Chapter 6 - The Sabotage
But happiness in the light always draws shadows from the dark.
Mr. Dale, the owner of The Golden Griddle, was not a happy man. He had seen the luxury car parked outside his diner. He had heard the rumors of Sophie Bennett dating the city’s most famous billionaire. And he was terrified of losing his best—and cheapest—employee.
On Monday morning, Sophie walked into the diner, ready for her shift, only to find Mr. Dale waiting for her by the counter, his arms crossed over his chest.
"You're fired, Sophie," he said flatly.
Sophie froze, her hand still holding her coat. "What? Why, Mr. Dale? I’ve never been late. I’ve worked every double shift you asked for!"
"You're bringing drama into my establishment," Dale sneered, pointing a greasy finger at her. "I don't need billionaires parking their fancy cars in my lot, making my other customers feel cheap. And I don't need waitresses who think they're too good for this place because they're sleeping their way to a promotion."
"How dare you!" Sophie gasped, her cheeks burning with humiliation and anger. "Mr. Vance is a gentleman! He has done nothing but help my daughters!"
"I don't care," Dale said, throwing her final envelope of cash onto the counter. "Get your stuff and get out. And don't bother asking for a reference."
Sophie walked out of the diner, her vision blurred by tears. She sat in her old, beat-up sedan, her hands shaking on the steering wheel. She felt a familiar, cold weight of despair settling back onto her shoulders. She had no job, no reference, and her rent was due in two weeks.
She didn't want to call Julian. She didn't want him to think she was using him, or that she was a charity case.
But as she sat there, sobbing in the cold car, her phone rang. It was Julian.
"Sophie? Are you okay?" his voice was warm, instantly cutting through her panic.
"I’m fine, Julian," she lied, her voice cracking.
May you like
"You're crying, Sophie. Tell me what happened."
Within ten minutes, the black Maybach pulled into the diner parking lot. Julian got out, his face pale with fury. He didn't even look at Sophie's car; he marched straight into The Golden Griddle.
