Chapter 263 - I Don't Think He Likes Me

Hannah's duties in the canteen were quite diverse. She had to clean the cafeteria and dining area, prepare and wash all the tableware, and serve cafeteria visitors who wanted to have lunch or stop by for coffee breaks and tea breaks.

Her tasks seemed endless and she was very busy. In the cafeteria itself, there were a total of eight employees and all of them were busy working. Although Hannah loved working in the kitchen to cook, she was not used to manual labor, and soon, her delicate hands were scuffed from washing so many dishes.

"Are you okay?" Memi asked when she saw Hannah was standing still in front of the sink, staring at her scuffed right hand. The girl turned and shook her head with a smile.

"I'm okay, Memi. Just not used to this type of detergents," she lied. 

"It's okay then. You just stand by the counter and get the orders. Let me wash the dishes," said Memi as she pushed Hannah toward the front counter.

Lunchtime was almost here, and one by one Atlas X employees began arriving to pick up food. The cafeteria would soon be experiencing its busiest hour of the day.

At the front counter, Miguel was preparing drinks for the guests. Memi told Miguel to switch to food while Hannah took care of the drinks.

"You give Hannah an example of how she can serve food, so she can learn. In the meantime, let Hannah make the drinks," said Memi.

"Very well, Memi," said Miguel. He immediately instructed Hannah how to operate the beverage machine while he served the guests, who began to line up and order food.

Hannah gave each guest the drink they asked with a friendly smile, not forgetting to pay attention to how Miguel worked to serve guests who ordered food. The man worked very fast and efficient.

He recorded every order well, coordinated with the kitchen to prepare the dishes the guest wanted and scooped all the ready-to-eat food requested. Everything was done in one minute.

Later, the chef's freshly made fresh dishes will be delivered to the orderer's table if they are high-ranking officials in the company. For regular employees, they would be notified that their order was ready by the vibrating button they received when ordering food.

Hannah learned a lot on her first day at work. However, she also got blisters on her hands from doing so much work. The girl never had to work in her life and had a hard time working fast.

Fortunately, Memi, her supervisor, and co-workers were not mean and tried to help her. No one hinted at and questioned Hannah's slowness in work.

[Do you know how to get home by yourself? I still have a meeting outside and can't give you a ride.]

When Hannah took a break to rest and treat the blisters on her hand, she received a text from Friedrich. She felt somewhat relieved to receive the message. At first, she was worried because she didn't see Friedrich in the cafeteria and thought the young man was too busy working and forgot about his lunch.

Ah, it's no wonder Friedrich isn't here, the girl thought, apparently he was attending a meeting outside.

Hannah felt even more impressed by Friedrich. That young man was truly extraordinary. At such a young age, he already held a very prestigious position at this leading aviation company. He also had a nice house and enough wealth for himself and his brother. Besides all that, he was a genius and a very kind brother to Charles.

[I can go home on my own. Thank you for taking me with you earlier. Don't forget to have lunch even though you are very busy. Charles said you have a stomach ulcer.]

Friedrich smiled faintly as he read a text from Hannah. Previously, he never cared whether he ate lunch or not. But it seemed that when someone was worried about him having had lunch or not, it felt good.

His chest was filled with warm feelings as he texted her back.

[I won't forget lunch.]

***

Hannah's first day of work went well. Her body was very tired but she was not discouraged.

It's like exercise, she told herself. The first time she did it, she would feel achy because her body needed to adjust. However, after getting used to it, she would be able to do well.

After finishing work and tidying up the cafeteria, Hannah immediately walked out with Memi to the bus stop. She had learned the route to go home, and she only needed to change buses once before she could reach the hillside where Friedrich's house was located.

"Where do you live now?" asked Memi. When Hannah mentioned Friedrich's home address, the middle-aged woman frowned in surprise. 

"That's the area of ​​the rich ... Is your friend rich?"

Hannah nodded. "Yes, he is."

"Ohh .. is your friend single?" asked Memi, smiling broadly. Her face was filled with curiosity and a desire to gossip.

"Uhm ... I think so, Memi. Why?"

"Ahh .. does he not have feelings for you? You are very beautiful. I'm not sure men and women can be friends without harboring romantic feelings. Why don't you just marry him? You don't have to work hard like this..."

Hannah could only cough at Memi's words. Married? She was very young. Friedrich too. According to Harley, the man would soon be celebrating his 21st birthday. Even in the United States, he was not considered old enough to drink alcohol. Ha.

Hannah really liked Friedrich ... but did Friedrich have the same feelings for her? Hannah had absolutely no idea.

During the two weeks they had lived together, their interactions had been very platonic. There was always Charles between them, after all. Friedrich never showed any different attitude to her.

Hannah was a very attractive girl. Even though she was engaged to Valentino since she was a child, she had met so many other men, both royalty and other people from high ranks during her life. 

Most of the guys who met Hannah and were attracted to her would clearly show their interest. However, this was not the case with Friedrich.

Ahh ... why am I thinking about love? My life is in shambles.. I have got to set my priorities straight, Hannah thought as she took a deep breath. 

She saw her simple appearance and her scuffed hands from working manual labor in the canteen.

Now she was no longer a princess, but an ordinary poor girl. She didn't even graduate from college, while Friedrich was a genius with many degrees. He also had a good job and was highly respected in his industry.

Hannah could only shake her head and smile wryly. "I don't think he likes me, Memi. Ah, I have to be realistic."

Memi seemed sympathetic when she heard Hannah's words. She could see the girl's restlessness. Ah ... well, it's true. Differences in social status were still very important. It could be a deal-breaker in relationships.

Although Hannah was very beautiful and kind, she was poor and not equal to her rich friend. Memi could understand that Hannah's love was only one-sided.

She patted Hannah's shoulder sympathetically. "If it's meant to be, it will be."

Hannah could only smile wryly.. Right now, she should focus more on herself and how she could live a new life as a commoner.