CHAPTER 7

"That's enough Connor!" Arabella intervened sharply, shooting Connor a cold stare, and this slightly bruised Connor's ego. He expected Arabella to join in on the fun.

"Now let's talk about something else. Zack, I heard you bagged a new job at Jarvis's Tech Corp. Congrats by the way" She switched to Zack, trying to dilute the tension.

"Yeah, I did. I didn't expect to get picked though but I'm really happy about it" Zack replied cheerfully.

"Lucky you Zacky, I heard their pay is really good" Rose added coquettishly and Connor's eyes twitched in jealousy.

"Yeah, it really is," Zack confirmed.

"That's great bro. But I bet it's not as stressful as me being the manager of Urbanworks Construction, my schedule is really tight, that's one of the reasons I came late even" Connor said, raising an eyebrow, trying to bring attention to himself.

"Wow Connor, you're the manager of the famous Urbanworks Construction Company?! That's a huge position you've got there" Rose cooed, diverting her attention off Zack as soon as she heard Connor.

"Oh, it's nothing. In fact, I'm sure you guys don't know this but my cousin Justin Smith will soon take over the company from his dad and he's promised to make me the Vice President when he takes over" Connor proudly revealed with a smile across his face.

The moment he said that, Evan raised an eyebrow in surprise. He didn't know Connor was Justin Smith's cousin but it made sense as their personalities were quite similar, they were both jerks. This must be how he got to know Evan's personal issues.

"Dude, are you serious?! That's crazy man!" Nicholas chimed in, his eyes widened in amazement.

"Yeah, my cousin is also close friends with the owner of this hotel. They're best buddies" Connor added and they all seemed to slightly envy him, well, all of them except Evan, he kept a plain facial expression at Connor's brags and Connor was slightly triggered by this.

The truth was, Connor lied, his cousin wasn't close with the hotel owner but he said it to look more cool.

"Every one of us seems to have things going well for us. What about you Evan?" Rose teased as she took a bite of her food "Oh, my bad. You lost your job, as Connor mentioned" she added slyly and Connor couldn't mask his smile hearing that.

Soon, the waiter returned, gently handing over the bill to Connor and at the sight of the bill the smile on his face swiftly vanished.

"What?!" He exclaimed in shock, drawing the attention of everybody present in the room.

"Impossible! What do you mean by this?! How can the bill be $3,500,000?!"

"Sir, the bill is accurate. The Celestial Crystal Grandeur Champagne costs $3,000,000 while your meal costs $500,000" the waiter explained to Connor, whose forehead was already beaded with sweat.

"Why didn't you tell me the drink was that expensive before serving it?! You clearly don't know how to do your job properly" Connor yelled at the waiter, his face contorted with anger.

"Sir, I tried to tell you but you cut me off" the waiter replied, trying to reason with Connor, and Evan couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"I will not take this! Why would I spend $3,000,000 for just a silly champagne?! I demand to see your manager right now! I will only be paying for the meal" Connor ordered, with veins at the corners of his face becoming visible.

Despite his braggadocious attitude, Connor didn't have anywhere close to $3,500,000 in his bank account, and he tried to act defensive so as to escape embarrassment.

The waiter couldn't help but sigh before rushing to get the manager.

"It seems he can't afford the drink he ordered for. What a shame" one patron murmured to another.

"Why did he come here then, if I'm not mistaken I thought I heard him say he is the manager of Urbanworks Construction Company" another whispered.

"I know right, I could hear his voice all the way from here because of how loud he talked with his friends"

The voices of the patrons echoed across the room and Connor tried to mask his anxiety as he heard them.

Zack, Arabella, Rose, and Nicholas all sat there slightly worried about the unfolding scene. None of them had $3,000,000 to spare for a champagne and none of them offered to help out as they hadn't requested for the drink.

A few seconds later, the manager arrived, having been told everything by the waiter.

"What kind of waiters do you have here?! They can't even do their jobs properly! How can this drink cost $3,000,000?!" Connor demanded from the manager, his voice laced with frustration.

The manager took a deep breath before responding "Please, sir, calm down, this drink right here is the Celestial Crystal Grandeur Champagne, it's not just any drink, it's one of the most expensive drinks in the city"

"According to my employee here, you requested it and she told me she tried to tell you how much it costs but you dismissed her. There is evidence of this as it was captured by our security cameras"

"So that's how you guys operate here huh?! Deceiving patrons into paying for what they know nothing about!" Connor countered, grabbing the manager's collar.

"I'd advise you to unhand me, sir" the manager cautioned. "You requested the most expensive drink here, and now you're refusing to pay for it?"

"Or what?! Do you know who I am?! My cousin is Justin Smith! He knows your boss and can easily get you fired because of this!" Connor sneered, attempting to intimidate the manager

"You leave me no choice, sir. Security!" The manager called and five buff men came in instantly, causing some of the patrons to let out slight gasps. Connor was immediately frightened at the sight of them, he almost peed his pants.

The buff men grabbed Connor forcefully, causing him to let go of the manager's collar.

"I'll pay for the bill" Evan instantly uttered calmly, shocking his former classmates, including Connor, who thought he misheard.

A stunned silence filled the room as everyone processed Evan's unexpected offer.