Chapter 191

"This place looks insane, Selena,” Vane muttered, his voice tight with unease. "Fancy as hell. Bet it costs a bomb just to sit down."

Selena's heels clicked against the pristine marble floor as she gave him a dry glance. “It is expensive. Even a basic dish here could run into five figures." Her tone was cool, matter-of-fact. "This isn't just a rich-people spot. It's for the connected. If you don't carry weight in this city, you don't belong."

י

Nora let out a sharp breath, her eyes scanning the chandelier-lit lobby. "Jesus. That's daylight robbery. We'd have to sell a kidney just to afford the starter. What are we doing here? Let's not embarrass ourselves." She said reaching for her husband's hand to drag him back.

Jaden, standing a step ahead of them, turned with a calm smile. "Relax. You're overthinking it. It's just food. I said I've got the bill, didn't I?"

Vane glanced at him like he'd lost his mind. "Yeah, but there's 'I got the bill' and then there's 'I'm burning a hole in my soul.' This is the second young man. You also said you got it when we were thinking of a perfect gift for father and caused us a lifetime embarrassment. I'm not trusting your anymore."

Jaden didn't blink. "We came this far. You want to back out now because of a menu you haven't even seen?"

No one replied. He took that as agreement and led the group toward the entrance.

Before they could set foot inside, ̧ three men in sharp suits stepped in to block them. Built like bouncers but dressed like bankers, they had that cold, corporate intimidation down to a science.

The one in front, clearly the lead, looked them over with a sneer tugging at his lip. "Apologies," said not sounding sorry at all. "We have a strict dress code. You're not properly attired."

They all froze. Jaden's brows furrowed. Nora looked down at her blouse. Vane gave himself a once-over, frowning. No, they weren't in designer brands, but they'd cleaned up well enough.

Selena's voice cut through. "So what exactly is the issue? We're dressed respectfully. Are we supposed to come in tuxedos just to eat lunch?"

The supervisor didn't even flinch. Before he could reply, a man strolled right past them and into the restaurant-wearing a wrinkled tank top, boggy shorts, and a pair of d worn-out fup-flops. No one stopped him. The staff at the reception even gave a polite nod as he walked in like he owned the place.

Jaden pointed. "And him? Is he the gold standard of fine dining fashion?"

The supervisor didn't bother hiding his smirk this time. "That's Mr. Baek. He owns over thirty commercial buildings in Ironvale. He can wear whatever he damn well wants."

He shifted his eyes back to Jaden, gaze sharp and dismissive. "So tell me... what exactly makes you think you're on his level?"