He Thought the Food Was Free, I Made Sure the Lesson Wasn’t Chapter 08

He Thought the Food Was Free, I Made Sure the Lesson Wasn’t Chapter 08

Derek’s mouth opened. Nothing came out.

Patricia rushed to fill the gap, “Sir, that’s not fair. We’re family. She married into this family. Her restaurant is our restaurant. Since when does family charge family for a meal?”

Sergeant Miller cut her off cold, “Family dinner. Half a million dollars. Is that how your family eats?”

Patricia’s voice shrank. “It was my youngest son’s birthday. He invited all the relatives and friends to celebrate. Maybe things got a little… carried away.”

Sergeant Miller wasn’t having it.

“A little carried away? The order log has you targeting the priciest items on the menu like it was a game plan. Half a million dollars in one night. That’s not ‘carried away.’ That’s calculated.”

Patricia saw the tide turning and switched tactics. Her voice wobbled into a pitiful whine as she threw herself toward the sergeant, “Sir, you don’t get it. She’s always had a mean streak. My youngest gave her a couple slaps the other day, and she’s been nursing that grudge ever since.”

“She teamed up with that thug just to destroy us. She dumped the restaurant at the last second-

one thing on her mind, and that was setting a trap to sink the whole family right along with her!”

Sergeant Miller’s face hardened. “This meal. Did your son order it himself?”

Derek thrust his chin out. “Yeah, I ordered it, but-”

“Did the staff inform you of the prices? Did anyone warn you about the cost?”

One of the waitresses stepped forward without hesitation:

“Sir, we did. When he placed the first order, Claire warned him point-blank-these are high-ticket items, and once the order goes in, there are no refunds.”

“He got mad. Slammed the counter. Told us to move our asses. Every dish, every bottle-he ordered it himself. It’s all on the security cameras.”

She swiveled the front desk monitor so everyone could see. There was Derek on the screen, chest puffed out, face twisted with arrogance, barking orders.

Sergeant Miller watched the footage. Then he turned back to Derek. His voice was ice.

“Anything else you want to add?”

Derek’s face was practically purple now. His mouth twitched.

“That was me talking to Claire! She’s my family. So I was a little rough with her. So what? I didn’y, know the place had been sold. That’s why I ordered the expensive stuff.”

Sergeant Miller’s brow furrowed.

“What’s the change in ownership got to do with your bill? You eat, you drink, you pay. Doesn’t matter whose name is on the deed.”

“You think the prices were unfair? File a complaint. You think someone scammed you? Take it to court. But you ate the food. You drank the liquor. You’re standing there holding the to-go bags as

we speak. So tell me how exactly did anyone pull one over on you?”

Derek had nowhere to go. He spun toward Evan. “Evan, say something!”

Evan’s mouth worked. A strangled sound crawled out of his throat. “Sir, can we… can we settle this

privately?”

Sergeant Miller scanned the wreckage of the dining room. His voice stayed flat. “Private settlement requires both parties to agree. If one side refuses, there’s nothing to discuss.”

Vincent stepped forward. Calm. Measured. “Settlement’s fine. But the half-million-dollar bill

stands. You’re on the hook for it. If you can’t pay in full, I’ll take a promissory note. Installments

are fine. But you need to show me you’re serious about repaying.”

The second Derek heard he was on the hook for half a million dollars, all the color drained from his

face. “I don’t have that kind of money! I don’t even have five grand to my name right now!”

Vincent laughed and gestured toward the monitor.

“No money? You sure didn’t order like a broke man. King crab. Caviar. Truffle. Wagyu. You

slammed the counter and demanded it all. It’s all on video. Half a million. You’re not walking out

that door until it’s settled.”

Derek’s face went bone-white. He turned to Patricia. His voice finally cracked with real fear.

“Mom. Say something. Please.”

Patricia opened her mouth. Then she looked at Vincent’s scarred face and instinctively shrank back.

But her mouth kept running.

“Sir, you can’t let them bully us like this. This is extortion! It’s blackmail!”

Sergeant Miller stared her down. “Your son ordered the food himself. Ordered every bottle himself.

The staff warned him what it would cost. He blew right past that. And now that the bill comes due,

suddenly he’s the victim of a shakedown?”

“If you think the law backs you up, go ahead and take it to court. But right now, the owner is asking you to pay for what you ordered. That’s completely reasonable. You need to settle up.”

Patricia’s composure finally shattered. She grabbed Derek’s arm. Her voice was frantic now.

“Derek, you heard him. What are we going to do?”

What were they going to do?

Sweat poured down Derek’s forehead. He wiped it with a shaky hand. “H-half a million… I really

don’t have it…”

Suddenly he spun around and shouted at the crowd of relatives and friends he’d invited, “All of you! You ate the food too! Now they want their money. Everybody needs to pitch in.”