Their mouths were scalding and burning. They didn’t have the strength to attack or defend themselves.
Before Darnell could make a move, Casey grabbed two bottles of soy sauce and splashed them on the faces of two Baycliff youths, causing them to frantically wipe their eyes.
Then, Bailee and Shayla stepped forward and delivered well-aimed kicks. Kole and Reece screamed in pain and fell to the floor.
A sign in the restaurant was crushed under one of them, breaking into three pieces.
The three women quickly shouted, “Help!”
Their coordination was impeccable.
Darnell was delighted. These Phoenix Team girls were not only cute and gentle but also knew how to handle troublemakers.
Jett and a few waiters rushed over. “Kole, Reece, are you okay?”
Kole and Reece ignored the concern of the crowd, crawling to the water fountain in the middle of the hall to gulp down cold water.
After a while, their faces red from the ordeal, they lay on the ground, panting heavily as if they had just survived a deadly encounter.
Only those who experienced it firsthand could understand the burning pain of mustard mixed with soy sauce going down their throats. They seemed to be tough and soon struggled to their feet.
They glared at Darnell and cursed, “Damn it!”
Jett clenched his fists. “Get him!”
The three men shook their heads to clear them and charged at Darnell with swift moves.
As Jett and his two companions were ready to charge into the room with great momentum, Casey calmly closed the wooden door. With a loud crash, the three men slammed into the sliding wooden door.
With cries of pain, the door shattered, and the three men stumbled inside. Bailee and Shayla tripped them up with well-placed legs.
Losing their balance, the three men fell to the floor, hitting their heads on the ground and crying out in pain.
Instinctively reaching out for support, Jett grabbed at something to pull himself up. Bailee pushed a hot plate towards him. With a sizzle, Jett screamed in agony from the burn.
Darnell watched all this with a broad smile, growing more fond of these feisty young women.
“Damn it!”
Just as the trio stood up again to charge, a woman appeared.
“Enough!”
The woman looked to be in her thirties, about five feet seven inches tall, with decent looks and an air of pride.
She carried herself like a queen on her throne, looking down on everyone with grace and authority. Darnell immediately recognized her as a shrewd woman.
Jett shouted, “Victoria, they attacked us!”
“Fool! You barged in, causing trouble. How can you blame the guests for defending themselves?”
“Jett, go back.”
Victoria Blaidd spoke rapidly to the three Baycliff youths before having several waiters help them back to their room.
Then she bowed politely to Darnell and his group.
“I’m sorry for the disturbance caused by my drunken guests. I will have your spilled drinks replaced.”
As she apologized, her eyes quickly scanned over the four of them with an assessing look while instructing staff to clean up and remove the menu.
Darnell said with a smile, “It’s understandable when people get drunk. As for more drinks, there’s no need. We’ve had enough.”
He had noticed the smirks on the faces of the departing Baycliff youths and the slight sneer on Victoria’s lips.
Baycliff people could be very cunning. Any more food or drink served would be unsafe to consume.
Victoria bowed again. “Thank you for your understanding. We apologize once more.”
She executed her bow perfectly before smiling and leaving.
Darnell reassured Casey and her friends as they sat down again to finish their meal. “It’s all right now. Let’s continue eating.”
“The Baycliff guys were jerks, but at least the manager seems reasonable,” remarked one of the women quietly as they calmed down. They even praised Victoria’s repeated bows as sincere gestures.
“Yes, she was quite charming too,” Casey added with a grin. “Mr. Halford, you should try wooing her.”
“Sure thing,” Darnell laughed heartily as he stepped out for a moment before returning five minutes later with a bottle of sake in hand.
The women didn’t pay much attention as they excitedly discussed the recent scuffle.
After another ten minutes of conversation, they decided it was time to head back to work. Darnell called out for the bill. “Check, please.”
Victoria appeared promptly with several waiters behind her, including Jett, Kole, and Reece, all wearing cold smiles.
Casey shivered slightly at their odd demeanor as she hurriedly gathered her things while Darnell leisurely sipped his tea. Victoria approached them politely and said,
“The total comes out to six thousand dollars.”
Casey froze in shock. “Six thousand? Isn’t it six hundred? How did you calculate that?”
Victoria listed off prices with a smile. “It totals six thousand.”
Bailee exclaimed angrily, “No way! I calculated it myself. It was six hundred! Your prices aren’t like this.”
Victoria remained courteous. “Please check again. Perhaps you missed a zero.”
A waiter handed over the menu.
Bailee inspected it closely and noticed that every price now had an extra small zero at the end!
“I definitely didn’t see this before,” Bailee fumed. “This is extortion.”
Casey was equally upset. “This is daylight robbery!”
Victoria finally lost patience. “Our prices are set. Pay up and leave.”
Jett chimed in, “That’s right. We pay these prices too.”
Reece added, “If you can’t afford it, don’t eat here! Just pay up already. Don’t embarrass yourself!”
Casey realized why Victoria had been so polite earlier. It was all part of her plan to rip them off under false pretenses.
“You better not try anything funny,” threatened several Baycliff patrons, holding up phones ready for live streaming. “If you refuse to pay, you’ll end up in jail and be humiliated worldwide as freeloaders from Westergold.”
Other diners outside also recorded eagerly, adding fuel to the fire.
Casey felt utterly trapped but couldn’t fight back against such overwhelming numbers.
“Six thousand?” Darnell stretched lazily before speaking cheerfully. “Not expensive at all. Bring another bottle of sake.”
“Give it to him!” Victoria ordered coldly as she handed over another bottle. “$6, 500 now,” she reminded him.
Darnell looked at her seriously. “Do I really have to pay?”
Victoria dropped her pretense entirely. “$6, 500, not a cent less.”
Darnell pulled her aside earnestly. “You have big boobs but no conscience?”
Victoria smiled smugly, “You embarrassed my friends. You had it coming.”
Darnell sighed, “Is this really necessary?”
Victoria’s smile remained, but her tone was cold. “Absolutely.”
“In that case…” Darnell took hold of his sake bottle and shook it gently. A cockroach fell out. “$1, 000,” he declared.
Another shake made another cockroach fall out. “$2, 000.”
“$3, 000.”
“$4, 000… $5, 000… $6, 000…”
Darnell shook six times until six cockroaches lay on display. “Is that enough?”
“Oh wait, we’re still short by $500.” He shook out one final cockroach before looking directly at Victoria. “Now you owe me five hundred dollars.”
Victoria nearly burst into tears on the spot.