One Meal, Half a Million Debt

If this dirt got out, she’d be finished.

“No!” she screamed, tears falling instantly.

“Sophia, I was wrong! I really was wrong!”

“Please forgive me just this once!”

She turned to Eric, crying piteously.

“Eric, please beg Sophia for me!”

“With our years of friendship, she won’t do this to me!”

Eric was clearly shaken by what I’d said.

He looked from me to Rachel, his face torn.

“Sophia, could this all be a misunderstanding?”

“Rachel’s not that kind of person.”

I looked at him, chilled to the bone.

Even now, he was defending her.

“I’ll give her ten minutes.”

“Either she pays, or she waits for the lawyer’s letter and public disgrace.”

I said no more and walked straight to the bar.

The restaurant manager approached cautiously.

“Miss Miller, should we call the police?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Let’s just watch.”

Ten minutes felt like an eternity.

Rachel’s sobbing dwindled into sniffles.

She and Eric argued heatedly in the corner.

I could see Eric’s face grow more impatient while Rachel looked increasingly desperate.

Finally, Eric stormed over, face dark.

He pulled a Black Card from his wallet and slapped it on the counter.

“Charge it.”

His voice dripped with suppressed fury.

“The password is six eights.”

Swipe. Signature.

Just like that, 1.28 million was gone from his card.

I picked up the receipt.

“Mr. Johnson, take care. I won’t see you out.”

Eric gave me a long, deep look.

Then he turned and walked straight out, ignoring Rachel still sitting frozen at the table.

Rachel scrambled up, wiping her tears, and stumbled after him.

“Eric, wait for me! Eric!”

The farce was finally over.

Peace returned to the restaurant as the soft music played again.

The manager came over nervously.

“Miss Miller, about that bottle of wine…”

“Put it on my tab,” I said calmly.

I had indeed ordered that bottle.

But not for Rachel.

I opened it to celebrate finally seeing through the two of them—and deciding to cut ties for good.

My father was right.

Trash belongs in the trash bin.

Only when it’s cleared out can life feel clean again.

I thought that would be the end of it.

But the next day, Eric actually came to my company.

He looked haggard, his eyes bloodshot.

“Sophia, let’s talk.”

I told my secretary not to bother with tea and had him brought straight into my office.

“Talk about what?”

“How you helped someone else scam me, or how much you got swindled out of?”

My tone was ice-cold.

A flicker of shame crossed his face.

“Yesterday was Rachel’s fault. I already scolded her.”

“She was just swept up by all the fan attention.”

“She knows she was wrong. About the money… can you maybe…”

“No.” I cut him off flatly.

“Eric, you came here just to beg me to return her money?”

“I wasn’t…” he rushed to explain. “I’m worried about you.”

“Sophia, I know you have issues with Rachel because of the past, but you can’t handle it this way…”