The $50,000 Dinner

After the long holiday weekend, my wife had her assistant, Leo, host the company’s back-to-work party.
I got lucky and won third prize in the raffle—$500. Leo immediately started egging me on, insisting I treat the entire company to dinner.
At the restaurant, the staff swarmed Leo, raising their glasses to him, praising his generosity. I, the one who was supposedly hosting, was left completely on the sidelines.
After the meal, Leo, his breath thick with alcohol, slid a stack of receipts in front of me.
When I saw the total, I calmly pulled out my phone and dialed my wife.
“Zoe, I need you to wire fifty thousand to my account.”

1
The table fell silent.
Everyone put down their chopsticks, their eyes locked on me.
The phone rang for a good fifteen seconds before she picked up. Her voice exploded through the speaker.
“Sebastian, have you been drinking? Did you forget your own name?”
I glanced at Leo, who was smirking beside me. “I haven't had a drop,” I said coolly. “My mind is perfectly clear.”
The screaming on the other end intensified. “Who gave you the nerve to ask me for money?”
I rubbed my ear, my voice flat. “You should ask your assistant about that. He threw a company dinner in my name. The bill…”
She hung up before I could finish.
Leo’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “Mr. McKinnon, you’re the famous son-in-law of the Croft family. Don’t tell me you can’t even cover fifty thousand?” He raised his glass, his eyes dancing with malicious glee. “I guess some people are just born to be kept men.”
I looked at him, my face a blank mask, and let out a cold chuckle. “So, what you’re saying, Leo, is that I’m disposable to this company?”
He saw me walking right into his trap, and his grin widened. “What do you think? Every single person at this table is more capable than you. If you weren’t married to the chairwoman, you would’ve been fired years ago! Keeping a waste of space like you on the payroll is just a drain on resources.”
I slowly raised a single finger. “No, no. I think you’ve misunderstood something.”
Leo looked surprised by my confidence. “Misunderstood what? Don’t tell me you think the Croft Corporation can’t survive without you?”
A slow smile spread across my lips. I gave him a small nod. “You’re absolutely right.”
“If I walk away from this company, it’s only a matter of time before it collapses.”
The words hung in the air for a moment, and then the table erupted.
“Oh my god, is he drunk? The Croft Corporation is a Fortune 500 company! How could it possibly fail because of one useless freeloader?”
“Exactly! He just leeches off his connection to the chairwoman, wandering around doing nothing all day and collecting a paycheck for three years.”
“It’s disgusting. How can a man be so shameless? He has no dignity at all!”
The insults grew louder, but I didn’t care.
Because every word I had spoken was the absolute truth.
The Croft Corporation’s transformation from a tiny firm with a dozen employees to a publicly traded giant with thousands was entirely my doing.
Or rather, it was because of the resources behind me.
It had nothing to do with the woman they called the chairwoman.
Three years ago, Arthur Croft, the company’s founder, traveled all the way from Boston to New York City with an old marriage pact, begging my father to honor a promise made long ago. I had just graduated from college and didn’t understand the nuances of social standing or family alliances. All I knew was that I couldn’t defy my father’s wishes.
I never imagined that after single-handedly building this empire for them, they would turn around and call me a waste of space.
The thought sent a surge of anger through me.
I decided right then and there to find Arthur Croft and ask him if his family was planning on burning this bridge. If he couldn't give me a satisfactory explanation, I had no problem sending the Croft Corporation right back to where it was three years ago.
“Stop!”
I had just turned to leave when Leo’s voice cut through the noise. “You think you can just walk out of here, McKinnon?”
I turned back slowly, meeting his gaze. “What is it, Leo? Do you have further instructions for me?”
He stared at me with a wicked smile. “We all agreed this dinner was on you. Everyone is waiting for you to pay the bill.”
My fists clenched. My eyes narrowed. “And what if I don’t?”
Leo snapped his fingers. A couple of big guys who had been lingering by the door instantly moved to block my path.
“Let me be straight with you, Mr. McKinnon,” Leo sneered. “My brother-in-law owns this place. If you try to skip out on the bill… you might have to leave something behind.”

2
Leo's threat sent a fresh wave of excitement through the room.
Most of the employees were smirking, eager to see the show. Only a few colleagues I was closer with shot me worried glances. In that moment, I truly understood what it meant to be kicked when you're down.
I remembered when I first joined the company. Everyone was so respectful, calling me “Mr. McKinnon.” Now, as Leo humiliated me, not a single person dared to speak up in my defense.
It was clear to me that the company had grown too big, too fast, in these three years.
Leo saw me standing motionless and gave me a hard shove. “Hey, I’m talking to you, McKinnon! Are you deaf?”
I just smiled, completely unruffled. “You’re just an executive assistant. Do you really think you speak for the entire company?”
He raised an eyebrow, his expression dripping with contempt. “I don’t think you grasp the severity of your situation, do you? Even your own wife won’t bail you out now. With the pathetic salary you make, how are you possibly going to come up with fifty thousand dollars tonight?”
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Who ever told you that Sebastian McKinnon needed a woman to support him?”
Seeing me stand up to Leo, a few employees at the table decided to chime in.
“Well, well, well, listen to the big talk. It’s just the little dog the Croft family keeps on a leash.”
“Exactly. Acts like a big shot with empty pockets. You’ve completely ruined the mood for everyone!”
“If Ms. Croft finds out about this, you probably won’t even be allowed back in the house tonight, will you?”
They laughed and jeered, clearly enjoying themselves. I quietly made a mental note of their names.
“If I’m not mistaken,” I said, my voice cutting through their laughter, “you three were in on this with Leo from the start, weren’t you?”
As a top-tier investor, sharp observation is a basic skill. From the moment the raffle started, I’d noticed them exchanging glances with Leo. The company rules explicitly state that the raffle is fair for all employees, regardless of position. Yet somehow, this group managed to win all the major prizes, while I conveniently won the one that would put me in this exact situation.
It was an obvious setup.
The only pitiful one was my CEO wife, who was probably still completely in the dark.
“What are you talking about? We have nothing to do with Leo!” one of them sputtered.
“That’s right! We just can’t stand watching a freeloader like you act all high and mighty!”
My gaze swept over them, a cold smile on my face. “It’s a little late for that performance, don’t you think? Can any of you swear that Leo didn't rig today’s raffle?”
“I’ll rig your damn face!” Leo roared, the accusation hitting a nerve. He rolled up his sleeves and lunged at me.
“What’s this?” I sidestepped him easily. “Did I hit a little too close to home? Is someone getting nervous?”
Leo threw a few more wild punches, but he couldn’t even touch the hem of my jacket. He was furious. “Stand still and fight, you coward! You want me to have you fired right here, right now?”
I didn’t fight back. I just dodged and deflected. It wasn’t because I was afraid of him. It was because the real mastermind hadn't shown up yet. From what I knew of Leo, he wasn’t smart enough to orchestrate this whole charade by himself.
Seeing my lack of response, Leo took it as a sign of weakness and charged again.
Just as his fist was about to connect, the private room door was thrown open.
“Ms. Croft! What are you doing here?”

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