Manny and both her friends kept staring at Chuck Cannon. How shameless of him! How could he feel so great about using a woman’s money?
“Men these days are all so thick-skinned?”
“Auntie, don’t say that Chuck is not like what you said.” Zelda was getting frustrated.
The woman in hot pants tried to convince her. “Zelda, stop talking. We are here to help you. We’re more experienced in this field than you. We can tell what he wants to do with all these small gestures. He has been sweet-talking to you right? Don’t trust him, just break up with him! I’ll find you someone that is a hundred times better than him.”
“Yes, Zelda, this kid is just pretending to be rich with your money, yet still acting so bold. How shameless can he be?”
“You…” Zelda was furious. However, Chuck reached out and patted her hands, indicating that she should not be angry.
Zelda felt helpless and was on the verge of breaking down. Her heart was filled with guilt. After all, she was the one who had begged Chuck to come over. Now that he was being attacked by her two aunties, she was absolutely apologetic for Chuck.
Chuck looked at them and said calmly, “No, I don’t need to pay to eat here!”
Manny was even more furious!
The woman in tight jeans sneered, “Haha! That’s so funny. You really don’t realize how much nonsense you’re talking. How do you even say such things? Well, since you said you don’t need to pay to eat here, tell me then, who are you and why don’t you need to pay to eat here?”
“Don’t bother, he definitely doesn’t have an answer for it. I told you he was just bragging. This meal is worth thousands of dollars. Do you think you really don’t have to pay? Who do you think you are?”
The woman in hot pants sneered.
How ridiculous! She definitely wouldn’t believe Chuck Cannon’s words.
“It’s true that this gentleman doesn’t need to pay to eat here.” Someone announced from afar. Betty Bernard, who was wearing a work uniform, walked over.
The three women frowned altogether.
Zelda was quite surprised. She had seen Betty before. She was the woman in suit from the banquet last time who brought in hundreds of people with a mere snap. Was she the manager here? Did Chuck know the owner of this hotel?
“Is she Chuck’s friend?” Zelda wondered.
“Young…” Betty looked at Chuck respectfully, but Chuck waved his hand instead. Betty understood it immediately and suppressed the “Master” that she was about to say.
“May I know if you have any comments about our services?” Betty asked with a calm face.
“Who is he?” Manny asked.
“An esteemed guest, he is the VIP of our hotel!” Betty said.
Manny and the ladies were becoming more suspicious. “Is that even true?” The woman in hot pants looked at Chuck a few more times. If he was the VIP of thotel, why would he not have a car? She was ridiculed.
“And there is no need to pay for all this food and wine?” The woman with tight jeans asked tentatively. After all, that was a meal worth so much money. What kind of VIP could get everything free of charge?
“Yes, this gentleman doesn’t need to pay for any expenses here,” Betty answered. This time, Manny and the two ladies were in absolute disbelief by Betty’s answer. Was Chuck really a friend to the hotel’s owner?
“Do you still have any questions?”
“No.”
“Ok, please enjoy yourself.” Betty gave Chuck a slight nod and left the room.
Manny and the ladies continued staring at Chuck again.
“Mom, come on, let’s eat.” Zelda breathed a sigh of relief and gave Chuck a grateful look. Chuck shook his head.
Manny and the ladies took a glance at each other. They started eating but behaved a little bit more cautious this time.
Chuck had never tried a lobster this big before either, so he indulged himself in it. After a satisfying meal, the woman in hot pants looked at the bottle of red wine that has yet to finish, she asked, “There’s still half of this wine left. Don’t waste it. Can you help me ask if I can take it home?”
“Sure you can,” Chuck said flatly.
She put it away that instant. The woman in tight jeans envied her and added softly that she would drink it later in the evening.
“Let’s go then.” The woman in hot pants said. She was a little nervous. “This meal costs two hundred thousand dollars. Can we really leave just like this?”
“Yes, Auntie, let’s go.” Zelda nodded.
The five of them came out of the hotel. Manny and the ladies were dubious of what just happened. The lady in tight jeans became nervous as she saw Betty chasing after them. “We’re done for now. Is she asking us to pay?”
But to her surprise, Betty only said something in Chuck’s ear. Chuck nodded slightly, and then Betty returned after asking him to be careful. There was no mention of money in the process. It was a free meal, for real!
Manny and the ladies were taken aback once again! Who exactly was Chuck Cannon?
“The accommodation is all ready,” Chuck said. Betty had chased after them earlier because of this, but it sounded like they were going to stay in the woods of some sort. Probably some kind of wilderness resort. He had never been there himself either.
“Then let’s get some rest tonight and see how it goes tomorrow,” suggested the lady in tight jeans.
Manny and the other lady nodded. They made sure to get in the car with Zelda and keep an eye on her.
Zelda and Chuck got in the car and asked where they were going, Chuck responded, “The Hill Hotel!”
Zelda was stunned. She has heard of this place before, but she had never been there and it sounded like a decent place. With the navigation all set, she started driving to their destination….
Manny followed behind them in another seat.
“Who exactly is Zelda’s boyfriend?” The woman in hot pants could no longer hold back her curiosity.
“Maybe he is in fact quite rich, but he doesn’t really have a car so maybe not that rich. It’s always connections that pull the strings.” The woman in tight jeans suggested.
“No wonder. I really don’t believe that a five-star hotel can allow a free meal no matter what you order. His parents probably know the owner of this hotel that’s why. Of course, it’s fine to let these young lads dine in for free a few times, but I won’t believe that they can do this all the time. It was over 100,000 dollars for just one meal, who would really allow that?”
“That’s for sure. See, we had a free meal at the hotel earlier, but not a free room. If everything was free of charge, why didn’t he get us rooms at Hotel Luna just now? Why bother with the commute? From my analysis, he could only get these free experiences once or twice. Just like using credit cards, he has overused the card with that expensive meal this time, and since the owner couldn’t really say anything, it meant the chances of this happening for the second time would be nearly impossible.”
The two young women kept on muttering and looking as disdainful as ever. Manny remained silent. She just felt that Chuck had surprised her a little. At least he wasn’t lying just now.
“Look, am I right? He really isn’t that rich. He’s booked us a place so hidden in the woods. Is this some kind of national park?” The woman in hot pants complained while shaking her head.
“This is such a lousy place. It’s packed with so many random people. Is it even safe to be staying here? If I had known earlier, I would have booked a place on my own. You’ve changed my thoughts on you earlier, yet you’ve turned it back to ground zero once again, how frustrating…”
The two women kept on muttering. Without saying a word, Manny followed her daughter into the hotel. There were very few people there. It was a resort of some sort. Manny was also getting disappointed. Sure enough, he was not that great after all! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have booked a place like this. She sighed.
“Damn it. We have to be extra cautious at night. Oh my god, this place is so remote. Please don’t tell me that there’s no wi-fi connection here.”
“Do you think there is? This is literally the middle of nowhere like some sort of national park, how would you expect there to be wi-fi? Just use your phone data. Oh my, how disappointing. I really hate staying in these kinds of places! Am I a farmer or something?”
The two women muttered away with tones full of disdain and dissatisfaction. Manny didn’t say anything. The three got out of the car and followed her daughter in. She was quite tired after the whole day out and she was somewhat getting sleepy.
The hotel receptionist arranged the stay for the three of them. Zelda informed them that she would pick them up for breakfast the next morning. Manny and the ladies nodded and followed the receptionist in.
Chuck had a look around and thought this place was rather decent and elegant. Betty seemed to have a good eye.
“Let me send you back,” Zelda said.
Chuck agreed. He got into Zelda’s car and watched Zelda as she drove. When he fixed his eyes on her long legs that were perfectly revealed as she was wearing shorts, Chuck had some imagination going on, especially from the photos he had seen lately of Lara Jean and Yvette Jordan’s behinds. Chuck could feel something wrong going on down there. So he attempted to cover it with his hand over a cough.
It made Zelda feel embarrassed. She could see Chuck’s reaction through the corner of her eyes. Of course, she knew what Chuck was hiding? Young men these days, how energetic are they exactly? Yet, she pretended nothing had happened and carried on driving.
After a while, Chuck suddenly asked, “Sister Zelda, can you please help me?”
Zelda suddenly froze. “Help? What do you want me to do for you?”
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