Chapter 2

Layla and the manager acted fast. While Draco and I were at home eating birthday cake, the topic shot straight into the top ten of the trending list. They must have paid to boost it.

The hashtag #GoldDiggerCursingAWaitressInARestaurant left both my boyfriend and me stunned.

They really had a talent for distorting the truth.

In the video, Layla wore tear-effect makeup with smudged eyeliner and damp, streaked cheeks meant to make her look pitiful at first glance. Tears streamed down her face as she tearfully recounted my alleged behavior.

"I'm just a regular waitress. I just want to work peacefully and earn my money. I didn't expect her words to be so cruel. After she ordered, she called me a pauper, maybe because I don't wear designer clothes like her, so she looked down on me. Every penny I earn is honest money, not like hers…

"Luckily, our manager is a reasonable and kind person and stepped in for me. Otherwise, I can't even imagine whether she would have gone so far as to rip my clothes off."

Her speech came out uneven and broken by tears, but the full version of the events she was presenting was still easy to follow. In addition, she uploaded another video to persuade netizens.

Our family's restaurant equipped each staff member's uniform with a chest-mounted wearable camera. It was meant to protect employees from unreasonable customers and safeguard their legal rights, but now it had become an advantage for the staff instead.

She edited the footage from her body camera very cleverly, cutting it to include only the parts where I clearly and angrily said "Der Penner" to her. It made it look as if I had insulted her as a pauper, followed by scenes of me making things difficult for her.

With both the video and her testimony, netizens erupted in outrage, flooding the trending posts with insults aimed at me as they rushed to defend the working class.

"I hate these women who rely on their looks to make money. They corrupt social values. It's unfair to people like us who work ourselves to exhaustion for just a few thousand a month."

"This video makes my blood boil. What right does a gold digger have to act so superior? She really thinks sleeping with rich men makes her better than everyone else. It's ridiculous."

"She even tried to show off by speaking Virellian. She probably only knows a few sarcastic Virellian phrases her whole life. Acting like some high-achiever."

They even dug up my social media account.

My account contained posts showing gifts my boyfriend had given me, which only reinforced their belief that I was a gold digger.

My comment section and private messages had completely blown up, filled with insults and abuse.

Among the many private messages, Layla's stood out.

"How does it feel, gold digger? This is the price you pay for making things difficult for me at the restaurant. I imagine it doesn't feel very pleasant to be on the receiving end of online harassment, does it?"

"Here's the deal. Post a public apology now, and I'll forgive you and even speak up for you."

"The apology has to be sincere. For example, you should kneel in front of the camera and slap yourself. Only then will I calm down."

I typed a line with a blank expression.

"Who backed you up and made you this bold? Was it Renold Hayman, the store manager? Do you even understand that you've crossed into criminal conduct?"

I had already looked into it. Renold Hayman was the son of my father's distant cousin.

The reply came almost instantly.

"Our manager was personally appointed by headquarters. What makes you think a cheap gold digger like you can compete with us?"

Whether he was appointed by headquarters or secured the role through his father's requests to mine, I knew it very well.

To put it bluntly, he was like a dog barking in front of its owner.

I didn't reply to her any further. Instead, I quickly contacted my father, without explaining what had happened, and asked for access to the restaurant branch's surveillance system.

This was too small a matter to require my father, the CEO, to get involved. However, the moment he did, everyone below him would realize the situation was anything but simple.

Less than five minutes later, the branch's live cloud surveillance feed was sent to my phone.