Second Chance For Revenge

Chapter 7

Lora stayed on her knees, her hands shaking as she reached toward the woman beside Gerald. She had built her entire career on knowing exactly who mattered in this city, but now she was nothing more than a beggar in an expensive suit. One word from this woman and she would never manage so much as a coffee shop again.

"Please!" Lora sobbed, her voice cracking. "I was just doing my job! I was misled by her lies! We have been a respected establishment for years. Don't let one mistake destroy everything. I will give Mr. Gerald anything he wants. The entire order, free of charge. I'll fire whoever you want. Just please, don't ruin us."

The woman looked down at her like she was looking at something stuck to her shoe.

Without a word, she raised her hand and slapped Lora across the face.

The sound cracked through the restaurant even louder than before. Lora's head snapped back and she fell sideways, hitting the marble floor hard. She lay there clutching her burning cheek, gasping for breath.

"You do not have the right to make such a request," the woman said, her voice cold as ice. "You did not just make a mistake. You showed exactly who you are. You saw a man in a factory jacket and decided he was worth nothing. You let a bitter woman lead you around because it suited your own arrogance. A person like you does not deserve his business."

Lora stayed on the floor, her face stinging, tears ruining her makeup. She turned desperate eyes toward Gerald, searching for any trace of mercy.

Gerald looked down at her with empty eyes. He felt no satisfaction in her pain. No anger either. All he felt was the clock ticking in his head. Every second he stayed here was a second he wasn't preparing for what was coming. Twenty-one days wasn't much time.

"You heard her," Gerald said, his voice flat. "You chose your side when you called those guards. Now live with it."

He turned away from Lora and walked toward the exit. The woman fell into step beside him, her heels clicking a steady beat on the marble.

The restaurant was dead silent as they walked through the center of the hall. People who had been laughing at Gerald minutes ago now stared at their plates, suddenly finding their food very interesting. Nobody wanted to catch his eye.

Behind them, Lora slowly pulled herself off the floor.

She turned and looked at Tina, who was still sitting where she had fallen, her hair a mess, her dress wrinkled. Henry stood nearby, looking anywhere but at the furious manager.

"You," Lora said.

That one word hit Tina like a slap. She flinched, her eyes going wide with fear.

"Me?" Tina stammered.

"This is all your fault!" Lora's voice exploded with rage. She stepped toward Tina, her shadow falling over her. "You sat in my restaurant and fed me lies! You told me he was broke! You told me he was a scammer! You turned this place into a stage for your dirty divorce drama and you almost cost me everything!"

"I didn't know!" Tina cried, her voice rising to a wail. "He was always broke! He never had money! He must have been hiding it from me!"

"I don't care what you knew!" Lora turned to the security guards. "What are you waiting for? Throw them out! All of them! Now!"

The guards moved fast this time. They grabbed Tina by the arms and lifted her before her feet could touch the floor. They grabbed Henry by his expensive suit collar, ignoring his angry shouts.

"Do you know who I am?" Henry barked, trying to shake them off. "I'm Henry Thorne! I'll buy this place and burn it down!"

"I don't care if you own the whole city!" Lora screamed back, her face turning purple. "You're blacklisted! Both of you! Your names are going to every high-end place in this district! You're finished! Get them out of my sight!"

The crowd watched in stunned silence as the "power couple" was dragged toward the back exit. Tina was screaming, her hair flying everywhere, one heel broken off her shoe. She looked exactly like what Gerald had called her - a parasite being ripped away.

The guards shoved them through the kitchen door and out into the wet alley behind the restaurant. They hit the pavement hard, landing next to the garbage bins.

The door slammed shut behind them.

Lora stood in her ruined restaurant, breathing hard, trying to pull herself together. She could see it in every face around her - the damage was done. Tomorrow, everyone would be talking about Lumière, but not the way she had spent years working toward.

Outside, a sleek black car waited at the curb with its engine purring softly. The driver held the door open as Gerald and the woman approached.

Gerald stepped inside without hesitation. The woman followed, and the door closed with a solid thud that cut off all the noise from the street.

The car pulled smoothly into the night traffic.

For a long moment, neither spoke. The woman sat across from Gerald, legs crossed, watching him with focused curiosity. She looked like someone who had come for something specific.

Gerald had been waiting for her to get to the point since she walked through those doors.

"What exactly do you want from me?" Gerald asked.

His voice was calm and direct, cutting through the quiet.

The woman held his gaze for a moment, then smiled slightly.

"I think you already know," she said.