Chapter 5: The hotel
When James heard that Willson Jacks was really planning to treat the entire class to dinner, a flash of confusion crossed his eyes. He couldn't understand how a poor kid, who would do anything for money, suddenly seemed like a different person, willing to spend money on their class dinner.
Ophelia, too, looked at Willson with a hint of surprise. But she quickly concluded that Willson was just bragging. How could he possibly have the money to treat everyone to dinner?
Ophelia felt secretly relieved that she had already broken up with him. In her Eyes, he was a good-for-nothing loser, not only broke but also boastful!
"What's up with Willson today?" Graham's face showed the same confusion.
"What else could it be? Ophelia dumped him, and James insulted him. He's probably just trying to save face by agreeing to this," Tyree replied slowly. He then added, "But treating everyone to dinner would only cost a couple hundred bucks. We could help him cover it if needed.""Yeah, I just got my allowance," Graham nodded lightly, showing his understanding of Willson's situation.
"Hey, Willson, what's gotten into you today? Not only are you going to the party, but now you're also treating everyone to dinner. Is this for real or what?" Farrah shouted at Willson with a tone full of disdain.
"Yeah, if you really treat everyone to dinner, Barrett will have to eat dirt!" Taylor chimed in.
Barrett was the chubby guy who had just said he would eat dirt if Willson actually treated everyone to dinner.
"Of course it's real. It's just a meal," Willson replied calmly. Then he turned to Barrett and asked, "So, when are you planning to eat dirt for everyone to see?"
"Sure, treating us to a meal is fine, but what exactly are you planning to treat us to? You're not thinking of taking us to a street food stall, are you?" Barrett shouted at Willson, his tone a bit awkward."Willson is finally treating everyone to a meal. I doubt it's going to be street food. At the very least, it should be the Prosperity Hotel!" James chimed in after catching on.
"The Prosperity Hotel?"
Willson couldn't help but shake his head slightly at James's words.
"Yeah, Willson, if you take us to the Prosperity Hotel for dinner today, I'll eat dirt in front of everyone!" Barrett quickly shouted.
"Willson, what do you say? Since you want to treat everyone, the Prosperity Hotel shouldn't be a problem, right?" James asked with a grin.
"No problem, if that's where you all want to go, then let's go."
Willson nodded lightly.
The students in the class were stunned upon hearing this, as they all knew the Prosperity Hotel was a five-star establishment. A meal for so many people would cost at least five or six thousand dollars. How could Willson possibly afford that?"Has Willson lost his mind? How can he agree to this?" Graham couldn't help but exclaim. If it were a regular restaurant, he and Tyree could scrape together the money for the meal. But the Prosperity Hotel? Even Graham and Tyree couldn't afford that!
"Going to the Prosperity Hotel is fine, but I have one condition!"
At this moment, Willson suddenly spoke up.
"What condition?" James asked, looking at Willson.
"The cost of our class dinner at the Prosperity Hotel today, how about you and I split it fifty-fifty?"
Willson knew that James was trying to make things difficult for him. If it had been the Willson from a day ago, he wouldn't have dared to accept the challenge. But now, this amount of money was nothing to Willson. He could use this opportunity to strike back.
"Heh, how about we split it fifty-fifty?" Willson suggested with a smirk.
James sneered and nodded. "Alright, today's class expenses will be split between us!""Brother James, you're awesome!"
"Great, we can go eat at the Prosperity Hotel!"
The students in the class erupted into cheers upon hearing James's words. Eating at the Prosperity Hotel with so many people would cost at least five or six thousand dollars. Even splitting it in half would still be over two thousand dollars. Though James felt a pinch, he could afford it. He was convinced Willson couldn't.
"Willson, you just wait. When it's time to pay, I want to see how you handle it!" James thought, a sinister smile forming on his face as he watched Willson walk away.
An hour later, the students arrived at the renowned five-star hotel in Sunshire City, the Prosperity Hotel. As they entered, their eyes widened in amazement. Most of them were ordinary folks who had never been to such a luxurious place.
Graham and Tyree, however, followed closely behind Willson with worried expressions. "Willson, do you really have the money to treat everyone?" Tyree asked hesitantly, his voice low.
"Don't worry. If I dared to come, it means I'm prepared," Willson replied casually."But..." Tyree started to speak again, concern evident in his voice.
A beautiful woman in uniform approached Willson and his group with a bright smile. The manager's eyes flickered with a hint of disdain when she saw Willson, but she turned to James and bowed slightly, saying softly, "Sir, are you here for a meal?"
"That's right, we're here to eat. Get us a bigger private room!" James shouted proudly.
"Certainly, sir. Our hotel offers private rooms with a minimum spend of $2,500, VIP rooms with a minimum spend of $5,500, and supreme rooms with a minimum spend of $12,500. Which one would you prefer?" The manager inquired with a professional smile.
Hearing this, James couldn't help but glance at Willson and said softly, "Willson, it's not every day we get to dine at the Prosperity Hotel. A standard room just wouldn't cut it. How about we go for a VIP room?"
"James, that's too much! The VIP room has a minimum spend of $5,500!" Class president Felicity exclaimed, clearly displeased.Everyone present knew that James was deliberately making things difficult for Willson. If Willson agreed, he would have to spend a lot more money. But if he refused, he would lose face in front of everyone.
"Class president, what are you saying? Since Willson invited us to such a fancy hotel, he must not mind spending a bit more, right Willson?" James said with a grin.
"Do you think everyone is as rich as you?" Felicity retorted with a frown.
"Willson, what do you think? Why aren't you saying anything? Are you scared of the VIP room price? Hahaha!" James shouted loudly at Willson.
"I don't think there's any need for a VIP room," Willson replied calmly.
"Haha, alright, I get it. You're too poor to treat everyone to something nice. Let's just go with the standard room then!" James laughed, his main goal being to humiliate Willson. He didn't actually want to spend more money himself."Miss, please arrange a standard room for us," James turned and said to the manager. "Of course, I'll arrange that right away," the manager nodded quickly.
"When did I say we were getting a standard room?" Willson suddenly spoke up. "What? You think it's too expensive and want to back out?" James turned his head and asked Willson.
"We don't get together often, so a standard room is boring. Let's go for the ultimate suite!" Willson said leisurely. James was stunned by Willson's words, and the smile on his face froze. The other students in the class were equally shocked.
"Willson, are you crazy? Do you know the minimum spend for that suite is over ten thousand dollars?" Felicity shouted, her big, watery eyes glaring at Willson.
"Yeah, Willson, do you even know the rates at the Prosperity Hotel?" James's face turned sour. He never expected Willson to suggest the ultimate suite. Even the VIP suite was a stretch for him!
The expression on the beautiful manager's face changed too. She hadn't expected the real wealthy one to be Willson, who was dressed so plainly, and not James.Ophelia looked Willson up and down, her face full of confusion. She couldn't understand why Willson, who had always been so frugal, suddenly seemed like a different person. "Willson, can you really afford that much money?" Barrett asked, looking at Willson.
"Of course I can, but I'm worried James can't," Willson replied calmly.
James was taken back for a moment, then immediately shouted, "Fine, it's just an ultimate suite, right? I can afford it. If Willson wants it, then let's get it!"
James was completely cornered by the crowd and couldn't admit he didn't have the money, so he gritted his teeth and agreed.
The hotel manager's expression changed instantly when she realized Willson and his friends were going for the ultimate suite. She quickly led them to the room.
Once inside, everyone looked puzzled. They couldn't understand how Willson, who had always scraped by collecting scraps, could suddenly be so generous.
What they didn't know was that a few thousand dollars for a meal was nothing to the current Willson Jacks.
"Willson, are you really planning to treat us to dinner here?"Taylor's tone towards Willson had changed, and her beautiful eyes were constantly sizing him up.
"Of course, order whatever you like," Willson replied nonchalantly. Hearing this, everyone eagerly picked up their menus and started ordering without hesitation.
During this time, James seemed a bit unwilling to back down and boldly ordered a bottle of wine costing over $500. To his surprise, Willson Jacks didn't bat an eye; instead, he ordered ten more bottles!
This meant an additional $5000 spent, and James's face turned extremely sour because he knew he didn't have enough money to cover the bill.
"James, why do you look so upset? Feeling a bit of regret?" Willson turned to James and asked softly.
"Heh, why would I feel regret? It's just a few thousand dollars, no big deal!" James stammered, occasionally glancing at his
phone as if he was preparing to ask someone for a loan.