Deidre's eyes went wide.
"You... what did you just say?"
I ignored her and turned back to the manager.
"Pack everything in your best insulated containers. I'm settling the bill now."
"Stella, what the hell are you doing!"
Howard finally snapped out of his stupor.
I turned to face him.
"You can come with me, or you can stay. Choose."
His lips trembled. His gaze darted between me and his mother, unable to land on either.
Deidre clutched her chest like she was having a heart attack.
"Howard Fletcher, don't you dare! If you walk out that door with this wasteful woman, you're no longer my son!"
Howard's face twitched. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
I understood. I nodded slowly.
"Very well."
I turned back to the manager.
"Pack it. Now. Have it loaded into my car."
The manager finally unfroze and scrambled to summon the staff.
The private room fell deathly silent. Every single person sat frozen, mouths agape, watching the scene unfold.
Deidre shook with rage, her bony finger jabbing toward me.
"You... what is the meaning of this!"
I met her eyes, enunciating each word with precision.
"It means you and your precious daughter-in-law can go home and enjoy your shredded potatoes."
I picked up my purse and walked out without looking back.
Behind me, Deidre's shrill wailing echoed through the corridor.
"Howard! Look at the wife you married! She's brought nothing but shame to our family!"
Howard remained rooted to the spot—a statue, frozen mid-collapse.
I pulled out my phone and dialed my assistant.
"Hubert, find me the nearest shelter. I have food that needs to be delivered."
While waiting at a red light, I pulled up Howard's family card and canceled it.
If the Fletchers were so confident in their self-sufficiency, they could figure out their own New Year's Eve dinner.
Howard's calls came in—one after another after another.
I didn't answer.
The shelter finally came into view. Hubert James was already waiting outside.
I parked, and a middle-aged woman in a volunteer vest hurried out to greet me.
"Thank you so much, Ms. Maxwell—this is... we can't thank you enough!"
Behind her, several faces peered through the glass door. Elderly. Middle-aged. A couple of teenagers hovering uncertainly.
"Some dishes need to be reheated, but most can be served immediately."
I popped the trunk.
"Have everyone come help carry it in."
Thirty-some people with nowhere else to go gathered in the shelter's main hall.
Folding tables had been pushed together into one long surface, now covered with takeout containers.
Braised shark fin. Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Blanched cabbage in supreme broth...
The dishes Deidre had dismissed as pretentious excess received an entirely different reception here.
People ate while murmuring their thanks between bites. Some wept openly.
Hubert and I sat among them, sharing the meal.
Marianne Brooks, the volunteer who'd greeted me, settled into the chair beside mine and pressed a cup of hot water into my hands.
"These folks..." She gestured around the room. "Some came to the city for work and got scammed. Some lost everything to circumstances beyond their control. Others got sick and their own children threw them out." She paused, her voice catching. "It's New Year's Eve. Everyone deserves a good meal. But our budget is so tight—we were only planning to boil some dumplings tonight..."
That evening, I heard story after story.
Kevin Whitney, mid-fifties. Construction worker. His boss had skipped town three years ago, and he'd been chasing unpaid wages ever since.
Felicity Glass, twenty-three. Escaped a violent home. Still carried the bruises.
And an elderly couple whose son hadn't come home in three years. They'd sold their house in the countryside to search for him in the city, only to discover he'd moved without leaving a forwarding address. Changed his number, too.
"Ms. Maxwell."
A man in his early thirties approached, his demeanor humble but hopeful.
"My name is Miles Hawthorne. I saw the news coverage about your company. I studied mechanical automation." He hesitated, then pressed forward. "Are you... hiring, by any chance?"
