Chapter 74 Sophia Has Arrived—Everyone Stand Aside
Half an hour later, Amelia sent a voice message to the group, "Holy shit! Which asshole ordered fifty portions of everything on the menu?"
The food orders alone wouldn't have been too expensive.
The real problem was that someone had also ordered fifty bottles of Celestial Peak Hotel's most expensive wine.
If the hotel hadn't called to confirm the wine order, Amelia wouldn't have even noticed.
Of course, she immediately suspected Emily. With fifty people in their class, Emily was the only one petty enough to pull this stunt.
She was probably still nursing her wounded pride from the other night's disastrous dinner party and wanted to get back at Sophia.
Amelia wasn't the only one who figured it out—the other classmates did too. Rather than call Emily out in the group chat, they just asked Amelia to cancel the wine order. They'd decide what to drink once they got to the hotel.
"Don't bother with the hassle. I own a whole vineyard—think I'd be short on wine? I'll bring some bottles of red wine and whiskey. Put it on Sophia's tab."
Sophia responded with her own voice message, "No problem."
At six o'clock that evening, a parade of wealthy young heirs arrived at Celestial Peak Hotel, dressed in expensive designer outfits. Their outfits, mostly custom-made, were visibly luxurious.
Combined with their impeccable manners and elegant bearing, they formed small groups as they walked into the hotel, drawing curious stares from other guests.
What was the occasion today?
It was rare to see so many rich kids gathering like this. With such an impressive turnout, surely there must be some important figure hosting a major event at Celestial Peak Hotel?
"Sophia has arrived—everyone, stand aside!"
The loud announcement drew everyone's attention.
Sophia rolled her eyes and shot a withering look at the speaker. "New security guard?"
The man nodded and bowed with an ingratiating smile.
Sophia's expression turned cold. "Cut the cringe. Do that again, and you can pick up your severance pay from HR."
Amelia and Wayne suppressed their laughter, never expecting to witness such an awkward scene in real life.
"Quite the grand entrance, Sophia."
The amused voice came from behind them. Sophia turned to see Joshua approaching in a black suit with subtle patterns.
His short hair was styled back with pomade, giving him a more refined appearance than usual while toning down his typical intensity. Looking at him now, his face was actually quite handsome.
"How did you end up walking here, Joshua?" Sophia asked curiously. Despite living in Emerald City, he was still a rich heir. How could he go out without a driver?
"The parking garage entrance was blocked, so I got out and walked a few steps." Joshua stopped in front of Sophia, looking down at the girl who was a full head shorter than him. He suddenly bent down and leaned close to her ear, whispering, "Did you like the gift I sent you?"
Seeing that snake get so close to Sophia, Amelia flared with rage and prepared to charge at him, but Wayne quickly grabbed her arm.
Sophia laughed with ambiguous meaning. "I loved it. It made me even more curious about you."
She stepped back, her bright eyes meeting Joshua's directly. "Shall we?"
Joshua's lips curved into a smile that held a hint of innocence—an expression he often used to deceive people into thinking he was truly a gentle, perfect gentleman.
Joshua walked toward the private dining room first.
Sophia exchanged a meaningful glance with Amelia, who immediately understood and began excitedly plotting in her mind.
The private room had five tables set up. Sophia, Amelia, Wayne, Clio, Tom, Joshua, and Emily all sat at the main table.
Once everyone had arrived, the food could be served.
Waiters lined up to bring out beautifully presented dishes—gourmet delicacies, exotic seafood, and premium meats of every variety.
Amelia had brought wine for each table—one bottle of red wine and one bottle of whiskey. At $20,000 per bottle, they weren't the most expensive, but they were excellent quality.
This level of hospitality was more than sufficient for treating classmates and friends.
Emily stared at the Australian lobster on the table, clearly seeing that Sophia had spent a considerable amount on this dinner.
She was just waiting to see if Sophia would still be smiling when the bill came.
"Sophia, here's an antique porcelain piece I recently acquired." A male classmate tapped the box in his hand before handing it to Sophia. "Happy birthday."
"Oh, what a coincidence! I specifically visited three different markets to find this little sculpture. Sophia, please accept it."
"Thank you." Sophia accepted the gifts with a smile. "Didn't I say just showing up was enough? You didn't need to bring presents."
"Well, we know you don't lack for anything, so these aren't expensive items—just small tokens of our appreciation."
The others took turns presenting their gifts, homemade cookies, a vase someone had found beautiful, handmade jewelry, and even coffee beans.
Indeed, nothing was particularly valuable. These people weren't short on money—what mattered most was the thoughtfulness.
The gifts piled up against the wall like a small mountain. Sophia's face was nearly frozen from smiling by the time the gift-giving finally ended.
She waved her hands. "Please, sit down! The food's getting cold. If there's anything else you'd like to eat, just ask the waiters to bring more dishes. Don't be shy with me—if you don't enjoy yourselves here tonight, it'll reflect poorly on me!"
Of course, no one would hold back with Sophia. Though they'd only spent two and a half years together in high school, they were all from the same social circle and had known each other for years.
Sophia was easygoing and generous—there was nothing to feel awkward about with her.
The atmosphere during the dinner was completely different from Emily's birthday party the other night. Everyone was laughing and chatting happily, with conversations touching on many business matters that Emily couldn't understand.
"Hey Joshua, I heard you're from Silverlight City. What do you think are the main differences between Silverlight City and Emerald City?" Amelia took a sip of red wine and posed the question.
There had been rumors at school that Joshua was the heir to a famous, wealthy family in Silverlight City, orphaned and living with his aunt. But no one knew who his aunt actually was, which naturally cast doubt on his claimed status as a Silverlight City heir.
Taking advantage of tonight's dinner, she was asking directly. If Joshua continued to dodge the question, he was probably lying about his identity.
Joshua detected the probing nature of Amelia's question but smiled calmly. "No real differences. Poor people are poor in their own unique ways, but rich people are rich in the same tedious fashion. Success in business comes down to the same obvious strategies and the same dirty tricks behind the scenes. How could there be any difference?"
His words changed everyone's expression at the table.
They naturally knew that many people in their circle used underhanded tactics for profit. Knowing about it was one thing, but bringing these dark secrets into open conversation was another matter entirely.
This Joshua was no simple character.
Sophia suddenly laughed. The others looked at her in confusion as she turned to glance at Joshua. "I actually like your straightforward nature. So, would you mind telling us who your aunt is?"
A few words of flattery followed by the pointed question—it was their usual conversational strategy for getting information.