Chapter 8 The Cloud Pce
Chapter 8 The Cloud Pce
Sean gave Benson and his family a dismissive nce and announced, “We have no tables for you in
the main hall. There’s a small table in the corridor that would be enough for your whole family. Tuck in
now; dinner is about to be served.”
All eyes in the room turned towards Benson and his family as if they were some strange-looking aliens
who had just descended on earth.
While everybody sat in the main hall, which was the Peony Hall, Benson and his family had to squeeze
themselves to fit into the miserable, tiny table in the corridor.
Nothing could be more humiliating than to be treated like some downbeat outcasts. How they had
wanted to walk away from the banquet, snubbing all the insults. Nheless, Benson and his family
put up with the embarrassment with gritted teeth and clenched fists. They did not want to be seen as
impertinent and rude, simply walking away from his dad’s birthday banquet.
They walked over to the lone table in the corridor and sat down, under the mocking eyes of their guests
and rtives.
The banquet had officially begun!
The guests at the banquet were treated to a sumptuous feast with sessive delectable, mouth-
watering gourmet dishes. All except for the solitary table in the corridor.
They waited till the guests had finished theirst round of desserts, yet there was still no food served
on their table.
When the dinner was almost finished, Samuel came over and ordered the servers to serve the leftovers
to Benson and his family.
As if it was the final straw, Benson and his family could not contain their rage and resentment anymore.
What do they take us for? Beggars or dogs that are only entitled to leftovers?
As if he had reached the tipping point, Benson gave an uncharacteristic scowl and stood up abruptly
from the table. “Let’s go,” he urged stoutly. “We’re done with the banquet.”
Sean was merrily clinking sses with some of his most distinguished guests at his banquet when
Samuel approached him and whispered in his ear, “Dad, Benson, and his family have skipped the
dinner and left the banquet. They’d seemed rather displeased.”
“Huh! Serves them right for giving me a rotten pill for my birthday. What are they thinking? Are they
really here to celebrate or to curse me? Why should I feed them with all the wonderful food? I’d rather
feed the dogs.”
...
The moment they exited the hotel, Leah, who was bitter,shed out at Nathan.
“Look at you and your dumb idea. We’d assigned you the task of finding a suitable birthday present for
Sean. What the hell were you thinking, presenting him with an embarrassing pill as a gift? Thanks for
making us look like a fool in front of everybody, making them feed us with leftovers as if we were some
kind of beggars. What an ingenious idea of yours!”
Penny tried to cate her mother, “I’m sure that Nathan hadn’t intended so, Mum.”
“Let’s stop arguing.” Benson suggested gloomily, “We’ve utterly embarrassed ourselves in front of our
friends and rtives today. I’m sure that dad would only find us more repulsive than ever. Our situation
would only take a turn for the worse.”
“Just calm down, everybody. Soon they’ll be knocking at our door, begging us for the pill,” Nathan
asserted.
Penny shot him a rueful smile, “Come on, Nathan. We’ve had enough of your nonsense. How could
that be possible?”
“Didn’t they just throw the pill away in front of everyone? What makes you think that they would eat
their words and beg us for it?”
“Even if grandpa would fall sick, he has the cash and means to seek out the best medical treatment. He
doesn’t need your pill at all.”
But Nathan had no qualms about his prediction, “Just rx, I’m convinced they’ll eat humble pie and
return to us for the pill.”
His assuring demeanor was no different from when he had predicted Mr. Harvey’s appearance for his
apology.
Penny and her family were befuddled by his words. What made him so sure of his prediction?
Their thoughts were interrupted when Queenie mewled pitifully, “Queenie is hungry, Papa. When can
we have our lunch? I saw them having so much food on their tables earlier! It makes me so hungry.”
Queenie was referring to the scrumptious and appetizing food that was served at Sean’s seventieth
birthday banquet. The exhaustive list was made up of morous and expensive dishes that had
included Wagyu beef, foie gras, caviar, abalone, lobsters, and many more. Any single dish could cost
them a month to even a whopping full year’s sry, burning a hole in their pockets.
“Those dishes are far too expensive, Queenie. We can’t afford them.” Penny exined to her daughter,
“Mama will cook you something else when we get home.”
But Nathan insisted, “What makes you think that we can’t afford them? Come on, let’s treat ourselves
C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.
to a good meal today.”
“But we don’t have the money, Nathan...” Penny trailed off in a diffident tone.
“Don’t worry, let me pay for the meal. I do have a few pennies for that,” Nathan reassured her.
Though he was never obsessed with money and wealth, Nathan was pretty sure that he had a bankroll
of up to tens of millions. It had all meant nothing to him, as they were just figures.
Cloud Pce - the most expensive restaurant in Channing.
It was situated at the highest level of the highest building in Channing - The Pinnacle.
The upscale restaurant overlooked the most breathtaking panoramic view of Channing, boasting the
most premium ingredients and the most aplished chefs who would whip up dishes that could
swoon your pte with delight.
Cloud Pce was exclusive, being avable to only those who could boast excessive wealth, power,
and status.
Those who were filthy rich butcked the prestige and position in society would be snubbed at Cloud
Pce.
Nathan brought Penny and her family to the Pinnacle, taking the exclusive elevator to the top of the
building.
Penny and her family were daunted by the poshness of the ce when they learned that Nathan was
taking them to Cloud Pce for lunch.
“This ce looks so fancy andvish, Penny,” Benson intercepted nervously. “I guess it would cost a
bomb to dine in here.”
“This ce is extremely costly; a simple dish could cost up to tens of thousands.” Penny stated
taciturnly, “It is one of the most expensive restaurants in Channing, but it doesn’t just cater to the rich,
you’ve really got to be somebody in order to dine inside.”
Her words gave Leah the chills as she gasped, “My god, this is as good as daylight robbery. Where
would we find the money to dine here? It would cost us our lifetime’s wages to simply have a meal
here. Let’s get out of here.”
Nathan tried to ay their worries with a tranquil smile, “Come on, guys. Don’t be silly, how much could
a simple meal cost? Just let me take care of the bill.”
With those words, Nathan andpany were on their way into the restaurant.
They were stopped at the entrance by a few men in well-tailored suits, who appeared to be the security
of the restaurant. A man who seemed to be their supervisor gave them an unfriendly look and
announced, “I’m sorry, ording to our dress code, we deny entry to people who are not appropriately
attired.”
Nathan andpany were bemused by what he had said. Despite not being dressed in Gi, Armani,
or some designerbels, they had certainly appeared presentable and well-dressed for the asion.
A man dressed in a creased tank top, loose crumpled shorts, and flip-flops walked past them and
strode into the restaurant casually as if he was walking into a supermarket. Nathan pointed at him and
asked the security, “What makes you say that we are inappropriately dressed? What about him then?
Why wasn’t he barred from entering?”
“That man is a property magnate who owns dozens of properties. So what if he is dressed in tank tops
and flip-flops?” The supervisor sneered, “What makes you think that you’re on the same level as him?”
“Do you know how much we charge for our dishes? A simple meal could easily cost you over a
hundred grand. This is not a ce for paupers like you to dine in.”
Penny’s life savings were merely over a hundred thousand, which meant that she could hardly afford a
decent meal in this ce. “Forget it, Nathan. Let’s find another ce for dinner.”
“No, there’s no reason for us to leave.” Nathan insisted, “This is the first time I’m taking you guys out for
dinner. I insist on treating you guys to a good meal.”
“Hey, you, I want to see your boss. Get him here.”
The supervisor and his men cackled inughter.
“We have a dozen bosses here, which one are you referring to?” the supervisorughed a humorless
“The one who has the final say,” Nathan answered, indifferently.
“I’ll shut down your restaurant if your boss does not appear in front of me in ten minutes’ time,” he
warned.
“What a load of hogwash!” The supervisor sniggered, “How dare you talk in such a manner? Do you
know who’s our big boss?”
“He’s Thomas Dunn!”
“Get your asses out of here before he throws you out from the window!”
Unbeknownst to Nathan, Thomas Dunn had already submitted his resignation as instructed by Nathan,
and he was no longer the armed forces’ chief of Eastern District.
Following his resignation, he bought over Cloud Pce and had now be a businessman cum
restaurant owner.
Plucky and big-hearted, he was still a man with significant influence, given his previous post in the
armed forces and his resourcefulwork.
He remained the undisputed big daddy of the Eastern District.
When he heard that Thomas Dunn was the owner of Cloud Pce, Nathan gravely took out his phone
and dialed the number of Thomas Dunn. “It’s me, Thomas. I’m right outside your restaurant.”
Thomas?
The supervisor and his men burst out in another round ofughter. It seemed ludicrous to them that
Nathan coulde up with such an idiotic idea to pretend that he was on the phone with Mr. Dunn.
Theirughter resonated like those who were watching a hriousedy inside a cinema. All of a
sudden, a bare-footed man dashed out from the management office of the restaurant towards them.
The man was tall and stout with prominent side-burns on his face. He was Thomas Dunn.
A woman ran yelling behind Thomas Dunn with a pair of shoes in her hands. She was his secretary
cum foot massager, “Your shoes, Mr. Dunn! You’ve forgotten to put on your shoes...”
Thomas Dunn had been pampering himself to a foot massage when Nathan had called.
He sprang up from his chair like an stic spring the instant he heard Nathan’s call, scrambling out of
his office, without even bothering to put on his shoes.
Overwhelmed by Nathan’s sudden appearance, he greeted him with an unctuous grin, “Wee to
Cloud Pce, Sir!”
The supervisor and his men stood transfixed, as they were utterly lost when they saw the barefooted
Thomas Dunn address Nathan as “Sir”.
It turned their mouths wide-opened as bagels and their eyes were almost popping out from their
sockets.
“Yes, I am here to try out your restaurant.” Nathan muttered with a disinterested tone, “But your security
has barred me from entering because he said that I’m a pauper.”