Chapter 16
The waiter hesitated and glanced at Cecily and her companion.
The clientele here were all well-to-do; dine-and-dashes were unheard of.
Assessing Cecily and Aurelie's modest attire and comparing it to that of Ophelia and her party, he started having doubts.
Ophelia was a regular; her status was well-known to the staff.
But Cecily was a new face. And since she was dressed down. the staff instinctively sided with Ophelia.
"Ladies, could you please settle your bill now? We don't run tabs here."
The implication behind the waiter's words seemed clear—they couldn’t afford it.
Aurelie was fuming and ready to lash out, but Cecily held her back.
Elysia smirked, "Aren't you guys loaded? Show the money then. Cecily, for the sake that you are my sister, maybe you should beg me for help. It’s not worth going broke over a meal.”
As her words hung in the air, a man in a suit briskly approached.
The server respectfully greeted him, "Manager."
Elysia’s eyes shifted, and she addressed the manager, "Sorry for the fuss, we didn't mean to cause a scene."
Then, Elysia pulled out a card and handed it to the manager, "Let me cover my sister's meal. She's family, and I hate to see her end the night in embarrassment."
Her gesture towards Cecily was one of condescension.
The manager gave Elysia an odd look, bypassing her to hurry to Cecily.
Elysia's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.
Reaching Cecily, the manager was apologetic, “Miss Cecily, I'm so sorry. We were unaware of your visit today. Please forgive any oversight on our part.”
Cecily looked at the manager, puzzled.
Elysia was stunned. After watching the manager ignore her and treat Cecily with utmost respect, she became irritated. “Hey, what's this all about?”
The manager glanced at Elysia's group, his demeanor turning decidedly firmer. "Ladies, Miss Cecily is a friend of the restaurant owner. She doesn't need to pay for her meal."
"You've got to be kidding. Her?" Elysia scoffed with disdain.
The proprietor of Dragon's Wok was an enigma. Nobody knew their true identity. However, what was common knowledge was that anyone who could open such a premier dining establishment in the most luxurious area of Silver Frost Capital surely had deep pockets and was a heavyweight in the industry.
How could Cecily possibly be associated with such a high roller?
Even Ophelia gave Cecily another evaluating look. "Manager, are you certain that Cecily is a friend of your boss?"
"Yes, Miss Cecily is," the manager confirmed resolutely.
As Cecily mused over his certainty, a message popped up on her phone.
She understood instantly.
The manager, with utmost respect, said, "Miss Cecily, I see you haven't finished your meal. We have prepared our most exclusive private dining room for you. Please follow me."
Cecily nodded in agreement. "Okay."
"Regarding you two other ladies, you've been blacklisted by our restaurant, and we will no longer be able to serve you," he declared, looking at them with an official tone. "Please leave the premises."
While he had said 'please,' it was clear to all that this was an unceremonious ejection.
Ophelia and Elysia’s faces contorted with anger.
Refusing to give in, Elysia challenged, "Manager, do you have any idea what you're doing? Do you know who she is? She's a daughter of one of Silver Frost Capital's top four families. If we want, we could shut you down in no time."
The manager gave a wry smile. "If you have that capability, by all means, proceed."
Seeing the manager's unyielding demeanor, Elysia tried to save face. With a cold huff, she raised her voice, "Cecily, is this how low you stoop? Are you being kept by the owner? How else could someone like you be a friend to the proprietor?"
She bit down hard on the word 'friend,' infusing it with scathing irony.
Cecily's expression turned frosty. "You only see filth because that's what you're made of."
"Cecily, say that again. Who are you calling filth?" Elysia retorted.
Elysia stepped forward, finger outstretched, but Aurelie shoved her away. "Did you not get what I said?"
Fuming, Elysia grabbed a nearby teacup and threw its contents at Aurelie.
Unprepared, Aurelie was hit in the face with the lukewarm liquid.
"Aurelie!"
Cecily’s brows furrowed, her eyes glinting with a chilling calm as she quickly handed Aurelie a towel.
Aurelie wiped the dripping water from her face with a laugh, her gaze fixed firmly on Elysia. "You started this," she chided.
After tossing the towel onto the table, Aurelie strode forward and grabbed Elysia's hair. "I've tolerated you for far too long, you shameless thing."
"You're asking for it, Aurelie." Elysia's hand flew up to slap Aurelie across the face.
Standing tall at 5'7, Aurelie towered over petite Elysia, smirking disdainfully. "You really want to go toe-to-toe with me?"
Elysia clawed at the air, desperate, "Let me go, Aurelie, let me go..."
"Such a filthy mouth, let me clean it for you."
Ophelia quickly intervened to help Elysia, and Cecily moved forward too.
Aurelie, with considerable strength, held onto Elysia, slapping her twice across the face.
"You dare to challenge me? I won't let you get away with this."
Elysia screamed wildly as she flailed about, "Let me go, Aurelie! Let go of me!"
In the chaos, Ophelia caught sight of a familiar figure entering the room.
Her eyes shifted, as she reached out to grab Cecily with a newfound frailty, "Miss Cecily, stop hitting me. It's all my fault. I should've died with that child back then."
Cecily frowned at Ophelia's sudden shift, repulsion flickering in her eyes as she contemplated pulling away.
Suddenly, she let out a shriek.
With a loud thud, Ophelia was sent flying.
It looked as though Cecily herself had pushed her.
Aurelie released Elysia abruptly and dusted off her hands with a sense of closure.
Two women tumbled to the ground, a disheveled and pitiable Elysia locking eyes with Cecily, while Ophelia, tear-stained and looking utterly forlorn, pleaded, "Miss Cecily, I take the blame for all of it. If someone must be punished, let it be me."
"What's going on here?" A stern voice cut through the air.
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