In Oakville’s elite jewelry store, Paradise Diamonds, store manager David watched with a smug grin as the cops escorted another falsely accused man of color away. “Another one bites the dust, Sheriff,” he boasted to his friend in the police, enjoying the manipulation.
As the police cruisers disappeared, sales assistant Natali, witnessing the injustice, confronted David. “That was messed up, Mr. Peterson. He didn’t do anything,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion.
David turned on her with a sneer. “This is business, Natali. And I decide what’s right. Remember, nobody dictates me.”
Natali, a single mom reliant on her job, was torn between speaking out and staying silent. “But framing someone… that’s just low. He’s innocent,” she insisted, aware of the risks of opposing David.
“You keep flapping your gums, and you might find yourself in deeper trouble,” David threatened her. “Remember, silence is golden. I’m the STORE MANAGER, and I make the rules here!”
A New Target
David dismissed her with a smirk and returned to his office, where he spotted a new target on the CCTV—a black woman browsing the jewelry section.
David went to the jewelry section and, seizing the right opportunity, he stealthily slipped a gold bracelet into the woman’s bag. When she tried to leave the store to answer a call, the store alarms were activated, gathering everyone’s attention.
“Whoa, what’s going on?” exclaimed a bewildered customer.
“I think someone stole something!” another voice chimed in.
Amid the commotion, David blended in seamlessly, his facade of concern mirroring that of the unsuspecting shoppers.
“What’s happening, Mr. Peterson?” Natali questioned, approaching him. “Wait…did you just—”
“Looks like we’ve got another thief in the store. Stop, don’t move, Miss!” David cut off Natali, the corners of his mouth curling into a deceptive smile as he stared at Naomi.
Confrontation and Manipulation
“Ma’am, you’re gonna have to come with me,” David declared as he approached Naomi.
“What? Why? I didn’t do anything,” she insisted.
David pointed at a row of bracelets. “I saw you eyeing those bracelets. Then, one goes missing. It ain’t rocket science, doll. You stole it, and I’ll have to detain you. You better quit wasting my time and come with me.”
Naomi’s breath hitched, but her chin stayed high. “No,” she spat. “I didn’t steal anything. Your alarms are faulty. Empty my bag right here, right now. I have nothing to hide!”
“Fine,” David said, glad that Naomi proposed the search.
When he emptied her bag, the glittering bracelet with a price tag fell out, shocking everyone, including Naomi. “Oh god, I… I didn’t steal this bracelet!” she gasped.
“Nothing to hide, huh?” David sneered, holding up the bracelet.
“I swear. Please. You have to believe me. I didn’t—”
“Don’t waste your breath. The evidence speaks for itself. Follow me to my office,” David commanded, leading a shamed Naomi away.
The Setup Revealed
In the office, Naomi confronted David. “I didn’t steal that bracelet. This feels like a setup. Have you checked the footage? Why would I steal when I can afford to buy not one but five such bracelets?” she argued, showing her platinum credit card.
David, caught off guard by her possession of a platinum card, retorted, “The evidence speaks for itself, doll. You put it in your bag, plain and simple!”
“I don’t think so!” she argued, looking at the CCTV monitors in the cluttered office space. “Consider this, Mr. Manager. Maybe someone’s trying to frame me. You have to check the CCTV footage and find out who did this. You can’t blindly accuse me of a crime without solid evidence.”
David’s eyes widened. “Evidence, eh?” he scowled, his eyes not leaving Naomi’s. “Well, we’ll see about that. But before that, lemme just get some privacy, yeah, darling? How about I close that door, huh?”
David locked the door, intensifying Naomi’s panic. Her gaze darted around the office, landing on the walls plastered with obscene posters. Women, curvy and scantily clad, stared back with vacant eyes. Naomi’s gut clenched.
“Open the door!” she cried, banging on the door. “This isn’t just about a bracelet, is it?” Naomi asked, her heart racing.
David, unfazed, dismissed her concerns. “Relax, you’re not my type. Even if you were the last woman alive on this planet, I wouldn’t do anything with you!”
“Then what do you want?” Naomi asked desperately. “Look, my son’s waiting for me. I’m a single mom. I can’t stay here,” she said, hoping for sympathy.
David chuckled, shaking his head. “Why don’t you take a seat and make yourself comfortable? This isn’t a request. Trust me, you don’t want to end up behind bars tonight, wondering where your kid will spend the holidays.”
The Uncovering
There’s no other way he’d let me leave.
Reluctantly, she sat down, watching David reveal CCTV footage of himself planting the bracelet in her bag.
“You framed me?” she asked, bewildered.
He turned to her, a strange mix of curiosity and unease twisting his features. “It seems… you didn’t put the bracelet in your bag,” he admitted, his voice tight. “Yeah, you’re right, babe! I did it! So what now?” he scoffed.
Naomi stared at him, stunned. “So… you’re saying I’m…”
“Innocent,” David finished, his tone clipped. “But who’s going to believe you? Just look at you. Who will take your word and not mine, huh, honey? I make the rules… all the rules here. And if I say you’re a thief, YOU ARE A DAMN THIEF!”
Naomi’s anger, pent up and raw, burst to the surface. “So it was all a joke? Some sick game you play with women of color who visit your store?”
David scoffed. “Don’t play the race card, sweetheart. This is business, not some twisted fantasy. You should’ve thought twice before walking into a grand jewelry store in your skin! See those people there?” David pointed to a section bustling with white shoppers.
“Nobody will believe me if I say one of them shoplifted something. They don’t quite look like thieves, unlike people like you. It’s purely business, dear.”
The Truth Exposed
Suddenly, a piercing alarm distracted them. David checked the monitor, revealing another victim being framed. “Stay here, and don’t try to act smart.”
He rushed out of the room, leaving Naomi locked in. Her phone had no signal, and there was no escape route in the office. Just when she thought she’d be stuck there forever, a sound sliced through the suffocating silence—a loud bang, followed by the frantic squeak of hinges.
An adjacent door burst open, and Natali stood in the doorway, her face flushed and eyes wide with fear. She urged Naomi to flee and handed her money.
“Why are you giving me money?” Naomi furrowed her brows.
“Just a token of apology. He’s been doing this for months. And I know you’d think I was a horrible person…but could this money keep you from reporting this place? I really need this job to stick, like a lot of us here. I’m sorry but I’m…desperate!” Natali choked out, tears welling in her eyes. She explained David’s scheme of framing black customers and pleaded with Naomi not to blame the entire store for his deeds.
Naomi refused to leave or accept the money, determined to confront David and clear her name.
“But Naomi, please! You have to think of your safety. What if…”
Suddenly, the muffled sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the air, cutting Natali’s pleas short. David was coming.
“Go,” Naomi rasped, gripping Natali’s shoulders. “Get back to work, please. I’ll handle this.”
With shock etched on her face, Natali locked eyes with Naomi for a silent moment. Then, with a final, desperate nod, she slipped out of the office, the door closing behind her with a soft click.
“Well, well, well,” David sneered as he entered. “Look who decided to stick around. So, what have you decided? Ready to go to jail? Or obey me?”
“I didn’t steal anything, so I don’t need to obey your commands! There is proof of my innocence–the footage!” Naomi countered.
David laughed as he strode towards the desk and pressed a button on his computer, deleting the footage.
“Proof? What proof? Oops, there was a bug in the system. Now it’s just you and your supposed theft,” David taunted her. “And I’m the only one who can help you. Your freedom comes at a small price—five hundred bucks. Think you can afford it, darling?”
“But this is all wrong!” Naomi protested. “Why should I pay you? You planted that bracelet! You framed me!”
David relished her despair, revealing he made a profit from such setups. “This is all business, darling, as I said. You know, it fluctuates. Sometimes I make more than two thousand bucks a day,” he boasted. “I’m only asking $500 for your freedom.”
“You’re sick!” Naomi spat.
“And you should have chosen a different store, sweetheart,” David leaned closer. “These diamonds, these trinkets, are not for the likes of you. Window shopping is all you can afford, isn’t it?”
“Please, David,” she pleaded, her hand reaching out instinctively
