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As Alex weaved through the crowded tables, delivering dishes and refilling drinks,
he deftly dodged rude customers left and right.
Most of them only knew how to yell,cking any patience whatsoever.
But then again, one couldn''t exactly expect gentlemanly politeness from uneducated miners who relied more on brawn than brains, right?
The food was cheap, which exined why people came and went in a never- ending stream.
Out of the corner of his eye, Alex watched Josephine.
She moved with practiced efficiency, but there was a weariness in her every motion, a heaviness that seemed to cling to her like the scent of grease in the air.
When the lunchtime rush finally subsided, Josephine leaned against the counter, wiping her brow with the back of her hand.
"Thanks for the help," she said, her voice softer now.
"Happy to lend a hand," Alex replied.
She studied him more closely, her eyes narrowing. "You seem familiar. Have we met before?"
It had been more than a decade since theyst saw each other, and when they parted, they had been so young-barely eight or nine years old.
Memories from that time were hazy, buried under the weight of the
years.
Before Alex could answer, arge, grumpy man barged in, his face twisted in dissatisfaction.
He stormed behind the counter and yanked open the cash drawer, grabbing all the money.
"Boss, you need to leave some for-tomorrow''s stock," Josephine said, her tone edged with frustration.
"Just use whatever''s left," the man grunted.
"I''ve already used it all," Josephine replied, her voice tense.
The fat man counted the money and mmed down $300. "Buy the cheapest ingredients."
"Boss, this new guy needs a sry, and so do I. It''s been a week."
The man''s beady eyes flicked over to Alex with clear disdain.
"Who is this? Who hired you? Jo, I told you. You should handle all this alone."
"I can''t do all of this by myself!" Josephine''s voice rose.
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"You can if you try!" The man mmed his heavy hand on the table, the sound echoing in the small diner.
"I only have two hands! I need help!"
"If
you want more help, you''d better open the shop an hour earlier and close an hourter to make up for his sry!" His words hit like a p.
"We already open at six in the morning and close at eleven at night. So you want us to open from five in the morning until midnight?" Josephine''s voice shook with exhaustion.
"If you want to hire extra people, that''s what you''ll have to do."
There was nothing that made sense when talking to this boss; she thought it was enough, as she was already too tired.
All animals were equal, but some animals were more equal than others
"Boss, just give me my sry. I can''t wait anymore. My brother and family need the money
now.
The fat man grunted, ring at her. "I think you''re nning to quit after getting the money. Today''s earnings are way too low. I believe you''ve stolen some of it. If you want your sry, you need to earn at least double what you made today! Work more!"
Josephine''s eyes welled with tears. "My sry is $10 an hour, and you owe me $1,000. Please, I need my money. I can''t go home with nothing. There''s nothing to eat.
The fat man''s face twisted in anger. "You''d better shut up. I just lost at gambling. If I win with this
money, I''ll
pay you."
Desperate, Josephine grabbed the money from his hand.
"You always say that, and you never win! I need you to pay me now!"
The fat man''s face flushed as he raised his hand to p her.
Josephine closed her eyes, bracing for the hit-but it never came.
She opened her eyes to see Alex gripping the fat man''s wrist tightly.
"You''d better give her the money," Alex said calmly.
"Who the hell are you? Don''t you dare get in the middle of this!" the fat man shouted, spit flying from his mouth.
Alex tightened his grip, and the fat man let out a yelp of pain.
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The money slipped from his hand and scattered across the floor. Tears brimmed
in his eyes.
"I''m sorry! I''m sorry!" he wailed, his voice trembling like a pig caught in the butcher''s grip.
"Let him go," Josephine said softly.
Alex released him, and the fat man stared at them both before turning and bolting out the
door.
Josephine knelt down, hurriedly collecting the scattered bills.
"You weren''t supposed to hurt him," she said quietly, her fingers trembling as she picked up the money.
"He was trying to hurt you," Alex replied.
"It''s not the first time," she admitted with a sigh. "Now I''ll probably have to find another job.
"Why stay here at all?" Alex asked. "He''s clearly not a good boss."
"He''s the worst," she spat.
"But until a few months ago, his mother was still the owner. I worked for her for eight years. She was the kindest person I''ve ever known, and she helped me and my family when we were in need. She taught me how to cook. I owe her so much."
"Is she..." Alex hesitated.
"No," Josephine replied with a sigh. "She''s just old now and wanted to rest, so she let her useless son take over. From four workers, I''m the only one left."
"This is your sry." Josephine handed him a crumpled $10 bill for three hours of work.
"Do you realize that $10 an hour for everything you do isn''t nearly enough?" Alex asked, his frown deepening.
"Yeah, but for me, it''s still better than nothing," she said, her voice resigned. "Why not find a better job?"
“It''s hard to find work around here, and there''s a stomach to fill every day. Even though the son is useless, his mother used to let us bring leftovers home to feed my families. That helped a lot."
Alex already knew more than Josephine realized.
DIA
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He had learned she still supported the orphanage in this small town, working long
hours for low pay while trying to feed her big family.
The weight on her shoulders seemed unbearable.
Suddenly, the fat man burst back into the diner, dragging along three scruffy thugs behind him.
His face was red with fury. "You''re going to die now!!!" he yelled, pointing at Alex.
"You promised to buy us drugs once we finish with him, right?" one of the junkies sneered.
"Yes," the fat man snarled.
The other junkie grinned, his eyes flicking to Josephine. "How about the woman?
Can we have some fun with her?"
The fat man''s gaze turned dark, lustful. "Maybe after I''m done with her."