Unexpected twist.
Claudia spent the entire day working at the restaurant as a waitress and informed the manager that she would only be working for one day.
She had planned to return to Sebastian’s company when night fell, but unfortunately for her, as darkness settled, more and more customers began coming in and out of the restaurant, forcing her to continue working.
By a few minutes past 10 p.m., Claudia couldn’t take it anymore. Worn out and anxious, she walked over to the manager’s office.
“Good evening, sir,” she greeted politely. “I have to go home now. I know I promised to work until closing, but I can’t stay out this late,” Claudia added with a tired voice.
“Will you get in trouble for staying late?” the manager asked with a warm tone. “Since you promised to work the full day, I gave my night shift worker the night off. He was a bit sick, and I thought I could rely on you. If you leave now, it’ll put pressure on the rest of the staff.”
Claudia sighed. “What time does the restaurant close?” she asked, trying to stay calm.
“A little past eleven,” he replied. “Just one more hour, and I’ll pay you your full wage.”
Claudia exhale in frustration and her shoulder slumped downwards. “Can’t you just pay me for the hours I’ve already worked?” she asked with a desperate sigh. “I know it’s wrong of me to ask, but I really need to be home by now.”
Claudia couldn’t shake the fear clawing at her chest because Mr. Harold had probably expected her in his room by six o’clock, and the fact that she still hadn’t shown up at his mansion terrified her.
‘What if he kicks me out of his mansion for staying out late?’ Claudia thought, panic washing over her.
“Come on, Claudia. You explained that you needed just a one-day job to get through the day, and I went out of my way to offer you something even though I don’t know anything about you,” the manager said, sounding offended. “I don’t give jobs to just anyone. This is a food business and it’s a place where people can pretend to be decent waiters or waitresses and still end up poisoning a customer. I chose to trust you.”
Claudia sighed and nodded. “I totally understand,” she whispered, then turned around and returned to her duties, though fear was growing inside her. She only hoped she wouldn’t end up in serious trouble with Mr. Harold.
An hour and a half later, the restaurant finally flipped the sign on the door to say “Closed.”
The other workers left, but Claudia stayed behind, waiting for the manager to finish supervising.
“Here’s your pay, Miss Claudia,” he said, stepping out of the building with Claudia trailing behind. He handed her a fifty-dollar note.
Claudia took it from his hand. “Thanks,” she whispered, watching as the manager locked the restaurant door.
After locking the door, the manager turned around to look at Claudia. “Thanks for being of great help to me,” he said warmly.
With a slight nod, he began to walk down the road.
Since Sebastian’s company was in the opposite direction, Claudia turned and walked the other way.
She had only passed a few blocks when she noticed how silent the streets had become.
‘I just hope Sebastian is still at his office. Otherwise, I won’t be able to get home since I don’t even know the address,’ Claudia thought, wrapping her arms tightly across her chest as she continued down the roadside.
She noticed that a few streetlights were out, and the only people around were a handful of homeless individuals, a few passersby, and the occasional car.
‘Wait! Am I even going the right way? I’ve been walking for almost ten minutes now,’ she thought again, halting to scan her surroundings more carefully.
Claudia looked around at the unfamiliar buildings and shook her head. Nothing looked familiar, and ahead, she could see she was nearing an under bridge.
From a distance, Claudia watched cars speed over the bridge, while beneath it was eerily dark? sending a wave of unease through her.
Claudia let out a loud sigh and turned around, deciding to walk back to the restaurant and follow the route the manager had taken.
She had just taken a step when she suddenly heard footsteps pounding toward her.
Quickly, Claudia turned around and saw three men emerging from beneath the bridge, running straight at her.
The streetlights nearby were dim or broken, making it impossible to see their faces clearly.
‘Maybe they’re just homeless,’ Claudia mused inwardly, turning back and continuing her pace—but the sound of footsteps behind her grew louder, closer, faster.
A cold chill ran through her. Something felt wrong.
Claudia began to run, eyes locked ahead, heart hammering in her chest.
The men behind her quickened their pace.
“Claudia!” a familiar voice called out.
She froze.
It was the restaurant manager. Hearing his voice made her stop in her tracks.
‘Maybe he’s trying to tell me something,’ she pondered because she was certain she hadn’t forgotten anything at the restaurant because Claudia had carefully checked her belongings.
So what was going on?
Claudia halted, turned around, and wrapped her arms across her stomach. “Sir, is anything the problem—?”
“Shut the fuck up!”
Claudia didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence as the restaurant manager’s harsh words cut through the air like a whip.
Before Claudia could react, he suddenly closed the distance between them and slapped her hard across the cheek.
“Arrrgh!” Claudia winced from the impact, her face jerking to the side as she clutched her cheek.
Without hesitation, the manager shoved his fingers deep into Claudia’s hair and aggressively yanked her toward the dark underbridge.
“Hey… what are you doing?” Claudia exclaimed as her words trailed one after the other.
One of his companions grabbed her legs, and the other drove a punch into her stomach.
“Why… why are you doing this? Let me go!” Claudia pleaded, shaking her head as her hands clawed at his fingers, trying to free herself.
She writhed and kicked, twisting her body, pinching at his hands in a desperate attempt to break free.
“Someone help me! Help me… I… I’m being kidnapped, please… anyone! Someone, please help me!” Claudia screamed at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her face as one of the men kept hitting her from different angles.
He slapped her, punched her, and even spat on her.
“Please… please, I’m sorry if I did anything to offend you. Please, I beg you—let me go. Don’t hurt me… please…” Claudia stammered through sobs, her voice shaking with terror. But her pleas fell on deaf ears.
“Shut up, bitch! You’re going to be our meal tonight,” one of the men growled, grabbing Claudia by the arm and dragging her toward the darkness beneath the bridge.
It was pitch black—so dark Claudia couldn’t see anything around her.
Then they tossed her against a wall.
A loud thud echoed through the still night.
Warning: The next chapter contains matured content that may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.