Chapter 864: Vanessa Porter. Gods Fix Things Vanessa Porter had served wealthy people for seven years. She knew their patterns. Their tells. The way old money moved differently than new money—quieter, more assured, like they’d never had to prove anything to anyone. The way tech millionaires checked their phones mid-conversation because their time was worth more than your existence. The way trust fund kids looked through you like you were part of the furniture, just another amenity included with their $400 tasting menu. She’d learned to read them in seconds. Had to, for survival. Know which ones tipped well and which ones would complain about imaginary problems to get their bill comped. Know which ones wanted invisible service and which ones wanted their egos stroked with every pour of wine. Seven years. Hundreds of wealthy faces blurring into the same entitled mask. None of them had prepared her for him. "Aurora Maria Porter!" The words tore out of her throat before she could stop them—the full name, the nuclear option, reserved for moments when her daughter had done something that could cost them everything. She was already weaving between tables, heart hammering against her ribs, her mind spiraling in a desperate loop, the same prayer repeating itself over and over until it felt like it was carved into her skull. "There’s nothing to apologize for." The voice stopped her cold. It was warm. Genuinely warm. Not the practiced warmth of someone managing a situation, not the condescending warmth of someone being gracious to the help. Just... warm. Like sunlight through a window. Vanessa looked up. And forgot how to breathe. The man sitting—no, standing, he was standing now—was the most beautiful human being she had ever seen in her life. It wasn’t just handsomeness. She’d served handsome men before. Actors with chiseled jaws. Models with perfect bone structure. This was... unfair. And his eyes—God, his eyes—held a depth of warmth that made her feel like she was the only person in the room. Vanessa swallowed hard, forcing herself to focus, forcing her mind back into the safe, practiced script of professionalism. {Stop it. Stop staring. He’s a guest.} But her gaze still flickered, traitorous, to his hands—large, elegant, resting casually at his sides like he’d never lifted anything heavier than a wine glass in his life. {—what those hands would feel like. Oh God. Oh no. What is wrong with you, Vanessa? Your daughter is standing right here. Charlotte Thompson is sitting right there. And you’re— —wondering if he’s that beautiful everywhere.} She tore her eyes away like she’d been burned. "Please," he said, and even his voice was unfair. Deep. Smooth. The kind of voice that probably made women do stupid things and call it character development. "There’s really nothing to apologize for. Rory is delightful." He smiled. And something in that smile made Vanessa’s heart stutter, because he wasn’t just smiling at the situation. He was smiling like... like he knew something. Like he’d heard things he shouldn’t have. Like he’d been listening. "You know her name?" Vanessa heard herself ask, because her brain was still struggling to catch up with her mouth. "She introduced herself. Aurora Maria Porter." His smile widened just slightly, a hint of amusement playing at the corners of his perfect mouth. "Very formal for such a small person." Rory giggled. "He’s a god, Mama. A real one. He made his hand go all whooshy." {Oh God. Oh no. Of course she had.} Because Rory had no filter and no fear and absolutely no understanding of the kind of social hierarchies that could crush people like them without even noticing. Vanessa risked a glance at the woman sitting across from him and nearly choked on her own tongue. Charlotte Thompson. The Charlotte Thompson. Vanessa felt her blood run cold. Her face was burning. She could feel the flush spreading down her neck, probably visible, probably obvious, probably humiliating. The man—was still smiling. That same gentle smile. Like Vanessa’s panic was something he understood instead of something he judged. "I’m so sorry," she heard herself say again, because her mouth was stuck in apology mode and couldn’t find the off switch. "She has an active imagination—" "Please don’t apologize." His voice was soft, but steady. Grounding. The kind of voice that made you feel like maybe you weren’t about to fall apart in public. "She’s been wonderful company. Truly." Vanessa stared at him. How? The question burned through her, sharp and bewildered. How could someone have everything—the looks, the money, the power, the woman sitting across from him—and still be kind and polite? She’d served men who had a tenth of what this man clearly possessed—men in cheaper suits, with plainer faces, with girlfriends who couldn’t hold a candle to Charlotte Thompson—and they’d treated her like something stuck to the bottom of their shoe. Every single time! But here was this man, this ridiculous man with his perfect face and his perfect voice and Charlotte Thompson sitting beside him, and he was... being kind. Genuinely kind. "I’m Eros." Vanessa blinked. He was introducing himself. To her. Like she mattered. "I realized I never introduced myself," he continued, and there was something almost sheepish in his tone, like he was the one who’d made a mistake. "Rory told me her name, but I don’t think I caught yours—if you don’t mind me asking?" {If you don’t mind me asking.} He’d phrased it like a question. Given her an out. Treated the simple act of asking her name like it required her permission. Who did that? Who had Charlotte Thompson and a face like that and still treated a waitress like she mattered? "Vanessa," she managed. Her voice came out rougher than she intended. "Vanessa Porter." "Vanessa." The way he said her name—like it was worth remembering—did something unsettling to her chest. Something soft. Something dangerous. "It’s nice to meet you." Four words. Simple words. But he meant them. Vanessa knew he meant them. This man—Eros—wasn’t acting. He wasn’t playing rich-guy kindness like a performance for the room. He was just... like that. "You have a remarkable daughter," he added, glancing down at Rory with an expression of genuine fondness. Vanessa’s eyes stung. She blinked hard, looking away before the tears could form. Don’t cry. Not here. Not in front of them. Not in front of Charlotte Thompson. Not in front of this man who looked at her like she was human. "I—" Her voice cracked. "Thank you. That’s... thank you." Charlotte leaned forward, and her voice was warm too—not pitying, not condescending, just warm. "She really is remarkable. She came over here and completely charmed us. You should be proud." "I am." Vanessa squeezed Rory’s hand like a lifeline. "She’s everything to me." A moment stretched between them. Fragile. Heavy. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞 And then Rory opened her mouth and destroyed it, as children always did—small agents of chaos wrapped in curls and innocence. "Mama, he grants wishes. For mamas and little girls. I already told him the prayers. The secret ones." The blood drained from Vanessa’s face. No. No, no, no. "Rory—" "He promised, Mama." Rory’s voice was bright with certainty. "Pinky promise. That’s serious." Vanessa’s breath caught. Her heart dropped into her stomach, cold dread spreading through her like poison. "I’m sorry," Vanessa said quickly, panic clawing up her throat. "Whatever she told you, I’m sorry, she doesn’t understand—" "Vanessa." Peter’s voice cut through her spiral, gentle but firm. Like a hand closing around her wrist before she fell off a cliff. "May I speak with your manager for a moment?" The world tilted. No. "No—" Her voice cracked. "Please. Please, I need this job. Whatever she said, I’ll make it right, please don’t—" "Which way is the office?" He was already moving, stepping around the table with purpose. "Sir—Mr.—please, I’m begging you—" Her words came out raw now, stripped of pride, stripped of dignity, stripped down to the only truth that mattered. She couldn’t lose this. Not this job. Not now. "Mama’s gonna cry," Rory said suddenly, her small voice cutting through the panic like a knife. She was tugging at Peter’s sleeve, looking up at him with those big brown eyes. "She always cries when she thinks she’s gonna get fired." Peter stopped. He knelt down—actually knelt, in what was probably a several-thousand-dollar suit, on the floor of a restaurant—until he was at Rory’s eye level. "Remember what I told you about wishes?" he asked quietly. "About how they work best when daughters tell gods what their mamas need?" Rory nodded, her lip trembling. "You did that." His voice softened. "You told me. Now I’m going to do my part." He stood. Looked at Vanessa with those impossibly warm eyes, steady as gravity. "Which way to the office?" Vanessa’s throat worked. Her hands were shaking. "I don’t..." she whispered. "I don’t understand what’s happening—" "Trust me," he said. Two words. Simple. But the way he said them felt like a door opening in a wall she’d been staring at her whole life. And despite everything—despite seven years of learning that wealthy people couldn’t be trusted, that kindness always came with strings, that beautiful things were never meant for women like her—Vanessa found herself believing him. She lifted her trembling hand and pointed toward the hallway near the kitchen. Peter nodded once and turned. "Peter—" Charlotte called after him. "Order more wine," he said over his shoulder. "This might take a minute." Vanessa watched him go. This impossible man. This stranger who looked at her like she mattered. This man who had somehow heard the prayers she never said out loud. Who are you? And why do I feel like my life is about to change? "Don’t worry, Mama." Rory squeezed her hand, small fingers warm and certain. Her voice was bright with absolute faith. "He’s a god. Gods fix things." Vanessa looked down at her daughter. Looked at the hallway where Peter had disappeared. Looked at Charlotte Thompson, who was watching her with an expression Vanessa couldn’t quite read—something soft. Something knowing. For the first time in longer than she could remember, Vanessa Porter allowed herself to hope. And hope, she realized, was the most terrifying thing of all.