Chapter 4
"So luxurious…"
Stepping inside The Royalist's Pavilion, Alex was stunned by the opulent antique-style décor and elegant atmosphere. It truly lived up to its reputation as the city's top high-end restaurant.
"Alex? What the hell are you doing here?" A sharp female voice suddenly cut through the air.
The woman, adorned in heavy makeup and designer clothes, clearly trying to prove that she was successful, but on the other side clinging intimately to the arm of a bald, middle-aged pot belly man who wore a fake, hypocritical smile.
"Zara?" Alex said in surprise.
Zara was his ex-girlfriend. A year ago, this little shit had dumped him stating that he was "too poor" for her taste and immediately started running after richer men, not caring whether they were good or not.
"I didn't know you got a part-time job here?" Zara looked him up and down, visibly relieved when she saw his ordinary clothes. "The pay at a place like this isn't bad, I guess."
'Sure enough, a loser was always a loser.' She thought inwardly.
Alex frowned slightly. "Calm your horses, I'm just here to eat."
"What?" Zara let out a mocking laugh. "Do you even know how much the average bill is here? It's more than several months of your salary. Are you sure you're here to eat, not to clean the dirty dishes?"
She covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes dripping with ridicule, she knew exactly how broke he was, just a lowly office clerk; how dare he lie.
Hearing her venomous words, Alex felt annoyed, but feeling a headache he chose not to argue.
Zara, however, was just getting started. "Do you know how well I've been doing this year? This bag alone cost five thousand dollars! These shoes, three thousand! The dress? Ten thousand!"
"All of this together is more than half a year of your salary!" She smiled triumphantly, flaunting her new luxurious lifestyle, especially enjoying the contrast with Alex's supposed poverty. Her vanity was at an all-time high.
"Kid, you can also achieve all of this, if you work hard." the bald man said in a patronizing tone. "If you want, you can come work at my company. Even being a security guard would be better than whatever you're doing now."
"Your company?" Alex asked, curious.
"Haha, it's just a small company with about ten million dollars in capital. Nothing worth mentioning," the man waved his hand modestly, though his smug expression made it obvious he was showing off.
Ten million dollars in capital was an astronomical figure for any ordinary young man, baldy was certain this would crush Alex's spirit.
Alex nodded thoughtfully "Ten million? Yeah… that amount really isn't worth mentioning."
"Right… Huh?You…" The bald man had expected Alex to look ashamed or envious. Instead, his casual dismissal made the man furious "Young brat these days have no respect! Talking big when you don't know anything. Acting smug, with nothing but pennies in pocket!" The old man snorted angrily.
Alex spread his hands innocently "What? I'm just telling the truth." Compared to the Royalist Group worth eighty billion dollars, ten million really was nothing, but change of pennies.
Where was the lie?
"Forget about him, honey. He's just trash who only knows how to run his mouth. Let's go inside," Zara glared at Alex and pulled the bald man away.
Alex shook his head with a helpless smile and followed the waiter to a quiet window seat, he checked the time. Sophia Blake, the Chief Financial Officer of the Royalist Group, should be arriving any minute now.
While waiting for Sophia, Alex casually ordered several dishes and a bottle of fine wine.
The waiter taking the order gave him a strange look "Sir… are you sure you want to order these?"
Every item Alex chose was expensive, especially the wine, which alone cost over eight thousand dollars. The total bill would easily exceed fifty thousand.
Looking at Alex's ordinary clothes, the waiter couldn't help wondering if this was an attempt at a free meal.
"Something wrong?" Alex asked indifferently, glancing at him.
After activating the Strongest Sign-In System, he felt the need to change his aura, he couldn't always act like a loser. The confidence that life had once suppressed was resurfacing stronger than ever.
Today, he carried a confidence he had never possessed before, so that simple rhetorical question carried an unexpected pressure.
"N-no, sir! Not at all!" The waiter broke into a cold sweat and quickly backed away respectfully.
By coincidence, Zara and the bald old man were seated not far away. They kept glancing at Alex with malicious smiles on their faces.
"That poor brat actually dared to order. That table alone is at least fifty thousand dollars!" the old man chuckled.
"I don't believe he can pay. One hundred percent he's here for a free meal. For a loser like him, even getting to sit in a place like this once is already a win," Zara said elegantly, sipping her red wine. She looked like she had already figured out Alex's every move.
"Don't worry, he won't be able to leave. The manager here is my young cousin," the old man raised his eyebrows proudly.
...
After finishing his meal, Alex sat relaxed, waiting for Sophia Blake to arrive.
At that moment, the restaurant manager approached with several staff members, surrounding Alex with hostile intent.
"Sir, eating a free meal here will not end well for you," All of a sudden the manager warned in a low, threatening voice.
Alex, ignoring the man, patted his slightly full stomach, raised his eyelids lazily, and asked, "Which eye of yours exactly saw me eating a free meal?"
"Then sir, you wouldn't mind paying the bill right now," the manager sneered.
By his tone, Alex understood exactly what was happening.
"Right now? Who the hell are you to tell me that? I can pay whenever I want." Alex replied lightly, his voice calm but filled with natural dominance.
This newfound sense of control and confidence seemed to radiate from him effortlessly. Every word carried heavy pressure.
" Insolent brat!" The manager's face turned ashen with rage; he had seen all kinds of big shots in this restaurant. How dare this young pup, who had yet to see the world, speak to him so disrespectfully?
This was a direct challenge to his authority as a manager!
"Buddy, don't be too arrogant. Eating a free meal at The Royal Pavilion will ruin your life," the bald old man walked over with Zara on his arm, speaking in the tone of a lecturing elderly.
"Alex, know your place. Trash would always be trash. Why try to pretend to be rich? Coming here for a free meal just to satisfy your vanity?" Zara added with fake pity, sounding almost sad for him.
In reality, her words were vicious and meant to humiliate him completely.
Faced with their collective pressure, Alex remained completely calm.
"Sigh, you guys are really pushing this act too far, but i'll give you one chance. Step back now, and I won't pursue this matter," Alex sighed.
He still had some memories of this shitty woman, sucking hard on his rod and being his jizz collector, so he was willing to let it go for old times' sake. Otherwise, with his current status, none of these people could bear the consequences, since all he needed to do was let a certain someone know about this matter.
But instead of backing down, everyone froze for a second, then burst into loud laughter.