This was my 29th day working at the "One Moment" restaurant as a waitress, with no salary because this was our family's new restaurant.
My dad claimed it was to cultivate me, but in reality, I was the restaurant's inspector, checking if customers were satisfied with the service and food quality, how the staff was performing, and if there were any areas for improvement.
Just as I finished inquiring about a table's dining experience, I ran into Daniel and Cara as they walked into the restaurant.
Daniel widened his eyes in disbelief, looking me up and down, and then his eyes filled with disdain as he said nonchalantly, "I never expected a top student to end up as a waitress here. Amara, you've really disappointed me."
Cara, not hiding her smirk, full of mockery and contempt in her eyes, said, "Daniel, all jobs are equal. You shouldn't look down on Amara's work."
After saying this, she sat down, crossed her legs, folded her arms, and slightly raised her chin, saying, "Well then, we'll trouble Amara to serve us today."
My dad is the richest man in Hai City, and our family is involved in many industries. But to cultivate the right values in me and prevent me from becoming a troubled girl, my parents have been very strict with me since childhood, not allowing me to flaunt our wealth.
My monthly allowance was limited to a thousand dollars, not a penny more. If it wasn't enough, I had to earn it myself. That's why my academic performance was excellent, and I won scholarships every semester.
In college, I also worked part-time as a tutor outside of school, so many people at school thought I was a poor student from a humble background.
Daniel's family sold seafood in the market, but he often treated people to meals at school, so he was mistaken for a man in a rich family.
Daniel and I got together in our sophomore year. Later, somehow, he ended up with my roommate Cara. Of course, the whole world knew about this, except for me.
It wasn't until after graduation, when he came to me with an offer from Infinity Group, bringing Cara along, that I understood everything.
He put on a fake sad face and said, "Amara, I'm sorry, but we should break up. My family is in business, and you're just a poor student on a scholarship. We're not suitable for each other. If you love me, you should let me go. Do you understand?"
I didn't quite understand.
Infinity Group belongs to my family. Although it's involved in various industries, I really don't know how it could help his family's business.
"Oh, Amara, this coffee isn't hot enough. Could you bring me another, hotter one?" Cara said deliberately with a hint of a nasal tone.
I knew she was intentionally giving me a hard time, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes internally.
A colleague noticed they were deliberately picking on me and quickly came forward, saying, "I'm sorry, ma'am. She's new here. Let me serve you instead."
Cara heard this and was very dissatisfied, pouting:
"Since she's new, she needs more practice in serving customers. Amara and I are good friends, so it's perfect for her to practice. Even if she doesn't serve well, it's okay. But with another customer, she might get complaints."
I signaled to my colleague that I could handle it, so I went to bring a hotter cup. I saw that Daniel had already flipped through the menu several times but hadn't ordered yet.
After all, this restaurant was positioned as somewhat upscale, with slightly expensive prices. But since Daniel came to my house to spend money, I had to serve them well. So I put on a smile:
"May I introduce you to our signature dishes?"
Daniel's expression was rather unpleasant. After all, he was still on probation, with a monthly salary of only four thousand dollars. Although he didn't have to pay rent, he was used to spending lavishly and didn't save money.
Moreover, it was currently a trading restriction period, and his family's seafood business was also in a slump, so he couldn't possibly ask his parents for money.
"Daniel, why haven't you ordered yet?" Cara was getting a bit impatient.
I smiled and introduced, "For appetizers, you two could try our Asian-style chicken soup and crispy crab cakes."
"Our most highly-rated main courses are the filet mignon, slow-roasted beef ribs, and a Maine lobster. The Royal Cheesecake and ice cream are the best desserts. Finally, how about a bottle of French sparkling wine?"
With all these dishes, the bill would come close to two thousand dollars. Daniel's face grew even more unpleasant.
I smiled and said, "These dishes are all recommended by our online reviewers. I know you enjoys fine dining, so I suggested these. Sir, you love this lady so much, surely you wouldn't object, right?"
For them, the best way now is to elevate their status.
I added another sentence, "Besides, Sir, you've joined Infinity Group. I heard Infinity Group pays well, so I'm sure you wouldn't be stingy with this lady, right?"
Cara unconsciously straightened her back, looking smug. To show off in front of me, she said, "Of course, Daniel has never been stingy with me. When you were with Daniel before, he never took you to high-end restaurants such like this one, did he?"
I nodded, "That's right. When I was with Sir, we mostly ate street food near the school. How lucky you are now. By the way, we have a membership promotion, if you spend five thousand, you will get five hundred free."
Just as Cara was about to nod in agreement, Daniel, who had been frowning, spoke up.
"Are you on some kind of sales commission? How much do you get per table? Why you keep recommending things!"
I quickly waved my hands, "Sir, you misunderstand. I just thought that since Sir's family is in business and you care so much for this lady, I recommended dishes that suit your status. If Sir thinks it's too expensive, you can order for yourself."
Hearing this, Cara's face also darkened: "Amara, what do you mean by that? Daniel, I like eating these things."
Then she pouted at Daniel.
There was no way out. I had already put Daniel in this position. Caught between a rock and a hard place, he finally ordered.
Soon, a table full of dishes was served.
Cara took photos of the dishes from various angles. I knew she was about to show off on social media.
"Amara." Cara beckoned to me, "Take a photo of Daniel and me, will you?"
I also knew this was Cara deliberately trying to provoke me, but it didn't matter. After all, they were spending money at my family's restaurant.
I smiled and took the phone: "No problem, ma'am."
After saying this, I raised the phone. Cara linked her arm with Daniel's, leaning close to him. Just as I was about to press the shutter, Cara turned her head and kissed Daniel on the cheek.
She thought this would make me angry?
Not at all. After all, it wasn't worth getting upset over a scumbag.
"Here you go, Miss." I handed the phone back to her.
Cara looked at it and nodded with great satisfaction: "Thank you, Amara. You took a really nice photo. I'm going to post this on social media."
Heh, go ahead and post it!
After all, the attitude of those on top is always high and mighty. They all think they're the winners.
When it came time to pay the bill, I handed the receipt to Daniel.
Daniel's eyes widened as soon as he saw the amount, and without thinking, he asked, "Two thousand five hundred and ninety-two?"
I smiled and nodded: "Yes, Sir. The lady ordered several more dishes later, don't you remember?"
Indeed, Cara had a good appetite, but unfortunately, the portions at our restaurant were on the smaller side, focusing on refinement.
"And there's a five percent service charge?" Daniel looked at me, not understanding.
I smiled and nodded, explaining: "Yes, Sir. Your total consumption is two thousand five hundred and ninety-two, and the service charge is one hundred and twenty-nine. Would you like to pay by cash or card?"
"The service charge is so high! Amara, you're not doing this on purpose, are you?" Cara was clearly not able to accept this.
Her words drew disapproving glances from the surrounding customers.
Daniel, without waiting for my explanation, looked at me coldly: "Amara, this is clearly your fault, isn't it? I came to dine at this restaurant, and you, as a waitress, should be serving us. Now you're charging us such a high service fee!"
I smiled and explained: "Sir, this fee is not arbitrarily charged by me, but a restaurant policy."
Cara snorted coldly: "You're a waitress at this restaurant. Just because you say it isn't doesn't mean it isn't. Call your manager out here. I want to file a complaint against you!"
Their tone was fierce and unreasonable, and the customers nearby couldn't stand it anymore. They started defending me and criticizing Daniel and Cara.
"Didn't you research the place before coming to eat? If you can't afford it, why come to an expensive restaurant? And then you hassle a young girl because you don't want to pay."
"That's right. Instead of complaining about others, I suggest the restaurant create a blacklist. People like this who deliberately cause trouble shouldn't be served in the future."
Daniel, who cared about his face, couldn't bear to hear such words and stood up, ready to argue.
I quickly said, "Sir, if you don't want to pay the service charge, that's fine. Consider it a discount from me."
When Daniel heard I was giving him a discount, his face darkened even more. He grumbled as he took out his phone, "What a rip-off place. Cara, next time we eat out, we need to check carefully beforehand to avoid wasting money and getting upset on an empty stomach."
Cara nodded, "Daniel, you're right. Why bother arguing with a waitress? Let's just consider this hundred dollars as money thrown to a beggar."
So I led Daniel to the front desk to pay, while Cara went to the restroom to touch up her makeup.
After Daniel paid, he turned around and I heard him exclaim with delight.
"Mr. Hart, I'm Daniel, a new employee at the company. What a coincidence to meet you here!" Daniel immediately switched to a fawning expression and went forward to greet him.
I turned my head to look and saw it was Uncle Hart.
Uncle Hart had always been with my dad. I remember when I was little, there was a time when my family encountered business difficulties, but uncle Hart remained loyal and even helped us solve our problems.
Now that our family business has grown bigger, my dad, always one to repay kindness, specifically assigned the group's catering sector to uncle Hart to manage.
Uncle Hart said, "This restaurant is newly opened under the group. I just happened to come by for an inspection today."
"I thought I heard you arguing earlier. Was there any dissatisfaction with the dining experience? If there are any opinions, you must voice them."
Uncle Hart had watched me grow up since I was little, so of course, he knew about me working here as a waitress and that I was deliberately concealing my real identity.
However, hearing these words, Daniel's expression immediately stiffened. He then put on a smile and said, "No, Mr. Hart, this restaurant is very good."
I, standing beside them, deliberately asked in confusion, "Sir, didn't you just say this was a rip-off place and that you'd never come again? Since you now think our restaurant is not bad, why not give us a five-star review?"
Daniel's face grew even darker. He wanted to lash out at me, but seeing the company leader present, he had to swallow his anger. Just as he was about to explain, Cara came back from the restroom.
She hadn't noticed anything unusual and linked arms with Daniel, complaining, "Daniel, let's go. We're never coming back to this rip-off place again."
Daniel's face turned pale. He quickly pushed her away, "What nonsense are you spouting? Did you mishear? I just said this place is very nice and definitely deserves a five-star review."
Cara was bewildered by this sudden scolding and got angry. Seeing me, she pointed and questioned, "Amara, are you causing trouble here? Daniel is my boyfriend now, he's broken up with you. Don't you believe I'll file a complaint against you?"
Uncle Hart, seasoned in dealing with such situations, immediately understood what was going on. He coldly said, "Miss, I'm the manager of this restaurant. I heard you want to file a complaint against my employee?"
Cara thought she had found someone to deal with me and revealed a smug smile, "Yes, I want to complain about the waitress Amara."
Daniel quickly grabbed Cara and smiled apologetically at my uncle Hart, "Mr. Hart, no complaint, no complaint. It's all a misunderstanding."
"Hey, Daniel, what do you mean?" Cara angrily asked.
"Mr. Hart, I have something to attend to. I'll be leaving now." Daniel pulled Cara away with him.
After they left, uncle Hart called me to one side.
"Amara, are you alright?" uncle Hart asked with concern.
I shook my head, "Uncle Hart, I'm fine."
Uncle Hart let out a sigh of relief, "By the way, your father wants you to be my assistant first, then learn from me for a few months. Amara, what do you think about that?"
I replied, "That's fine with me. I'll follow whatever arrangements my dad makes."
Seeing my response, uncle Hart nodded and patted my shoulder, "Then report to the group next Monday."
After a brief conversation with uncle Hart, he left, and I returned to my work position.
On Monday, I went to the group's HR department to complete the onboarding procedures.
The HR specialist looked surprised when she saw my name and asked, "You're Amara?"
The expression looked as if she knew me. I nodded, "Yes, that's me."
Then I saw the HR specialist's face show a look of contempt towards me, and then she quickly prepared my work badge.
Really? Bullying the newcomer like this? Well, I'll just familiarize myself with the environment first.
There was still some time before work started, so I went to the tea room. Everyone gave me strange looks and started whispering.
"Isn't that Amara?"
"HR just told me, she is exactly Amara."
"She just graduated from college, and instead of finding a proper job, she became someone's mistress. You really can't judge a book by its cover."
"Hey, I heard she was a poor student, so she wanted to be someone's mistress. How else could she go from being a waitress to working at this group?"
I was completely baffled. What on earth?
"Amara!" At this moment, I heard an angry male voice.
I saw Daniel striding towards me, his face full of contempt and disgust: "I never thought you were this kind of woman, willing to do anything for money!"
I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity: "Daniel, if you're sick, I suggest you go to the hospital."
Daniel sneered, "Amara, I admit I broke up with you because of your poor family background, but you didn't have to stoop so low as to become someone's mistress."
"What mistress? Do you want me to sue you for defamation?" I retorted angrily.
Daniel saw my work badge and laughed even more contemptuously: "Mr. Hart is old enough to be your father, and you're so shameless as to use this method to get a job. Amara, I was blind to have ever liked you."
???
After he said this, he turned and left.
The surrounding colleagues whispered even more.
At this moment, a female colleague about my age walked up to me, picked up the water glass on the table, and splashed it in my face.
"I despise people like you the most, who get jobs without any real effort. And you were even a model student? How disgusting!" she said.
I immediately grabbed her hand: "You've splashed me and insulted me. What gives you the right to judge me?"
The female colleague shook off my hand with disgust: "It's all over the internet now. Just open it and you'll see."
After saying this, she left too.
Other colleagues were unwilling to talk to me and also left.
I took out my phone, and the top trending headline was an article titled "Service Quality at Popular Restaurant Doesn't Match Its Positioning".
The author of this article was Cara, who had twisted the events of yesterday, writing a completely distorted version, along with several photos of me.
The first comment below was: "Author, is it this woman?" attached with a picture of my uncle Hart coming to the restaurant and patting my shoulder, and another of me walking into the hotel with uncle Hart.
Following that were trolls insulting me, and even my high school and college affairs were dug up.
Uncle Hart's identity was also exposed.
The narrative quickly shifted to "The Promotion Path of a Waitress".
In this internet age, it only takes a few pictures and some fabricated text to ruin a girl's reputation.
No wonder when I came to report to the company today, these people looked at me strangely.
So that's how it is.
This matter was quickly known to my dad, who was so angry that he wanted to publicly reveal my identity.
I quickly refused on my phone.
After all, the best part is yet to come.
Uncle Hart, as one of the parties involved in this incident, was very angry when he found out.
Not only had the restaurant received bad reviews, causing a negative impact, but more importantly, my reputation had been affected.
So uncle Hart called a meeting with the heads of various departments.
Originally, Daniel wasn't qualified to attend the meeting, but since he was also a participant, he was specifically named to attend.
In the conference room, uncle Hart presided over the meeting, and I sat in the first position to his right.
Everyone didn't know my true identity, so the online incident was causing a huge stir in the company. After all, it was written so vividly, and with the so-called "evidence", the heads of various departments looked at me very strangely.
Uncle Hart cleared his throat and said seriously: "Recently, there have been false messages about the company and me personally on the internet. These are all rumors."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other, but more were in disbelief.
Uncle Hart gave me a look.
I said: "Hello everyone, I'm the new employee, Mr. Hart's assistant Amara. I believe you all know me now. Everyone here is a leader of various departments. Next, I want to show you a video."
After saying this, I played the video I had prepared in advance. The content of the video was actually a footage of Daniel bringing Cara into the restaurant for lunch that day, showing how they gave me a hard time and insulted the restaurant.
"Everyone, these videos are high-definition and have audio. Daniel," I looked towards him, "Was there any problem with my service attitude towards you?"
Daniel was sitting near the door, not even at the conference table. When I called him out, all eyes turned to him.
He became nervous and quickly shook his head: "No problem."
I laughed softly, looking straight at him:
"This restaurant is under Infinity Group. As an employee of Infinity Group, if the restaurant's attitude had no problems, why didn't you stop your girlfriend from posting these false statements online to smear Infinity Group?"
Daniel was shaking all over from my questioning, completely unlike his arrogant demeanor that day.
"I… I didn't know about this," Daniel stammered for a long time, trying to distance himself with just one sentence.
"Daniel, I used to think you were morally corrupt, but now I find that you have character issues!" My voice was firm, filled with strong condemnation.
But Daniel became defiant: "Amara, what gives you the right to say this about me?"
I couldn't help but laugh, pulling up that post and pointing at a comment on the screen with a laser pointer. I read it out loud: "Baby, I'm sorry you had to go through this. Daniel, don't tell me this comment wasn't from you."
Exposed, Daniel's face became even more unsightly.
Seeing he wanted to speak, I quickly said: "You're not going to say it was your girlfriend who logged into your account and made the comment, are you?"
Daniel was furious but didn't dare to refute.
"As for the rumors about me and Mr. Hart, wasn't Mr. Hart inspecting the restaurant that day? There's always a detailed plan and people accompanying for restaurant inspections. The truth or falsity can be easily verified." I said leisurely.
Uncle Hart nodded in strong agreement: "You are all department heads. You should guide those false online messages in the right direction. If I hear any more rumors, don't blame me for being unforgiving!"
After the meeting, as soon as I walked out of the conference room, Daniel came up and blocked my way.
"Amara, do you find this amusing?" he angrily questioned me.
