Chapter 1
The company booked a team dinner, and the boss, Samuel Arery, generously ordered five tables of seafood.
But when the time came, in the huge private room, I was the only one sitting there staring at a table full of lobsters.
Samuel's call came through instantly, his voice full of anger. "Where is everyone? Did you screw up the invites or what?"
I stayed silent, opened the company group chat, took a screenshot, and sent it to him.
On the screen was a message Samuel's wife sent half an hour ago: [It's my birthday tonight. Samuel is here with me. The team dinner is canceled. No one's going. Let him have some time alone to think over.]
The line went dead instantly.
*****
The AC in the private room was cranked up, and the cold air felt like invisible hands, caressing my skin over and over.
Five massive round tables, each draped in bright yellow tablecloths, were spread out before me.
Every table was piled high with steaming seafood, including bright red lobsters, snow-white garlic scallops, and golden fried crabs.
The aroma was so intense it felt almost unreal, like I was drifting through some surreal dream.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed on the table, and Samuel's name flashed across the screen.
I answered, but didn't say a word.
"Ayla, where is everyone?" His voice cracked like a whip, sharp and furious. His anger practically scorched me through the phone.
She demanded. [It's my birthday tonight. Samuel is here with me. The team dinner is canceled. No one's going. Let him have some time alone to think over.]
Each word from him landed like a slap across my face.
I didn't say a word.
My fingers glided over the icy screen, opening up the company group chat that was always flooded with endless notifications.
I scrolled up a few pages and found the message that started all this trouble.
His wife, Aurora Arery's profile pic, was a selfie, filtered to perfection.
Her message from half an hour ago was blunt and straight-up.
Aurora: [It's my birthday tonight. Samuel's with me, so the team-building is canceled. Don't bother showing up. Let him stew by himself and reflect on his mistakes.]
The chat blew up with identical Got it and Happy birthday messages from everyone.
I could totally picture them smirking behind their screens, loving every second of the chaos as they typed.
I tapped the screenshot button, and with a click, froze the scene right there.
Then I sent the pic straight to Samuel.
His angry tirade lasted three seconds, then just stopped cold. Nothing but dead silence on the line.
That silence hit harder than any shouting.
I hung up, flipped my phone screen down onto the table, cool as ice.
Peace, at last.
Ten minutes later, the door to the private room was flung open.
Samuel hurried in, wearing a forced grin on his chubby face, a thin layer of sweat glistening on his forehead.
"Ayla, sorry for the trouble," he said as he pulled out the chair next to me and sat down.
"You know how it is. Aurora's just got that kind of temper, always giving me a hard time, just messing around." He tried to sound casual.
He spoke to me like he was soothing a kid who didn't know any better.
I just stared at him, silent.
Behind my black-rimmed glasses, my eyes gave nothing away.
He looked uncomfortable under my gaze, and his smile faltered for a moment.
"Just act like you don't know anything. Don't spread this around at work. It's bad for everyone," he said.
His words sounded comforting, but the warning underneath was clear as day.
Beneath the table, my nails were digging into my palm.
"I'll admit, I messed up today," Samuel said, his voice suddenly growing serious. "But as the office manager, you ordered way too much food. All this food is going to waste; that's on you, too."
I almost let out a bitter laugh.
It was like the executioner blaming me for not dodging when he's the one holding the knife to my throat.
"Alright, to teach you a lesson, I'm slashing your bonus by half this month," he said.
He announced my punishment like he was doing me some kind of favor.
"Just think of it as you footing the bill for the company's extravagance," he added.
It felt like someone had reached right into my chest and squeezed my heart tight. I could barely breathe.
Samuel looked satisfied with my silence. He stood up and gave my shoulder a patronizing pat.
"Alright, you can head home early. As for all this food, just leave it," he sighed.
Putting on a whole show of heartbreak, he turned and walked out of the private room.
The second the door clicked shut, I heard him outside, his voice suddenly syrupy sweet.
"Aurora, I'm sorry. I'm coming home right now. Please don't be mad at me," I said.
I picked up my phone and checked our private group chat, just a handful of us in there.
Inside were my coworkers' messages.
[LMAO, did Ayla really show up all by herself?]
[Obviously. She's always brown-nosing Mr. Arery, and now it totally backfired on her.]
[Mr. Arery's probably about to blow a fuse. This is gonna be good.]
[Serves her right. She always thinks she's better than everyone else.]
Behind all those laughing GIFs and memes, it was just them roasting me.
I left the group chat without a word, my face a blank mask.
The rage in my chest froze over, hard as steel.
I looked around at the five tables loaded with a feast set up just for me, and only me.
Then I hit the service bell.
"Hey, can you help me pack some of this up?" I said, keeping my voice cool and even.
"Just the lobster and the crab, thanks," I added.
The waiter shot me a surprised look, but kept his cool and nodded professionally.
This pricey feast was nothing but a slap in the face for me.
But I wasn't about to let it slide.
If I had to pay for all this, you bet I'd take something with me.