The Price of Rejection

Stella

Heavy boots clatter across the dining room floor as a squad of uniformed officers pushes through the front doors. I plant my hands on my hips, watching them fan out across my restaurant.

A woman at the front of the group marches straight up to me, her face set in hard lines. “Ma’am, you need to cease operations right now and get your business practices in order.”

“Excuse me?” I blink, gl