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nThe waiter didn’t keep David waiting long, quickly bringing over four plastic chairs and placing a small table next to their large table.

nApart from Thomas and David, the other three young men had also realized David’s intention to target William.

nDavid’s family background was notably superior to the other three. They felt that siding with David was undoubtedly an opportunity to climb the social ladder, making it an ideal time to win his favor.

nOne of the young men, with slightly curly hair, stared at William and asked, “You’re William, right? What do your parents do in New York?”

nWilliam’s gaze slowly settled on the curly-haired young man, answering indifferently, “They were emperors.”

n“What? Are you out of your mind?” The curly-haired young man scoffed. “Emperors? You’re delusional even before drinking?”

nWilliam couldn’t be bothered to respond. He had no parents. He was alone in this world. There was a time when he had played the role of an emperor, but after experiencing it once, he found it dull.

nThe ancient saying that emperors are lonely was probably inspired by William’s life.

nCompared to William, those emperors were hardly lonely.

nWith no parents and no descendants, he had witnessed the changes in the world throughout the ages. Who could fathom such solitude?

nSeeing that William wasn’t responding, the curly-haired young man, Ethan, continued to provoke, “You just said that Ryan should sit over there, right? If you dare, don’t get up and leave.”

nWilliam squinted, “What’s it to you? Are you with the Carson family?”

n“I’m Ethan. You can call me Ethan bro, or Curl bro.” Ethan was clearly provoking William, while David just sipped his coffee as if he hadn’t heard anything.

nThomas had previously seen William in action and naturally didn’t want to antagonize him. From the moment William entered, he decided to keep his distance.

nDamn, just a few days ago, someone had ended up in the hospital after a clash with William. Crossing this guy was courting death.

nWilliam took a sip of his coffee, picked up a dinner knife from the side, slowly stood up, and swiftly stabbed it into the table. 𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗹．𝐨𝗿𝗴

nEveryone’s gaze was fixed on William, and the bar’s atmosphere instantly turned tense.

nIt was a hardwood table, yet the dinner knife pierced it as easily as slicing through butter.

nSeeing this, Ethan’s face turned pale. What would’ve happened if that knife had been plunged into him?

nWilliam looked at Ethan, coldly asking, ” Curl bro?”

nCurl swallowed hard, nervously saying, “You… William, you can call me Curl or Ethan.”

n“Oh, is that so? Wyatt, let’s eat. I really don’t like his voice.” William was never one to seek out trouble, but he would never back down if provoked.

nThose who had tried to challenge William in the past ultimately met unfortunate ends.

nUnder William’s intense gaze, Curl clutched his utensils, his hands starting to tremble, not daring to speak further.

nNo one else dared to provoke William either, especially after seeing what he did with the dinner knife.

nDavid stared at William, a glint of interest in his eyes. He thought William’s move was truly impressive. But he also pondered, could such power really enable one to do as they please?

nAfter all, true power nowadays lies in the hands of those with money!

nAngering the young heir of the Carter family might mean that even the vast city of New York wouldn’t shelter him.

nLucy sat beside William, her eyes filled with intrigue. Now, she finally understood why William was so confident.

nSo handsome and so skilled, she was growing fonder of him by the moment.

nWilliam pulled out the dinner knife, wiping it gently with a napkin. Seeing that the dishes were all served, he told Wyatt, “Let’s begin, no need to wait for them.” And with that, he began enjoying his meal.

nThis dinner was a split bill, so there was no clear host.

nAccording to international tradition, those of higher status or older age start with their chopsticks or forks first, and then others can begin eating.

nIn terms of age, who could compare to William? Even ancient deities weren’t older than him.

nAnd when it came to status, even the major business magnates wouldn’t dare to act superior in front of him.

nAfter William began eating, Lucy and the others followed suit. But David remained still, a slight smile on his face.

nEveryone knew Ryan would be arriving soon. They were aware of Ryan’s character; he wouldn’t dare to start eating before his arrival like William did.

nThus, aside from William’s group, for a moment, no one else dared to touch their utensils.

nPaul, always having a big appetite, found the feast before him irresistible. Given William’s backing, he wholeheartedly indulged himself, consuming more than half of many dishes within mere minutes.

nWyatt paused to think for a moment. He knew David didn’t think much of their group, but since they were already at such a fancy restaurant and were splitting the bill, he was certainly going to get his money’s worth.

nSeveral hundred dollars, which he might have stretched out over a week by being frugal, was now represented in the lavish spread before him. Seeing Paul digging in, Wyatt didn’t want to be outdone. He ate with a tad more elegance, given the presence of many ladies at the table, but his pace was swift.

nThe rest at the table just watched them feast voraciously.

nThey had also poured the 1982 Lafite, and they drank it with increasing enthusiasm, glass after glass.

nDavid, noticing their hearty enjoyment at first, thought little of it. But when he saw Wyatt and the others guzzling down the wine, he found it amusing.

nIn this hotel, a bottle of the ’82 Lafite was priced at $10,000. Even excluding the cost of the food, just that bottle of wine, split among 20 people, came to $500 each.

nWasn’t William supposed to be the clever one?

nOnce William was settled with, the three broke guys from room 306 would be saddled with debt, left at his mercy.

n“This red wine is quite nice,” Wyatt remarked after sipping two glasses, already showing signs of inebriation, and chuckled softly next to William.

nDavid replied with a cold smile, “Of course it’s nice. $10,000 a bottle, consumed by the five of you, while we didn’t touch a drop. You guys can settle the wine bill later.”

nIs being resourceful truly beneficial?

nA meager amount can trip up even the bravest, so how could these few penniless guys afford $10,000?

nWyatt’s tipsy glow vanished in an instant. His face, which was previously a little flushed, turned deathly pale upon hearing the $10,000 figure.

nPaul and Daniel were also in shock. They had initially wanted to eat their fill and get their money’s worth, but now this.

n$10,000 would drain every last penny from the three of them.

nSeeing his roommates so petrified, William casually remarked, “Just drink. If that’s not enough, order another bottle.”

nFor reasons unknown, upon hearing William’s words, all the fear and anxiety in Wyatt and the others vanished.

nWilliam sure didn’t look like someone wealthy.

nAt that moment, Paul muttered under his breath, “Get another bottle!”

nUpon hearing this, a waiter approached with a card machine, came up to Paul, leaned forward, and inquired, “Sir, would you like to pay by card or make a transfer?”

nAfter all, $10,000 isn’t a trivial amount, and it’s unlikely they’d be allowed to drink now and pay later.

nPaul could only turn his gaze to William for guidance.

nTaking out his phone, William admitted, “I don’t have that much money either.”

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