After She Tried to Kill Dad, I Dumped Him

Chapter 2

I thought the matter was over. I was wrong.

Suki followed us straight into the private room. "Claire, you really don't need to apologize to me," she said softly. "I honestly didn't mean to do it."

A tear trembled at the edge of her lashes, making her look heartbreakingly fragile. "I just want to make things right. Why don't I make your father another birthday pasta?"

I suppressed the irritation rising in my chest. I didn't want any more drama tonight. "My father's birthday dinner doesn't need your help," I said flatly. "Go back to the kitchen."

Suki bit her lip and nodded obediently. Less than ten minutes later, a scream ripped through the back kitchen, followed by the deafening crash of shattered glass.

My stomach dropped. The kitchen wasn't even running many appliances today. What had she managed to destroy now?

The voice belonged to Chef Walter Dunn. By the time I got there, Suki was sitting on the floor beside a massive shattered glass tank. Water flooded the kitchen tiles while several expensive lobsters flailed helplessly across the ground.

Walter was livid. "Who told you to touch that tank?" he shouted. "Didn't I tell you to stand back and watch? That tank was custom-made! It cost over a hundred thousand dollars! And those lobster are no good now!"

Suki burst into tears immediately. "I only wanted to help," she sobbed. "Chef Walter, I saw you couldn't move it by yourself, so I tried helping you lift it…"

"Who asked for your help?" Walter snapped. "You didn't help. You wrecked everything!"

The commotion quickly drew Derek over.

The moment he saw Suki crying on the floor, he went straight to her side and helped her up. "Suki, are you hurt?"

She threw herself into his arms, sobbing so hard she could barely speak. "Mr. Shaw, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to cause trouble…"

Derek noticed the tiny cut on the back of her hand, and his expression darkened instantly. "Chef Walter, what exactly are you doing?" he demanded. "She's injured and you're standing here yelling at her?"

Walter looked stunned. "Mr. Shaw, she ignored instructions…"

"Enough." Derek cut him off coldly. "It's just a tank. We can replace it. But if something happened to Suki, could you take responsibility for that?"

Then he turned toward me, his tone final and unquestionable.

"Claire, this was an accident. Chef Walter failed to supervise properly, his bonus will be docked this month. As for the tank, charge it to the restaurant account."

I almost laughed. I owned half the restaurant. So Derek's solution was to use shared funds to clean up Suki's mess while throwing a loyal senior employee under the bus.

What a touching performance of playing the hero.

"Derek," I said coldly, "the restaurant's money doesn't belong to you alone."

"We're getting married soon anyway," he replied impatiently. "Why are you splitting hairs?"

Suki clung to his sleeve, tears still streaming down her face. "It's all my fault…Claire, please don't argue with Mr. Shaw because of me. I'll pay the money back slowly from my salary…"

The more pitiful she sounded, the more protective Derek became. "Don't be ridiculous," he said softly. "How much can you even make in a month?"

He brushed a comforting hand over her hair. The sight made my chest tighten painfully. Derek had always claimed to separate business from personal feelings.

Back when I first became restaurant manager, I accidentally broke a crystal wine glass. He publicly reprimanded me in front of the entire staff and docked my entire monthly bonus without hesitation. But now?

Suki had destroyed equipment worth hundreds of thousands, and he barely blinked.

Then, as if suddenly gathering courage, Suki looked toward me. "Actually…" she said carefully, "if Claire hadn't asked me to help in the kitchen, none of this would've happened."

I let out a cold laugh. "So now this is my fault too? I told you to destroy the kitchen?"

My gaze sharpened. "You have zero common sense, and the only thing you know how to do is shift blame. How exactly did someone like you get hired?"

The instant the words left my mouth, Derek slapped me across the face. The force snapped my head sideways. A metallic taste flooded my mouth almost immediately.

"Watch your mouth, Claire," he said coldly. "Suki's new. Mistakes can be corrected. But you're the head chef. Is humiliating people and pushing blame onto others what you call professionalism?"

Behind him, Suki looked terrified, tears pouring even harder than before. "Mr. Shaw, please don't fight with Claire because of me… It's all my fault…"

I pressed a hand against my burning cheek and looked directly at Derek. "Fine," I said quietly. "Charge it to the restaurant account."

I paused for a moment before finishing coldly. "But Derek, we're done."