Chapter 2 NOT A PLACE FOR YOU

"Ashamed of myself?"

The man scoffed, and suddenly stood up.

"Women like you turn me on. I love taming strong women. No woman is actually strong, but they think that they are, and I love proving them wrong."

Before Ava could say a word, he reached out and groped her chest.

The world seemed to freeze for a moment before Ava's instincts kicked in.

Her tray clattered to the floor as she slapped the man hard on the face. The force made him sit back on the chair.

Heads turned in their direction, and the other men looked up, speechless and shocked at Ava's action.

The man's chair scraped loudly on the floor as he stood abruptly to face Ava, his face red with anger.

"You crazy bitch!" he growled , grabbing a fistful of her hair and yanking her toward him.

Ava cried out in pain, struggling to free herself.

"Let go of me, you creep!"

Clara immediately rushed over, shouting at the man to stop.

"You've got some nerve!" he snarled at Ava.

Their drama drew attention and created a scene.

"What the hell!" the bar manager barked, pushing his way through the gathered crowd around the scene.

When he got to the table, he stepped forward.

"What's going on here?" he demanded, his eyes darting between the furious man and Ava.

"This psycho slapped me!" the man holding Ava's hair yelled, finally letting her go. "She needs to apologize to me, this minute!"

Ava staggered back, holding her head as tears glistened in her eyes.

"He groped me!" she cried, her voice shaking angrily. "I'm not apologizing to a pervert!"

The man turned to his friends, and they laughed with him.

"Groped you? You wish."

The manager turned to Ava, looking disappointed.

"Apologize to the customer, Ms Ava."

Ava stared at him in disbelief and speechless.

"What?" She scoffed.

"This place is ridiculous," one of the men sneered. "Rude, expired women running the place. No wonder the service is trash."

"You heard me, apologize," the manager said again as he turned to her.

Ava's chest felt tightened.

"You're asking me to apologize? I was assaulted! He should be the one apologizing."

"Apologize, Ms Ava. We can't afford this kind of drama."

"I'm the victim!" Ava shouted this time in frustration, her voice cracking as she pointed to the one with the ugly hairline. "He assaulted me!"

"You're making a scene, Ava," the manager snapped.

The men smirked at Ava triumphantly and exchanged glances between themselves.

The first man, who had grabbed her, scoffed.

"See what I mean? Rude, expired women. This bar's a joke. No respect for customers."

"Disgusting customer service," another added. "You should hire some younger girls who actually know how to treat men."

They walked out of the table heading towards the excise while knocking over their chairs and flipping tables in rage.

The other customers muttered among themselves, giving dissatisfied looks as they watched the men cause chaos in the bar.

The first man stopped at the door and turned to the manager.

"You're lucky we don't press charges," the first man sneered. "This dump isn't worth our time."

With that, they stormed out.

The silence in the bar after that was so intense and uncomfortable.

Glasses lay shattered on the floor and tables were upturned. Soft murmurs filled the room as other customers complained about the scene.

The manager glared at Ava and ran after them to apologize on her behalf.

Ava sat slumped in a chair, her face buried in her hands as the other waitresses hung around her, consoling her.

"Miss Ava, are you okay?"

Clara whispered.

"I'm... I'm fine," Ava said weakly, though her shaking hands showed otherwise.

"No, you're not," another waitress named Edith said.

"You're strong,Ava. That's one of the things I admire about you."

"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have asked you to take that table," Clara said sadly.

Ava shook her head.

"No, don't say that, Clara. It's not your fault. Please."

"Alright, that's enough," the manager's voice cut in. "Everyone back to work." He ordered.

The waitresses exchanged uneasy glances, but they dispersed reluctantly, some still casting worried looks at Ava.

The manager walked to Ava and stood in front of her, his tone a bit softer now but there was still a hint of anger in it.

"Ms. Ava, I need you to listen to me."

She raised her head, her red, tear-streaked eyes staring at him.

"Am I wrong for defending myself, sir?" Ava sobbed.

The manager sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Look, I'm not saying you didn't have a reason to be upset, but this is a bar, not a nunnery, Ava. Things like this happen, and you need to learn how to handle it without escalating."

"Escalating?" Ava shot back, her voice trembling. "He grabbed me. What was I supposed to do? Smile and thank him?"

"You slapped a customer," the manager said sharply. "And now we've lost not just them but the people sitting nearby who got uncomfortable with the scene. This isn't a high-end lounge, Ava. It's a bar. People expect a certain atmosphere, and you just made other customers uncomfortable. Next time this happens, I won't have a choice but to fire you."

Ava's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You will fire me for standing up for myself?"

"This is a business, Ms. Ava," the manager said bluntly, his tone hardening again. "You're here to serve drinks, and make the customers feel good with your service. If you can't handle it, maybe this isn't the place for you."

Ava was quiet, she can't find the words to express herself anymore.

The manager's words were so disappointing.

"Look, Ms. Ava, you are one of the best workers here. Also, you are the oldest. I expect more from you. Just clean yourself up and get back to work. And remember, next time, keep it professional."

The manager walked away, leaving Ava standing there, her hands balled into fists at her sides. Tears filled her tears but she kept fighting them back.

Just then, Clara approached her.

"That wasn't fair. I am so sorry,Ava".

She said quietly.