All Chapters of Cheap Meal, Priceless Revenge: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

The waitress' name was Colette Gill. The badge pinned to her chest read "Star Captain".Right now, she was leaning against the serving hatch, her head down as she tapped away at her phone. From time to time, she would glance at me out of the corner of her eye.I looked down at the clothes I wore. It was a basic Levi's T-shirt, jeans, and a ponytail I had casually thrown together. I certainly didn't look like the target demographic for this high-end restaurant, where the average bill ran two thousand dollars per person.But I wasn't a wannabe socialite here to freeload on WiFi or split a bill. I was Nadine Roe, founder of Epicure Culinary Group.Today, I showed up dressed down because the negative reviews for this flagship restaurant had been skyrocketing lately. I was especially alarmed by the flood of complaints about our service attitude and handling of promotional sets.To understand what was going on, I had the operations team launch a "value solo experience set" online and bo

Chapter 2

I almost laughed in sheer anger. Was this the "Star Service Team" I had spent a fortune training? Was this their idea of hospitality?Now, it was clear that problems at this flagship restaurant ran deeper than I had imagined.I didn't bother arguing with Colette. Instead, I picked up my phone and texted Stephanie Lloyd, who was rushing to the restaurant."Don't come in yet. Wait by the door. I want to see how far this goes."Ten minutes later, my appetizer finally arrived.It was a plate of black truffle scallops. The edges of the scallops were shriveled and dry. It was obvious that they had been plated and left sitting at the serving hatch for ages.The black truffle on top was pitifully scarce. It was just a tiny flake the size of a fingernail.I picked up my fork and took a bite. It tasted fishy. This wasn't the fresh, air-freighted catch of the day. Rather, it was the taste of frozen scallops after being thawed.To mask the fishy smell, the chef had drowned it in black

Chapter 3

Just then, a young man in a limited-edition bespoke suit stepped into the restaurant. He radiated an overwhelmingly powerful air and had two assistants trailing behind him.The moment Colette saw him, the expression on her face flipped like a switch. She could no longer be bothered to humiliate me and jogged over to welcome him."Oh my goodness, Mr. Julian Fairchild! What a surprise! You should've called ahead so I could save the best window seat for you!"Julian took off his sunglasses and casually scanned the room. "I'm just here with some friends. Same table as usual."Colette nodded vigorously and bowed her head so low that it nearly touched the floor. "Absolutely! It's available right now. This way, Mr. Fairchild. Watch your step."She fawningly ushered him along, and as she passed my table, she bumped into my chair on purpose.Once she had him settled, she poured every ounce of her energy into serving his table, pouring coffee, and constantly checking in. She looked like sh

Chapter 4

"Poor losers like you are probably hiding shady stuff in your phones," Colette said.As she said that, she even tried to unlock my phone. "What's the password? I'll have our tech guy crack it if you won't tell me."This had gone far beyond a service dispute. It was outright theft, a violation of privacy, and a crime."This is my final warning, Colette. Put the phone down right now and apologize, and you might have a chance to leave this industry with dignity. Otherwise, you'll pay a heavy price for what you've done today."My words made her freeze, and maybe the sharpness in my gaze triggered her instinctive fear.But when she glanced over at Julian, who was enjoying the show, her ego flared back up. "Drop the act! Who do you think you are, talking about making me leave the industry? Are you the president of the Restaurant Association, or some almighty deity?"She raised my phone, threatening to smash it onto the floor. "You want your phone back, don't you? Get on your knees

Chapter 5

The two security guards stepped forward and reached out to grab my arms."Stop right there!"A sharp voice cut through the room before a group of people in black suits filed into the restaurant. The woman leading the group was Stephanie Lloyd, the Vice President of Operations, known for her ruthless efficiency.She arrived with six solidly built professional security guards from the headquarters' special task force. Behind them, the company's chief legal team followed, clutching briefcases and looking dead serious.The sheer scale of the entourage left everyone in the restaurant shell-shocked.Colette's jaw dropped. She watched in a daze as the team poured in and swiftly took control of every exit. The two guards who were about to lay hands on me were effortlessly shoved aside by the special task force. They stumbled back into a corner and dared not even move.Stephanie strode up to me. "I'm so sorry I'm late, Ms. Roe. I hope you weren't too shaken up."After seeing the way

Chapter 6

"If I weren't the one sitting here today, and if it were just an ordinary customer, would you have humiliated them, extorted them, and dragged them online until their life was ruined?" I pressed.I picked up the phone Colette had tossed onto the table and tapped on her post before holding the screen up to her face."Broke loser, pathetic, ugly photos… You typed all of that, didn't you?"Colette turned completely pale and could barely say a single word.Just then, the kitchen doors swung open. A portly man in a tall chef's hat burst out, sweating profusely. "What's going on? Why is it so quiet out here?"Colette, are you dead or what? Mr. Fairchild's new steak is ready, so get your—"His voice cut off mid-sentence when he saw the room full of black-clad men and me standing in the center.He was Tristan Fontaine, the head chef of the restaurant. He and Colette were two peas in a pod, and together, they ran this place like their kingdom, thinking they were powerful and untouchable.

Chapter 7

The moment Colette's words left her mouth, the room erupted in shock. Even I narrowed my eyes.That antique vase was the centerpiece of this restaurant, valued at over three million dollars. When the damage report filed last month had claimed that it was "accidentally knocked over by a guest", I had been heartbroken over it for weeks and docked six months' pay from the janitor.But now, it turned out this was the truth.Julian hadn't expected Colette to go this far either."You… Shut up!" he roared and raised his hand, ready to slap her."Stephanie," I coldly called out. "Please take Mr. Fairchild to a private room. He isn't leaving until everything is cleared up."The special task force immediately closed in.Looking at the wall of towering men, Julian pointed at me and furiously snapped, "How dare you detain me, Nadine? Do you have any idea who my dad is? All it takes is one phone call, and I'll have this place shut down for good!"I looked at him, all desperate and bristli

Chapter 8

The swift, decisive actions the employees witnessed had completely shattered their nerves.I sat in a chair in the center of the dining hall and swept my gaze across every face."You've all seen what happened today. I know that some of you were forced into this, and others stayed silent out of fear. But there are also people who watched Colette's group abuse their power and even helped her."My eyes landed on the waitresses who had laughed along with Colette and egged her on earlier. They trembled in fright with tears brimming in their eyes."I'm not here to punish everyone for the crimes of a few or clean house, but I won't let a few bad apples spoil the whole barrel."Stephanie.""Yes, Ms. Roe," she replied."Other than Colette and Tristan, anyone who joined them in insulting the guests or backed Colette up in the group chat is permanently fired. They are blacklisted, and I want their names sent to the Restaurant Association so they can never find another job within this indus

Chapter 9

I sat in the window seat Julian had occupied and looked out at the city lights.Stephanie brought a glass of water and set it on the table in front of me. This time, it was genuine San Pellegrino sparkling water, served with a fresh slice of lemon."You must be exhausted, Ms. Roe. Go home and get some rest. I've got things under control here."I shook my head, picked up the glass, and took a sip. "I'm not tired, and if anything, I feel great. This feels better than earning another 100 million dollars."Stephanie smiled. "I've handled the post Colette made. Her account is banned, and everything she posted has been taken down. But we also issued an official statement."She took out a tablet and handed it to me. Epicure Group's official account had just made an announcement."Statement Regarding Serious Employee Misconduct at Epicure Group Flagship Restaurant and Subsequent Rectification."It detailed the offenses committed by Colette and her accomplices, along with legal actions t

Chapter 10

In the security feed, the kitchen was thick with tension. The new head chef stood at the stove, personally inspecting every plate that was served. He clearly knew who our uninvited guest was.When the Prime Reserve Angus was served, Ava cut off a small piece, but she didn't eat it right away.Instead, she suddenly raised her hand to signal a waiter.Claire rushed over and asked, "Hello, ma'am. How may I help you?"After Ava pointed to the steak on the plate and asked something, Claire froze for a split second. Then, she leaned in, gestured toward a line on the menu, and patiently explained.A few minutes later, Ava nodded and waved her off. Then, she took a bite of the steak.This time, her eyebrow arched.Finally, she finished her dessert and turned off her recording gear. Then, she immediately started editing the video.20 minutes later, Stephanie called me and announced, "Ms. Roe, she just posted."I clicked on the video with a blunt title. "Epicure Group's 298-dollar s

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