Chapter 3

They all reached for me, but I was quick. I whipped out my pepper spray from my bag and blasted it right into their eyes.

They were blinded, stumbling back, unable to open their eyes, clutching their faces.

While I was busy dealing with the guys, Sophie suddenly grabbed my seven-year-old nephew, Max, and forced him to the ground. "You little bastard, you street rat. Think you'll come back here to mooch a free meal again?"

Max was completely stunned. He was always shy, and after losing his parents a couple of years ago, he'd become even more withdrawn, barely speaking to anyone.

His eyes shimmered with tears, but he bit his lip and whispered, voice trembling, "I won't."

His reaction distracted me for a split second, and before I knew it, the 300-pound guy slammed me to the ground.

As soon as I hit the floor, the whole crew piled on, pinning my arms and legs down hard against the cold ground. The pain seeped right into my bones.

They held nothing back, showing no mercy, not giving me a chance to fight back.

When Max saw me pinned to the ground, he burst into tears and begged Sophie, "I'm sorry. I won't ever ask for refills again. Please, let my aunt go.

"My aunt is pregnant. You'll hurt her. Ms. Carter, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Please don't blame my aunt."

Max was the first to beg, and the other two nephews, Jay and Cason, and Celine, all terrified, begged Sophie too, crying and pleading. "Ms. Carter, please let my aunt go. I'll give you money. We have a lot of money."

"We won't come here to eat again. My aunt is pregnant with twins. Please let her go. You'll hurt the babies."

Jay took off the gold necklace my mom had given him, held it out to Sophie with both hands, and begged desperately, "Here, take this gold necklace as payment for the breadsticks. Please, let my aunt go, okay?"

Sophie took the gold necklace, looked it over condescendingly, and then tossed it straight into the trash.

"You're all a bunch of liars. Trying to fool me with a fake gold necklace? You little brat. Do you think I'm stupid?"

As she spoke, she viciously smacked Jay on the head. "Didn't your parents teach you anything?"

I roared at Sophie, "Don't you dare hit the kids. If you lay another finger on them, I swear I'll make you regret it."

Smack. The 300-pound guy viciously slapped me on the back of my head. My brain buzzed, and the world spun.

My head slammed into the floor, and the throbbing pain in my forehead sent waves of agony through my belly.

The big guy sneered viciously at me, "Do you even know who our boss's husband is? He's Mr. Andy Bennett, the most feared man in Elderwood. Nobody dares cross him.

"Cross Mr. Bennett, and you won't even know how you died."

I was in so much pain that I couldn't speak, and the cramps in my belly kept getting worse.

Sophie looked down at me with a smug, superior look. "Fine, I'll let you go. You have to cough up the money and beg for my apology. And to make sure you never forget, all of you have to eat every breadstick from the garbage bin."

As soon as she finished, two guys went to the kitchen and hauled out two big buckets filled with kitchen scraps and leftover food.

The smell was so bad that everyone wrinkled their noses and tried to wave it away.

Max, crying, begged, "If we eat them, will you really let my aunt go?"

Sophie snorted, towering over them with a smug look. "Let's see how you perform. Maybe, if you do well enough, I'll cut you some slack."

Max thought eating that filthy, stinking food would really make them let me go. He was the first to reach into the disgusting slop bucket, grabbed a nasty breadstick, and shoved it in his mouth. "I'll eat it. Please, let my aunt go."

With him leading, the other three rushed to grab dirty breadsticks from the slop bucket and shove them into their mouths.

I screamed, "Don't eat it. Listen to me, don't. You'll get sick."

Sophie, acting like she was queen of the place, dug the sharp heel of her high-heeled shoe into my lower back. "You love freeloading breadsticks, huh? Well, today, I'll make sure you eat till you're sick."

Then she barked at her staff, "Shove it down her throat. Don't stop until she's eaten every single one."

One of the waitresses grabbed a dirty breadstick and tried to force it into my mouth.

I twisted my head away with all my strength and roared, "I'm Emily Jackson, daughter of the richest man in Elderwood. This restaurant belongs to the Jackson family. If you don't let me go, you'll all regret it."

They all burst out laughing, like I'd told the biggest joke in the world.

Jay immediately used his smartwatch to call my dad. "Grandpa, Aunt Emily got hit. Please fly over here. These people are so mean."

Suddenly, a car pulled up outside, and someone in the crowd shouted, "Mr. Bennett is here."