Part 2Noodle Extortion

I took another deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm. "Two bowls of noodles for two hundred and eighty-eight dollars? Are your prices even legal? Get your boss out here. I'll talk to him!"

It was clear this young waitress, Fiona, was determined to be unreasonable. I didn't want to waste my breath on her; I'd deal with the owner directly.

I was trying my best to be civil, but Fiona’s attitude was bizarre. She almost looked… smug.

"Our boss isn't here. You ate the food, you pay the money. It's that simple. Don't try to scare me by asking for the manager!"

The other customers in the shop turned to stare, their eyes glinting with curiosity.

Fiona covered her mouth in a theatrical gasp, her voice suddenly trembling and pitiful. "You're not... you're not trying to dine and dash, are you? I'm just a waitress. I can't afford to pay for your meal."

At that, the customers' curious glances turned into full-blown gossiping stares, all directed at me.

Nick, noticing I was taking a long time, came back inside.

"What's going on? Hurry up and pay so we can go."

I quickly explained the situation.

"Two bowls of noodles, all veggies and tofu, and she's trying to charge me $288! She's treating me like a complete idiot!"

Fiona looked even more wronged than I felt. Her eyes grew red as she looked at Nick.

"Sir, I already gave your girlfriend a discount. Is it really that hard for her to pay for two bowls of noodles?"

I almost laughed out loud. The way Fiona was looking at my boyfriend, her eyes practically sparkling… "Stop playing the victim with my boyfriend," I snapped. "A scam is a scam!"

"Get your boss out here. If he dares to post that price on a sign by the door for everyone to see, I'll pay it right now!"

I tugged on Nick’s sleeve, expecting him to back me up.

Instead, his next words were a slap in the face.

Nick didn't even look at me. His gaze flickered over Fiona's face before he violently yanked his arm away from my grasp. "Just pay for the food!" he hissed. "What's all the fuss about?! Get it over with!"

I stared at him, my eyes wide with disbelief.

The restaurant was clearly trying to rip us off, and not only was he not on my side, he was attacking me for standing up for myself.

"No!" I shouted. "This is a scam, and I'm not falling for it!"

As if frightened by my outburst, Fiona looked even more pathetic, tears welling in her eyes as she gazed at Nick.

"I'm just a waitress," she whispered. "You ate the food. You can't expect me to pay for it, can you?" Her voice cracked. "You're just picking on me because I'm an easy target. I work so hard, day in and day out… a scam like this would wipe out half a month's wages!"

She pressed on, "And now you want to get my boss involved. Are you trying to get me fired? Can't you just leave me with a way to make a living?"