The restaurant shift was nearly over. I was just taking off my apron when I heard, “Suzy? Is that you?”
In front of me stood my ex-husband, Liam, and my ex-friend Daria—the one he cheated on me with after my miscarriage. The air in the room felt suddenly thin. Three years ago, they had walked out of my life, taking my dignity and my financial security with them.
“How can I help you?” I kept my voice professional, though inside I was boiling.
“What a surprise!” Daria smirked, her eyes scanning my faded uniform. “So, you work here?”
“Yes,” I replied shortly.
“ARE YOU A DISHWASHER NOW? WAIT, I KNOW—YOU’RE WIPING FLOORS!” Daria’s voice carried across the dining room. Liam grinned, leaning back with the arrogance of a man who thought he’d won the breakup. “Oh honey, I told you she’d have to come back down to earth!”
Daria burst out laughing. “Of course! Still hopeless!”
I didn’t give them the satisfaction of a breakdown. I didn’t mention that the “uniform” was actually a requirement for all staff—including corporate—to wear during “Floor Week.” I didn’t mention that I hadn’t seen them because I had been in the back office all day.
“I’ll get your server,” I said calmly, and walked away.
As I retreated to the kitchen, I could hear them whispering about how “pathetic” it was that a woman who used to run a boutique was now “scrubbing toilets.”
Liam had taken the boutique in the divorce. He had used a loophole in our pre-nup, claiming my “emotional instability” after the loss of our child made me unfit to manage the business. He and Daria had run it into the ground within eighteen months.
What Liam and Daria didn’t know was that I hadn’t spent the last three years mourning them. I had spent them rebuilding.
I had started as a line cook at a small bistro, worked my way into management, and eventually caught the eye of a venture capital firm looking to revitalize a struggling national steakhouse chain.
I wasn’t just a worker at this restaurant. I was the Regional Director. This specific location was the flagship of my newest acquisition. I was here to evaluate the staff and the facility before a multi-million dollar renovation.
Halfway through their meal, the restaurant’s General Manager, Marcus, approached their table. He looked nervous.
“Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Thorne?” Marcus said. (She’d taken his name, I noticed. Good luck to her.) “I’m afraid there’s an issue with your reservation and… well, your standing with our parent company.”
Liam scoffed. “Do you know how much money I spend at places like this? What’s the problem?”
“The problem,” I said, stepping out from behind the service station, now having swapped my apron for a tailored charcoal blazer, “is that this establishment has a strict policy against the harassment of its staff.”
The color drained from Daria’s face. Liam’s jaw literally dropped.
“Suzy?” Liam stammered. “What is this? A costume?”
“No, Liam. It’s a career,” I said, folding my arms. “I am the primary stakeholder in the group that owns this building, the land it sits on, and the brand name on your menu. And frankly, your behavior tonight was bad for business.”
I turned to Marcus. “Marcus, please void their check. We don’t take money from people who treat our team like floor rags. Then, please escort them out. They are blacklisted from all twenty-four locations, effective immediately.”
Daria tried to find her voice. “You can’t do that! We’re… we’re important!”
“In your world, maybe,” I replied with a small, sharp smile. “But in mine, you’re just a couple of people who can’t afford the tip. Goodbye, Liam. I hope the floors at your house are clean—I hear you’re doing the ‘wiping’ yourself these days.”
As security walked them to the door, the rest of the staff—who had heard the earlier insults—began to whistle and clap.
I went back to the office, sat down, and took a deep breath. For years, I thought revenge would be a loud, screaming match. But as I looked at the growth charts for the next quarter, I realized that the best revenge wasn’t a scene. It was the quiet, steady sound of building a life they were no longer invited to share.
I picked up my pen and went back to work. I had a multi-million dollar empire to run, and I didn’t have a single second left to waste on the “hopeless.”
