He Forced My Parents to Death 15 Years Ago-Now I Let Him Go To Prison Fate Chapter 04
Two weeks passed in a blur. The three-hundred-thousand-dollar luxury cafeteria was finally finished.
Dale invited every construction foreman and supplier in the county to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
He hadn’t forgotten his promise either. He sent someone to drop off a cheap waitress uniform, along with instructions: stand by the trash cans in the corner and serve drinks.
A few of his thugs deliberately scattered peanut shells on the floor and called out for me to sweep them up.
I grabbed a broom and did it without a word, letting their jokes roll off my back.
At the appointed hour, Dale climbed onto the stage in an expensive suit, grabbed the microphone, and puffed out his chest.
“Thanks for coming, everybody. Once I recoup my investment, there’s plenty more where this came from.”
“Ask anyone in this county, nobody runs a cafeteria like me. Five thousand students, three meals a day. That’s my money.”
Whistles and cheers erupted from the crowd.
Dale got carried away. He started reminiscing about his early days.
“None of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t done the right thing all those years ago.”
“There was this couple on Maple Street, running a diner, poisoning people’s food. I couldn’t stand by and watch. I had my boys picket that place day and night until they saw reason.”
“They got what was coming to them in the end. Drank poison themselves. Couldn’t face the music. And me being the softhearted guy I am, I took that diner off their hands so it wouldn’t go to waste.”
He was rewriting history. Turning murder into charity.
The contractors in the audience laughed and raised their glasses. “That’s our Dale. A real pillar of the community.”
I stood in the darkest corner of the room, holding a serving tray. My fingernails dug into my half-healed wounds until fresh blood beaded up.
I didn’t feel a thing.
I kept my eyes on the man on the stage.
Let him have his moment. It was almost over.
Dale’s gaze drifted around the room and landed on me. He saw an opportunity to humiliate me in front of the crowd.
“Hey. You. Get up here. Let’s hear a few words from our esteemed director.”
“Don’t hide in the corner. Come on up.”
Everyone turned to look at me. The crowd parted, clearing a path to the stage.
They were all waiting to see me squirm.
I walked calmly down that aisle, stepped onto the red carpet, and climbed the stage until I stood face to face with Dale.
I smiled. “Congratulations, Mr. Sikes.”
“You’ve sunk your entire fortune into this, haven’t you? That takes guts.”
He preened. “What do you know about business? You have to spend money to make money. I borrowed every cent of this, and it’s going to pay off ten times over.”
“Ten-year contract. Five thousand kids. The more money I sink into this place, the more I can charge for a plate of food.”
“And after hours, I’m opening this place to the public. Best steakhouse in the county. Nobody’s ever going to call me uncultured again.”
I shook my head. “That’s a nice dream, Mr. Sikes. But I’m afraid it’s not going to work out.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a red-stamped official notice, holding it up for everyone to see.
“Since Mr. Sikes has so generously provided the venue, I have a second announcement to make.”
