She wasn’t entirely foolish; she understood the significance of connections, which their family relied on for prosperity and avish lifestyle. Despite her earlier hastiness, she was now beginning to grasp the gravity of the situation. Aware of the mess she had created, she recognized the severity of the circumstances unfolding before her.


    "Are you seriously posing that question?" Hera quipped mockingly.


    "Just give me a straight answer!"


    "Let me simplify it for you. When you host a banquet, do you charge your guests for the food they consume, or do you ensure they are entertained until they leave satisfied with your hospitality?" Hera asked, her gaze subtly scanning the room. With her straightforward analogy, Hera effortlessly garnered support from those present.


    As Hera’s words sank in, heads around the room began to nod in agreement.


    "I can’t believe I’ll meet someone with this level of shamelessness, I thought, they only existed in dramas, but I guess I overestimated this kind of person."


    A hushed whisper rippled through the crowd, though it carried far enough to reach the ears of those nearby, including Hera.


    Athena couldn’t stifle a chuckle upon hearing it, further stoking ire’s growing hostility toward them. Undeterred, Athena refused to yield, engaging in a tense stare-down with ire and her entourage, even when they looked like they were about to eat her up alive.


    With a smirk, Athena interjected, her tone pointed. "Don’t attempt to deflect me by dragging us into the chaos you’ve caused. If you had simply heeded the earlier request to leave, you wouldn’t be facing this problem and it wouldn’t escte to what it is now." She scanned the room much like Hera had moments before, her gaze unwavering as she resumed speaking. "This ce is full of dragons and phoenixes but they still kept a certain level of decorum, yet, you, akin to a mere chihuahua, strut about with false bravado." Crossing her arms, Athena held her chin high, exuding confidence and defiance.


    <i>’Who didn’t know how to use public opinion to their advantage? You might think you are powerful but you’ll still drown in spit if a thousand people talk you down your high horse.’</i> Athena thought silently.


    Everyone in the lobby felt good being called dragons and phoenixes which made them choose Hera’s side right away, who wouldn’t like beingplimented rather than being slighted.


    The man seized another opportunity to interject. "Miss, you mentioned paying for your meal at Pavilion 1?" His chuckle dripped with mockery. "But did you realize that Pavilion 1 serves dishes crafted from the finest ingredients sourced worldwide? That’s why they omit prices from the menu. Even our country’s president has dined there only once, and it’s rumored to exhaust the bnce on your membership card in one sitting, which means, it cost no less than $100M." He narrated the tale with a sense of personal touch, his voiceced with longing and admiration as if he himself had experienced the grandeur firsthand.


    ire’s friends paled at the revtion, realizing the gravity of the situation. They were aware of ire’s scheme to dine at Pavilion 1 incognito, intending to boast about it within their circle and on social media. However, they hadn’t anticipated the situation escting to such extremes.


    "Mister, don’t fabricate stories just to draw attention to yourself," ire retorted, her anger evident. The notion of paying such an exorbitant amount seemed absurd to her. Even if she were to sell every branded item in her wardrobe, she doubted she coulde close to covering such a sum.


    After a prolonged silence, Gerald finally found a chance to speak. "Those were not fabrications; they’re indisputable facts. Pavilion 1 exclusively caters to our VVIP guests (The Avery members) and esteemed guests of the Avery family. We curate the finest ingredients sourced globally, crafted by world-renowned chefs. Only our VVIP guests have the means to indulge in such opulence," he dered with unmistakable pride.


    He pressed on, frustration evident in his tone. "We transport our ingredients using our private express nes daily," he emphasized. "You may consider it a trivial matter, but can you truly afford the ingredients you’ve consumed? Yet, that’s not even the gravest error you’ve made. By offending the sole heiress of the Avery family, you’ve not onlymitted a serious offense, but you’ve also potentially instigated conflict with the entire Avery itself." he concluded firmly.


    Gasps echoed throughout the entire lobby.


    "I swear I didn’t!" Even ire felt a cold sweat break out, her body tingling with fear. She couldn’t recall any altercation with the Avery heiress. "I didn’t even see the heiress anywhere here. I haven’t provoked anyone since arriving." She conveniently omitted any memory of quarreling with Hera, never suspecting her to be the heiress.


    Upon hearing this, Gerald retrieved his phone from his pocket, pulled up the reservation details for Pavilion 1, and read the cancetion note aloud. "Is that so? Then how did our heiress know it was you? It’s clearly stated here in the note: ’Lost my appetite after ire White disrespected me. Will not be returning.’"


    "How can this be?" ire’s friends exchanged concerned nces behind her. It dawned on them that they hadn’t engaged in any altercations besides the one with Hera. Their eyes collectively shifted towards Hera, their hands nervously tugging at the hem of ire’s dress.


    ire arrived at the same conclusion, yet the familiarity with Hera gave her pause. They had delved into Hera’s background and were aware of her humble upbringing, even during her parents’ lifetime. Although theycked detailed knowledge about her grandfather, but they knew he asionally visited Hera in a beaten-down Toyota he had driven for decades.


    As they contemted the situation, their minds drifted back to when ire had falsely imed to book Pavilion 1. Unbeknownst to them, it was actually the Avery heiress who had arranged the reservation. Could the heiress have taken offense upon realizing what they did? It seemed to be the only logical exnation.


    Their eyes met once more, both bearing the weight of a shared realization. Without hesitation, they aligned in a unified usation, "The Avery Heiress likely overheard ire falsely iming to have reserved Pavilion 1. And upon discovering that her room had been taken over, she left in anger." With meticulous detail, they ryed their theory to Gerald, leaving no aspect unexined.


    ire’s eyes widened like saucers as she heard her friends promptly shift the me onto her. "You!" she eximed, her eyes brimming with tears. Unable to deny their usations, she knew they were justified because she had indeed taken advantage of the situation when she was mistakenly believed to be the one who booked it.


    "Oh! And you have the audacity to call us social climbers?" Athena retorted, her toneced with disdain. "Who’s the one attempting to deceive others here? Youck the social status to warrant such treatment, yet you shamelessly sneaked in," she remarked, disdain evident as she pretended to blow a speck of non-existent dust from her nails with a dismissive "TSK TSK!"


    Athena enjoyed seeing the ever-so-arrogant ire suffering the consequences of her actions, she is usually uncontroble and loves to find trouble with her and Hera. "Oh! The satisfaction of seeing justice served is simply exquisite," Athena whispered to Hera, a yful gleam in her eyes. "I fear I might be addicted to this feeling."


    ire scanned the room, noting the disapproving gazes fixed upon her. <i>’How did ite to this?’</i> she wondered, perplexed by the turn of events.