The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 24

24 /43

Sloane put her phone away. "Now, you have two choices. Option one: bring us your medical bills, we pay them, we cover the restaurant's damages, and this ends here. Option two: we call the cops, we go to court, and we let the entire internet admire your stellar leadership skills."

The entire restaurant was listening in rapt attention.

Walter's face shifted from green to white. He stared at the glittering million-dollar ring on the table, then at the unwavering determination in the young woman's eyes, and finally at the surrounding diners holding up their phones with looks of pure disgust.

He knew he had lost.

"...Just my rotten luck!" he ground out through gritted teeth. He shot a venomous glare at Lexi and the sobbing girl, then waved aggressively at his companions. "Let's go!"

"What about your medical bills?" Sloane reminded him coolly.

Walter didn't even look back. Clutching his jaw, he embarrassingly shoved his way through the crowd and bolted out of the restaurant.

The manager breathed a massive sigh of relief, immediately shouting for his staff to clean up the glass. He turned to Sloane. "Miss, about this ring..."

"It's yours. Please draw up the paperwork as soon as possible," Sloane said. She pulled the still-dazed Lexi along, whispered a soft "get home safely" to the terrified young girl, and headed for the exit.

Stepping out of the restaurant, the cool night breeze finally snapped Lexi back to reality.

"Sloane! That ring..." She knew Sloane wasn't bluffing; that ring was a gift from Garrison, worth a fortune.

"I don't need it," Sloane replied bluntly. "It was just a formality. I should have thrown it away a long time ago."

Lexi's jaw dropped. "Damn, good for you!" Then, remembering the standoff, she asked, "Wait, what about that video...?"

Sloane offered a faint smile. "I bluffed him. I didn't have time to record anything. I just bet on his guilt, knowing he wouldn't dare call the cops."