Shafted [ONC 2022]

Warms The Soul

"Listen, when I started hanging out with Tycen, I had no idea he was in a relationship. He never mentioned you once. I swear to go if I'd known, I would've left him on read. I'm not a home wrecker in any way. Like, when we were in your apartment, he said he had a roommate and that you wouldn't mind me using your stuff..."

Rukiya closed her eyes briefly. She'd been listening to Lindsay go on for five minutes straight—girl hadn't even taken a breath. Rukiya guessed she was worried about her job. If Wendy caught wind of this... Lindsay might lose more than just this cushy receptionist position.

But Rukiya wasn't interested in ruining lives. Even as she stood there, listening to this girl go on and on. She felt no anger, no resentment, no burning malice. She was just tired, and a tad annoyed this girl was wasting her time. Men lie, go figure.

"I haven't even spoken to him since that morning," Lindsay continued. "But he's been blowing up my phone like crazy and—"

"Are you quite done?" Rukiya interjected.

Lindsay blanched. "I-I-I—"

"I hold no ill will towards you. Go in peace." She turned on her heel and strode out the firm without a backwards glance. Kadin was leaning against the wall beside the entrance and she put on a smile for him. "Ready?"

He tucked his phone in his pocket. "Lead the way."

She couldn't wait to get some hot pho in her stomach. Cold, wet days like these were perfect for a hot bowl of soup. PhoKing Fantastic was one block away from the law firm, but she smelled the delicious, signature pork broth long before she banked the corner.

The restaurant sat between two sky-high buildings—the charming red brick looked almost cartoonish juxtaposed with the monoliths of steel and glass. When downtown Hapton was being developed, the owners refused to sell, even after being offered exorbitant amounts of money, even after being bullied and harassed by the city's elite.

Which was why it was one of Rukiya's favorite spots. A line wrapped around the sidewalk, leading up to the door. Luckily, she'd called on Saturday to make reservations, so they waltzed right in and got a booth.

The smell of bone beef broth was even more heavenly inside. The atmosphere of the restaurant was cozy—filled with wooden tables and padded booths, forest scape paintings on the walls. Chatter filled the air, mixing with the soft instrumentals coming through the speakers.

Rukiya immediately released a sigh of relief when she settled into the booth. She picked up the menu and perused it, even though he already knew what she wanted. "So... what do you think?"

"Hm?" Kadin looked up from his menu. "It's a nice place."

"Not the restaurant. I'm talking about our meeting with Brigid. Are you comfortable going forward with the lawsuit?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "I hadn't really thought about... what we went through that night. I mean, there was a lot of other stuff going on last week. But now that I think about it. I think we deserve something. Accountability, at least. No one even reached out to apologize."

Rukiya nodded her agreement. "Let's see what Brigid digs up first. For now... what would you like?"

"Not sure. What's good here?"

"The pho is phenomenal, so are the goi cuon. I get mine large with extra beef. The tea here is really great too."

"Alright." He closed his menu. "I trust your judgment." A waitress came and took their orders. Two green teas, two stacked bowls of pho and a large order of goi cuon.

"So..." Kadin drummed his fingers on the table. "I heard you're a bit of a celebrity in these parts. Forbes' 30 Under 30."

Rukiya shrugged. She'd had a fair few television appearances, spoken at some seminars and conventions and done some interviews for magazines, but that hardly made her a celebrity, right? "I mean... yeah, I guess that's how some people would see it."