Chapter 2

2.

Debra's face went pale instantly. She lunged forward to grab my hand as I started dialing.

She forced a fake smile onto her face.

"Wait, wait! We're colleagues, Romi. Don't be like that. We were just joking around."

My face remained blank.

"You can explain your jokes to the police."

"No, stop!"

Sweat was pouring down Debra's face.

"I'll apologize, okay? I'm sorry. It was my fault. I'm so sorry!"

I'm not from around here and didn't want to start a legal war on my first week.

I was actually considering letting it go.

But then the boyfriend saw an opening. He snatched my phone and laughed like a maniac.

"You think you can threaten us, bitch? I'm deleting this recording right now. Let's see what the cops say then!"

Debra's submissive act vanished. She grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin.

"You've got some nerve trying to pull that on us. I think you need to be put in your place."

These two weren't exactly geniuses, but they were definitely malicious.

I shook Debra off and stared her down.

"Deleting it won't help. My recording app is synced to five of my contacts. The file was sent the moment I stopped the recording."

The guy panicked. He looked at the phone and saw the status message. He was so angry he looked like he wanted to smash the device.

"Go ahead," I said calmly. "Intentional destruction of property will just add another charge to your list."

Their faces turned white with rage. Debra looked like she wanted to eat me alive.

But she had no choice. She forced herself to calm down and pushed her boyfriend out of the shop.

Then she spent the next few minutes begging for my mercy.

I just wanted to work and experience the world, so I didn't want to waste energy on them.

I gave her a warning and went back to work.

For the next three days, I worked hard. I memorized the recipes, prepped the toppings, and learned the register.

Debra stopped being a nightmare. She was actually smiling and teaching me things.

But the next morning, a stranger was standing behind the counter.

"You're the new girl, right? I sent a message to the group chat saying we had a meeting thirty minutes before the shift. Why are you late?"

I realized this must be the manager my boss mentioned, Whitney Montgomery.

She had been on vacation.

"Group chat?"

I looked at Debra. She was busy washing a tea barrel, ignoring me.

Wow. So the act was just for show.

"Debra didn't add me to any group. I didn't know."

"You didn't know?"

The woman's bright red lips curled into a sneer.

"That's a two-hundred-dollar deduction from your paycheck. You know now, don't you?"

"That's not fair. I never got the message..."

"Stop whining and get to work. Look at all these delivery orders!"

There was a huge promotion going on across all delivery apps. The orders were piling up.

I reminded myself why I was here. I wanted to feel what a real worker feels.

I gritted my teeth, changed into my uniform, and started working.

The order numbers were already past a hundred. My hands didn't stop for a second.

All I heard were their annoying voices behind me.

"Move faster! Hurry up! The customers are waiting!"

"Can't you see we're out of pearls? Use your eyes! Go to the warehouse and grab a fresh bucket!"

"You're so useless!"