The Korean billionaire raised his whisky glass, looked directly at the Black waitress standing beside his chair, and smiled as though she were too insignificant to understand the conversation happening around her.
“한국말도 못 알아들을 텐데 그냥 접시나 치우라고 해.”
The words were spoken casually, almost lazily, in the middle of an expensive business dinner at one of Manhattan’s most exclusive Korean restaurants.
Several executives laughed.
One lowered his head to hide his smile. Another glanced at the waitress before returning his attention to the enormous platter of sizzling beef in the center of the table.
The waitress remained perfectly still.
She was a beautiful Black American woman in her early thirties, with rich brown skin, intelligent dark eyes, and thick black hair gathered into a neat bun. Her fitted black blouse was spotless, her black apron had been carefully pressed, and a small gold name badge rested above her left breast.
Against her waist, she held a dark leather folder with both hands.
For nearly twenty minutes, she had served the men without interrupting their conversation. She had carried steaming plates of galbi, refilled their water glasses, arranged bowls of kimchi and japchae, and explained that one seafood pancake had been prepared separately because a guest had reported a shellfish allergy.
She had done everything correctly.
That apparently irritated the man sitting at the head of the table.
He was sixty-two years old, enormously wealthy, and accustomed to watching entire rooms change their behavior whenever he entered. His charcoal pinstripe three-piece suit had been tailored in Seoul, his watch cost more than the waitress earned in several years, and his gray beard gave him the appearance of a distinguished businessman.
But the expression on his face carried something less distinguished.
He had been watching the waitress with the satisfaction of a man who enjoyed reminding strangers of their place.
When she explained the allergy accommodation, he had interrupted her twice. When she placed a dish beside him, he had criticized its position. When she offered another drink, he had asked whether the restaurant had finally started hiring people who understood proper service.
Now he had decided to entertain his guests at her expense.
The billionaire turned toward the executive sitting to his right.