Chapter 188: Lunch 1
All the way to Diamond Palace, Margaret’s mouth didn’t stop from ranting left and right. From the little things like the snacks to the leather chair, to Leonel’s bad choices in life, and to him wasting money all the way to the grand entrance of Diamond Palace.
Everyone was already used to Margaret’s machine gun mouth, so all she said were taken in the ear and passed the next.
Like Ren promised, he went with Leonel to his unit after he left his parents to settle in their new home.
It took more than one hour of hardcore explaining to Leonel’s family about the game, his life choices of becoming a gamer while studying, and their new life.
Like what Leonel expected, his parents didn’t believe him. They even wanted to report him to the police for illegally acquiring a huge sum of money. He and Ren were also repeatedly asked to undergo drug tests because they were afraid that they were selling drugs. Else why did they suddenly got rich so fast?
But after gruesome hours of explaining, they finally managed to convince Leonel’s family. Margaret scolded her son for keeping it to them while crying buckets of water. No one knows if it was tears of joy or tears of frustration from her son.
On the side, Mia was shocked, and she couldn’t believe that her idiotic brother was now a millionaire.
Who would have thought?
Everyone was sure he would drop out of college and return to Zone C and work in the factory. Their parents were already buttering to the manager, so Leonel would have an easier time when he applied in the future.
Mia really thought that she was the breadwinner in the family because they had lost all hope in her brother. It was the reason why she was studying so hard in the first place.
But now . . .
A relieved smile graced Mia’s lips . . . she could finally take it easy and enjoy a little. The pressure was off her shoulders, and her feelings of anger and frustration at her useless brother disappeared from her heart.
Leonel was no longer a dead weight in the family.
On the side, Ren left Leonel and his family so they could have some alone time together while he went back to his unit. They would just meet later at lunch in the Restaurant.
Helen and Troy were still busy organizing their stuff, so Ren was about to call the Restaurant to adjust the number of people to accommodate Hazel and her son when Roni’s number registered on his phone.
Ren picked up the call, and Roni’s voice rang in his ears from the other line.
“Hey Ren, my parents arrived a little earlier, and I heard from my siblings that Aunt and Uncle might already be here. So what do you say about that lunch get-together?”
Roni was right on cue. Ren thought. Like fate was on his side, he could ‘money slap’ Roni and his relatives in a single location at the same time.
“Sure. Meet us in Diamond Palace at lunch. And don’t worry . . . it’s my treat.”
“Wow. Cool. Meet you at lunch then.” Roni ended the call without waiting for Ren’s reply. He didn’t inquire why Diamond Palace since he was afraid that Ren might back down and retrieve the free lunch if he blabbered some more.
Diamond Palace was a landmark, so Roni wasn’t curious why the meet-up was there. Maybe they would have lunch at the restaurants around those parts. And he would make sure to order as much as he could to spite Ren.
Roni laughed.
At Ren’s end, he decided to personally go to the Restaurant to adjust their numbers and make their orders so they didn’t have to wait long for their food later.
Ren chose a twelve-course meal, so everything was set. He had an inkling that Roni and his relatives might order the whole menu just to spite him. He would prevent that from happening by having formal fine dining where every meal was served one at a time.
Ren didn’t want to brag about what he had, but some people just like to pretend that the line was invincible. And the best way to shut them up was through money. Money that they didn’t have and wish they had.
It was still more than two hours before lunch, so Ren still had enough time to adjust his reservation.
While talking to the manager of the Restaurant, Ren noticed a familiar face. Since it wasn’t lunchtime yet, there were only a few people in the bistro, so he easily spotted a man sitting not far from where he stood.
His hair was brown, sleek, and in style with eyes of emeralds. His shirt and pants were in season and branded. He looked like a model or a celebrity from his good looks and effortless charms.
That guy . . . Michael. Ren remembered since he had a bone to pick with him. Too bad that they met in the real world and not in COVENANT because he would kill him repeatedly if they ever met in the game.
Now that PvP was there, Ren would kill him every chances he got. The good news was that there was an option to revive on the same spot when you died during a PvP fight, so you didn’t have to go all the way back from the last save you had. And that meant Ren could kill the guy repeatedly if he chose to revive on the same spot.
Michael’s eyes were thick on Evie. The kind that wanted to possess her. It might appear romantic to some, especially coming from a well-off, handsome man, but it was disturbing and uncomfortable if you didn’t like the person.
Amongst Evie’s admirers, Michael was the most persistent and, if Ren might add, the most annoying of them all.
But since it wasn’t his business, and Ren couldn’t do anything about it because the guy wasn’t causing any trouble, he went back upstairs and got ready for lunch.
At noon, Ren and Leonel’s family were happily chatting in the bistro, and there was a festive mood hanging in the air especially knowing that their life would turn for the better.
Ren even forgot about his relatives if not for he spotted a familiar figure approaching their way. Not just one but two.
Hazel hid the twitching of her eyelids behind a broad smile at the sight of the restaurant where they would eat while the man beside her had the same physique as her. They were almost identical if not that his hair was short.
And hot on their tracks were Roni and his parents. Looking smug in his polo shirt and new sneakers, Roni waltzed in like he owned the place. But upon meeting Ren, his smile faltered, and he stumbled on his own leg.
“Hello, everyone. This is my son, Jonathan.” Hazel introduced with all smiles, while Margaret and Leon greeted Roni and his parents first.
Another round of introductions took place before the newly arrived families took their seats at the round table.
It was not even a second that Hazel’s butt touched the ultra-push chair when her lips opened wide, and words of jealousy poured from her mouth in disguise of concern.
“Oh my goodness. I thought that we will merely eat in one of those cheap eateries outside. But . . . can we afford this? Who will pay the bill?” Hazel said between awkward laughter. Though she still placed the napkin over her lap.
“Don’t worry, Auntie. Ren and I would pay. It’s our treat,” Leonel replied with a big smile, oblivious to the old woman’s intentions.
“You two?” Hazel’s eyes bulged. “But . . . you’re only working part-time, right?” Hazel shook her head and clicked her tongue. “No need to waste your tuition money just for a one-time happiness. You don’t need to show off to your parents. I’m sure they’re still proud of you even if you treat them in a cafeteria.”
Leonel scratched the back of his neck while his smile faltered a bit.
Margaret stared at Helen and whispered, “Doesn’t she know?”
Helen merely shook her head.
Margaret was about to set the record straight when Jonathan spoke.
“This restaurant is expensive, cousin,” he said, staring at Ren. He was older than Ren, so he didn’t show any respect. “This place is a luxury condominium. A simple meal here would probably cost around a thousand bucks.”
“Heh . . . that expensive, huh?” Mia said without care before munching on the complimentary snacks on the table.
Roni, his parents, Hazel and Jonathan, were baffled at the other two families’ indifference about the whole thing.
“Don’t worry . . . cousin,” Ren said, emphasizing the last word with a hallow smile. “We read the menu and their corresponding prices. You don’t have to worry about anything. Everything . . . is already paid.”
Roni and the others were surprised because how could Ren and Leonel suddenly afford a meal at this place when Roni even remembered that Ren couldn’t even buy a simple meal in their cafeteria in the past.
Before anyone could react and say another word, a line of waiters brought their appetizers, and Jonathan’s eyes went wide.
Ren even reserved a formal dining set up?
Jonathan whipped his head in Ren’s direction. “C-cousin . . . are you sure that this is already paid?” he didn’t want to wash dishes for the rest of his life to repay what he ate here.
Ren merely took a deep breath. “Yes. You can enjoy the food without worry. Now . . . eat up.”
—–
A/N (Doesn’t consume coins)
Sorry. only one chapter today �
My parents took the weekend off so I was incharge of their business for the past two days besides the others that I was doing, so explains why only few chapters the last few days.
We’ll publish more next week . . . hopefully 😅
Thank you to Darted_Table for another super gift
No. of BONUS Chapters left = 8 🤣
Thank you to everyone who supported the book and sorry for the lousy writing. I was in and out of dreamland when I wrote this
Time to sleep. Good night 💗