Reputation

The female receptionist was watching Emily pull out her phone, and she inwardly sneered, "I'm not doing anything wrong. The manager told me that I don't need to give special treatment just because of money and status. Hmph, no matter what, you won't be getting inside the buffet today. I have my pride."

During this time, a stout middle-aged man walked by. This was one of Starlight Paradise's managers.

"What's the holdup?" The stout manager asked the female receptionist with visible annoyance. "Xiaxia, can't you see there is a massive line in front of you? We're going to have many disappointed patrons at this stage."

Xiaxia, the female receptionist, smiled while explaining, "Manager, this family was over thirty minutes late, so we ended up giving their table to the celebrity from before. We're also all out of tables. Is Xiaxia in the wrong here for telling them to leave?"

"Jeez, you even need me to tell you?" Snickering, the stout manager responded while slyly grabbing a handful of Xiaxia's plump white thigh from behind the counter. "You're not new anymore. Just get security to kick them out for causing trouble."

Xiaxia deeply blushed as she leaned closer onto the stout manager's right arm, drawing circles on his chest.

"Oi, you guys heard me." The stout manager snickered. In Starlight Paradise, there were numerous bigshots, and he even had the backing of the big power group behind this grand five-story building. "Get the fuck out now. This is your final warning."

Working in the famous Starlight Paradise for years, the stout manager dared to be arrogant, and he was very accustomed to dealing with the rich families.

Moreover, he had pocketed a massive fortune from getting the patrons' handouts and made many influential connections along the way.

Within Starlight Paradise, he was not required to give face to anyone except his superiors, and no one dared to seek revenge because of the mysterious power group behind the buffet restaurant.

In the minds of those families he offended, it was not worth risking the great trouble just for some restaurant manager.

The stout middle-aged man was considered a senior even amongst the other managers in Starlight Paradise. Thus, apart from the owners who were from the power group, he wasn't directly beneath anyone. To top it off, those reclusive bigshot owners rarely ever appeared in the restaurant.

Sighing, Weston disliked trouble, "You're making a mistake."

Moments later, Emily's call went through, and a deep voice resounded from the phone.

"Yes, master?"

Of course, the female receptionist and stout manager could not hear the deep voice at all. The sound was too low.

Lynne was right next to Emily, and she couldn't hear the man's voice either. Furthermore, she, as a child, had excellent hearing. In the entire restaurant, the sole people who were able to hear the full phone call were Emily and Tylem.

Tylem raised his brow, but he did not show any special reaction from hearing how the man greeted Emily. Instead, it just heightened his curiosity about her. From the way that man addressed Emily, he now had some theories about her status.

"Rehan, I'm in your Starlight Paradise with my family, and we missed our reservation time." Emily spoke unhurriedly. "Oh yes, there is this rather big male manager with blonde streaks who cursed at us to get out—there is also this shameful college girl receptionist with curly brown hair."

Since the male manager dared to rudely speak to her family like that, Emily would not let them off. It was narrow-minded, but who told him to offend the few people she valued more than her life?

Besides, she didn't like the stout manager's obvious lustful face; he was an utter eyesore. The college girl was also shamelessly fawning over this obese lump of waste. This wasn't some brothel to find sugar daddies. Starlight Paradise would be better off without them.

"I understand, master." Rehan nodded. "I'll make the phone call right away."

The stout manager was still snickering until he heard the name 'Rehan.' Later, he also caught sight of the black card with starry designs that was placed above the counter. Instantly, his face turned pale, and he seemed to visibly age.

The membership card that was exclusive to the restaurant's rare VVIPs who—no matter their demands—were to be treated like gods within Starlight. It was the second time he had seen it in person, and the last time was a few years ago when that unfathomable man had appeared in the restaurant for a special occasion...

"Thanks." Emily hung up, and in the next second, the stout manager felt his right pocket vibrating.

Wasn't this efficiency and speed just too quick? Trembling, the stout manager stared at the caller ID, and he sluggishly accepted the call.

Time inched forward, and the stout manager went through numerous phases of depression.

"Manager...?" The female receptionist was shocked as she watched the stout manager collapse to his knees. This was the first time she had seen him display such a weak and feeble side—it even looked disgraceful as he began begging.

"Please... sir. I'll do anything... just let me off for this one mistake. I promise that I'll never step out of line again." The stout manager actually began to cry. "T-this is all I have. My family needs this job to survive."

It was true. Without the backing from Starlight Paradise, all those people he had offended along the way would likely come back to seek trouble with him.

Regardless, the sound of the stout manager's phone clicking resounded. The call had ended. From now on, his grand life was over. In the blink of an eye, he was now on the brink of losing everything; he had become too conceited over the years and offended the wrong person as a result.

Unfortunately for the stout manager, he could have offended anyone in the world except Emily, the Winter's Edge leader. In this life, Rehan owed far too many debts to her, and he would never allow someone to disrespect her.

In the next moment, the restaurant's other senior manager appeared out of seemingly nowhere, running up to them with a flattering smile. "Honorable Patrons, please follow me to the top floor. We have a special VVIP room that is exclusive for your sole dining experience tonight."

The VVIP room had been kept in a pristine condition for years, even though it had not been used at all for the longest time.

Right after, the intelligent-looking senior manager turned to Xiaxia, snickering, "Miss Xia, don't bother showing up tomorrow. We'll also be taking back all of those gifts this fat piece of trash gifted you along the way. Don't even think about having your tuition fees all paid for anymore."

"Farewell, fatty trash." The intelligent-looking senior manager chuckled, feeling gratified from being able to speak down to the super-arrogant middle-aged man. In Starlight, he had always been oppressed by the latter. Now, he would be at the top amongst the managers.

Before leaving, Emily whispered near the stout middle-aged man's ear, "Stop sulking in front of my children. You're lucky I'm in a wonderful mood tonight, or I would have cut your tongue out for speaking to my family the way you did."

Like that, Tylem and his family followed the intelligent-looking senior manager to the grand elevator reserved for VIPs, leaving the busty college girl, who hailed from a humble family of farmers in a village far away from Beijing, and the stout manager to drown in self-pity and sorrow.

Oh wait, that was wrong. It would be 'former' manager from now on.

* * *

Elsewhere in Starlight Paradise.

Three of the grand rooms on the top floor were being occupied by boys and girls who looked to still be in middle school. It was a shocking sight to see for the employees who worked here. Usually, the employees were accustomed to serving influential adults—not some children.

For some of them, it was a bitter pill to swallow, as serving children decades younger than themselves made the employees realize how unfair the world was. Furthermore, all of this had to be done with the highest amount of respect and a flattering smile. This was the special top floor, after all.

Dining within a private room on the top floor, over ten teenagers, who were around twelve-thirteen years of age, cheered. In this group, a lean black-haired boy sat at the forefront of the round table that was scattered with top delicacies and expensive cuisine.

Keith Lin, the lean black-haired boy, tapped his fingers on the plate in front of him. Even though the repetitive sound was distracting and irritating, none of the teenagers in the room dared to criticize him.

"Ava." Keith Lin had an extraordinary appearance, his noble bearing on par. "I remember there were thirty-nine people on the list."

"You're a smart lady." Taking a sip of oolong tea, Keith Lin continued, "You should know what I'm implying here."

If someone was invited to his birthday party and dared to not show, that was considered a very disrespectful act.

Ever since birth, Keith Lin has possessed an almost supernatural memory. If he laid his eyes on something, he would remember it for the longest time, even down to the smallest details.

Thus, Keith, the leader of Onel, vividly remembered all the hands he had shaken in the party opening from earlier.

"I...' Faced down, Ava clenched her teeth. [James and Mason, those bastards... how dare they not show?]

Compared to how Ava conducted herself in school, it was mindboggling to see how modest and unassuming she became in front of this lean black-haired boy.

"To not show is one thing." Swirling the tea around in his cup, Keith smiled. "But to do so without notice is another."

"If I remember properly... you were the one who invited those two uncultured meatheads." Sighing, Keith stood up from the chair, walking toward Ava. "You've done a lot for me, so I let that slide."

"But I draw the line when the decision ends up affecting our reputation." Keith lifted the downcast brunette's chin, whispering, "Don't embarrass us, Ava. You should know how I am."

"I make no exceptions." Retrieving his hand, Keith stepped out of the banquet room, planning to visit the others who had attended his party.

"..." Ava's sharp nails dug so deep into her palm that even blood began to leak. "Lynne, I'm too weak to fight this evil bastard for us."

"No matter what, I have to keep you safe from Keith Lin, even if it means that you'll hate me forever..."

"Two years ago... I was the one who set up that damned meeting between you and him in the first place. My best friend, I'm so sorry..."

Keith, this small-minded person, would check up on her regularly to see if she was following his accursed orders from two years ago.

The ultimatum from two years ago was still clear in Ava's mind.

In reality, everything was different from what it seemed on the surface.