Chapter 1 — Mia forced to fold napkins — Then the manager demands she work off her family dinner debt
Mia sat quietly at the heavy wooden table in the center of the upscale dining room.
A massive stack of crisp white linen napkins sat directly in front of her.
Around her, restaurant staff bustled past carrying trays of half-eaten appetizers and empty wine glasses.
Finish the full stack before you even think about leaving, the manager snapped.
The manager stood directly over her with a stern, unyielding expression, her arms crossed firmly over a sharp black blazer.
My family already finished dinner hours ago, Mia murmured, her fingers creasing another edge of cloth.
Why is she working back here clearing tables and folding laundry, a sharp voice interrupted from the nearby aisle.
An elegant customer in a sleek black dress stepped away from her own table, walking up to the group with a frown.
She asked to help out of her own free will, the manager defended quickly, her tone instantly shifting to a polite veneer.
She told me I had to pay for the entire family dinner by working off the balance right here, Mia replied calmly.
Mia held up a crumpled restaurant receipt pinched between her thumb and forefinger.
The manager’s eyes darted toward the paper with a sudden flash of panic.
This meal was already paid for, the customer said, stepping closer and taking the paper to inspect it under the dining room lights.
There was no debt to work off, the customer insisted as realization hit her face.
I paid for the entire table myself before we even got our coats.
She knew that fact the entire time, Mia pointed out, looking directly into the manager’s widening eyes.
The manager stared back in absolute shock, her mouth parting as the manipulative scheme began to unravel in front of the surrounding diners.
Before the manager could stammer out an excuse, Marcus, the head waiter, stepped out from behind the service bar with a heavy brown leather folder in his hand.
Marcus placed the restaurant’s daily register transaction log down on the table right beside the disputed receipt.
Let us check the timestamp on that cash transaction, Marcus said, flipping open the ledger to the evening entries.