I had my meal and was about to leave my sister's restaurant, but the manager stopped me. "Sorry, sir, but you haven't paid your tab."

I never saw this guy before. He probably had no idea who I was. Kindly, I explained, "Put it on your boss' tab. She knows what to do."

The manager instead gave me a look of derision. "Sir, we're a 3-star Michelin restaurant. We do not put anyone's bill on another person's tab."

He handed me an itemized bill. The guy had it ready and printed.

I went through the list.

The meal alone cost 75 grand.

The 'dining utensil gleam maintenance fee' ran up to 45 hundred.

There was also an exclusive air purifier fee, which would cost 75 hundred.

And there was a 'VIP calm headspace service fee' that ran up to 15 grand.

Those were the ones that stood out, but they were far from the last.

I had no idea my sister was running an extortion gig. Mirthlessly, I laughed. "I'm your boss' brother. Tell her she's talking to me when she comes home."

The manager did not let me go. "Just say you can't afford it. You're not the first one to try and claim you know Ms. Grayheim. I know leeches like you well enough."

I texted my secretary. 'Tell my sister she either fires this guy, or I pull my funds out.'

Foolish Manager

"Sir, stop wasting our time and pay the bill," said the manager harshly. He was cocksure about my failure to pay the bill. The guy thought I was a deadbeat who leeched off a woman.

There was already a small crowd forming around us. A frown creased my forehead. This was not worth my time. I called my sister, but the line was busy. I tried again. No dice.

It was a work day!

'What on earth is that girl doing?' I thought.

I put my phone away and looked at the manager. He was going to push me into a corner, but I reiterated, "My name is Zacharias Grayheim, the brother of your boss, Selina Grayheim. I can't get through to her now. You can check her card, which has my photo and information linked to it."

I thought that would be enough to handle this. It was straightforward. However, the manager did not verify anything. Instead, an ear-piercing laughter came tumbling out of his throat.

He was rocking back and forth from laughing too hard. The crowd grew bigger.

Then, he darted closer and hissed in a voice only we could hear. "You can drop the act now. I saw your pics on Selina's phone. I'm her boyfriend, and I know exactly who you are. You're the bastard who keeps getting in my way. And now you come right to her shop just to put your bill on her tab? Who do you think you are?"

That barrage made me freeze. I checked the name tag hanging from his chest. Harold Stern. I had no idea what to say.

Selina had a boyfriend, I knew that. She never even showed me a photo of him, though. And now I saw him for who he was. Foolish and venomous. I wondered if her taste in men was crude, after all.

This exorbitant bill was no misunderstanding. It was a scheme. A scheme to humiliate me.

I wanted to say something, but Harold's patience was gone.

"If you insist on eating for free, then we'll have to take you down until the cops arrive!" He swung his arms.

A pair of burly bodyguards came ahead.

They were professionally trained. I was outnumbered and outclassed. My resistance was shot down easily, with the bodyguards pulling my arms behind me.

Still, I thrashed like a feral canine, but I could not break free.

They ignored my fury and the horrified customers as they shoved me into the kitchen. Then they slammed me into a storeroom, a place filled to the brim with the stench of disinfectant and swill.

When the door swung shut, the light and sounds of the world outside were cut off.

Zacharias Beaten Up

We were in the dark room. I was their prisoner. The manager said nothing. The first thing he did was slam his foot into my belly. He wore leather shoes. The agony made me grunt as my stomach churned.

"That's for spending my girlfriend's money! That's for butting into her business!"

Harold's roars kept coming. His voice was getting hoarse and twisted. Jealousy and fury oozed from his tone.

He looked at me like I was inferior to him, and he told his bodyguards. "Mess him up. Teach him a lesson!"

The bodyguards were his trusted confidants. They did not hesitate to carry out his orders. And then a rain of fists crashed into my body.

I clenched my teeth, swallowing the pain that was making my flesh scream. Even so, I could feel my bones threatening to be crushed into smithereens. My organs were going to move around too.

Harold did not stop taunting me. "You are nothing but a loser who leeches off his sister!"

"I told you, I'm her brother! Ask her! Call her! I'll talk to her!"

I tried my best to explain, but Harold did not listen to me. He waited until the world around me was starting to spin, and he raised his hand. The bodyguards stopped.

He slammed the tip of his leather shoe into my shoulder. Smugly, he looked at me. "Pay the bill and give me another 75 grand. This is what you get for meddling with her business and spending her money! I don't mind shedding some blood. Selina will handle it for me."

I was curling up like a pillbug. The pain was killing me. Weakly, I explained, "That's my own money. Ask her yourself."

The look on his face changed. He kicked me again, and the bodyguards resumed their assault.

I knew that the man was stubborn enough not to listen to anything I had to say. If this kept up, I might really die.

I felt a jet of blood flying out of my mouth. With the last of my strength, I rummaged across the ground, and my hand found itself holding a phone a moment later.

"Stop. I… I'll pay."

Harold was happy with my submission. He told the bodyguards to stop. Then he crouched and patted my swollen cheek. "You should've done that sooner. All this pain, for nothing. 150 grand, and not a cent less."

I was lying on the ground, the chill of the concrete seeping into me. As I tried to take in big gulps of air, my lungs burned and shouted in protest.

Instead of dignifying his insult with a response, I called my best friend, Michael Terrason.

The call went through immediately. "Mike, I need you to get 300 grand and come over to my sister's restaurant right now!"

The call stunned Michael, then realization hit him. Something must've happened to me. "What's wrong, Zacharias? You sound…"

"No questions. Just do it!" I interrupted and hung up.

The increased offer did not escape Harold's ears. His eyes lit up, and greed gleamed within.

Perhaps he thought the beating scared me, and I was making a good offer in exchange for my life. Now he was positively gloating at me.

"At least you know your place."

Useless Sister

Michael worked faster than lightning.

Moments later, someone crashed the storeroom's door open. Michael and two of his bodyguards hurried into the room. When he noticed me—on the ground trying to push myself up, blood caking my face, and my clothes messed up—he was shocked.

But he helped me up without asking. I shook my head, telling him not to talk. Then, I took the card from him and tossed it to Harold. The PIN was already on it.

Harold took the card. This time, he did not press further. He waved us off dismissively. "If you gave me a fake, I know where to find out. Now fuck off."

Michael helped me get out of the room. I was keeping the screams of my body down, and I hobbled away from this nauseating chamber.

We stopped at the entrance. "Thanks, mate. I'll pay you back after I settle this fiasco."

He looked at me, worried. "It's chump change. Don't worry about it. What the hell happened?"

I sneered. "That was my sister's boyfriend. I guess it's time for the big reveal." I grabbed my phone and called the restaurant's VP.

The VP was the actual administrator of the joint. I poached him myself, and he was loyal to me.

The moment my call went through, I spoke without a hint of emotion crossing my voice. "You have ten minutes to fire a manager called Harold Stern. Fail that, and the Grayheims will pull out every single cent of investment in that restaurant."

My voice alone nearly scared the soul out of the VP's body. He noticed the weakness in my voice and deduced that something was wrong. Terrified, he said, "Yes, sir, right away." And he did not even ask any further questions.

I hung up. "Take me to the police station, Mike."

…

The officers talked to me. With a clear voice and a clearer mind, I told them the beating and extortion I suffered. My testimonial was taken, and then I made a trip to the hospital to assess the wounds I suffered.

The report came out soon enough. I was holding it tightly in my hands. Flames of fury were burning in my heart. The pain of betrayal was fueling it, and it showed no signs of stopping.

An explanation. Someone owed me one, and it was Selina. She would explain everything to me herself.

My assistant found out where she was—at her villa.

…

I, my driver, and my bodyguards made our way there right away. That villa was a gift from me.

The first thing that hit me was the loud and deafening heavy metal music coming from the villa. The second thing was the voices of the partygoers that came rushing out of the open doors and windows.

Selina was having a party. No wonder she did not take my call. The entrance was ajar, but for some reason, I did not enter right away.

Soon enough, I noticed a familiar voice speaking. Harold.

He was telling everyone his sob story as if he were the victim, and I was the one who humiliated him with money.

"I just wanted him to pay the bill, but he tossed 150 grand into my face and told my boss to fire me! Selina, he's impossible! He doesn't respect you! He humiliated me! He wants to break us up!"

Selina and her obnoxious, sycophantic friends played the role of angry and indignant friends.

Selina was loudly soothing the man in her arms. Her voice was dripping with love and sympathy. "I won't let this slide, Harold!"

To show her resolve, she announced to everyone, "When I get my hands on my brother, I'll make him say sorry to you!"

The trust-fund babies inside were still backing up Harold, and all of them promised that they would make me pay in a hundred different ways.

"Say the world, Selina! We'll get that bastard!"

"Yeah, show him who's boss around here!"

Alright, that was it. Even I had my limits. I raised my hand, and my bodyguards kicked the door open.

The music came to an abrupt halt, and the laughter died down immediately.

Stunned, the partygoers turned their eyes to the entrance.

"You don't have to get me. I'm already here. So, how are you going to make me pay?"