Chapter 255 $120,000 Wine
When James heard the waitress mention "Mr. Smith," he felt like his world was crumbling.
He never thought a simple waitress would blow his cover.
Everyone else was just as shocked.
"You must be mistaken! There's no Mr. Smith in our private room. You mean Leander, right?" Thalia snapped at the waitress.
"Yeah, the only Smith here is James. Do you really think James could be a VIP at your hotel?" Thalassa chimed in, pointing at James.
The waitress, thrown off by Thalassa and Thalia's reactions, glanced over at James.
Seeing James's casual outfit, the waitress started to second-guess herself.
She had no clue about James's connection to Atticus. With Thalia and Thalassa's comments, she wasn't sure if she had heard right.
"If James was such a big deal, why didn't Mr. Hayes talk to him earlier? He only spoke to Leander," Thalia shouted, clearly skeptical.
"I'm really sorry, I must have made a mistake!" the waitress quickly replied to Thalia.
Since Thalia was a VIP guest, the waitress didn't want to upset her and just went along with it.
"Then go ask Mr. Hayes why he sent us extra dishes. Was it because of Mr. Smith or our Leander?" Thalia pressed, not wanting James to get credit for the meal.
The waitress looked troubled, knowing she couldn't just ask Atticus such questions.
Leander, feeling guilty, also doubted the extra dishes were for James. But he wasn't sure he had enough pull for such treatment either. If the waitress asked and got the wrong answer, it could be a mess.
"We're all here to enjoy a meal; there's no need for that," he said softly to Thalia.
Thalia gave Leander a cold look and said, "Alright, since you say so, I won't push it. Clearly, Mr. Hayes sent the dishes because of you, and now there's talk of 'Mr. Smith.' We do have a Smith here, but there's no way he has that kind of influence!"
"Yes, I must have misheard," the waitress quickly agreed.
"Alright then, leave now, and make sure you don't speak carelessly before you know the facts next time. It can easily cause misunderstandings, got it?" Thalia said, wanting to prove today's meal was thanks to Leander, and decided not to make things harder for the waitress once she admitted her mistake.
The waitress apologized and left the room.
James, seeing the waitress leave, finally let out a sigh of relief, his face visibly more relaxed.
He had been stressing about how to explain things to Laura if his secret got out.
But Thalia had unknowingly saved the day.
James glanced at Thalia and gave a wry smile. Even though she didn't mean to help him, it worked out in his favor.
Everyone started eating and chatting.
The food at the Golden Elm Bistro was top-notch, not just visually stunning and flavorful, but made with super fresh ingredients. Laura especially loved the charcoal-grilled Boston lobster.
James noticed and thought to himself that since Laura liked the food here, he could bring her more often. If they got married, he might even gift her the restaurant.
Thalia, now treating Leander like a VIP, shouted, "Isn't it a bit boring to just eat? Should we get a bottle of red wine?"
Leander's face twitched at Thalia's suggestion.
Just treating everyone to this meal had already set him back nearly $200,000.
When he booked the private room, he saw that the cheapest bottle of wine was several thousand dollars, so he didn't order any.
But who would've expected Thalia to be so bold and ask for red wine?
"Leander, didn't you hear my mom say she wants red wine?" Thalassa said, annoyed at Leander's lack of response.
Leander took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. "Alright, a bottle of red wine."
"One bottle isn't enough for everyone. We should get at least three. Your uncle can really drink!" Thalia said, smiling at Joe.
"I don't drink much anymore; don't make Leander spend too much," Joe quickly said.
"Come on, it's just a few bottles of red wine. Leander makes millions a month; he can handle it!"
Leander felt utterly defeated. He never expected Thalia to be so demanding, asking for three bottles. But since things had come this far, he wouldn't let a few bottles of wine ruin everything.
So he turned to the waitress. "Bring me the menu!"
"Alright!" the waitress quickly responded.
Leander took the menu with trembling hands and opened it. When he saw the prices, he was stunned and filled with despair.
The cheapest bottle of red wine in this place was $40,000, and three bottles would be a whopping $120,000!
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