Chapter 2 - The Stolen Check
"Get out of my restaurant right now!" Victoria shrieked, marching aggressively toward Sophie.
Victoria practically sprinted over to the corner table to apologize to the handsome man in the black suit for the disturbance. But the second she made eye contact with him, all the color violently drained from her face. Her sharp red suit suddenly looked ridiculous.
"Oh my God," Victoria gasped, her voice dropping into a panicked, breathless whisper. "That's Adrian Voss."
Sophie frowned. She didn't know the name.
But Victoria did. Every wealthy business owner in Chicago knew exactly who Adrian Voss was. He was the undisputed, most feared mafia boss in the city. He owned the building they were standing in, and his reputation for ruthless, absolute violence was legendary.
Adrian slowly stood up. He was incredibly tall, completely towering over the terrified manager. He ignored Victoria entirely.
His intense, dark eyes bypassed the waitress and locked directly onto Mrs. Ellis, who was still weeping at her table. A sudden, shocking recognition flashed across Adrian’s hardened features.
"Lock the front door," Adrian commanded softly. "Now."
Two massive, suited bodyguards immediately stepped out of the shadows and secured the heavy glass doors.
"Mr. Voss!" Victoria panicked, desperately trying to regain control. "I apologize for the scene! This waitress refused to charge that old woman for her meal, so I fired her! It’s company policy!"
Adrian didn't look at Victoria. "Why didn't you charge her, Sophie?"
Sophie crossed her arms, entirely fearless. "Because Mrs. Ellis only had an eight-dollar check to pay for a twenty-dollar soup. Victoria demanded she leave her wedding ring as collateral. I paid the twelve-dollar difference out of my own pocket, and Victoria fired me for insubordination."
May you like
Adrian’s sharp jawline locked. He finally turned his lethal gaze toward the manager in the red suit.
👉 Adrian didn't pull a weapon, but the terrifying demand he made would completely destroy Victoria's reality.
