Đang tải thông tin quảng bá...
I Helped Them for 5 Years, They Ruined Me
NovelMaster
new
Hoàn thành
For five years, every time I passed the bakery on the corner, I bought a donut. I did it solely out of pity for the family who ran the place. But today, my apartment had a power outage. It was the f...
Chương (3)
第1章
For five years, every time I passed the bakery on the corner, I bought a donut.
I did it solely out of pity for the family who ran the place.
But today, my apartment had a power outage. It was the first time I actually sat down inside the shop to eat.
That was when I noticed the customer sitting across from me. He had only ordered one single donut, yet his box contained two.
With good intentions, I leaned over to remind the owner. "Excuse me, did you accidentally put an extra one in there?"
The customer looked at me, completely baffled. "This shop has always served two donuts per order."
My smile vanished.
Something was wrong. I had been buying from them for five years, and a single order had always been just one donut.
Did they really shortchange me by half all these years?
I looked around at the other customers. Sure enough, everyone else had two donuts in their boxes.
Just then, the owner's chubby son came skipping toward me, holding a plastic bag.
Toby, the owner's son, saw me and handed over the packed bag out of habit. "Fiona, yours," he mumbled, his voice slurred.
I took the bag, opened it, and counted the donuts one by one right in front of him. "Toby, I ordered two portions. Is this really all of it?"
Toby turned his head to look at his mother, Rachel, who was still standing behind the cash register. Then he turned back to me. "Yeah. That's exactly what you ordered."
Looking at Toby, I felt a heavy ache in my chest.
The only reason I had patronized their shop rain or shine for five years wasn't because I loved donuts, nor was it because their baking was spectacular. It was pure sympathy.
Five years ago, when I first met Toby, he was being bullied by a bunch of neighborhood kids.
Later, I found out that a high fever in his childhood had left him with severe cognitive disabilities.
I was kind enough to take him home that day, only to discover his father, Robert, was an amputee missing his right arm, while his mother, Rachel, was a dwarf with a severe limp.
The family of three was crammed into a tiny studio apartment of barely two hundred square feet. The parents worked all day running the bakery while trying to care for Toby, who couldn't attend a regular school.
I felt so sorry for them. Without a second thought, I used my social media account, which had millions of followers, to promote their shop.
Once my followers found out, they flocked to support them. Their business skyrocketed overnight.
Coincidentally, the commercial space they rented belonged to my Mike. Every month, I secretly paid half of their rent out of my own pocket.
I thought this would help them save up some money and live a better life.
Toby tugged at my sleeve, pulling me back from my thoughts. He stared at me with wide, eager eyes. "Fiona, that's twenty dollars."
I frowned. At that moment, I still hoped it was just some misunderstanding. I kept my voice as soft and gentle as possible. "Toby, I only have two donuts here. Why don't you ask your mom if there's a mistake?"
Hearing this, Rachel hobbled over. "Eating in the shop today, Fiona?"
I wasn't in the mood to chat. I just wanted to know if this was a mistake, or...
I glanced at the customer's donuts across from me and asked, "Rachel, I have two donuts here. How much does it cost?"
Rachel glanced at the plastic bag in my hand. Suddenly, she pulled me aside, a fake, flattering smile plastered on her face. "You ordered the same as usual, didn't you?"
Then, acting all mysterious, she lowered her voice and whispered in my ear, "Since you come every day, of course I give you a discount. Usually, it's ten dollars a portion, but today I'll charge you eight. Sixteen dollars total, okay?"
"Just... don't tell the other customers. You know how hard it is for us to make a living!"
I took a deep breath. I looked away from the other customer's double-sized portions, scanned my Apple Pay to make the payment, and walked out in a hurry.
The shop was right beneath my apartment building, just a few steps from the community entrance.
I decided right then that I would simply never shop there again.
But before I could walk very far, Toby came chasing after me. His chubby face was red, and he blocked my path, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Fiona! Why are you leaving without paying?!"
第2章
"Without paying?" I stopped in my tracks, staring at the panting boy in utter disbelief. "Toby, I already paid. Think about it again."
Toby's face turned bright red. His chubby little hands gripped my coat tightly, and he cried out, "Fiona, it's twenty dollars! You only paid ten! You shortchanged us by half!"
I glanced back at the bakery. Rachel saw me looking and immediately lowered her head, her eyes shifting guiltily. It was obvious she was the one who sent Toby after me.
A surge of anger flared up inside me.
But Toby... he was just a kid with special needs. His parents' greed wasn't his fault, and he probably didn't understand.
I knelt down to his eye level, keeping my tone as calm as possible. "Toby, I only have two donuts. That costs ten dollars. I didn't shortchange you, and I definitely paid."
As I spoke, I pulled out my phone and showed him the Apple Pay transaction screen.
But Toby only cried louder, screaming, "My mom said yours costs twenty! You didn't pay enough!"
While yelling, he began violently grabbing at my designer purse.
I froze. Along with the anger, a deep, bitter sadness washed over me.
Over the years, because I pitied him, I had bought him countless toys and snacks. I even gave him pocket money, a hundred dollars at a time.
I thought if I reasoned with him, he would let go.
I never expected him to be so viciously persistent over twenty dollars.
And then, it hit me. Only my order was "twenty dollars."
But why?
For five years, I had done so much for them. And this was how they repaid me? By charging me double?
My face went cold as I snatched my bag back, refusing to argue with this unreasonable child any longer. "Toby, go back and tell your mother that I only have two donuts. She knows exactly what that means."
Toby didn't care about my explanation. He threw himself onto the pavement, kicking and screaming in a full-blown tantrum. "My mom is right! You rich people look down on us! You're stealing money from disabled people!"
"My dad said you always take extra bags too! You're deliberately bullying us!"
"Our family has no money! Give it back!"
Passersby began to stop, casting judgmental glances at us and whispering among themselves. I felt my face burning with embarrassment.
In the eyes of the crowd, Toby was clearly the vulnerable one. It looked like a wealthy girl was bullying a disabled kid.
My neighbor, Marisa, saw the commotion and rushed over. She pulled Toby up, her face twisted in exaggerated sympathy. "Oh, poor thing! Aren't you the sweet boy from the bakery? How awful."
She then glared up at me. "You're dressed in head-to-toe designer clothes, yet you're out here bullying a disabled child? Have you no shame?!"
I let out a cold laugh. Ever since I filed a noise complaint against her with the HOA, Marisa had been looking for any excuse to stab me in the back.
I unzipped my plastic bag and pointed it toward the bakery. "Look closely, Marisa. There are only two donuts here. I paid ten dollars, which is the exact price. Not a penny less!"
"You'd better open your eyes before you start twisting the truth!"
Marisa peeked into the bag and hesitated for a second, but quickly recovered her smirk. "Who knows how many you actually took when you bought them? A kid wouldn't lie about this!"
"Honestly, with all those luxury brands you wear, I bet you scammed your way into them anyway!"
The moment she said that, the surrounding crowd started pointing fingers at me.
"Oh, come on, just give them the money. That family has it so hard. Just consider it charity."
"The kid is practically begging you. It's just ten bucks, it's nothing to you."
"Yeah, you live in this luxury high-rise. Ten dollars is pocket change for you."
Hearing the crowd turn on me, Marisa raised her chin in triumph. I was so angry I wanted to laugh. Since she wanted to play dirty, I wasn't going to hold back.
I looked her dead in the eye and said slowly, "Whether I lied or stole, the owner knows the truth. But as for you, Marisa, where did those expensive boots of yours come from? Were they a gift from the guy who snuck out of your apartment yesterday morning? Or the different one from the night before?"
第3章
"You! What lies are you spreading?!" Marisa's voice dropped instantly, her face turning pale.
As a beauty influencer, streaming late into the night was part of my routine. That was how I constantly saw different men coming and going from Marisa's place at ungodly hours.
I pulled out my phone and opened the app for my smart doorbell. "You might not know this, but I bought both penthouse units on the twelfth floor and knocked the wall down to make a massive loft. So, I had high-res security cameras installed all over the hallway."
"I wonder if those older gentlemen take the stairs instead of the elevator just to avoid being seen?"
Marisa's face turned from pale to crimson. She lunged forward to grab my phone, but I easily stepped aside. I didn't hold back my anger anymore, raising my voice so the whole street could hear. "If you dare spread rumors about me again, I will make sure your 'sugar daddies' go viral on TikTok!"
Marisa swallowed hard, let go of Toby, and scurried away, muttering curses under her breath.
Toby finally remembered why he was there. While I was distracted, he suddenly shoved me hard from behind. I fell to the ground, and my purse flew open.
A diamond bracelet, a limited-edition birthday gift from my parents, slid out onto the concrete.
Toby's eyes lit up. He immediately snatched it and hugged it to his chest. "Fiona, I want this!"
Before I could grab it back, his parents pushed through the crowd.
Seeing Toby on the ground, Rachel instantly wailed, "Oh, my sweet Toby! Bullying you again! I'm such a useless mother, I can't even protect my own boy!"
Robert, the father, glared at me with his one good arm resting on his hip. "Look, miss, you're a regular customer. I won't hold this against you this time, but I expect you to pay what you owe next time."
I pointed at the bracelet in Toby's arms. "That is my bracelet. Give it back to me right now!"
Rachel took a closer look at what Toby was holding. Instantly, she shielded him behind her back. "What bracelet? I don't see anything!"
Furious, I unlocked my phone. "I'm calling 911. Let's see what the police have to say!"
Robert lunged and snatched my phone. Despite his physical condition, he was surprisingly strong and aggressive. He roared in my face, "What do you think you're doing?! You're the one trying to steal from us, and now you're calling the cops?!"
I crossed my arms and looked coldly at Toby, who was hiding behind his mother. "That bracelet is a limited-edition piece worth eighty thousand dollars. If there is a single scratch on it, your family won't be able to pay for it even if you sell your entire shop."
Rachel's eyes widened. She stared at the shiny object in Toby's hands. Suddenly, Toby shoved the diamond bracelet into his mouth, slobbering all over it, and mumbled, "You always give me toys! I just want this one! Why are you so greedy?! It's mine!"
Watching my pristine, unworn bracelet get covered in drool made my stomach turn. Seeing my disgust, Robert snatched the bracelet out of Toby's mouth and threw it onto the dirty pavement. "What is this cheap glass trash?! Trying to scam us?!"
"Pay us for the donuts!"
Rachel seized the opportunity to drop to her knees. She grabbed my legs tightly, wailing even louder, "Everyone, look! She lives in a luxury penthouse, but she's robbing disabled people of their hard-earned money!"
The crowd of onlookers grew larger. As a public figure online, I couldn't afford a massive public scandal.
I clenched my jaw, pulled out my spare phone, and scanned their Venmo QR code.
The amount of money was nothing to me, and it certainly wouldn't make them rich.
But from this moment on, they were dead to me.
I shoved the payment confirmation screen in Rachel's face. "Are you happy now?!"
Seeing that I had given in, Rachel thought she had successfully manipulated me. Her crying stopped instantly. "Only ten dollars, miss? Is our dignity as disabled people worth so little to you?"
"You always order takeout, and we never charged you a packaging fee over the last five years. How are you going to pay for that?"
"The boxes we use are food-grade eco-friendly paper. They are very expensive!"
It turned out that when you reach a certain level of anger, you actually start to laugh.
I looked at this greedy family of three. Controlling my rage, I asked, "So, what exactly do you want?"
Rachel jumped to her feet and yelled, "One dollar per bag! I don't care to count the past five years. Just give us five hundred dollars!"
Five hundred dollars?
I turned to the surrounding neighbors. "I have supported their business for five years. I came almost every day, and they shorted me half of my order every single time. That means I overpaid by ten dollars every single day. Tell me, how are they going to compensate me for that?"
Robert stomped his dirty shoe right onto my diamond bracelet, crushing it against the concrete. "How can you prove we shorted you?!"
"Maybe we made a mistake today, but you can't just accuse us of doing it every day just because we are easy targets!"
"Missing a donut won't kill you anyway!"
Seeing that I didn't back down, the three of them sat back on the ground and began crying again. "The rich are abusing the poor!"
"Have mercy on us disabled folks! Life is too hard!"
I took a deep breath, refusing to waste another second arguing with them. I scanned the code, transferred the five hundred dollars, used a thick layer of tissues to pick up my ruined bracelet from the ground, and walked away without looking back.
As soon as I got up to my loft, I called my uncle, Mike.
"Mike, that bakery under my building, I won't be covering part of their rent anymore. Also, don't give them any more discounts. Charge them the full rate."
"And please contact Attorney Davis for me. I need an official appraisal of the damage to my diamond bracelet."
That five hundred dollars, and everything else they took from me, I was going to make sure they paid it back tenfold.