Chapter 2 - The Stolen Wages
"It was nothing," Emma choked out, her hands shaking so badly the silver serving plate rattled against her white lace apron. "I'm sorry to disturb you, sir."
To understand the absolute, suffocating terror gripping Emma's chest, one had to look at the monster managing the restaurant.
Five minutes ago, Emma had been cornered in the back kitchen by David, the arrogant, cruel general manager of the establishment. David was a massive, aggressive man who actively terrorized the waitstaff. Emma had caught him systematically skimming thousands of dollars off the staff's holiday tips and funneling the money directly into his own pocket.
When Emma had quietly confronted him, begging him not to steal their Thanksgiving wages because she desperately needed the money for her sick mother's medical bills, David had viciously retaliated.
He didn't just fire her. He physically backed her into a corner, screaming that she was a pathetic, worthless liar. He explicitly threatened to blacklist her from every single restaurant in the city and call the police, claiming she was the one stealing from the register.
Emma had completely broken down, sobbing hysterically in the kitchen, utterly devastated by the sheer cruelty of losing her entire livelihood on Thanksgiving.
She had rushed out into the dining room to grab her final serving tray, genuinely believing the wealthy man at the VIP table had already paid his bill and left. She thought she was alone. She had muttered, "I'm going to lose everything," out loud, completely unaware that Roman was still sitting in the shadows, listening to every single word.
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And Roman wasn't just a random billionaire enjoying a quiet dinner.
👉 Roman raised his hand, preparing to deliver a command that would shatter the power dynamic of the entire restaurant.
