CHAPTER 13: THE LETTER WITH NO SIGNATURE
Lily received a second anonymous letter on Monday, this one left inside the lobby mailbox beneath a flyer for an appliance sale.
It claimed that Samuel Rowan had staged the burger encounter to create grounds for taking control of Harbor Table.
The writer called Lily a pawn and promised to reveal embarrassing details about her family if she continued helping him.
Lily read the letter once and placed it in the plastic document sleeve Amina had given her.
She had no way to determine who wrote it, but the reference to her family made the threat feel less abstract.
She called Noah and reminded him not to share personal information with strangers who contacted him about the restaurant.
He admitted that someone had already sent him a message asking whether their mother had unpaid medical bills.
Lily felt cold as she listened.
Noah had blocked the account, taken screenshots, and told his training supervisor.
The supervisor offered to help him report any further harassment.
Lily thanked her brother for keeping the evidence and told him that neither of them needed to answer strangers to defend her good intentions.
Amina reviewed the message screenshots and the letter that afternoon.
She recommended preserving both and reporting any direct threat to the appropriate authorities.
She also urged Lily not to assume Victor was the sender without proof.
Lily told her that restraint felt like letting him win.
Amina replied that the purpose of evidence was to make retaliation harder, not to make patience comfortable.
They drafted a short statement for future employers confirming that Lily had been dismissed following a disputed incident and was contesting accusations of misconduct.
Lily could use it without disclosing private legal strategy.
That evening, Marco called with unexpected news.
Renee Carter had asked the staff not to sign additional statements until an independent reviewer explained what was being requested.
Victor had sent her home before the dinner rush.
Marco said that three workers were now considering speaking to the clinic.
Lily told him to encourage them to protect their own records and find advice they trusted.
She refused his suggestion that they hold a public protest outside Harbor Table the next morning.
She knew publicity might eventually be necessary, but she did not want other workers exposed to risk merely because she was angry.
The conversation ended with Marco telling her that she had been the first person in months to stand up to Victor without insulting anyone.
Lily said she had only bought a burger.
