Chapter 2

After taking a deep breath, I aggressively tapped my screen.

"Look, I'm just neighbors with the owner next door. He's a nice guy and invites me over for dinner sometimes.

"I'm telling the truth. But if you guys don't mind, we can have the party at my family's diner. I can ask my mom to buy some fresh seafood from the market. She's an amazing cook, and I promise you won't be disappointed."

After I hit send, the group chat fell dead silent again.

A long moment passed before someone finally replied, "That greasy diner next door? Gross. If we're going there, count me out for Saturday."

"Same here."

Stanley immediately chimed in, tagging everyone. "Don't worry, guys. We're going to the place in the dropped pin I sent earlier. There's no mistake. See you all Saturday."

The chat erupted instantly.

"@Dylan, I want lobster crudo. Slice it thin."

"Steamed king crab for me. Don't crack the legs too much."

"My kid only eats fatty tuna belly. Make sure you prepare extra portions."

A male colleague sent a voice note. "Stanley, you're the man. My kid wants to say thank you."

Right after, a child's high-pitched voice piped up, saying thank you.

The chat filled with a barrage of messages thanking Stanley.

Even our general manager, Landon Todd, who had been completely silent until now, popped up with a row of thumbs-up emojis.

"Stanley's team spirit sets a great example for the whole company. He's definitely the top candidate for Employee of the Year."

Stanley replied instantly with a laughing emoji. "Just doing my part."

A second later, a direct message from him popped up. "Dylan Baxter, be smart. Don't ruin Mr. Todd's birthday party. It won't look good on you. If you think it's not enough money, I'll throw in another 100 dollars."

He sent a transfer for 100 bucks.

"199 dollars for a full meal. You're easily pocketing 150 dollars in profit. You happy now? Making money off your coworkers like this? You're a real bloodsucker."

I laughed out of sheer frustration.

199 dollars for over 50 people to have an all-you-can-eat seafood feast, with explicit demands for lobster and king crab. And he thought I was making 150 bucks in profit?

Ignoring him, I opened my chat with Landon.

I took clear photos of our business license and the storefront sign that read "Baxter Diner" and sent them over.

"Mr. Todd, I'm really not trying to be difficult. That seafood restaurant honestly doesn't belong to my family. We just run a small diner. This whole thing is a complete misunderstanding, and I can't promise anything. I'd really appreciate it if you could clarify things in the group chat for me."

The message was marked as read a second after I sent it.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Even after half an hour, Landon never replied.

When I clicked back into the work group chat, hundreds of new messages had piled up.

Stanley's name was right at the top, indicating he was typing. "Oh, by the way everyone, I forgot to mention. Dylan's restaurant is giving out free seafood gift bags to everyone when we leave. Don't forget to grab yours!"

The group chat exploded.

"Gift bags too? I want scallops, sea cucumber, and smoked salmon!"

"All six of us from my family are coming. Do we get six bags?"

"Can I swap the sea cucumber for premium wild caviar? My wife just had a baby and needs the premium stuff."

"I went to a seafood place before, and a lobster prepared three ways cost me 380 dollars—total ripoff. Dylan's place is much more reasonable. Local spots really have the best price."