Chapter 2 — Customer questions Mia’s forced labor — Then the manager claims Mia volunteered
Marcus pointed a steady finger down at the open ledger page.
The numbers written in black ink detailed every payment processed during the evening dinner rush.
The customer in the black dress leaned over the table to examine the lines of text.
My credit card charge was finalized at seven-fourteen, the customer said, pointing at the printed entry.
The exact total for the table was debited straight from my account.
The manager stepped back half a step, her hands dropping uncomfortably to her sides.
There was a slight computer glitch in the terminal, the manager claimed, her voice losing its previous absolute authority.
Sometimes duplicate charges appear temporarily before the system clears them out.
Marcus shook his head slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on the ledger columns.
Our register system has not logged a single terminal glitch all week.
Mia reached down beside her chair and picked up a discarded second piece of paper that had fallen to the floor.
It was a handwritten duplicate ticket bearing a different authorization code entirely.
Marcus took the second ticket from Mia’s outstretched hand and held it up to the overhead track lighting.
This is not a terminal glitch, Marcus said quietly.
This is a manual cash receipt written out by hand after the digital transaction had already cleared.
The manager’s face drained of its professional composure as she stared at the handwritten slip.
A heavy silence fell over the surrounding tables as other patrons paused their conversations to watch the exchange.
Marcus turned the ledger page back toward the previous shift entries.
He ran his finger down a column labeled for secondary cash drops.
Right beside the manager’s initials, a suspicious entry showed a matching cash amount pocketed just ten minutes after the customer paid the bill.