Becoming a Money God with My Kickback System

"Where is that useless waiter?"

"I ordered a simple glass of water ten minutes ago, and it still hasn't arrived! What the hell is going on?"

"Isn't this supposed to be a luxury restaurant?”

“Exactly, they are so sluggish!”

The angry dinner’s voice thundered across the dining hall, and there was only one person to blame since he was the only one on serving duty for the day. 

"Chase Locke!" Jerry, his boss, shouted from the kitchen door.

Chase came rushing into the room, sweat pouring down his face.

"You are so inept, you couldn't finish mopping the floors, cleaning the pantry, and taking out the trash and reorganizing our boxes all in a couple of minutes? Now, our orders are piling up!”Jerry barked.

"I'm sorry, boss! I was still wiping the floor when—"

He didn't even get the chance to finish his words. His boss grabbed his collar and pulled him so close that Chase's legs left the ground.

"Listen to me, you sluggish bastard! Do you know what you are doing right now?! We have premium customers waiting and getting late for their orders because of your incompetence! I will not stand for bad reviews tonight!"

"Y-Yes, sir..."

"Now hear me well! If I get even one more complaint tonight, you're fired!"

He shoved Chase, causing him to crash to the floor.

Chase pushed himself up and quickly moved towards where grabbed the tray that was waiting on the counter.

"Order for table nine!" the woman handing out trays snapped at him. "Hurry up, will you?"

She said it so rudely, but Chase didn't even feel surprised. This was his everyday life. Everybody at work hated him, and because the boss hated him, nobody wanted to be associated with him, or they would be hated too.

Chase decided not to think about it. After all, he was only doing this for his sister's hospital bills and for his girlfriend. All this suffering would be worth it in the end, he thought.

He looked at the receipt in his hand to check the table he was supposed to serve.

Table Nine: Mr. Trent Silverberg and Ms. Rachel Suah.

Chase paused. The name sounded oddly familiar. It was very similar to his girlfriend's name.

But he shook his head and let it go. His girlfriend and he were just average people. There was no way he would find her in a place like this.

He made his way through the crowd, narrowly avoiding a couple of rich fellows who gave him annoyed stares, and quickly reached the table.

"I have an order for Mr. Trent Silverberg and Ms. Rachel Suah," he said.

"Yes, that's our table."

The voice came back to him and made him flinch on the spot. Chase lifted his eyes from the receipt in his hand, and lo and behold, his girlfriend was sitting right in front of him!

"Rachel?" Chase asked, his throat going dry instantly.

"Chase?" Rachel blurted out.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"How is that your business?" Rachel said, the surprise on her face fading almost immediately. "You're just here to serve, so do your job and leave."

Trent, the man beside her in a designer suit, raised an eyebrow. "Rachel, do you know this... lowly waiter?"

"He's my part-time boyfriend," Rachel said.

Her words landed like a huge blow to Chase's stomach.

Part-time boyfriend...

Now it all made sense. He had been struggling from one nine-to-five to the other, and Rachel never once supported him. She said she was an event planner, yet she always left for different events and galas, and she never brought back anything tangible or financial. All she brought back was herself, with gifts and perfumes she never explained where they ever came from. 

Now it was clear. Chase didn’t just feel like he had been blind all along, but he felt like he hadn’t had eyes to see all this since day one. 

"After everything I did for you... this is how you repay me?" Chase said, his voice shaking.

"What did you do for me?" Rachel asked, as if she was meeting him for the first time.

Chase was absolutely flabbergasted. He couldn't believe it. This was the girl he had helped to save money for her event planning and traveling. He had sponsored all her outings!

If not for her, he might have probably finished saving for his sister's medical bills!

"But I—" he stammered.

"But nothing!" Rachel cut him off. "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you even understand who is in front of you? This is Mr. Trent, heir to the Silverberg inheritance! He is a million times better than you! Not one penny you ever gave me did anything reasonable in my life. If not for him, I wouldn't even be here to begin with!"

She looked him up and down with disgust.

"Are you aware that what we ordered is more than the entire salary you can make in two months? But of course, that's why you're poor. You can't even provide anything!"

Chase felt his stomach churn.

"Now you've done your job, so leave," Trent said with a smirk. "And no tip from me, for making her angry."

Chase clenched his fists as Rachel took her sparkling water off the tray and sipped it calmly.

He wanted to say something, anything, but the words wouldn't come out.

Just then, Rachel started to cough. And cough. And gasp for air.

"What... is in this?" she asked between coughs, clutching her throat. Then her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.

"Rachel!" Trent shouted, shoving Chase aside as he started giving her CPR. Chase couldn't help but stand there, frozen.

"Oh my god! What is happening?!"

"That lady just fainted after taking her drink!"

"Somebody call the medic!"

Chase stood there, withered in his spot. He didn't know what had happened, and he didn't want to blame it on karma.

Then, thanks to Trent's relentless CPR, Rachel coughed part of the liquid she had gulped to the side and opened her eyes.

"She's awake again!"

"Oh, thank God!"

"Rachel, are you okay?" Trent asked, still heaving.

Rachel inhaled deeply, then shot Chase a ghastly stare.

"YOU!" She pointed a dagger-like finger at him. "You tried to kill me, didn't you?!"

"Wait... what?" Chase asked, completely bewildered.

"Yes! He tried to kill me with that drink, all because I said I won't be your girlfriend! What part of rejection don't you understand? Must you kill me before you can be satisfied?" Rachel shouted, and everyone around covered their mouths.

"Oh my god! What a heartless person!"

"He's just a waiter! Does he have to hit on a wealthy man's girlfriend?"

The rumors spread like wildfire around the room, and cold sweat ran down Chase's back, soaking through his uniform.

"That's not true! I didn't—"

He didn't get the time to finish his words before his boss cut through the crowd, storming towards him.

SLAP!

Jerry's palm cracked across his face so hard that Chase's head snapped to the side.

"You're FIRED!"