Chapter 448
Chapter 448:
The restaurant was almost empty.
His wife piped up. “You’re seriously picking on a five-year-old? Pathetic p>
The kid stuck his tongue out at us.
Yvaine reached into her bag and froze. “Where the hell is it? I swear I packed it p>
“What’s missing?” I asked.
“My headphones. The limited-edition Finnish pair Emmett got me. I babied those. I packed them this morning myself p>
“You’re sure they were in there p>
“One hundred percent p>
I stared at the bag, then at the kid.
We both turned to the parents.
Yvaine spoke first. “We’re looking for a pair of headphones. Just checking if your son might have taken them by accident p>
The mother scoffed. “Earphones? What are they worth, five dollars? You that desperate p>
Yvaine’s voice went cold. “They’re a discontinued Finnish designer release.
Twelve grand retail. Twenty now, if you can find one p>
The couple looked at each other, then burst out laughing.
The man swept his eyes over our trainers, Yvaine’s oversized hoodie, my hiking gear.
“You two probably saved all year for this buffet lunch,” he said, sneering. “Now you’re trying to pull some scam over a fake designer headset? Real classy p>
The manager finally wandered over, his face stiff.
His name tag said Bruce Zed.
I faced him. “My friend’s property is missing. We want to check the CCTV p>
Bruce didn’t look at us.
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He looked at the couple.
Then he said, “I’m afraid I can’t authorize that p>
“You’re kidding,” Yvaine muttered.
“They’re accusing my son of theft!” the man said. “One damn headset and they’re screaming twelve grand. It’s a shakedown! Bruce, throw them out p>
I didn’t look away. “We never said your son stole anything. But if that’s where your brain went, that’s not on me p>
Yvaine folded her arms. “Mine had cartoon prints all over it. Maybe the kid liked it and grabbed it. If you hand them over now, I won’t call the police p>
I turned back to Bruce. “This isn’t complicated. Just check the footage p>
He didn’t budge. “I have to protect the guests’ privacy p>
“Guests or your friends?” I asked. “You’ve been swapping glances with them since we got here p>
Bruce cleared his throat. “Mr. Happy is a VIP. I would be remiss in my duties if I allowed a misunderstanding to upset such a valuable client p>
Happy—seriously? Didn’t he find that ironic?—smirked. “I’ve seen this scam before. Create drama, pretend some flashy thing’s missing, demand money. You think I’m falling for that p>
I narrowed my eyes. “We don’t want your money. We just want the damn headset p>