"What? Don’t ss with ! How could anyone possibly spend $250,000 on a single al?" Emily scoffed, her voice laced with disbelief.
"That’s absurd! If you’re trying to make her sound impressive, you’re failing miserably. This is just pathetic!"
Her tone was sharp, and her glare at the manager was filled with contempt, unwilling to accept the reality of what she was hearing.
She clearly didn’t believe the manager’s claim that Hera could spend so much on a single al.
Emily had never heard of anything like this before, but just because she hadn’t encountered it didn’t an it wasn’t possible.
The world they lived in was so different that it was hard for her to fathom how soone could spend such an absurd amount on a single al.
If it had been the old Hera, she might have been just as lost as Emily, after all, she used to buy a $15 shirt.
Now, though, so of the simplest pieces in her wardrobe cost hundreds, and that was before you even considered her couture dresses.
Hera had been just as shocked when she first learned about the prices at the Golden Dragon Pavilion.
But after understanding that the high cost wasn’t just due to the rare ingredients, but also the renowned chefs, the exclusive experience, the privacy, and the prestige of the establishnt, the pricing started to make sense.
For rich people, such an amount might seem excessive, but for aristocratic families and the ultra-wealthy, it was simply the price of luxury—buying leisure, privacy, and enjoynt.
Emily had thought the prices on the nu were already exorbitant—$2,000 for steak, $500 for foie gras—but she had no idea that one of Hera’s orders was Almas caviar, which costs $34,000 per kilogram.
This rare, golden caviar cos from a female albino sturgeon, over a century old, harvested from the Caspian Sea.
The difference in price was staggering, and when added to the rest of Hera’s orders, the total easily reached $250,000—or even more.
Since Hera had already given her approval, the manager pulled out her tablet, which was connected to their ordering system, and walked over to Emily.
"Miss," she began, "if you’re truly curious, this is the pricing from our system. I cannot alter these prices without authorization from our general manager, and even then, it would need to be reviewed and approved by the higher-ups. Price adjustnts only occur when the cost of certain ingredients increases."
After explaining, the manager pulled up Hera’s order on the tablet, and the list of items appeared, each accompanied by its price.
Alice subtly leaned closer to Emily to see the prices too, and she nearly gasped in surprise when she saw the Almas Caviar listed at $34,000 per kilogram.
It was served in two containers, each roughly 500 grams, making it easy for the other actors and actresses to reach and add it to their bread or other dishes.
Beside it, the Tropical Rock Lobster was priced at $500 per kilogram.
The lobsters were so large that they appeared to weigh at least 2 kilograms each, and there were several plated in front of Hera, each cut into bite-sized pieces.
The more Emily and Alice scrolled down, the wider their mouths dropped and the paler their faces beca.
By the ti they reached the end of the list, they were stunned to see that the total price far exceeded $250,000.
Both Alice and Emily were speechless.
Emily’s earlier arrogance quickly evaporated, leaving her unable to boast about having the financial ans to compete with Hera. She fell into a stunned silence.
"B-But isn’t Brother Xavier paying for this al?!" Alice stamred, her voice low but loud enough for everyone to hear.
It was as though she was speaking to herself, but in reality, she wanted to make sure everyone caught her words.
"Sister Hera is ordering all these expensive dishes without even considering Brother Xavier’s hard-earned money?"
Her words hung in the air, laden with implied judgnt.
After all, the manager had been praising Hera non-stop, but before they arrived, Zen had made it clear that Xavier was the one footing the bill, and Xavier himself had agreed.
To Alice, this suggested that Hera was using Xavier’s wealth to elevate her image, and it seed shaless from any angle they look.
As soon as Alice spoke, the others exchanged subtle glances, their eyes shifting to Hera.
They began to speculate, wondering if she had ordered the most expensive items without any consideration for what Xavier might think.
The more they thought about it, the more questions arose.
Since the manager had ntioned that Hera was a regular and had spent such large amounts in the past, everyone began to rember her connections to the heirs of other prominent families.
Whispers started circulating, with so wondering if Hera was using their wealth to show off, just like she seed to be doing now.
And that was exactly what Alice had been hoping for, planting seeds of doubt in everyone’s minds.
’So what if she can spend that much? No matter what she does, she’s just using her body to enjoy these perks,’ Alice thought to herself, her gaze lowered to hide the smug expression forming in her eyes.
She couldn’t suppress the feeling of triumph building inside her.
Alice couldn’t help but wonder if Xavier had ever considered that Hera might be exploiting his influence or money while playing the innocent victim.
Maybe she was doing the sa with the other n around her.
’But I’m different,’ Alice thought, her confidence growing.
’I’m sure to beco the best actress because of my experience in my previous life that would help reach that goal. I know I can make it.’
’So even if the n in my life spend money on , it’s an investnt—one I’ll pay back when I reach the top. What does Hera have? Nothing but her body. A slut, that’s all she is.’
Alice felt a sense of superiority as she overheard whispers from those around her.
While the actors and actresses on Hera’s side stayed quiet, Alice could tell they were thinking the sa thing, just holding back out of respect for Xavier.
It was clear to Alice—she was on her way to the top, and Hera, in her mind, would never asure up.
Instead of getting flustered, Hera remained composed, continuing to eat with calm grace.
Xavier, though visibly irritated, only looked up once, his gaze sweeping over the room as he shot everyone a pointed glare.
He didn’t say anything, however, because Hera had already taken his hand beneath the table and patted it a few tis.
His fist was clenched, a clear sign that his anger was nearing its boiling point.
With poised elegance, Hera delicately wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, taking her ti as she savored the mont.
When she finally looked up, her eyes sparkled with amusent, and a subtle, mocking smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
It was clear she wasn’t fazed by the whispers or the judgnt; instead, she seed to find the entire situation entertaining.
Hera chuckled softly as she set the napkin down, her eyes glinting with amusent. "I’m not sure if Miss Quinn is suffering from selective mory loss, but perhaps you’ve forgotten sothing."
"Besides being a newcor in the entertainnt industry, I am also the legendary racer, Phantom."
"I’ve won nurous races, earning quite a bit of money along the way. In fact, just recently, I defeated so spendthrift second-generation heirs in a race with a prize of $11 million." She paused for effect, her gaze now directly on Alice.
"So, tell —do I really need my man to pay for ? Can’t I handle it myself and even treat my man, too?"
As Hera boldly referred to Xavier as "her man," a flutter of emotion swept through him.
His heart skipped a beat, and before he knew it, a grin spread across his face.
He couldn’t help but gaze at her with a look of fondness, his expression softening as he basked in the affection and confidence she displayed so effortlessly.
Those who overheard Hera’s words were left stunned, their thoughts racing. ’Racing can earn that much?!’
As the group absorbed this new information, Alice couldn’t hide her surprise.
Her face went pale as she realized that Hera had actually earned millions from racing.
She had always dismissed racing as a glamorous hobby, assuming it wouldn’t compare to the riches of the entertainnt industry.
Now, with Hera’s words, she was forced to swallow her misconceptions in one swift blow.
The atmosphere grew tense and awkward as the al continued.
Alice and Emily fell into a heavy silence, realizing they had already dug themselves into a hole too deep to climb out of.
No one dared to challenge Hera anymore, especially not with Xavier’s simring anger hovering just beneath the surface.
The others at the table, sensing the shifting dynamic, quietly avoided drawing attention to the conflict, hoping to steer clear of any more tension.
After the al, Hera casually took out her black card, deliberately placing her thumb over her last na, allowing the emblem of the black Dragon Card to be visible for all to see.
She wasn’t one to show off, but in this case, she made an exception—especially in front of Alice.
Hera knew how much Alice enjoyed giving her a hard ti, and this mont felt like the perfect opportunity to turn the tables.
It wasn’t just about the card—it was about sending a ssage.
Hera wasn’t above being petty, and today, she decided to let Alice experience a little discomfort.
After all, Alice had tried to undermine her many tis, and now it was her turn to remind Alice of just who she was.
With a small, almost imperceptible smile, Hera silently enjoyed the effect her gesture was bound to have.
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