"Then, I assume there won't be any problems with us confirming your claims through the security cameras?" Rin's cold voice cut through the man's delusions like a blade. Though it seemed like she was asking for consent, she had already signaled someone in the back to play the recordings.
The man had expected Rin to prioritize the reputation of her restaurant rather than some lowly worker but reality struck him hard, Rin was no pushover, she dared to challenge him even with the reputation of her restaurant on the line.
All the eyes in the hall turned towards the huge LED screen mounted on the wall. The serene cover image of the song shifted to the recording of the restaurant. Everyone looked at the screen with a knowing gaze as if they had already guessed what they were going to see.
Everyone except a certain woman.
The same woman who came on the date with the man, the scene she saw on the screen shook her to the core.
Everyone watched as Alvin on the screen walked with slow and steady steps but all of a sudden a foot appeared in his tracks, almost making him fall to the ground.
But the woman was not angry that the man she came on the date made a deliberate scene, what enraged her was that if by any chance Alvin had fallen, the trays of hot food would have fallen on none other than herself.
"You! How could you do that to me?!" With a voice filled with anger and resentment, the woman unleashed the rage brewing inside of her.
A sharp slap echoed through the silent restaurant.
"You!" Feeling the burning sensation on his face, the man recoiled, fury flashing in his eyes. "Yes, I did it!"
The man finally snapped, all the smugness on his face was swapped by frenzy as if someone had unleashed a mad dog. He looked down at the woman with disdain and asked, "Do you know why?"
"I wanted to rid of you! Do you have any idea how much I spent on this date? I had to sit there and listen to you rambling about god knows what, and then you had the audacity to refuse to come home with me?! How dare you!"
Gasps of astonishment and whispers of amusement spread through the onlookers like wildfire. The respectable elites of the society acted like common roadside aunty curious about what happening in her neighbour's house.
"This is only our second date, you bastard!" The woman roared, her eyes glistening with tears and regret. "I knew you were a scum, I shouldn't have even given you a chance. Once a scumbag, always a scumbag!" she trembled in rage while bellowing her sorrow, pointing at the man.
"I will tell; everyone we know about you so no one else gets fooled by you!"
"You!!" The man trembled in fury, nothing but a single word slipped out of his mouth, his chest rising and falling erratically, he could only watch in disbelief and anger as the woman stormed out of the restaurant, tears still falling out of her eyes.
Alvin watched the scene unfold with a cold sweat forming on his brow. 'Why did this turn into a melodrama? I can handle fights, but relationship drama? That's way above my pay grade.'
Rin too, was caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events but she instantly composed herself the next second. Staring at the man who was the cause of all of this, her eyes flashed with cold light.
From the corner of her eyes, she signaled some burly guards in the distance who understood her command without the need for any words.
"It appears we have concluded what happened here, " Rin said coolly looking at the man with disdain, making him realize that his evening was far from over. "now we have to decide what to do with you."
Her voice carried a dead calm, "Your actions could have tarnished the reputation of not just our renowned restaurant but also would have smeared dirt on the honest and valuable staff members of this place. I usually don't care about the reason but you really showed me what the worst scums of society look like."
"Wha– What do you want?" the man stiffened, his voice quivering when he saw the tall burly bear-like guards making their way toward him.
"Nothing much," a slow deliberate chilling smile curled on Rin's lips, it was a smile that sent shivers down to the deepest part of everyone's bone marrow. "I just want these people to help you finish your meal and help you out of here. Don't worry, this service is on the house."
"We cannot waste such good food," Rin said and turned away from the man.
"Wait–" Before he could reach out to stop the woman, his way was blocked by the two guards, their towering presence looming over him.
He stumbled backward, tripping on his own foot, and he fell back into his seat, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
But the guards paid no heed to his action, the two of them sprang into action. One of the m appeared behind the man, his hand placed on the man's shoulder, preventing him from having any thoughts of escaping.
The other guard reached out for his leftover bowl of hot ramen on the table and shoved it down the man's throat without flinching.
"You are getting darker and darker Rin." Watching the scene with a pale look on his face, Alvin looked at the woman he treated like his little sister with worry etched on his face. Rin blushed under his gaze and lowered her head, her initial coldness melting away into vapors of embarrassment.
"Shut up! I was just standing up for you and here you are making fun of me!" She tried to regain her composure, "how can I stand someone treating you like that? This is our family restaurant."
Watching the change in her demeanor, even for just a moment, many around the hall many let out a knowing sigh in their heart. Clearly, this was not the first time they had seen such a reaction from the beauty.
Anyone with a certain emotional IQ could see that she had a soft spot for the boy. Yet they could not help but sigh looking at the two of them.
Some of the men in the audience gritted their teeth in jealousy, 'It should have been me, not him!'
"Let's go inside, your shift is almost over anyway." Rin seemingly noticing the looks they were getting, bit the inside of her cheeks to maintain her composure and turned around to leave, she grabbed Alvin's wrist and dragged him toward the back of the house.