Maya dropped to her knees on the floor, weeping hysterically while clutching a dark red, painful burn mark blooming across her forearm where hot liquid had splashed onto her skin. The young waitress sobbed and gasped for air, struggling to process the sheer cruelty of the sudden physical attack. Surrounding guests gasped in shock, leaning back in their chairs as Victoria stood over the injured server with her hands on her hips, showing complete indifference to the girl's obvious physical distress. Julian froze with his martini glass halfway to his lips, his brow furrowing as he looked down at the scene, suspecting that Victoria's sudden dramatic outburst was merely a distraction to cover up something far more sinister.
Trapped on the floor and fighting back tears of pain, Maya reached her trembling hand into her apron pocket. Her fingers brushed against the smooth metal casing of her smartphone. The fabric rustled softly as she pulled the device out, her hands shaking so violently she could barely hold it steady. While Victoria continued her loud rant to convince the room that Maya was incompetent, the young waitress unlocked her phone with trembling fingers, opening a private video recording app that had been running silently on the tray table throughout the entire dinner service.