Chapter 012

The restaurant suddenly became quiet like a graveyard, everyone's gaze steady and fixed on the drama that was unfolding in their presence. Some phones were set on video mode, trying to capture whatever scene that unfolded.

Some student influencers and content creators were already going live with their phones and tripods, making sure to update the school on how the event turned out. It would pass as a trivia/hot gist for the week.

“Seb, Buddy….” Steve called weakly, fear laced in his tone.

“We can still shun all this and go back to the dorm. You’re in trouble already, if anything goes wrong I’m afraid it will give the panel more edge over your case.”

Sebastian could sense the genuine concern in Steve’s utterance, but what Steve wasn’t aware of was the kind of power he possessed.

Sebastian gave him a reassuring smile that he had things under control and Steve nodded in acceptance after swallowing the clog that had formed in his throat. Distress written over his demeanour.

“Some folks need to learn and they would learn the hard way,” Sebastian stated with a smirk, his countenance tinged with superiority, coursing a rush of doubt through Stella’s mind.

She ignored his glaring confidence and wiggled her neck brushing off the negative thought and doubt that was beginning to ignite within her.

“Who is hungry?!” Sebastian’s voice rang off.

Instead of responses, gasps, and murmurs were hovering inside the Cafe. The background music was immediately tuned down.

Because of the live session being transmitted, more students trope into the Luxe Cafe, not with the intent of buying food but just to witness how the event played out.

“Is he out of his mind!” A student mumbled under her breath.

“Does he want Steve to go bankrupt, because we all know it’s Steve behind his glory, right?”

“The money he acquires from doing laundry clearly cannot give him this guts!”

“Not a chance! He just wants to make a fool out of himself.”

“He is blabbing! A full-course meal here costs a whopping 700 dollars and he wants to feed everyone in here? Joker!”

“That’s ridiculous! I’m open to eating anyway. The consequences are for him to bear.”

“Of course! I can’t say no to food.”

Sebastian seemed to be more stable than every other restaurant user present. Steve on the other hand was almost breathless, he clenched his fist very hard till his knuckle turned white. The feverish sensation in his stomach was enough to make him puke.

“If you toy with this business dude! Trust me, you will never get to see the light again, I will make sure you spend the remaining of your youthful age in prison.” Stella retorted.

She beckoned on the cashier, Jim, to summarize the bill for everyone present as Seb has claimed. After counting everyone present in the cafe, Sebastian’s bill amounted to 100,000 dollars.

Stella breathed down and sighed. “This is a total waste of time. This clown clearly cannot foot two percent of this bill.” She murmured, even though there was still a hint of doubt in her countenance.

“Cash or card?” The cashier asked.

“I will be paying by card,” Seb answered, he brought out his old student debit card and wiped off the crust from its surface.

With utmost silence, everyone paid keen attention as Sebastian passed his card to the cashier, he had earlier transferred two hundred thousand bucks to his student account while he was in the chopper, simply to avoid bringing out the black card his grandfather gifted him.

Everyone was quiet, their gaze stagnant on the debit machine the cashier was holding, waiting to see the green light that indicated a successful transaction.

Stella’s heart was reeling from her standing position. “What will happen to me if this payment goes through? But I doubt, however, I must play safe.” She muttered to herself, her sweaty hands quivering from anxiety.

“Give that card to me, I don’t trust you, this is a huge sum and must be handled by a professional!”

She stated harshly, snatching the teller machine away from the cashier's hand. She raised her head and flaunted a weak smile to everyone before swiping the card.

“Fraud! Fraud! I said it! Haha… His transaction was declined.”

There was a sudden outburst of emotions that filled the cafe, some choking on their laughter, while some worried about the dinner they had just missed. However, some were genuinely sad about how the situation turned out.

Sebastian was left shocked, his brows furrowed in disbelief, his mind reeling with different thoughts, pondering why the transaction was declined.

He brought out his phone to cross-check for any debit alerts but there weren’t any, he wanted to request another trial, but the restaurant seemed to be in chaos so he remained still and composed instead.

Numerous folks and students who had gathered to watch the drama began murmuring, loud enough for Sebastian to grab every detail from their gossip.

“He's just a time waster! It’s no magic, a laundry man cannot morph into a rich nigga in a minute.”

“I can’t believe I left the comfort of my bed for nothing!”

“This is such a childish act, wasting everyone’s time, he had nothing to do with his time?”

“That is the poor for you, that’s their lagging mentality.”

“I thought he worked here, is this some kind of publicity stunt the Cafe is pulling? If it is then it has to be the lamest I have seen!”

Josh, Stanley, and their counterparts were beyond excited by the obvious turn of events. At some point they were on their toes, thinking the Laundry guy had upgraded fr real but nah!

“Cashier!!!! Please how much is my bill? This riffraff had wasted our time, we need to leave at once.” Stanley stated, his hands wrapped around his girlfriend, playing and spanking her sensitive parts in public while she entertained it.

“3000 dollars, Cash or card sir?” The cashier asked respectfully.

“Card of course and trust mine to go through, I’m not a clown like this poverty-driven clown here!” He stated callously with puffed shoulders, tossing his card disrespectfully at the waiter while his friends hailed him.

Their laughter all echoed, as they snorted and fist-bumped each other.

“I’m sorry, Sir. It declined!” The cashier's tone returned strong, his gaze laced with annoyance.

“Oh shut the hell up and redo that shit!” Josh added, glaring deeply at the cashier this time uncertainty in his gaze.

Everyone’s attention was now shifted to Stanley and his team, some laughing out their ass, while some paid keen attention making sure to still capture the scene.

Unluckily for them, the former repeated itself, the machine's light turned red which signified the obvious, declined!

“Declined! You will have to wait behind the counter for further intervention.” Stella stated icily, her confidence fully resumed since Sebastian was humiliated.

“Oh my goodness, it’s raining unsuccessful transactions tonight at St Psalms Institute!” An influencer with the camera and tripod stated sarcastically. “Hashtag….#Declinedtransactions#”

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!” A husky voice emanated sharply through the entrance. “Who made a transfer of 110,000 dollars?”