Meanwhile, Beatrice continued celebrating lavishly in the dining room for nearly three hours, ordering extra rounds of expensive wine, additional courses, gourmet coffee, and our most costly desserts.
“Do not be stingy, girls,” she repeated loudly. “It is my treat today!”
The final bill reached an astonishing $23,289.
Just when I thought her arrogance had reached its limit, Beatrice called me back to her table.
Beside the empty wine glasses sat a thick Manila folder.
“Sign these right here, Camilla,” she ordered bluntly.
I opened the folder and skimmed the first few pages.
I immediately recognized the fraudulent business-transfer documents Lucas had prepared.
“What is the meaning of this, Beatrice?”
She frowned at me impatiently.
“Do not play dumb with me, Camilla. The ownership of the restaurant will be transferred to Lucas so he can handle the important business decisions, and you will simply continue working here in the kitchen.”
Several of her friends nodded in agreement.
“A man can certainly make a business grow much faster,” one of them commented smugly.
Beatrice smiled warmly at her.
“Exactly. Camilla cooks, Lucas manages, and that way the whole family is taken care of.”
Something cold and final settled inside me.
For years, these people had called me family whenever they wanted free meals, money, or my silence.
Now they were trying to take the business I had built through years of exhausting work just to rescue my cheating husband.
“I will review these papers later,” I said calmly.
Beatrice mistook my quiet tone for fear.
“Perfect. When you bring the final bill, make sure you hand everything back to me fully signed.”
I went straight to my private office and printed the full itemized receipt.
The paper seemed endless, listing tasting menus for thirty-nine people, reserve wine bottles, imported cheeses, artisan desserts, and premium coffees.
Total: $23,289.
I placed the bill neatly on a polished silver tray.
Underneath it, I slipped three things: the certified divorce decree, copies of the unauthorized bank transfers, and clear photographs of Lucas entering a boutique hotel with his mistress.
When the women finally began gathering their designer purses, I stepped into the dining room.
“Just a moment, please, ladies, because we still need to settle the final account.”
Beatrice burst into a loud laugh.
“What on earth are you talking about, Camilla?”
I presented the silver tray directly to her.
Her arrogant smile disappeared the moment she saw the final number.
“You have completely lost your mind! You know very well that I am not paying this!”
“You stated multiple times in front of everyone that you were inviting the entire room today.”
“That was obviously just a figure of speech! Tell Lucas to handle this bill!”
“That sounds like an excellent idea, so please go ahead and call him right now.”
Beatrice pulled out her phone with a triumphant sneer.
“With great pleasure!”
She immediately put the call on speakerphone, clearly hoping to humiliate me in front of all thirty-eight friends.
Lucas answered after several nervous rings.
“Hello? Mom?”
“Son, I am at the restaurant right now, and your crazy wife is trying to charge me $23,289! Tell her immediately to stop playing games and sign the transfer documents to hand the business over to you!”
A heavy silence followed on the other end.
Even Beatrice stopped smirking.
Finally, Lucas spoke in a shaky voice.
“Mom… what on earth did you just do?”
