Chapter 415 Maxing Out Three Cards
And he had never been inside the Stewart Group to check things out. He wasn't even sure if the machinery and talent Zander mentioned were real.
So after weighing his options, Willie smiled and brushed it off: "Let's eat first. Both ladies must be hungry."
Zander knew Willie wouldn't agree to this so quickly. He just smiled and nodded.
Just then, a waiter knocked and entered, holding a menu, and handed it to Zander.
"Sir, the meal Ms. Knight ordered will be ready soon. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"
Zander took the menu, and after seeing the prices, he couldn't help but frown. "Why is it so expensive?"
A single dish cost tens of thousands of dollars, and some were even more expensive!
The waiter explained with a smile: "Sir, we only use the finest ingredients here, and our chef has prepared state banquets. It's definitely worth the price."
Zander's face suddenly flushed red with embarrassment.
Especially in front of Willie, even a waiter was mocking him, openly and subtly.
How infuriating!
But he didn't dare show his emotions and forced a smile toward Willie.
"Mr. Reed, you're our guest. Please order whatever you'd like. My treat."
Willie politely declined a couple of times before taking the menu.
He ordered a few dishes that looked good, plus two nutritious porridges. "My wife isn't in the best health. Mr. Stewart doesn't mind, does he?"
Zander glanced at the menu and saw that the porridge cost as much as several dishes. He nearly fainted.
But he still pretended to be calm and waved his hand: "No problem at all. You really do care for Mrs. Reed."
Willie, as if not noticing his distress over the money, put his arm around Freya's shoulder affectionately: "She's my only wife. Of course I have to treasure and spoil her."
Isabella watched Freya and Willie with envy.
Although Willie looked ordinary and was nearly forty, his love for Freya was genuine and couldn't be faked.
Isabella felt both envious and jealous of Freya.
Why did all the good men belong to other people, while she could only be a mistress kept in the shadows?
She wasn't willing to accept this!
In her heart, she cursed Sophia, who had ruined her life, a thousand times over.
Just then, Willie added: "Mr. Stewart, you're doing well too, having such a beautiful girlfriend like Isabella."
Hearing this, Isabella looked at Zander coquettishly.
Zander gazed at her affectionately too. "Yes, meeting Isabella is the greatest fortune of my life."
"Zander..."
The waiter who had been standing there waiting for them to confirm the menu: "..."
So what did he do wrong? Why torture him like this?
But thinking of Gregory's instructions, the waiter held back and reminded them: "Sir, we also have vintage wine in our collection. Would you like us to bring some up?"
Zander was currently immersed in the affectionate persona he'd created.
Before coming, he'd planned that as long as he showed enough affection toward Isabella, it would resonate with Willie.
It might even make Willie feel they were the same type of person, lowering his guard.
And the investment matter would naturally go more smoothly.
So he didn't really hear what the waiter said and casually agreed.
The waiter immediately nodded, checked off the most expensive wine on the menu, and left the private room.
Sophia and her group were waiting outside to watch the show. When the waiter came out and gave them an OK sign, they knew it had worked.
Sophia's bright eyes sparkled with mischief. "I think I could sit in that private room a bit longer."
The only pity was that there were no cameras in the room.
Because of its high prices and upscale atmosphere, this restaurant was often used by company executives for business discussions.
When interests were involved, customer privacy had to be protected.
So if they wanted to see Zander and Isabella's faces when paying the bill, they'd have to wait in the room.
Benjamin helplessly ruffled her hair and coaxed: "Want to watch? That's easy. I'll have the waiter secretly turn on his phone camera when he goes to settle the bill."
Sophia's eyes lit up. "Great idea! You're so smart!"
Benjamin finally succeeded in drawing Sophia's attention away from Gregory, and he was in a good mood too.
After saying goodbye to the others, he took Sophia's hand and left.
When the car arrived at the hospital, his phone suddenly vibrated. It was a video from the waiter.
The footage wasn't very clear, but Sophia could still clearly see Isabella and Zander's awful expressions when they heard the bill.
That bottle of wine was the restaurant's collector's edition, very old and extremely expensive.
Because of this, the bottle had never been sold.
Who would have thought Zander would end up paying for it now.
In the video, Zander's face was full of resistance and pain as he paid, but he couldn't say anything.
Because Willie and Freya were watching him.
At first, he frowned and asked: "Why is your wine so expensive?"
"This is our boss's collector's edition, the only bottle. Mr. Stewart, I asked you earlier, and you agreed before I brought it up."
"When did I..." Zander was immediately speechless, wishing he could go back an hour.
He thought for a moment and asked hesitantly: "I didn't bring that much money today. Can I pay on credit?"
Afraid of being misunderstood, he added: "I'm the head of the Stewart family. I definitely won't skip out on the bill."
The waiter smiled and replied: "Sorry, Mr. Stewart, we don't do credit here."
Under several pairs of eyes, Zander felt embarrassed. "Call your boss. I'll talk to him personally."
The waiter: "Mr. Stewart, are you sure you want to see our boss?"
With that reminder, Zander suddenly remembered that Harvest & Hearth was the White family's business!
He quickly said: "Never mind, I'll pay by card."
Knowing he couldn't escape, Zander resignedly pulled out several cards from his suit pocket and handed them over.
The waiter enthusiastically took the cards and started processing payment. Alaric had said he'd get a big commission once this money came through!
The meal maxed out three of Zander's cards.
When Zander left, his face was so dark it looked like ink could drip from it.
Willie and Freya, however, had eaten very comfortably. Before leaving, they specifically said: "Mr. Stewart, we really enjoyed the meal today. Let's do this again next time."
Zander: "..."
He couldn't afford another one, thank you very much!
This meal was such a loss. Not only did he fail to secure the investment, he nearly went into debt.
Watching this scene, Sophia couldn't help but lean into Benjamin's arms, laughing.
"Honey, did you see Zander's face just now?"
Benjamin looked down at her with gentle, adoring eyes.
His wife was so wicked, but he loved it.
Not getting revenge wouldn't be Sophia's style.