Chapter 1

Three events made me wish I had never picked up an extra shift that night.

One.

“Is this some sort of freaking joke?!” Mr. Dawson's fists slammed onto the table, grabbing the attention of customers around.

“I specifically asked for the scallops to be replaced with salmon. I paid extra for these. Can't a man get his money's worth?!” 

My eyes went to the almost empty plate of oyster and scallop tartare, the fifth mistress he had brought in this week, then back to the bloodshot eyes of the older man fuming at his seat.  

It was obvious that such a high-end client wasn't doing this to get a free meal—heck no, he could buy the entire chain of restaurants if he wanted to.

It was for attention and power.

“I sincerely apologise, Mr Dawson.” I replied, putting my hand on the shoulder of the trembling chef that was close to having his career shut down. “The head chef isn't available at the moment, so we’re a bit short staffed tonight. We'll get your order ready. It's on the house.”

My voice carried a certain calmness of someone who had dealt with such people all my life.

Except this was different. One slip up and he'd make sure that we’d never step foot into any restaurant again.

“You better do,” he scoffed, leaning back into the smooth suede seat. 

I lifted the dish from his table, offering him a tight-lipped smile before turning away.

“By the way,” he called out, stopping me in my tracks. “Make sure you're the one who handles and serves my food. I won't tolerate any more slip ups tonight.”

“Certainly, sir.” I replied before disappearing behind the metal doors.

My smile dropped as soon as she entered the kitchen.

“Bloody bastard,” I muttered, slamming the entire dish into the trash can, startling my co-workers. “He's trying to ruin me.”

One foolish attempt to smooth things over and now, I was expected to conjure a meal way above my paycheck.

“What the hell am I to do now?” I cried out in despair, leaning against the wall while silently searching the eyes of my co-workers for help 

Darlene, who had witnessed the entire scene from the kitchen, tossed her spoon covered in tomato sauce into the sink and walked over.

“Blythe darling, as much as we'd love to help, we all have a lot on our hands. Plus, I doubt anyone would want to get involved with…him.” She consoled.

My jaw tightened, but I said nothing. Reaching  into the pouch of my apron, I pulled out my phone to search for recipes online.

Darlene walked back to her station. “I'll leave you to it.”

Without leaving much time to wallow in self-pity, I mounted a station carefully mixing up ingredients as the lady in the video dished out instructions.

Minutes had gone by and the dish set before me was decent enough. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough to not get any snarky remarks.

I took a deep breath, and stepped out of the door, steadying the tray as I braced myself for the impact of whatever was coming to me.

Mr Dawson's fingers tapped the table at a steady rhythm, while occasionally glancing at his screen lighting up.

Carefully, I carried the meal to his table, keeping my face void of any emotions. 

“Still here? I thought a girl like you would have given up and found a husband to make up for your poor self. I suppose no one asked.” 

Someone from the table behind snorted. It wasn't loud, but it was audible enough to hear. 

My jaw clenched hard as my fingers gripped the plates and the glass of wine tightly, before setting it down. 

“Your meal, sir.” I gritted out. 

Before Mr Dawson could speak, I excused myself and disappeared behind the kitchen doors, not waiting a single second to be humiliated again. 

Just as I was about to get myself together, and prepare for my next call, a scream came from outside. 

The woman seated with Mr Dawson burst through the kitchen doors with her tear stricken face. Her chest heaved up and down, while her eyes darted around like she had witnessed something diabolical—and then it landed on me.

“You!” She screamed, pointing at me. “Mrs Dawson's dead. You poisoned him.!”

Two.

It took a moment before my voice found a way out of my throat.

“I'm sorry?”

The lady stormed up to me, latching her nails onto my wrists 

A sharp hiss escaped my lips, making her dig her nails even deeper.

“A low life like you couldn't handle a single joke, so you just had to-”

“I would never do anything like that!” I interjected, yanking my hand out of the lady's grip. “I didn't poison that old retard, and they know it. Right guys?”

My eyes scanned the room, expecting some sort of back up. Instead, I was met with silence and suspicious gazes.

A harsh chuckle escaped my lips, as I tossed the tea towel I held onto the ground.

“Y-you can't be serious,” I stammered. “Not one of you can stand up for me. Why would I want to end up behind bars knowing I have a terminally ill brother depending on me.”

Again…silence. No one replied.

That was all it took for something to snap inside me. My vision blurred at the edges, and I could feel the blood rush to my ears.

Before the lady, or anyone could stop me, my feet carried me out the back doors, my pace increasing with each step. 

The distant sound of sirens and yelling  faded behind me as I kept running down the street. 

I hadn't poisoned him. 

But justice wasn't ever served to those who were used as pawns in the world of the elite.

An alley came into view and I took a turn to hide in it. With my back pressed up against the wall, my breathing slowly fell into a steady rhythm, but the stench of trash and something metallic made it hard to concentrate.

A noise I couldn't quite make out came from the far corner of the alley, making my heart rate pick up again.

Then I made one mistake. I shouldn't have, but I know that now.

I turned on my phone.

The light caught the silhouette of a man crouched above a young woman. 

His head snapped backwards, connecting his line of sight with mine, and what I saw made me wish I had stayed back and received my death sentence.

His eyes had an eerie gaze that sent shivers down my spine. Then my eyes fell on his lips…blood.

Before my head could connect the dots, my phone hit the ground the same time I did.

And that was freaking three.