"Do you even know where you are? This is The Amethyst Grand. The most exclusive restaurant on the south side. A single cup of coffee here costs hundreds of dollars."
"Take a good look in the mirror before you embarrass yourself. You think a broke nobody like you can afford to eat here? Get out. Go on, get lost before you make an even bigger fool of yourself."
Contempt twisted every line of Toby's face as he kicked the table in front of me.
A deafening crash.
The coffee cup rattled violently, brown liquid sloshing over the rim.
I stared at the dark stain spreading across the white cuff of my shirt, and my expression hardened.
This shirt was a birthday gift from my wife. Today was the first time I'd worn it.
I fixed Toby with a cold stare:
"Apologize."
Toby let out a scoff:
"You want me to apologize?"
"Duke Gilbert, you must be out of your damn mind."
"If anyone's apologizing, it's you. Breathing the same air as a lowlife like you is already killing my appetite."
With that, Toby turned toward the entrance and barked:
"Security!"
"Where the hell is security? You people letting any stray off the street walk in now? Do you all want to lose your jobs?"