Chapter 208 208: Fall Out

"The hell you mean by business violations?" The old man fumed as he looked at the paper handed to him, "I've been running this place for twenty years now, without a single complaint!" the old man continued, slamming his hands onto the counter, making the papers flutter. His face was red with anger, veins standing out in his temples. "Business violations? What violations? This is absurd!"The inspector, a young man with a polite but firm demeanor, adjusted his hat nervously. "Sir, these reports were filed by… multiple sources. They even showed proof of harassment… serious enough that we're required to issue this notice of immediate review."

The old man's hands trembled slightly as he gripped the papers. "Harassment? Unsafe practices? You've got the wrong place. My staff and my customers, have never complained!" He shook his head in disbelief.

Julia, standing behind him, could barely contain her worry. She looked at the papers, then at the inspector, then at her grandpa. "Grandpa… maybe we should just—"

"Should what, Julia? Just roll over and let them take my life's work from me?" the old man barked, though his voice had a hint of fear beneath all that anger.

The inspector cleared his throat, shuffling through his clipboard. "Sir… it's just standard procedure, we'll just perform a quick investigation and ensure everything's going well before business can resume."

It had been a week since one of the trio had tried harassing Julia and suddenly they had received a notice that their business would be 'temporarily' closed down on complaints of violence until an investigation was completed.

The old man's fists clenched tightly around the papers, his knuckles white. "Temporarily closed?" he barked, his voice cracking with frustration. "Temporarily closed? For what? For some spoiled brat's idea of a joke? For one damn incident?"

Julia stepped closer, placing a tentative hand on his arm. "Grandpa… maybe we should just cooperate for now. Show them everything's fine… they can't keep us closed forever if we prove nothing's wrong."

The old man shook his head violently, his hair slightly disheveled. "Cooperate? Cooperate with these people? Julia… you don't understand. This isn't about rules or procedures. Someone planned this. Someone wanted this to happen. And they picked the perfect moment—right after that… that incident with Chad. I've run this place for twenty years, and suddenly—bam!—I'm a criminal in their eyes."

The inspector shifted uncomfortably. "Sir… we have to follow protocol. The complaints were serious… multiple sources. Our hands are tied until the investigation concludes."

Julia frowned, realizing the full scope. "Grandpa… it has to be Leonard or his friends. That guy, the buff one, he knew exactly what he was doing. That scene in the restaurant… it was deliberate. He wanted an excuse to bring attention, to make this happen."

The old man's eyes narrowed, anger mixing with disbelief. "those three?" he muttered under his breath, grinding his teeth. "That little… brat. Twenty years of my life, twenty years of hard work… and theh thinks theu can crush it with one stupid stunt?!"

The inspector nodded politely, clearly unsure how to respond. "Sir, I understand your frustration. But legally, until we complete the review, the closure stands. Any attempt to operate the business could… complicate things."

The old man let out a long, controlled exhale, trying to steady his shaking hands. "Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "Fine. But mark my words… this isn't over. I will not let some rich little punk ruin everything I've built. I will fight this… legally, if I have to. And when I do, he'll regret it."

Julia glanced at him, fear and worry still in her eyes. "Grandpa… it's just… people like that, they're not just petty. He's meticulous. He won't stop until this place is gone."

The old man's glare hardened, his jaw tight. "Let them try, Let them pull every trick in the book. I'll make sure he learns the cost of underestimating people who've built something real. This restaurant isn't just a building, Julia… it's a legacy. And no brat with a plan will take it from us without a fight."

***

Well, that fight had ended pretty fast and it definitely wasn't the old man's win.

When one was rich enough, people like the old man and his restaurant were barely worth anything in their eyes.

The investigation had dragged on for as long as possible and by the time it concluded, barely any customer was visiting the restaurant anymore.

The old man thought it was just a matter of time, one good week, maybe a month at worst, and his regulars would return. People loved his food, they trusted him, they even knew him.

But the truth hit him like a slow, suffocating wave.

His regular customers didn't return.

His weekend crowd didn't return.

The families, the office workers, the students and the nearby shop owners had all vanished.

Every day, he'd flip the sign to OPEN and stand behind the counter, arms crossed, trying to convince himself that people were just busy… that they'd be back soon.

But they never came.

Not even out of curiosity or even out of sympathy.

Julia worked silently beside him every day, pretending not to notice how often he checked the door. How often his hopeful expression dimmed with every passing minute.

By the end of the first month, the restaurant felt like a ghost town and the old man, had no choice but to let go of most or all of his employees

***

One afternoon, as the old man was cleaning the spotless counter for the hundredth time, Julia stepped out from the kitchen, holding her phone tightly.

"Grandpa…" she said.

He glanced at her. "What is it? Another cancellation? If so, just block the number. I don't care."

But Julia didn't move.

She swallowed hard and turned the phone screen toward him.

A video was playing on it.

The restaurant's sign had been digitally vandalized with spray paint obviously edited in, that read: Unsafe • Don't Eat Here.

Someone filming it and laughing. A group of people walking by whispering, "Isn't that the place with the harassment case?" "Yeah, my cousin said a friend of hers got touched there." "Really?" "Yep, it's all over some forum."

The old man's hand trembled as he grabbed the phone and stared at it.

"Where… where is this from?" he asked.

"From a local food review group," Julia whispered. "They've been… spreading rumors. Saying the investigation found things. Saying the place is dangerous. Some people are even saying we kept quiet about incidents… that we hid things."

"They're lying," the old man whispered, voice cracking. "All of it is lies."

He staggered back, leaning on the counter for support and that was the exact moment the bell above the door let out a ding and the old man slowly raised only to face the last people he wanted to see.

Three familiar men walked in.

"This place looks empty," the man, who Julia immediately identified as Leonard, said with a smile on his face, "quite the contrast to when we first came here."

The old man's fists clenched instinctively, but he forced himself to stay behind the counter. His jaw tightened, and his eyes narrowed at the intruders.

Julia, however, instinctively stepped forward, placing herself slightly in front of her grandfather. Her body tensed, her eyes blazing with defiance.

Leonard's calm smile didn't waver. "I must say," he continued, stepping further inside, "it's remarkable how fast an establishment can… fade away. Truly fascinating."

Chad, trailing slightly behind him, licked his lips nervously as his gaze fell on Julia. "Well… maybe there's a way we can help you guys get back on your feet," he said, his tone oozing false charm. "It's simple, really… just one little favor. You know, you'd make a fine… assistant for me. Help me out… and we could make this little problem… disappear."

Julia froze for a brief moment, then her face contorted with pure disgust. Her voice rang out, sharp and unwavering: "Excuse me? You want me… to be yours? Are you insane?!"

Chad blinked, a flicker of shock crossing his face at her outright refusal. "Uh… well, I—"

"No!" Julia snapped, taking a step forward, her hands balled into fists. "You're disgusting. I don't care what kind of money or influence you have, I'd rather starve here with my grandfather than give in to someone like you."

"Just give up, dog," Andrew said with disgust on his face, "the girl clearly hates you."

The trio soon found a seat and sat down before the old man slowly approached.

"What do you want now?" the old man demanded, his voice tight with barely restrained anger. He planted himself firmly behind the counter, arms crossed, glaring at the three men as if sheer will alone could drive them out.

Leonard leaned back slightly in his chair, fingers steepled together, his calm, calculating smile never wavering.

"Oh, nothing… really," he said softly, almost teasingly. "We're just… curious. Curious to see how things have… fallen apart here."