyone.
That word carried weight.
Roman gave my mother a polite nod.
“Mrs. Miller.”
His voice was calm.
Professional.
Almost too calm.
“It’s a pleasure.”
My mother immediately straightened.
People reacted differently to Roman.
Some became nervous.
Some became overly friendly.
My mother became both.
“Oh, please. Call me Linda.”
She laughed awkwardly.
“I wasn’t expecting…”
Her eyes moved toward me.
“…this.”
I understood exactly what she meant.
Not Roman.
Me.
She wasn’t expecting me to bring someone like him.
A man like Roman belonged with women who wore designer dresses without checking the price tag.
Women who knew how to enter a room and make people notice.
Not someone like me.
A maid.
A woman who spent most of her days cleaning the homes of people like him.
Roman seemed to notice my mother’s hesitation.
But he didn’t comment.
He simply placed his hand gently against my lower back.
A small gesture.
Nothing dramatic.
But enough.
Enough to remind everyone that I wasn’t standing there alone.
“Your daughter told me a lot about this evening,” Roman said.
I almost turned toward him.
I had not told him anything.
Not really.
But my mother didn’t know that.
She smiled.
“Oh?”
“Yes.”
Roman looked at me.
“She was worried about making everyone comfortable.”
The sentence was simple.
But it hit me harder than I expected.
Because it was true.
I was always worried about everyone else.
My mother’s expression softened slightly.
For a moment, I wondered if maybe she heard what he was actually saying.
Maybe she understood.
Then Derek appeared.
Of course he did.
He stepped out from the dining room wearing an expensive suit and the same confident smile I remembered.
The smile of someone who believed he was always the best option available.
“Sadi?”
His eyes moved toward Roman.
The smile disappeared.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
Derek had expected me to arrive alone.
Maybe embarrassed.
Maybe uncomfortable.
Maybe exactly the way he remembered me.
He had not expected this.
“Derek,” I said.
He looked at me.
Then at Roman.
“Interesting.”
I hated that word.
Interesting.
People used it when they didn’t want to admit they were shocked.
Derek extended his hand.
“I’m Derek Collins.”
Roman looked at his hand.
Then slowly shook it.
“Roman Rossi.”
Derek’s expression changed.
Just slightly.
But enough.
Everyone knew that name.
Even people who pretended they didn’t.
“Well,” Derek said.
He forced a laugh.
“This is unexpected.”
Roman released his hand.
“Yes.”
The silence afterward was painful.
Derek looked at me.
“So… how did you two meet?”
I opened my mouth.
But Roman answered first.
“She works for me.”
The room changed instantly.
I felt it.
The tiny shift.
The questions.
The assumptions.
Derek looked surprised.
“She works for you?”
“Yes.”
My cheeks became warm.
I knew where this was going.
The moment people heard “maid,” they would decide everything.
Derek looked at my dress.
Then at Roman.
Then back at me.
“I didn’t know you had moved into that world.”
I forced a smile.
“What does that mean?”
He shrugged.
“Nothing. I just mean… it’s a big difference.”
Roman’s eyes moved toward him.
Cold.
Sharp.
But I stepped slightly forward.
I didn’t want Roman defending me.
Not yet.
Because this was my fight.
“I’m proud of my work,” I said.
Derek looked uncomfortable.
“I didn’t say you shouldn’t be.”
“You implied it.”
The words surprised even me.
For years, I would have laughed things like this away.
Not tonight.
Not with Roman standing beside me.
Derek looked away.
“Still the same.”
I frowned.
“What?”
“You always take things personally.”
Before I could answer, Roman spoke.
“No.”
Everyone looked at him.
“She simply remembers things you expect her to forget.”
The room went silent.
Derek’s face tightened.
Roman wasn’t angry.
That was the scary part.
He was calm.
Completely calm.
And somehow that made every word heavier.
My mother quickly interrupted.
“Let’s all sit down.”
She guided everyone toward the tables.
I noticed something immediately.
My seat had changed.
Table twelve was gone.
Instead, there were two chairs at the main table.
Beside my mother.
Beside Roman.
I looked at her.
She avoided my eyes.
Roman noticed.
Of course he noticed.
He noticed everything.
When we sat down, the conversation became strangely careful.
People asked Roman questions.
His business.
His travels.
His opinions.
Everyone wanted to know him.
But nobody asked me anything.
Until Chloe arrived.
My younger sister.
The bride.
She entered the room wearing a beautiful white dress.
Everyone immediately surrounded her.
My mother smiled proudly.
“There she is.”
Chloe hugged her.
Then she saw me.
Her smile remained.
But something changed.
Then she saw Roman.
And froze.
“Sadi.”
She walked closer.
“Who is this?”
I looked at Roman.
Then back at her.
“My boyfriend.”
The words felt strange.
Not because they were false.
Because saying them out loud made everything feel real.
Chloe’s eyebrows lifted.
“Your boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
She looked at Roman again.
Then whispered:
“Since when?”
I almost laughed.
Because I didn’t know.
Roman answered smoothly.
“Long enough.”
Chloe studied him.
She wasn’t convinced.
Neither was I.
The dinner continued.
But something felt different.
People treated me differently.
Not because they suddenly understood me.
Because Roman Rossi was beside me.
And honestly…
That bothered me.
I didn’t want respect because of a man.
I wanted it because I deserved it.
Later that evening, I stepped outside onto the quiet terrace.
I needed air.
A few seconds later, I heard the door open behind me.
Roman.
“You left.”
I looked over my shoulder.
“I needed a minute.”
He stood beside me.
“You handled yourself well.”
I smiled slightly.
“Was that a compliment?”
“Yes.”
I looked at him.
“That sounded painful.”
For the first time, a small smile appeared on his face.
Barely there.
But real.
“You’re different tonight.”
I looked away.
“I’m wearing a dress.”
“No.”
His voice became softer.
“You’re not apologizing.”
That sentence stayed with me.
Before I could answer, the terrace door opened again.
A voice behind us spoke.
“Sadi.”
I turned.
My mother stood there.
But she wasn’t alone.
She held something in her hand.
An old photograph.
Her face was pale.
“Where did you get this?” I asked.
She looked at Roman.
Then back at me.
“I need to ask you something.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
She slowly turned the photograph around.
My breath stopped.
Because the picture showed Roman.
Standing beside someone from my past.
Someone I thought I would never see again.
My mother whispered:
“Sadi… you need to know who Roman Rossi really is.”
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Then the lights inside the restaurant suddenly went out.
And from the darkness behind us, someone whispered my name...
