Clayton's POV
Billy Duncan was the definition of a pampered, wealthy ass brat. The guy was the young heir to the Duncan family, which owned around twenty percent of the country's economy.
The Duncan Group owned hotels and resorts all throughout the country, including the one Clayton currently worked in, and Billy wasted no time showcasing how affluent his family was by throwing expensive parties and bullying people who belonged to the lower class.
Clayton knew that Billy was once again having a party at the penthouse. The young man required no reason to organize a party; it could be his dog's birthday celebration or even because Billy had gotten a new car.
The elevator beeped, and its doors opened wide. He pushed the food cart into the elevator and hit the penthouse button.
Relaxing on the wall as soft music played in the background of the elevator, he exhaled and closed his eyes for a second, remembering his last trip there.
The last time he was at the penthouse, Billy had humiliated him and threatened to have him fired if he didn't strip and bark like a dog in front of his so-called buddies.
His eyelids jerked wide open when the elevator stopped and the doors opened again, revealing a person who was focused on his phone.
He gasped in shock when he looked carefully and realized who was standing on the opposite side of the corridor: Beau Wilder.
Beau was glancing at his phone as he climbed into the elevator elegantly, without a word or a look in Clayton's direction. The air in the elevator got too heavy and tight for Clayton as he shifted on his feet.
Beau didn't need to touch the button of the floor he was going to because they both knew that it was the penthouse where Clayton was also headed.
Everyone in the country knew Beau Wilder. The youngest son of Oleander Wilder, who died two years ago, leaving the Wilder Group to Beau's eldest brother, Rory Wilder.
Wilder Group owned more than fifty percent of the country's economy, placing them as One of the wealthiest and most powerful families on the continent, not just in New Eden.
They had various enterprises ranging from real estate and hospitality to technology, retail, transportation, finance, entertainment, and so on.
Clayton turned his glance to Beau, and he couldn't help but appreciate the young man. Beau had a gorgeous and charming face, even though Clayton was just looking at his side.
He was still watching when Beau cleared his throat, interrupting Clayton's thought.
"We have arrived," Beau mumbled, looking at him with brilliant blue eyes.
Clayton squinted in confusion until he realized what Beau had just said; the elevator had reached the penthouse and the door was wide open.
Shit! He winced in embarrassment as he bent his head and muttered an apology before pushing the food cart out of the elevator and down the hallway that went to the penthouse.
He was very aware of Beau Wilder's presence behind him as he made his way to the penthouse entrance.
He could hear the loud sound of music coming from the penthouse, and he rolled his eyes. Hopefully, no one will notice his presence. All he had to do was deliver the meal to the kitchen and disappear.
The guard standing beside the entrance squinted his eyes at Clayton for a second before he pushed the door open and nodded for him to enter.
Clayton pushed the food cart into the noisy and crowded penthouse, and as soon as he saw the kitchen, he made his way towards it.
He was halfway to the kitchen when someone blocked his route. Clayton lifted his head only to see one of Billy's cronies grinning at him.
"Why did it take so long to deliver? The wine and food are needed over there; there is no need to keep them in the kitchen." Wyatt Parker slurred.
It was hardly surprising that Wyatt was already drunk. He was the playboy of the gang and was never in a serious mood.
Clayton didn't expect much from Wyatt, especially considering that the young man was the fifth child to Senator James Parker.
He mumbled 'jerk' under his breath and turned around, where he could easily see Billy Duncan. The young man had his arms around two girls, who were keeping him entertained as he made out with them.
Clayton offered a silent prayer to whoever was listening, wishing that Billy would be too distracted with the girls to notice him as he pushed the food cart forward.
He set the plates on the table, as well as the wine, and turned around to gently sneak out when Billy's eyes landed on him.
Billy smiled with a sly grin on his face. "And who do we fucking have here?" He ridiculed, releasing the girls he was making out with.
Clayton winced and bowed to Billy. "Your food is served, sir," he remarked, setting the empty food cart by the corner.
Nobody wants to tangle with Billy Duncan. The young man was the biggest bully to ever exist since the birth of the earth. In New Eden, Billy was known to be brutal when dealing with the lower class.
The few times Clayton had encountered Billy in the hotel, it had always been humiliating.
Billy was either beating up someone or reminding everyone why he was an asshole and a jerk.
Billy snorted, "It took you long enough." He whispered and buried his face in the other girl's neck.
Clayton heaved a deep sigh, thankful that Billy was distracted. Just when Clayton had thought that he was free to depart, Billy turned abruptly to him and ordered, "Pour me a glass... and be careful, that wine is expensive."
Billy's friends laughed at him. "Be careful now; you don't want to pay for the wine with your life's savings. That's assuming you have any money." Wyatt murmured.
Another one scoffed, "He wouldn't even be able to afford it with his life's savings; I heard the lower class has too many debts to pay." He jabbed, forcing the rest to laugh.
Clayton struggled to rein in his wrath as he picked up the expensive wine, catching a whiff of the scent. It even smelled expensive, he thought as he strolled up to where Billy was holding up a glass.
He opened the bottle of wine and lowered the top to the tip of Billy's glass, gently pouring wine into it. The wine splashed into the glass, revealing it's dark red color.
Things happened in the blink of an eye as the glass Billy was holding slipped.
In a rush to grab the glass, the bottle of wine that Clayton was holding loosened from his grip and fell, breaking on the tiled floor.
" fuck!" Billy shouted, jumping out of his seat immediately.
Someone else gasped in the room, but at the moment, Clayton's eyes were concentrated on the smashed bottle and the red color on the tiled floor.
"OH! MY! FUCKING! GOD! Billy! Your shoes!" one of the girls shouted, pointing down at Billy's white sneakers, which were now soaked with red wine.
Billy looked down to his sneakers in shock and snapped his face sharply at Clayton, with a clear aura of hostility and aggression surrounding him. He looked like he was ready to explode at any moment.
"You piece of shit! You fucking wrecked my shoes! Do you know how costly these sneakers are?! I fucking just got them, and there are only three of these created in the entire world!" he gritted with a clenched jaw.
"Can you not be any less useless?!" Another person fired at him. "You couldn't even pour a glass of wine without fucking up!" He added, pushing Clayton.
Clayton opened his mouth several times to talk but didn't know where to start. He had not only shattered an expensive wine but also spoiled Billy's party and quality shoes. He was fucked.
"I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to do this. The bottle slipped while I was trying to catch..." he tried to explain, but couldn't finish his words as Billy smacked his face.
Billy's face was red with rage, his eyes blazing with fury. " I can't believe you're fucking trying to blame me!" He grunted with his eyebrows furrowed in a deep scowl.
Clayton gasped in pain, gripping his face as a tear threatened to run down his eyes. He took in the faces of everyone in the room, peering down at him, until his eyes settled on the one person he had not expected to see there; Kathy.
Kathy was his co-worker and should be assisting in the kitchen. Hell, she was the one who should have delivered the food.
What the heck was Kathy doing there? he thought as she came up to where Billy was and laid her hands over him.
Kathy gasped, covering her mouth with her palm. "Babe, are you hurt?" She questioned him in a sweet voice, kissing his cheek.
Clayton blinked as he struggled to grasp what was happening. Had Kathy planned with Billy to set him up? He thought, observing them.
Billy returned the kiss on Kathy's lips and turned to stare down at Clayton with a smirk on his face. "You're sorry?! Then Lick it!" he commanded, placing his foot on the table.
Everyone in the room gasped as they watched in silence. Surely, Billy was not expecting him to lick the wine stain off his luxury sneakers, right? Clayton thought, staring at Billy.
"What are you waiting for?" Billy spat. "Your poor, low-life self can't afford to get me a new one, so go down on your knees and lick my shoes!" he demanded.
Clayton's lips opened in disbelief at Billy's words. He was so fucking in trouble.