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Chapter 4

Harold shot Leon a dirty look before heading to his seat and plopping down.

Leon found his spot too and scanned the room, checking out his classmates.

Most of the girls were pretty average, with just a few standing out, and the prettiest of them all was Liana.

It had been ages since he last saw her, but Liana was still drop-dead gorgeous.

Today, Liana was dressed to kill, flaunting her curves, and all the guys were practically drooling.

Harold was instantly drawn to Liana and grinned, "Liana, long time no see. You're still as stunning as ever. We lost touch after graduation. Where are you working now?"

Liana smiled and said, "My job's nothing special. I heard you rolled up in a Mercedes. That's impressive."

Harold beamed with pride. His Mercedes was actually bought on an installment plan, but nobody needed to know that. Just catching Liana's attention made his day.

Before Harold could say anything else, another girl chimed in. "Harold, Liana's just being humble. You probably don't know, but Liana works at Corleone Investment Bank as a department manager. And I heard she's about to become the general manager soon."

"Oh my God, is that true?"

"Liana, you're amazing!"

"Wow, Liana, impressive."

Everyone was floored because Corleone Investment Bank was a big deal with awesome perks. Their hiring process was super tough. The fact that Liana was about to become the general manager was mind-blowing.

At that moment, the other classmates felt a bit down, thinking they were way behind Liana.

Leon was also a bit amazed that Liana ended up working for him.

He smiled and said, "Liana, congrats."

Liana looked Leon up and down and said, "Leon, why's your suit so big? Is it really yours? It looks like you borrowed it."

Hearing Liana say this, everyone turned to look at Leon. They noticed his suit was indeed a bit large, and even though his clothes and pants were pricey, he was wearing a pair of beat-up shoes with his toes sticking out, looking like a hobo.

Leon felt a bit embarrassed, not expecting this, so he scratched his head.

"Liana, you've got a sharp eye. As a classmate, I noticed it too, but I wasn't gonna say anything. Since you brought it up, let me spill the beans about Leon." Harold smirked and said, "Do you know how Leon got here? He drove a pickup truck to the hotel. It's hilarious! And did you notice? Leon's suit still has the tags on it. Leon, are you planning to return this suit to the store after the party?"

"No way, he wouldn't do that."

"Did he really come in a pickup truck?"

"His shoes are so worn out. Why are his shoes so shabby?"

"Could it be that his suit is borrowed because he can't afford it?"

The classmates whispered among themselves, many of them with looks of disdain.

Leon was about to say something when Ellie Kelly, a female classmate, frowned and spoke up loudly, "Come on, guys, cut it out. Leon is our classmate. Even if his shoes are worn out, we shouldn't be making fun of him."

Leon and Ellie had been pretty close back in school, so she was the only one standing up for him now.

Harold's face darkened as he didn't expect Ellie to defend Leon. He suddenly walked over to Leon, grabbed his collar, yanked out the tag from inside his suit, and sneered, "See, I was right. The tag's still on his suit. Ellie, what do you have to say now? Leon's just a poor guy. Do you really think he can afford such an expensive suit? From what I know, Leon's been living with the Herman family for years and they've always looked down on him. He's just a loser."

Others heard this and whispered to each other.

"Oh my God, did he steal this suit? That's why it's so big."

"Leon, I can't believe you're a thief. Everyone knows you're Caitlin's husband. Why do you need to put on airs in front of us?"

Leon shoved Harold away and glared at him.

Harold kept mocking, "Leon, why are you looking at me like that? I'm just telling the truth about you. I defy you to have bought a Gucci. Wanna bet? You prove you bought it and I'd bark like a dog in front of everyone."

Leon was about to respond when his phone suddenly rang.

He pulled it out and saw it was a call from Samara.

When he answered, Samara's angry voice blared through the phone. "Damn it, Leon, where are you? How come the floor at home is still dingy? Don't you tell me you haven't cleaned it?"

Samara's voice was so loud that everyone else could hear it too.

"Cleaning the floor? Leon, you're so pitiful."

"He's really a loser. Probably just like a dog in the Herman family."

"If I were him, I'd definitely kill myself. A loser as I am, I'm damned if I live off my wife."

"The cheek of him."

Hearing all the insults against Leon, Ellie felt an obscure feeling surging into her heart, but what was clear to her was that she wasn't happy about all this.

She suddenly remembered that Walmart was hiring security guards, so she planned to ask about it later and maybe recommend it to Leon, so he wouldn't be without a proper job.

"Actually, I think he isn't suitable to attend today's party." Harold glanced at Leon, then smiled and said to Liana, "Liana, let me tell you about this hotel. The owner is a friend of my brother. You probably know my brother; he's Steve, the president of Corleone Investment Bank. This hotel boasts its stored wines. And they are for no common customers. But for my brother's sake, I can have the hotel bring those wines over for everyone to taste. How about it, are you interested?"

"Sure, Harold, we're interested. Hurry up and get the wine," the classmates chimed in eagerly.

Harold snapped his fingers, and a waiter approached.

In a smug tone, Harold said, "Bring us two bottles of your best red wine."

The waiter hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, do you mean the most expensive red wine we have? It's not that I don't want to, but..."

Harold got the hint, pulled out his Mercedes car key, and waved it in front of the waiter, saying coldly, "Do I look poor to you? By the way, my brother is Steve Hamilton, a friend of your boss. Stop wasting time and bring the best wine."

After that, Harold glanced at Liana and saw her surprised expression, which made him feel pretty complacent.

He thought his little show was enough to win Liana over.

Leon was a bit surprised that Harold and Steve were cousins. As he did a double take at Harold, he found these two really were cut from the same cloth. But then, he smirked and decided to see what else Harold could pull off.

After a bit, the two bottles of the best red wine were brought over.

Harold waved his hand and said loudly, "Everyone, I'm really happy to see you all. Let's drink up!"

Everyone started pouring wine, and Harold raised his glass. Seeing that Leon hadn't left, he said, "Leon, why are you still here? Do I have to spell it out? This isn't a place for you, and you don't deserve to enjoy the best red wine."

Leon didn't want to waste any more words on Harold and turned to Ellie, "Ellie, do you want to leave with me? Staying here might be troublesome for you later."

"I..." Ellie hesitated. She felt bad for Leon, but Harold was in a good mood now, and leaving with Leon would definitely upset him.

Seeing Leon trying to take Ellie with him, Harold got even more furious and said coldly, "Get out, Leon. Don't ruin everyone's mood. Ellie won't go with you. You pathetic loser, being with you is an embarrassment to us."

"That's right, Leon, get out. Don't ruin it for the rest of us."

"Ellie, don't hang out with him. He's just a loser."

Some classmates, trying to suck up to Harold, mocked Leon without holding back.

Leon frowned. If it weren't for Ellie, he would've left already and not wasted his time here.

Seeing Leon still standing there, Harold sneered and decided to hit Leon where it hurt.

He pulled out a fancy bank card and waved it in front of Leon, saying, "Leon, do you know what this is? This kind of bank card is something you'll never have in your lifetime."

The classmates all looked at the bank card and goggled at it in surprise.

Some had already recognized it as a VIP bank card that only high-end clients could get, requiring at least a million dollars in assets!

This meant Harold's bank account had at least a million dollars.

He was so young and already a millionaire; it was mind-blowing.

Compared to Harold, Leon was really lagging behind!

Even Liana's eyes widened, and her opinion of Harold shifted. Harold was indeed quite impressive.

Seeing Liana looking at him with admiration, Harold said proudly, "Everyone, I've decided. This meal is on me, except for Leon's share. He has to pay for himself. Waiter, bring the bill."

Although Harold's decision was unexpected, the waiter said nothing and turned to leave the banquet hall.

Ellie and the others looked at Leon with sympathy, thinking he should have left earlier to avoid being ridiculed.

This meal would cost at least $10,000, and Leon's share would be at least $1,000. Could Leon afford the bill?

Ellie bit her lip and decided that she would help Leon pay the bill later to save him from embarrassment.

But just then, the waiter returned with a middle-aged man and said, "Sir, I'm very sorry, but the balance on your card is insufficient to cover this bill."

Harold was incredulous and angrily said, "Are you joking? I have a million dollars on this card, and you're saying it's not enough?"

"Yes, sir, because you ordered two of the most expensive bottles of red wine, the total bill is $1.35 million." When the waiter mentioned the price, Leon laughed and quickly held it back.

Harold really had no idea how expensive those two bottles of wine were.

Those two bottles were the famous Romanee-Conti Wine 1945, each priced at nearly $640,000. Buying two bottles would cost nearly $1.28 million.

Hearing this astonishing price, Harold immediately sobered up and said in shock, "How is that possible? How could we spend so much money? I want to see the hotel manager. You must explain this to me."

The middle-aged man behind the waiter stepped forward and said calmly, "Sir, I am the hotel manager. Do you have any questions?"

Harold gritted his teeth and said angrily, "You must give me a reasonable explanation. How could this meal be so expensive? You must be doing this on purpose! It seems you don't know who my cousin is. He's Steve Hamilton. If my cousin finds out about this, he'll be very angry and won't let you off."

The hotel manager calmly said, "Sir. You ordered two bottles of Romanee-Conti Wine 1945, each priced at $640,000. Together, they cost $1.28 million. Including other dishes, tips, and taxes, we only charged you $1.35 million, which is already a discount."

"Scammer!" Harold grabbed the hotel manager's sleeve and huffed, "How could I buy such expensive wine? I'll call the police."

The hotel manager took a step back, also a bit angry.

He had dealt with many important people, but it was his first time encountering someone like Harold, who loved to show off despite having no money.

So the hotel manager said coldly, "Sir, you were the one who asked for the most expensive red wine, and the waiter brought it. You didn't ask about the price, and we have video evidence of everything. If you want to call the police, go ahead. We're not afraid."

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