"Shut up, you pauper!" Claire’s hysterical voice reverberated in the lobby, rendering everyone silent.
Hera, unfazed by Claire’s outburst, calmly inquired, "So, what do you want to happen then?" Her question held a hint of disinterest as if she were rely going through the motions.
Claire, montarily regaining so semblance of composure, seized upon the opportunity. "Since you asked, I want you to pay for the food you’ve eaten too. Then, I would feel appeased and I would silently follow the restaurant’s verdict."
Inwardly, Claire relished the thought of Hera being unable to afford the exorbitant bill of an exclusive restaurant. She knew Hera’s financial limitations well and felt a surge of satisfaction at not being the one in the worst position. She believed that the General Manager would just go along to fix the issue since the crowd was growing bigger.
With a hint of malice, Claire awaited Hera’s reaction, hoping for tears or anger, perhaps even a display of desperation. Anything to shift the focus from her own hysterics to Hera’s perceived shortcomings. She believed that everyone enjoys making fun of poor people like monkeys in zoos.
Claire’s frustration mounted as Hera remained stoic, seemingly impervious to her challenge. Despite Claire’s longing for a reaction, Hera’s countenance remained unchanged—void of emotion, devoid of any indication of unease or vulnerability.
Growing increasingly vexed by Hera’s unflappable deanor, Claire persisted, her voice now laced with irritation. "Did you not hear ?! Or are you deliberately ignoring ?!"
Hera maintained her cool composure, eting Claire’s gaze with unwavering calmness. "I’m not deaf; I heard everything you said. And so did everyone else."
"Then why are you not answering?" Claire questioned through clenched teeth, fighting to maintain the sliver of composure she had managed to reclaim. Internally, she trembled not with rage, but with the dawning realization of her mistake and its potential implications for her father. As she unwittingly entangled Hera in the ss, her mind raced to find a solution amidst the chaos she had wrought.
She wasn’t entirely foolish; she understood the significance of connections, which their family relied on for prosperity and a lavish lifestyle. Despite her earlier hastiness, she was now beginning to grasp the gravity of the situation. Aware of the ss she had created, she recognized the severity of the circumstances unfolding before her.
"Are you seriously posing that question?" Hera quipped mockingly.
"Just give a straight answer!"
"Let simplify it for you. When you host a banquet, do you charge your guests for the food they consu, or do you ensure they are entertained until they leave satisfied with your hospitality?" Hera asked, her gaze subtly scanning the room. With her straightforward analogy, Hera effortlessly garnered support from those present.
As Hera’s words sank in, heads around the room began to nod in agreent.
"I can’t believe I’ll et soone with this level of shalessness, I thought, they only existed in dramas, but I guess I overestimated this kind of person."
A hushed whisper rippled through the crowd, though it carried far enough to reach the ears of those nearby, including Hera.
Athena couldn’t stifle a chuckle upon hearing it, further stoking Claire’s growing hostility toward them. Undeterred, Athena refused to yield, engaging in a tense stare-down with Claire and her entourage, even when they looked like they were about to eat her up alive.
With a smirk, Athena interjected, her tone pointed. "Don’t attempt to deflect bla by dragging us into the chaos you’ve caused. If you had simply heeded the earlier request to leave, you wouldn’t be facing this problem and it wouldn’t escalate to what it is now." She scanned the room much like Hera had monts before, her gaze unwavering as she resud speaking. "This place is full of dragons and phoenixes but they still kept a certain level of decorum, yet, you, akin to a re chihuahua, strut about with false bravado." Crossing her arms, Athena held her chin high, exuding confidence and defiance.
’Who didn’t know how to use public opinion to their advantage? You might think you are powerful but you’ll still drown in spit if a thousand people talk you down your high horse.’ Athena thought silently.
Everyone in the lobby felt good being called dragons and phoenixes which made them choose Hera’s side right away, who wouldn’t like being complinted rather than being slighted.
The man seized another opportunity to interject. "Miss, you ntioned paying for your al at Pavilion 1?" His chuckle dripped with mockery. "But did you realize that Pavilion 1 serves dishes crafted from the finest ingredients sourced worldwide? That’s why they omit prices from the nu. Even our country’s president has dined there only once, and it’s rumored to exhaust the balance on your mbership card in one sitting, which ans, it cost no less than $100M." He narrated the tale with a sense of personal touch, his voice laced with longing and admiration as if he himself had experienced the grandeur firsthand.
Claire’s friends paled at the revelation, realizing the gravity of the situation. They were aware of Claire’s sche to dine at Pavilion 1 incognito, intending to boast about it within their circle and on social dia. However, they hadn’t anticipated the situation escalating to such extres.
"Mister, don’t fabricate stories just to draw attention to yourself," Claire retorted, her anger evident. The notion of paying such an exorbitant amount seed absurd to her. Even if she were to sell every branded item in her wardrobe, she doubted she could co close to covering such a sum.
After a prolonged silence, Gerald finally found a chance to speak. "Those were not fabrications; they’re indisputable facts. Pavilion 1 exclusively caters to our VVIP guests (The Avery mbers) and esteed guests of the Avery family. We curate the finest ingredients sourced globally, crafted by world-renowned chefs. Only our VVIP guests have the ans to indulge in such opulence," he declared with unmistakable pride.
He pressed on, frustration evident in his tone. "We transport our ingredients using our private express planes daily," he emphasized. "You may consider it a trivial matter, but can you truly afford the ingredients you’ve consud? Yet, that’s not even the gravest error you’ve made. By offending the sole heiress of the Avery family, you’ve not only committed a serious offense, but you’ve also potentially instigated conflict with the entire Avery itself." he concluded firmly.
Gasps echoed throughout the entire lobby.
"I swear I didn’t!" Even Claire felt a cold sweat break out, her body tingling with fear. She couldn’t recall any altercation with the Avery heiress. "I didn’t even see the heiress anywhere here. I haven’t provoked anyone since arriving." She conveniently omitted any mory of quarreling with Hera, never suspecting her to be the heiress.
Upon hearing this, Gerald retrieved his phone from his pocket, pulled up the reservation details for Pavilion 1, and read the cancellation note aloud. "Is that so? Then how did our heiress know it was you? It’s clearly stated here in the note: ’Lost my appetite after Claire White disrespected . Will not be returning.’"
"How can this be?" Claire’s friends exchanged concerned glances behind her. It dawned on them that they hadn’t engaged in any altercations besides the one with Hera. Their eyes collectively shifted towards Hera, their hands nervously tugging at the hem of Claire’s dress.
Claire arrived at the sa conclusion, yet the familiarity with Hera gave her pause. They had delved into Hera’s background and were aware of her humble upbringing, even during her parents’ lifeti. Although they lacked detailed knowledge about her grandfather, but they knew he occasionally visited Hera in a beaten-down Toyota he had driven for decades.
As they contemplated the situation, their minds drifted back to when Claire had falsely claid to book Pavilion 1. Unbeknownst to them, it was actually the Avery heiress who had arranged the reservation. Could the heiress have taken offense upon realizing what they did? It seed to be the only logical explanation.
Their eyes t once more, both bearing the weight of a shared realization. Without hesitation, they aligned in a unified accusation, "The Avery Heiress likely overheard Claire falsely claiming to have reserved Pavilion 1. And upon discovering that her room had been taken over, she left in anger." With ticulous detail, they relayed their theory to Gerald, leaving no aspect unexplained.
Claire’s eyes widened like saucers as she heard her friends promptly shift the bla onto her. "You!" she exclaid, her eyes brimming with tears. Unable to deny their accusations, she knew they were justified because she had indeed taken advantage of the situation when she was mistakenly believed to be the one who booked it.
"Oh! And you have the audacity to call us social climbers?" Athena retorted, her tone laced with disdain. "Who’s the one attempting to deceive others here? You lack the social status to warrant such treatnt, yet you shalessly sneaked in," she remarked, disdain evident as she pretended to blow a speck of non-existent dust from her nails with a dismissive "TSK TSK!"
Athena enjoyed seeing the ever-so-arrogant Claire suffering the consequences of her actions, she is usually uncontrollable and loves to find trouble with her and Hera. "Oh! The satisfaction of seeing justice served is simply exquisite," Athena whispered to Hera, a playful gleam in her eyes. "I fear I might beco addicted to this feeling."
Claire scanned the room, noting the disapproving gazes fixed upon her. ’How did it co to this?’ she wondered, perplexed by the turn of events.
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