Adriano Chad Beryl NovelSacked for Scamming at the Service Center

I dropped my car off for maintenance at the service center. When it was finished, I told the staff to put it on the tab of my cousin, who ran the shop.

The staff member nodded and started to process it, but then the female manager stepped in.

We don't do tabs here. You've got to pay up now, she said, slapping the bill down right in front of me.

Premium Diagnostic Scan: $80,000

Exhaust System Sound Enhancement: 3333-777700,000

Engine Harmony Calibration: 3333-777700,000

Total: $280,000.

I laughed at the absurdity. Since when did my cousin start running a rip-off operation?

The manager crossed her arms and gave me a snooty once-over. "Always trying to mooch off Chad. I've seen plenty of broke relatives like you. If you can't swing it, don't act like you can."

Unwilling to argue with her, I pulled out my phone and called my cousin. "You have ten minutes to fire the manager, or your shop is finished."
Chapter 1
"Adriano, is there some kind of mix-up?" Chad Graham stammered, his voice laced with guilt and nerves.
"Mix-up?" I snorted. "You think I'm the type to make trouble out of nothing? This isn't a discussion. It's a directive. Handle your employee right now!"
My harsh words took him aback. He recovered quickly, trying to placate me. "Take it easy, man. Pass the phone to her. I'll figure out what happened."
I sneered, handing the phone to the manager, Beryl Merritt.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed it half-heartedly. "I already told you, Chad. Cut ties with these freeloading relatives. They just use your name to score perks. This one is the worst, thinking he can bail after the maintenance is done."
Chad tried to explain, but she steamrolled him. "You're just too nice, always hung up on family ties. If you can't make tough calls, that's fine. I'll be the bad person today."
She hung up, tossed the phone back, and jutted her chin out. "Heard that? Chad is not bothering with your drama. The total is $280,500, and I'll knock off the $500. Cash, card, or transfer? Pay up, or security is showing you the door!"
She stressed her tone at the end of her speech, making the threat crystal clear. Her sheer nerve and cluelessness made me laugh.
In fact, no one had dared to pull this crap with me in years.
Right then, the VIP room door swung open, and Chad hustled in, jogging over with a forced smile. "Adriano, hey. This is a total screw-up. Ms. Merritt is really just doing her job. Don't take it personally."
Before I could say a word, Beryl howled like a banshee, "Chad, come on! I'm looking out for you here. You want to let every sketchy type use your name to bleed the business dry? That'd make you happy?"
She grabbed his arm and shook it, all the while shooting me a provocative glare. I'd be a fool if I couldn't figure out what was going on.
That explained why a mid-level manager like her was so arrogant. She had an inside track.
Confirming my suspicion, Chad squeezed out a grin and went for the family angle. "Beryl is my girlfriend. We're getting engaged next month. We'll all be family, seeing each other around. Let me pick up the tab, okay?"
"No need," I refused flatly, dissatisfied with his attitude.
If not for our family ties and pitying his situation back then, he'd still be scraping by at job fairs.
The whole setup for this service centerthe design, the decor, the business plan, the connections, and even the seed moneycame straight from me. I'd kept it quiet to spare his ego, so he had no idea I was the real owner.
But now, for this narrow-minded, toxic woman, he was ready to burn bridges. If that was how he wanted it, I wasn't pulling punches anymore.

Chapter 2
$280,000 was just chump change for me. I spent more than that on a single day's whims.
What got under my skin wasn't the cash; it was Chad's ingratitude.
"I'll pay," I said.
Beryl's face lit up with a victorious smirk, and Chad let out a visible sigh of relief.
"But," I added, my voice sharpening, "you need to break this down for meevery charge, every detail, crystal clear."
Beryl quickly pulled out the prepped invoice and recited it with a cocky vibe. "Alright. Let's start with the premium diagnostic scan. We're talking imported analyzers, run by experts with international certifications. It took a full three hours, charged at global rates. Then, your exhaust pipe was messing with the sound profile, so we upgraded it with an opera-inspired resonance chamber. Now it roars like Pavarotti, rich and commanding. Totally elevates the value."
I couldn't believe my ears. My three business partners who'd tagged along stifled smirks, and even Chad bowed his head in embarrassment.
Beryl kept going, getting more absurd by the second. "Last but not least, our technicians found an imbalance in your turbo boost. It was a serious issue that required Swiss-precision calibration in a vacuum environment, with HQ experts guiding remotely for that deep, almost spiritual sync between the turbo and the engine. This is a premium, one-of-a-kind service, you follow? Everything here is upfront and fair. You're just not used to this level, so it's blowing your mind."
That final jab was pure disdain, meant to humiliate me.
One of the partners, David Brooks, stepped in to end the farce. "Adriano, it's getting late. Let's head out. I'll cover the bill."
I held up a hand to stop him. By now, this wasn't about money anymore.
I'd come here to hook Chad up with these valuable partners while getting a quick tune-up, only for Beryl to turn it into a public humiliation. It was just crazy.
I pushed down my anger and turned to my partners apologetically. "Sorry you had to see this nonsense. It totally ruined the vibe. To make it up, I'll book the entire Summit Peak this Saturday and host a proper dinner for you guys."
Almost simultaneously, their phones started pinging with confirmations from Summit Peak. David, who'd just offered to pay, looked shocked and excited all at once.
They were all accomplished in their fields, but in the top-tier circles, they didn't quite rank. Summit Peak was known as a mythic private spot where real power players met.
It was invite-only; no amount of cash could buy entry without connections. Yet I'd locked it in with one simple message.
Any doubts they might've had about me evaporated right there. The way they looked at me shifted to straight-up respect.
I escorted them to the entrance, watching their cars disappear down the road. As soon as the taillights faded, my smile vanished, replaced by icy resolve.
I turned back to clean house, but Beryl blocked my path with two hulking security guards.