CHAPTER FIVE HUNDRED AND TWO – CRIMINAL INTENT

That night, after the last customer had left and the kitchen was finally quiet, Jasmine, Lola, and Sofia gathered in the office. The atmosphere was heavy with the weight of what they had to do. "Are we sure about this?" Sofia asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Elena's been with us for so long. It just doesn't seem possible." Jasmine sighed heavily. "The evidence is pretty damning. The camera footage, Mateo's testimony, her sudden influx of expensive items... It all adds up." "But why?" Lola wondered aloud. "She's always seemed so happy here. What could have driven her to this?" "There's only one way to find out," Jasmine said grimly. "We need to confront her. Tomorrow, before the lunch shift. We'll get the truth, one way or another." As they left the restaurant that night, each lost in their own thoughts, none of them noticed the figure watching from the shadows across the street. A figure who had overheard far more than they should have, and who now faced a terrible choice. T