It was my girlfriend's birthday. I took her to my family's newly opened restaurant for dinner.

Since we were planning to have cake later, the two of us ordered a single set meal that included a pizza and a plate of pasta.

Smiling, I handed the menu to the waiter.

He took it with a fake smile. I heard him calling us paupers under his breath.

I frowned. "What did you just say?"

The waiter froze for a second. He then put on another fake smile.

"I said I'll have your order ready shortly."

I snorted and replied fluently in the same language he'd used.

"You just called us paupers."

The waiter's face instantly turned pale.

"Sir, I don't understand what you're talking about. There must be some misunderstanding."

"There's no misunderstanding. I heard what you said."

I repeated the word for 'pauper' in the foreign language he'd used.

"I didn't realize a waiter could have such an attitude. Is this how you treat your customers? Apologize now, or this won't be the end of it."

Since it was my girlfriend's birthday, I didn't want to make a scene. I just wanted a sincere apology.

However, I didn't expect this waiter to be so shameless.

"Sir, I'm afraid I didn't insult you. I have no reason to apologize."

I snorted. I didn't want to waste time arguing with someone like him.

"Fine. Get your manager. I'll talk to her."

I recalled that the manager of this branch was my mom's distant cousin. We'd had dinner together once. She'd definitely recognize me.

The moment I mentioned the manager, the waiter straightened up like he'd suddenly found his backing.

"Apologies, but our manager isn't someone just anyone can meet."

He looked me up and down. His eyes were full of disdain.

"You're dressed from head to toe in knockoff brands, and yet you still try to act rich. What are you, some kept man living off a woman?"

My girlfriend, Candace Primrose, had just returned from the restroom and happened to hear that. Her voice turned ice-cold.

"Why don't you explain what kind of person my boyfriend is in detail? You're just a waiter. What gives you the right to judge your customers?"

She was dressed in high-end designer clothes and had an authoritative presence.

The waiter's attitude completely changed when he saw her. He even adjusted his collar and flashed what he thought was a charming smile.

"Miss, I'm so sorry, it's all just a misunderstanding. Our manager is busy and not in the store at the moment. How about I serve you food first? Don't let some poor guy ruin your mood."

As he softened his voice, he subtly flexed what little muscle he had while trying to impress her. It made my blood boil.

Before I could react, Candace stepped back in disgust. Her tone was firm.

"Call whoever is in charge, and wipe that greasy look off your face. You're ruining the mood for all the diners here."

Her words made his face turn pale. Noticing the surrounding customers' curious glances as the drama unfolded, he clenched his jaw in frustration.

"Fine. I'll get the manager. You'll regret this."

I smiled. We'd see who'd regret it.

A few minutes later, a woman dressed in branded business attire walked over.

I was a little surprised. She wasn't my mom's cousin. I didn't recognize her.

"You're the manager?"

She lifted her chin arrogantly.

"Who else would I be?

"I heard you've been giving my staff a hard time. Sir, I advise you not to pull this kind of bullying stunt. If this gets blown up, you'll be the one embarrassed. I'll give you two choices. One, apologize to my employee and enjoy your meal peacefully. Two, I expose this online and make it known to everyone you're a kept man. It's your choice."

Candace and I exchanged a look and burst out laughing.

It was our first time meeting someone this shameless. We were actually impressed.

Seeing our silence, the waiter thought we were scared.

"I told you you'd regret it. I refused to get the manager, but you kept insisting."

He then eagerly pulled out a chair for the woman. He looked at her with clear admiration.

"Ms. Lindt, you're amazing."

The manager closed her eyes. She was clearly enjoying it.

Watching the scene, I found it almost amusing.

"I choose option two. You'll regret doing this."

After I said that, Candace and I turned around and walked out of the restaurant without looking back. We left the two of them fuming and shouting empty threats behind us.

They acted quickly.

While Candace and I were at home eating her birthday cake, their post went viral. They must have spent serious money boosting its popularity.

The hashtag 'Kept Man Insults Waiter In a Restaurant' left both of us stunned.

They really knew how to bend the truth.

The earliest and most viral video was posted by that waiter called Ethan Fawn.

In the video, he portrayed himself as an underpaid employee being bullied by the rich. He looked exhausted and wronged as he accused me of mistreating him.

"I'm just a regular waiter. I only want to make an honest living. I never expected him to be so mean. Right after ordering, he called me a pauper. Maybe it's because I don't wear designer brands like him that he looked down on me.

"But every dollar I earn comes from my own hard work. It's clean money. Unlike him, living off a rich woman just because of his looks.

"Luckily, our manager is a reasonable person and stood up for me. Otherwise, he might have even gotten violent with how aggressive he looked."

As if that wasn't enough, he posted another video to prove his claims.

Our restaurant equipped every staff member with a body camera. It was meant to protect employees from unreasonable customers and to protect their legal rights.

Ironically, it gave Ethan the perfect tool.

He edited the footage from his body camera, carefully cutting it to show me angrily calling him a pauper. It looked like I was insulting him out of nowhere. He then added clips of me supposedly harassing him.

With both witness testimony and video evidence, netizens began expressing their anger by criticizing me in the comment section. They were determined to stand up for Ethan.

[I hate guys who live off women and ruin society. It's unfair to people like us who work ourselves to the bone for a few grand a month.]

[This video pissed me off. What gives this guy the right to act so arrogantly? Dating a rich woman doesn't make you better than everyone else. What a joke.]

[Throwing in some foreign language too. It's probably only one of the few phrases he knows. He just wants to sound educated. Who's he trying to fool?]

They even dug up my social media account.

My posts showed off gifts from Candace like luxury watches and sports cars. These only reinforced their belief that I was a kept man.

My posts and inbox were filled with insulting comments and messages.

Among them, I spotted messages from Ethan.

[So, how does it feel, you pathetic kept man? That's the price you pay for messing with me at the restaurant. I bet being cyberbullied doesn't feel good.]

[Here's a deal. Post a public apology, and I'll forgive you. I'll even say a few nice things for you.]

[But it better be sincere. Kneel in front of the camera, bang your head on the ground, and slap yourself a few times. Maybe then I'll stop feeling angry.]

I replied with a blank expression.

[Who are you to act this arrogantly? Mandy, that manager of yours? You do realize you've already committed a crime, don't you?]

I had already looked into it. Mandy Lindt was the daughter of my mom's distant cousin.

He replied instantly.

[Haha! Our manager was personally appointed by HQ. What do you have to fight us with, you loser?]

Whether she was appointed by the headquarters or secured the position through family connections, I knew the truth better than anyone.

To put it bluntly, Ethan was barking up the wrong tree.

I didn't reply to him. Instead, I immediately texted my mom, Martha Keele. I didn't explain what happened. I just asked for access to the restaurant's surveillance footage.

This incident was too minor to involve her as the group CEO. The moment she stepped in, all her subordinates would know this wasn't a trivial matter.

Less than five minutes later, the restaurant's real-time cloud surveillance footage was sent to my phone.

I tapped on my phone. It started showing live surveillance footage. The restaurant was packed. Most of the customers had clearly come to show support after the viral incident.

Revenue had skyrocketed. In less than six hours, the branch had already made what it usually earned in two months.

I originally checked the footage to gather evidence for the police, but what I saw shocked me even more.

In the staff lounge, Mandy was bragging to her mother about her achievements, while Ethan stood behind her and eagerly massaged her shoulders.

"Mom, our revenue increased several ten-folds. I skimmed 435 grand from it. You and Dad can just enjoy your vacation."

After a few casual remarks, she hung up.

Ethan immediately leaned close to her ear. He lowered his voice and spoke in a charming tone.

"Mandy, this surge in revenue wouldn't have happened without me, right? Don't you think it's time you gave me that Porsche you promised?"

Mandy was clearly in a great mood. She reached back and caressed his face.

"You really are my lucky charm.

"But I'm planning to buy a luxury apartment in Westonia this month. It costs around 580 grand. Based on current revenue, I'm still a bit short–"

Seeing this, Candace, who was the Chief Legal Officer at Sylas Group, couldn't help but snort.

"Abusing their position to embezzle company funds, and in such large amounts. That's a criminal offense. They'd receive a minimum sentence of three years. They've got some nerve."

I hummed in agreement. This was no longer just defamation.

Since it had gone this far, we'd settle everything at once.

Ethan grinned greedily.

"If I manage to get the remaining 90 grand, you'll add my name to that apartment."

A sly glint appeared in Mandy's eyes.

"Of course."

After the promise was made, the two of them tumbled together onto the couch in the lounge.

Thirty minutes later, I received another message from Ethan.

[I'll give you one more chance. Transfer 90 grand to me right now, and I'll tell everyone you're not a kept man.]

Candace snorted again.

"Extortion on top of everything else. First time I've seen someone so eager to add years to their own sentence."

I smirked and replied.

[I'll give you the money, but I need to make sure you'll keep your word. Tomorrow morning, let's meet at the restaurant. We'll deal in person.]

At the same time, as the company's regional CEO in Hawthorn, I sent a message to Yvonne Lindt.

[I've heard your branch's revenue has increased several tenfold. I'll personally inspect it tomorrow. Pick me up at the office.]

That very night, Yvonne hastily returned on a flight.

The moment she landed, she headed straight to the office.

As soon as she saw me, she bowed slightly to me and smiled.

I handed her a black briefcase filled with cash.

"This is 90 grand. It's for the employees at the branch."

She beamed.

"Oh my, the branch's performance has been great, but such a big bonus isn't necessary. Mr. Keele, you're too generous."

I smiled without saying a word.

On the way to the branch, Ethan messaged me again.

[There's a higher-up visiting this morning. Don't come. We'll talk this afternoon.]

Yvonne must have already warned Mandy about it.

I ignored him. Whether I showed up or not wasn't his decision to make.

Thirty minutes later, Yvonne and I arrived at the restaurant.

All the staff were lined up to welcome us, but Mandy was nowhere in sight.

I knew she was scrambling to erase the evidence of her embezzlement.

Ethan turned his head. The moment he saw me, his eyes widened in shock.