Chapter 1

"You're the one who said free meals were a perk for car owners!" Daniel Dawson snapped. "What, are you trying to go back on your word now?"

I fixed him with a cold stare, struggling to keep my temper in check. "Coming in for a free meal once in a while as a perk for car owners is perfectly reasonable. Nobody has a problem with that. But you show up here almost every day with your entire family, eat our food, and take home whatever you can get your hands on. What do you think this place is, a damn soup kitchen?"

Instead of showing the slightest bit of shame, Daniel slammed his hand on the table. "Cut the crap! Refusing to let me eat here is a breach of our original agreement! You're ripping off your own customers! Just you wait. I'll report this dump to the local consumer protection agency and have the whole place shut down!"

As his voice grew louder and the situation spiraled out of control, my coworker Ethan Brooks went pale. He hurried over, tugged anxiously at the hem of my shirt, and leaned in to plead with me in a low voice. "Come on, man. Just let it go. Why make trouble when we don't have to? This guy isn't someone we can afford to mess with. Don't make things worse."

The moment Daniel realized Ethan was backing down, his arrogance went through the roof. He snatched the takeout Ethan had just ordered right out of his hands and tore open the packaging as if it belonged to him.

"See that? Even he knows better than to mess with me. You're the only idiot in this place stupid enough to keep running your mouth."

He dropped onto the sofa, crossed one leg over the other, and pointed at the empty cup on the table. "Now get over here and bring me a glass of water!"

Then he leaned back and added smugly, "And I want a proper apology. Maybe then I'll consider letting this slide."

I'd had enough. Did this guy seriously think he was royalty? Ethan and the others might have been afraid of him, but I sure as hell wasn't.

"You bought a cheap commuter car that barely cost 50,000 dollars, and now you think you're some kind of big shot? This dealership is a business, not your personal playground. We have rules, just like everyone else!"

"Oh, so you've got a mouth on you, huh?"

Daniel sprang to his feet, his face twisted with humiliation and rage, and shoved me so hard that I crashed to the floor.

"This place doesn't belong to you! You're just some nobody working for a paycheck. Who the hell do you think you are, sticking your nose into my business?"

He jabbed a finger at me and sneered. "Let me make one thing clear. My cousin is the sales director here! All it takes is one word from me, and you'll be packing your bags before you know it!"

I couldn't help laughing. So, that was why he'd been strutting around like he owned the place. He had someone in management backing him up, and he thought that made him untouchable.

I had no intention of wasting another second arguing with an entitled bully, so I pulled out my phone to call the police.