“Hold on, ma’am, there’s still an outstanding bill of $18,000.” I was just stepping out of the restroom, ready to leave, when the buffet owner blocked my path. $18,000?! I was stunned. This place was supposed to be just $39.99 a head! “What $18,000? Are you serious? I already paid for my meal.” A fake smile stretched across her face. “Our premium restroom has only three minutes of complimentary use. Every minute over costs $1,000. You were inside for 21 minutes, so that’ll be $18,000.” I frowned. “I’ve never heard of such a rule! This is extortion!” “Ma’am, our pricing and operations are perfectly legal. Our restroom features luxurious fixtures and top-of-the-line amenities. It’s entirely normal to charge for such an experience.” Her self-righteous tone almost made me laugh in disbelief. “So, according to you, if you’re broke, you can’t even use the bathroom here? I’m not paying a cent!” Seeing my refusal, she immediately flicked on a megaphone. “Someone used our premium services and is refusing to pay! Everyone, come and be the judge!” As the crowd grew, I quickly sent the restaurant’s name to my secretary, Mia. “Look up the company behind this place. Acquire it. Immediately!” … At Brenda’s words, people swarmed from all directions, encircling me. “Well, well, look at her fancy clothes, but she won’t pay for the high-end restroom?” “Exactly! If you can’t afford it, don’t use their premium services! This place has a super luxury bathroom. No money, no entry!” A few planted voices, and Brenda’s heart swelled with delight. She stood in the center of the crowd, speaking with a condescending tone. “Ms. Avery, I know you’re a regular here, and I’m not heartless.” “How about this: pay the $18,000 today, and I’ll give you our top-tier membership. You’ll get 20% off all your future meals. What do you say?” Her utterly shameless logic almost made me choke with laughter. I, Avery, had lived over two decades, and this was the first time anyone had pointed a finger at me and called me a broke freeloader. I took a deep breath, my voice cutting clearly through the buzzing whispers. “Brenda, I will pay every single cent I owe for the meal.” “But please tell me, which state law dictates that a citizen must pay extra for using a merchant’s provided restroom?” “Law?” Brenda scoffed, a loud, theatrical laugh bursting from her, as if I’d just told the funniest joke in the world. “Listen, everyone! Look how clueless Ms. Avery is! Our luxury restroom package uses top-tier materials, space-grade nano-cleaning technology! Stay here for an hour, and you’ll shave a year off your age!” “Do you even understand high-tech? Do you understand health investment?” Her words instantly set the crowd abuzz. “What? A year younger! Brenda, let me pay and try it out!” “Some people are just cheapskates, blaming others for expensive stuff. They don’t know quality when they see it!” The tide of public opinion turned in an instant. The earlier looks of disdain now morphed into strong hostility toward me. Brenda stood on her moral high ground of “technology and health,” watching me smugly. What the hell kind of cult meeting was this? Brenda was insane, but these customers were even crazier! “Fine!” I laughed, fury boiling inside me. “Brenda, since you’re so sure you’re operating legally, let’s invite the relevant authorities to investigate.” I pulled out my phone and called the police right in front of everyone. “Hello, 911? There’s a suspected case of grand extortion here…” 2 Soon, two officers parted the crowd and walked in. Brenda immediately put on a pained expression and rushed to meet them. “Officers, thank goodness you’re here! This Ms. Avery enjoyed our exclusive services but is refusing to pay.” “We’re a legitimate business, all our services are registered with the consumer protection agency. You have to side with us!” She swiftly spun a web of lies around me. The officers, of course, wouldn’t just believe one side. I concisely recounted the events, emphasizing the absurdly high fee and her supposed anti-aging claims. The leading middle-aged officer frowned. He silently reviewed the approval documents Brenda handed him, pausing for a moment. My heart sank. This couldn’t be right. Was Brenda really that well-connected? “Ms. Avery, we understand the situation. After verification, this restaurant’s luxury restroom service—its pricing standards and relevant qualification documents—are all in order. It falls within the scope of legal business operation.” Meaning, the paperwork was complete. As for the effectiveness of the service, that was commercial advertising and not within their jurisdiction. A louder murmur of discussion immediately erupted from the crowd. “Just pay up, you cheapskate!” “Even the police say it’s fine, and she’s still stubborn as hell. So embarrassing!” Brenda’s triumphant smile was blindingly irritating. Yet, she still feigned a sigh. “Ms. Avery, why make such a scene? I run an honest business, and honesty is paramount…” Honesty, my ass! I clenched my fists tightly, barely suppressing the urge to flip a table. If there wasn’t something seriously shady going on behind the scenes, I’m not Avery! Ignoring them, I quickly unlocked my phone and messaged Mia. 【Find out the company behind this buffet. Prepare for acquisition.】 【I want to see the acquisition contract tomorrow!】 After sending the message, I looked at the smug Brenda again. “Brenda, I’ve paid for my meal. But for these illegal charges, you won’t get a single cent from me!” I couldn’t be bothered to argue with this lunatic any longer and turned to leave. Back home, the hallway light was on. Lucas was actually home at this hour. Usually, he was out networking or working late. I had just kicked off my heels when he stormed out of the living room, waving several papers. “Avery! Look at what you’ve done!” I glanced at the papers fluttering to the floor. It was a legal notice. Brenda Stone’s name was signed at the bottom. Huh, that was fast. “And this!” Lucas shoved his phone screen right in front of my face. On the trending topics, the hashtag 【Buffet Freeloader Avery】 was at number one. Clicking on it, there was a candid video from the scene. The comments were disgusting. “Freeloader and she called the cops? This woman has no shame!” “Girls, dox her! Make her social-death!” My name, my ID—everything was dug up. That crazy woman, Brenda, actually dared to stir up a mob online! Yet, my fiancé showed no concern for my distress, only relentlessly questioned why I’d caused such trouble. “Trouble? Lucas, your fiancée is being falsely accused of extortion, slandered, and cyberbullied, and you’re worried I’m embarrassing *you*?” I pointed to the legal notice on the floor. “That crazy owner, just because I used her restroom and didn’t pay $18,000, caused all this. Do you think that’s reasonable?” Lucas’s brows knitted into a tight knot. “But the police said it was legal. Why didn’t you just pay what you owed? It’s only $18,000!” “Come on, just record an apology video, pay the money, and this whole thing will blow over.” I looked at him, as if at a stranger. “Lucas, are you out of your mind? If you want to be a chump and a spineless idiot, go ahead and fork over your own cash to her, but don’t you dare drag *me* into it!” “Avery!” Lucas’s face turned scarlet. He pointed a finger at me and snapped, “You’re completely unreasonable! Do you know the company will fire you for this?” I watched him coldly, saying nothing. This company *is* mine. If anyone’s getting fired, it’ll be *him*, by *me*! Seeing I still refused to budge, he violently threw his hand up. “Fine, be Ms. High and Mighty! Let’s see how you get out of this mess!” He grabbed his jacket from the sofa, glared at me, and slammed the door as he left. I collapsed onto the small sofa in the living room and checked my SnapChat. Messages from friends kept popping up. And on my Ins feed, Brenda had seemingly posted something deliberately to annoy me. 【Just taught some cheap country bumpkin a lesson today! Couldn’t afford our premium restroom service but still called the cops! I’ve seen it all now!】 The post included an arrogant selfie of her giving the camera the middle finger, with the blurry sign of her rundown restaurant in the background. Such gall! Cyberbullying people and still acting so brazen. My finger unconsciously scrolled down, curious to see if any mutual friends had commented. Then I saw a familiar profile picture in the ‘likes’ section. It was Lucas! 3 My head instantly buzzed and exploded. Luckily, my hand was quicker than my brain, and I immediately took a screenshot. When I refreshed the feed, that red heart ‘like’ was gone. My fingers, clutching the phone, were icy cold. How did Lucas know Brenda? Whenever we went to restaurants, it was always me who ordered and paid. Lucas never got involved, did he? Suddenly, a blurred memory flashed into my mind. Two months ago, it was Lucas who had his arm around my waist, excitedly telling me about this newly opened buffet. After trying it, I was indeed impressed by their premium ingredients. I even considered booking company events there. I stared at the screenshot on my phone, took a deep breath, and called Mia. There were some things I absolutely had to get to the bottom of. The next afternoon, as soon as I arrived at the office, the front desk called me. “Ms. Avery! Someone’s causing a scene at the front desk, specifically asking for you.” Hearing the panicked voice of the receptionist, I probably guessed who it was. Sure enough, as I walked into the office area, I heard Brenda’s shrill, piercing voice. “Where’s Avery? That cheap freeloader who won’t pay needs to get her ass out here! Too scared to face me?” “It’s all because of that jinx! She made me lose a huge client! So unlucky!” The employees were dead silent, their gazes at me a mix of emotions. “Looking for me?” I pushed aside the employees blocking my way and walked towards Brenda, who was surrounded by a small crowd. “Oh, the coward finally dares to show her face?” She swayed her hips, her finger almost poking my nose. “Avery, if you’re smart, pay the $18,000 immediately! Do you know how much money I lost because of you?” “What do I care?” I raised my hand, wiped away the spittle on my face, and disgustedly shook it off. “It’s you! Freeloading then calling the cops, making me touch bad luck!” She suddenly gave a meaningful glance to two men beside her. “Hey, Mike, Sam, grab her! Take her to step over the fire to ward off bad luck! Otherwise, my business will be cursed!” Those two restaurant employees actually started moving towards me. A collective gasp filled the office. In broad daylight, in *my* territory, she dared to order her people to lay hands on me? A fierce rage shot straight to my head. Reason, image—to hell with all of it! I lunged and slapped her hard across the face. “Ah!!!” Brenda clutched her cheek, stunned for a full three seconds. “Avery! You dared to hit me!” “So what if I hit you? I hit you, you foul-mouthed lunatic.” I flexed my tingling palm. “I haven’t even settled the score with you for cyberbullying me, and you dare to come here and provoke me?” “You just wait!” Brenda was trembling with rage. She pulled out her phone and made a call. “Honey, I’ve been hit by an employee at your company! Come and defend me! She’s completely out of control!” Honey? My heart lurched. It couldn’t be that much of a coincidence, could it? After hanging up, Brenda’s face changed in an instant. “Hear that? My husband is coming out right now to deal with you!” “I advise you to get down on your knees and apologize right now, otherwise, I’ll have my husband fire you!” I laughed, my anger turning to pure cold amusement. Fire me? I’d like to see who has the guts. The elevator chimed, stopping on my floor. Everyone’s gaze turned towards it. The doors slowly opened. Lucas’s anxious face appeared before everyone. Brenda instantly fluttered over like a butterfly, tightly hugging Lucas’s arm. Every employee present gasped. “Honey, you’re finally here! It’s that cheap woman who freeloaded at my restaurant yesterday, she hit me today! Fire her, make her get out!” Brenda pointed at me, her face alight with undisguised malice and glee. But Lucas’s face froze. He hadn’t expected such a grand scene to greet him. So he didn’t even look at Brenda; his eyes were fixed on me. “Avery? You… why are you at the company today? Couldn’t you have just talked to me?” The triumphant expression on Brenda’s face instantly shattered. She abruptly released Lucas’s arm, stumbling back a step. “You… you called *her* honey?” I ignored their ashen faces and turned to Mia. “Mia, what’s the acquisition progress on the restaurant? Have the investors behind Gourmet Feast bring the contract to me, immediately!” Brenda seemed to snap back from the immense shock, bursting into loud laughter. “Avery, are you insane? A poor cheapskate who can’t even afford $18,000 for a restroom, and you think you can acquire our restaurant? Dream on!” No sooner had she spoken than the elevator chimed again. A middle-aged man in an expensive custom-tailored suit stepped out. Seeing the newcomer, Brenda’s face instantly lit up with the smugness of finding a powerful backer. “Mr. Thompson! You finally came! You have to side with me, this cheap woman, she…” But before she could finish, Mr. Thompson, whom she regarded as her savior, strode quickly towards me with an almost fawning smile. “Ms. Avery, why did you come yourself? I’ve brought the acquisition contract. When would you like to sign?”
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