“You’re a piece of shit, you know that? This is exactly why you didn’t get the job.”
“You sure about that?”
Alexander scoffs. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“Sebastian personally tapped me for the position.”
“And it was ultimately my decision to follow through or not.”
“It makes me wonder why you’d choose that nobody over me.”
“What?”
“You heard me. You were supposed to hire from within, Chen. That’s what Sebastian said. Instead, you hired the first damn person to bat their pretty eyelashes at you.”
“Be careful with what you say next.”
Hector takes a step forward, deliberately getting up in Alexander’s space. He’s unafraid. Mostly just stupid, though.
“What did she do, hm?” Hector asks, voice dripping with venom. “It’s pretty obvious she’s your favorite. What did she do to earn that honor, I wonder?”
Alexander clenches his jaws so hard, he can hear his molars squeak against each other. The thinly-veiled implication leaves a bitter taste on his tongue. “Go home.”
“What?”
Alexander stands straight, squaring his shoulders. Hector is quite tall, but he doesn’t carry intimidation the same way. The redhead shrinks back, still wearing an expression of indignation.
“Go home,” Alexander repeats in a low voice. “Before you say something you’ll regret. One step out of line, Hector. One more step out of line and I’ll fire you on the spot. I’ll have you blacklisted from every restaurant from here to the other coast. I’ll make sure you’re stuck working at a Denny’s for the rest of your miserable little life.”
“You can’t—”
“Yes, I can. Don’t forget who I am. Sebastian might have taken you under his wing. He might own this restaurant. But the kitchen ismine, and you’re at my mercy. I’m being very generous right now, so I suggest you go home for the night. When you come back tomorrow, I expect you to be on your best behavior. If not, I’ll take you out with the trash myself. Do I make myself clear?”
The vein in Hector’s temple twitches. “Crystal,” he grumbles.
“Get the fuck out of here.”
Hector stomps over to his locker to snatch up his things. He slams the door hard enough that it just bounces open again, exposing an old, tattered knife roll at the very bottom.
Eden’s missing knife set.
Alexander doesn’t have time to confront Hector about it. The redhead shoves his shoulder against Alexander’s—it looks like it hurts him more than the latter—and pisses off for the night.
Alexander bends down to pick up the knife roll. He’s enraged on Eden’s behalf. He knows he should fire Hector immediately. Theft isn’t something Alexander takes lightly. But it’s been a long night, Hector is finally gone, and Eden has a fresh set of knives. A part of him is a little grateful that Hector had enough nerve to steal it. Eden truly deserves the new ones Alexander bought for her.
He’ll make good on his promise. He’s nothing if not a man of his word. One more screw up, and he’ll make sure Hector is gone in the blink of an eye.
* * *
They get through service no thanks to Hector. Things cleared up really quickly the second he left. Food started moving again, and the work started to flow. Hector leaving was like taking a thorn out of everyone’s side.
Easier to breathe, easier to function.
Nevertheless, Alexander needs a smoke.
While the rest of the staff finish off their cleaning duties, Alexander takes a long, much needed drag on his cigarette out back. He knows he should quit. He’s been trying to quit for a very long time, in fact. It’s just that he hasn’t been able to find the motivation to do it. He hasn’t had the motivation to do much in general.
It’s cold tonight. The evening air is still. The stars are out, bright and twinkling, the never-ending quiet of the universe weighing down on him. It’s calming, he thinks, all that emptiness. It stands in complete contrast to the tumultuous state of his mind.
