Chapter 5
"Hahaha! Did I hear that right? This punk said he's giving us a chance?"
"And he won't pursue us? Who's pursuing whom here?"
"Is this punk's brain dead? Does he really think he's some big-shot?"
"Hahaha, The hell! Where did this clown come from?" The entire restaurant laughed at Alex as if he were the biggest joke of the night. Even other guests joined in.
For a moment, Alex stood at the center of the mockery.
Yet he remained indifferent, slowly watching the crowd with eyes that gradually turned cold; just as the laughter reached its peak, a tall, elegant woman walked into the restaurant.
She wore sleek sunglasses, her long dark hair tied back casually and swaying with each confident step. Her perfectly tailored suit hugged her thick figure, accentuating her waist.
Just looking at her made many feel like listening to her command.
The moment she appeared, it felt like she was the only woman in the room.
The laughter directed at Alex died down noticeably.
"What a beauty."
"Her presence is no joke — she must be the CEO of some major company."
"Even as a man, I feel inferior next to her."
The men were filled with admiration mixed with a sense of inadequacy. Deep down, they felt unworthy of such a woman.
The women, meanwhile, burned with hostility, yet even they knew they were nothing in comparison.
The manager and the bald old man both grew nervous and excited as the woman approached their area.
"Could she be coming for me?" several men thought at once, quickly straightening their clothes like idiots.
But to their embarrassment, the stunning woman walked straight past them without sparing them a single glance.
"I'm sorry I'm late, Mr. Alex," Sophia Blake said respectfully, bowing slightly toward Alex in front of everyone's shocked eyes.
The scene was jaw-dropping; making everyone wonder, 'What's going on? How could such an outstanding, ice-cold beauty be so respectful to this supposed freeloader?'
Many people felt their small brain dysfunctioning.
What drove them even crazier was Alex's casual response. He simply kept his hands in his pockets and just nodded lightly, without even looking up. "It's fine."
Seeing this countless men wanted to curse out loud.
Such a perfect, gorgeous woman was treating him with such deference, and this punk was treating her indifferently?
If it were them, they would have been on their knees trying too hard to carve their way to her hole!
No one was more devastated than the manager and the old baldy.
Watching the beauty ignore them completely and go straight to that punk felt like falling from their earlier arrogant attitude
Why? Why did this punk deserve such treatment?
He was just a pauper nobody!
"Why is this beauty treating him like that?" they thought bitterly, directing all their resentment toward Alex.
"Enough talk. This isn't over yet!" the manager growled coldly.
"That's right. I don't know how you tricked this woman, but after eating a free meal here, don't even think about walking out!" the old man added righteously, clearly planning to expose Alex's "true face" in front of Sophia.
"Free meal?" Sophia raised an elegant eyebrow, clearly displeased by the slander against Alex.
As the new ruler of the Royalist Group, how could Mr. Alex possibly eat a free meal?
"Exactly! Miss, don't be fooled by him. He's just a pauper. You'd be better off with me, you know what, I can give you real happiness!" the old man said with a sleazy smile.
Zara gritted her teeth in fury, but she had to admit that next to Sophia, she looked like an ugly duckling.
"what? Are you people blind?" Sophia narrowed her eyes, releasing a cold aura as she fiercely protected Alex. "Mr. Alex would never eat a free meal."
All the men felt a surge of jealousy; how could this ordinary-looking guy make such a woman speak up for him like this?
"He's as poor as he is stupid!" the manager retorted stubbornly.
Their loud argument eventually drew out the owner of The Royal Pavilion.
"What's going on here? Why all the noise?" the owner demanded, his presence causing everyone to instinctively make way.
The manager immediately put on a flattering smile. "Cousin, you came at the perfect time! This guy ate a free meal and this woman is still defending him. He refuses to admit it!"
Even the manager, who acted high and mighty in front of normal customers, became humble in front of the restaurant owner. After all, his position depended entirely on family connections.
When the crowd saw the owner appear, they assumed Alex and Sophia were finished. The boss was an experienced businessman and not someone who could be easily fooled.
However, what happened next shocked everyone.
The owner, who had looked majestic just moments ago, suddenly trotted over to Sophia like an eager puppy.
"Miss Blake! Welcome! It's an honor to have you here!" he said with a wide, ingratiating smile.
Others might not know her, but he had seen too many important people not to recognize the Chief Financial Officer of the Royalist Group. Someone of her status deserved the highest flattery.
"No need. The Royal Pavilion is too small for my boss and me to stay long," Sophia replied coldly, not even bothering to look at him.
The owner shivered, immediately sensing her displeasure.
More importantly , did she say "my boss" was here too? Could it be… the new owner of the Royalist Group?
If he had offended the head of the Royalist Group, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Boss, shall we leave now?" Sophia turned respectfully to Alex, waiting for his instructions.
All eyes in the restaurant suddenly focused on Alex. The atmosphere grew heavy and solemn. No one dared to speak.
Alex slowly adjusted his sleeves. To everyone else, it felt like a massive rock was pressing down on their chests, making it hard to breathe.
Those few seconds felt like centuries.
"Leave? Why, I have some important matters here to attend to first," Alex said with a self-mocking laugh. "Didn't you hear them say that u can't leave after eating a free meal?"
Those words made the restaurant owner's face turn deathly pale. He instantly felt an overwhelming sense of danger and fear.