They Called Me a Thief,Then the $20 Seafood Feast Destroyed Them All

My boss was the cheapest man alive, but God forbid anyone know it.

So when he announced：“Why does everyone make such a fuss over Mother's Day but ignore Father's Day? I've decided to treat every employee's father to a banquet,”

I knew I was in for a nightmare.

Sure enough, every hole-in-the-wall was too low-class, and every seafood restaurant was too expensive.

I was handing in my 105th proposal when our purchasing assistant snatched it out of my hands and flipped through it.

She rolled her eyes so hard they nearly stuck：“Beryl Dickerson, you're his secretary and you can't even find a good deal? You act like the company's money grows on trees.”

I asked her, impatiently, if she had a better idea.

She'd clearly been waiting for me to ask. A smug grin spread across her face.

“I've got a connection. All-you-can-eat seafood at a high-end restaurant, and it's only this much per person.”

She held up two fingers.

Derek Harrington frowned：“Two hundred?”

She announced it like she was dropping a mic：“Omakase seafood tasting. Twenty bucks a head, all you can eat.”

——

Derek's jowly face twitched. The gleam that sparked in his eyes made it obvious the price had him hook, line, and sinker.

Still, he couldn't quite let go：“This isn't some sidewalk stand, is it?”

Kathy Swanson lifted her chin：“Upscale restaurant.”

Derek frowned again：“The seafood's not frozen, is it?”

Kathy wagged a finger：“Whatever the regular customers get, that's what we get. Fresh as it comes. This is my inside connection we're talking about.”

Derek shot to his feet with an excited yelp, rubbing his hands together, admiration written all over his face.

“How did I not know we had this kind of talent in the company?”

Kathy's cheeks flushed pink, all coy modesty, though she didn't miss the chance to take a swipe at me.

“Well, Beryl's always had a monopoly on planning the company dinners. I never really got a chance to show what I could do.”

The corner of my mouth twitched. I took several deep breaths to fight down the urge to slap her.

Derek seemed to be tallying up every dollar he'd spent on past banquets, because he turned on me next.

“Beryl, I'll let your past performance slide. From now on, Kathy has full authority over all business dinners.”

My fists clenched at my sides. Inside, I laughed bitterly.

What exactly about my "past performance" needed to slide?

That comment was a thinly veiled accusation that I'd been skimming kickbacks, when every single menu and budget had been set and signed off by him.

If I hadn't already squeezed prices to the bone while keeping things respectable, he never would have approved them in the first place.

And now Kathy waltzes in with a number that screamed scam, and he ate it up like a man possessed.

I swallowed the urge to talk some sense into him and chose to respect his decision.

I just smiled and nodded：“Well then, Kathy, I'll leave it all in your capable hands.”

Privately, I was thrilled someone was willing to take this hot potato off my plate.

Haggling with restaurants over prices and menus only to have Derek slash the budget every time had already worn me down to nothing.

Kathy's cheeks glowed, and she was so giddy she could barely contain herself：“Leave all future business dinners to me. I've got the connections.”

Derek looked at Kathy with open approval, more convinced by the second that he'd discovered a hidden gem.

He clapped her on the shoulder：“This company needs to give young people more opportunities. Too many old-timers around here sitting on their titles and pulling the wool over everyone's eyes.”

The words turned my stomach, but the smile on my face didn't waver.

I reminded myself there was no point arguing with a fool.

At the same time, I was genuinely curious what kind of upscale restaurant could serve an omakase seafood tasting for twenty dollars a head.

Kathy and I filed out of the office one after the other. She couldn't hide the gloating if she tried.