Chapter 12 Just A Lucky Bastard!

Meanwhile, inside the private room, the atmosphere had become unbearably awkward.

After Roy, Jacob, and Jay left, everyone finally realized that Roy had paid his own bill while they couldn't leave because Byron hadn't paid his own bill.

The female manager stood quietly beside the table while several security guards waited outside the door. No one dared to speak or move.

Byron kept dialing numbers with trembling fingers.

"Dad, please pick up..."

"Mom... Come on..."

From one call after another but one was answering. Until, finally, the call connected.

Before Byron could even speak, his furious mother's voice exploded through the speaker. "Byron Paul! What nonsense have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"Mom, I just need some money transferred quickly—"

"Money? Money again?" His mother's voice became even louder. "Do you think we're running a bank? Do you know how difficult things have been lately?"

"Mom, please. It's urgent."

"Urgent? What's urgent?"

"The hotel bill..."

"The what? You bought a hotel?"

Byron hesitated. He could afford to eat at hotels but how could he explain he didn't just feed himself, but the whole class?

"I ate at a hotel and the hotel bill is $81,700," he finally found the courage.

For a brief second, everyone in the room could hear a pin drop but then they could also hear the furious scream when it came.

"EIGHTY THOUSAND?! You spent eighty thousand dollars on food?! Have you lost your mind?!" His mother yelled from the phone.

Many classmates lowered their heads in embarrassment. This was the first time they had ever seen Byron being scolded like a child.

"Mom, please just send the money first."

"We don't have it!" His mother's answer struck like a hammer. "We don't have that kind of money!"

Byron's face instantly turned pale.

"Mom..."

"I said we don't have it!"

The call ended. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Byron stared blankly at his phone. His entire body felt cold. He immediately dialed again but no answer.

He kept dialing, again and again, but still no answer. His father and mother had both stopped picking up.

The private room became deathly silent.

Everyone could clearly see the sweat dripping from Byron's forehead. This was no act. He genuinely had no money.

Owen finally stepped forward.

"Mr. Paul. You have already been given over thirty minutes. Our hotel has policies. We need the bill settled now."

Byron swallowed hard.

His face burned with humiliation. Throughout the entire gathering, he had acted like the richest person in the room. He had mocked Roy, mocked Roy's clothes, mocked Roy's background and even mocked everything about him. Yet now the one unable to pay was himself.

Several classmates exchanged strange looks because irony was simply too much.

Clark cleared his throat. "Byron, why don't we just split the bill ourselves? Everyone can pay for what they ordered."

Many people immediately nodded.

"Yeah."

"That works."

"Let's just pay individually."

However, before anyone could continue, a girl immediately protested. "What do you mean to pay individually? I didn't order most of those expensive dishes. Why should I pay?"

"Exactly!" Another concurred.

"I don't have that much money either."

The room instantly became noisy but Clark was busy trying to smooth things over.

"Everyone, calm down. Byron is our friend and we can figure something out."

Although he said that, even Clark looked uncertain. He didn't want to pay for a dinner that was worth more than his yearly pay.

Byron clenched his fists as his expression grew uglier.

He understood very clearly that if everyone paid separately today he would lose face. Roy's reputation would rise and his own reputation would collapse.

Everyone would remember that Roy paid his bill while Byron couldn't. Even Valerie might begin looking at him differently.

"No."

That absolutely could not happen!

Taking a deep breath, Byron forced a smile. "Don't worry. I'll settle everything myself."

The classmates immediately looked relieved. As expected Byron still had a solution.

But only Byron knew how terrified he truly was inside.

He quickly walked toward Owen and pulled him into a corner. "Manager...Can we discuss this privately?"

Owen nodded. "What is it?"

"I can write an IOU," Byron lowered his voice. "I'll bring the money tomorrow."

The manager shook his head immediately.

"I'm sorry. We do not accept IOUs."

Byron's face stiffened.

"Please. My family is well known, you don't have to worry," he quickly pleaded.

But the manager remained expressionless. "No."

Byron's palms became soaked with sweat. He glanced back at his classmates, then he lowered his voice further. "Then let my friends leave first. I'll stay behind."

"No one is leaving until the bill is settled."

The words nearly made Byron collapse. "But...but you let Roy and his friends leave."

The manager smiled faintly. "That's because Mr. Roy paid his bill."

The moment he heard Roy's name, Byron's expression darkened. His fingernails dug deeply into his palms. Roy was so lucky today. God knows where he got that card!

"However... That watch you're wearing," Owen's gaze suddenly landed on Byron's wrist.

Byron instinctively covered it. But his eyes brightened immediately. "Right! This watch!"

He immediately removed it. "Manager, this watch is extremely valuable. You can keep it temporarily. When I bring the money tomorrow, I'll take it back."

The manager took the watch and examined it for a moment. He shook his head.

"If I accept this watch, it settles the bill. You won't be getting it back."

Byron's eyes widened. "What? This watch is worth over a million!"

"I don't think so." The manager looked at him indifferently. "To me, it's still just a watch. I can't trust such a watch to be worth millions."

Byron nearly vomited blood.

The manager returned the watch seeing as Byron was being stubborn. "If you're unwilling then according to hotel policy, you and your friends can remain behind. You'll work off the debt."

"..."

But Owen didn't stop there. He raised his voice so everyone would hear. "You and your friends would clean toilets, wash dishes, and scrub walls!"

Every classmate's face changed instantly.

"What?!"

"Wash dishes?"

"Clean toilets?"

"Oh my God! I can't do that with my hands!"

The room exploded into panic and Byron's face turned deathly pale. If that happened his reputation would be finished forever.

"No!"

"No, no, no!"

Without hesitation, he snatched off the watch again and shoved it into the manager's hand. "You can have it! Take it! Can we leave now?"

Owen looked at him for several seconds before nodding, then he walked toward the center of the room where the female manager immediately stepped forward.

Owen smiled professionally and announced, "Everyone. Mr. Paul has settled the outstanding bill, so you may leave now."

The moment those words were spoken, the entire room erupted in relief.

Nobody noticed that Byron's face looked uglier than if he had been slapped. That watch wasn't even his!

But he quickly shook it off.

"If that woman comes, I would just say Roy stole the watch from me and sold it off!"

"Byron?"

Byron forced a smile when he heard Valerie call him so sweetly. "Yes, baby?"

"How did that loser get away like that?"

Valerie whined. She really wanted to watch him suffer to take out money from his pocket.

Instead of money, he took out a card from his darned broke pocket!

"He's just a lucky bastard!"