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"Perhaps I should rephrase," Daniel said, his voice polite yet firm. "Are you absolutely certain my reservation hasn\'t been... misplaced?" The subtle pressure in his tone sent a shiver down the manager\'s spine.

"Sir… I… I…." The man stammered, his face draining of color as a sheen of cold sweat slicked his forehead.

ust then, a smooth-talking young man in expensively tailored clothing sauntered down the stairs and approached the reception area. "Hello, ladies," he greeted with a dazzling smile, completely ignoring Daniel. "My name\'s Pierre Dubois. How can I be of service?" His gaze lingered on Envy, clearly captivated by her undeniable charm.

Envy, however, remained silent, opting for a knowing smile towards Daniel, a subtle cue for him to take charge.

Pierre was confused. His usual tactic of undermining the prestige of men typically worked, as most modern women were quick to judge and blame their partners.

However, this man didn\'t appear to be their date; he seemed more like a friend accompanying them for a good time at the restaurant. That\'s because Pierre didn\'t initially think that Daniel, accompanied by several women, would be their partners.

Normally, when he undermined a man\'s prestige, their partner would take over the conversation if he addressed them directly.

This would prompt him to shift his focus to the woman and engage in a pleasant conversation trading their contact, and then showcasing his ownership of the French restaurant to impress them. Pierre was aware that many modern women sought high-income partners.

Subsequently, he would display generosity by offering the women access to the VIP room, despite having instructed the manager to delete the reservation. He would insist that there was no record of the reservation in the first place, attributing any mistake to the man, who would typically refrain from arguing with their partners.

But this was the first time Pierre encountered a situation where women politely allowed their male partner to maintain control even after he had undermined the man\'s prestige.

"Judging from your attire and your ease in accessing the staff-only area without reprimand, you must be the owner of this place," Pierre nodded at Daniel but seemed reluctant to engage with him.

Pierre\'s eyes narrowed in annoyance but he quickly concealed it; This man had unexpectedly challenged his status, diminishing his ability to show off to the ladies.

Daniel nodded patiently. "Then, could you tell me why my reservation isn\'t registered? I\'m certain that I already made it in this restaurant\'s database," he said calmly.

[Here it comes, the man trying to find out why the reservation wasn\'t made,] Pierre thought to himself with a smile. He had no intention of restoring the reservation; instead, he planned to shift blame onto Daniel and use the opportunity to exchange contacts with the ladies.

Feigning concern, Pierre checked the computer for Daniel\'s registered reservation. "I apologize, sir, but your reservation is nowhere to be found. I understand your frustration, but I suggest next time you make a reservation, double-check with the operator to ensure it\'s been registered," he said.

"I did double-check it," Daniel replied calmly.

"We need evidence, sir," Pierre said, then retorted inwardly, sneering [Heh! Who would be so paranoid as to record a reservation call? You certainly won\'t have any evidence against us!]

Daniel then responded by taking his cell phone out of his coat and playing a recording.

"Please double-check the registration with your employee\'s name and ID. Are you certain that my reservation has been made for 2 PM?" The voice on the recording belonged to Daniel.

"Chris Hoff, Employee ID M47XXXX. We have already registered your reservation in the database. Your reservation slot is Saturday, XX January 2034," stated the operator\'s voice along with the employee ID.

"Can you please check this Employee ID? You\'re wasting our time here." Daniel urg.

[What!? Is this guy so paranoid that he records reservation calls!? Is he even sane!?] Pierre was shocked but didn\'t show it on his face; however, this alone wouldn\'t make him give up.

Pierre pretended to check, relieved that today was Chris\' day off and he hadn\'t come to the restaurant. Otherwise, he would have had no choice but to concede. Pierre pretended to check but instead backed up Chris\' employee record and then deleted it.

"Sir, there\'s no employee named Chris. I\'m afraid you may have encountered a scammer. These things happen from time to time," said Pierre. Yes, things like this did happen occasionally, given that his restaurant, Dubois Restaurant, was famous and high-end. Scammers sometimes posed as restaurant staff to collect reservation fees.

Daniel didn\'t reply; he simply gave a faint knowing smile. He knew Pierre\'s explanation was complete nonsense, judging by his heart rate, slight change in expression, and the perspiration that betrayed his nervousness.

"Are you sure you want to go down this path, Mr. Dubois? This is your last chance," Daniel warned with a calm voice and without any hint of threat.

Pierre felt as though he had plunged into a frozen river. An inexplicable chill ran down his spine, hinting that this could be his last chance before things turned sour. But he quickly dismissed the thought, reassuring himself that this was just an ordinary man. Although he might have money, he shouldn\'t be able to do anything to him.

After all, Pierre was also at the top of the income pyramid. He had his connections, even reaching to the Congress, given that his father owned a large conglomerate group. While it couldn\'t compare to the Golden Empire Group, it still carried significant weight.

"Sir, if you\'re going to act like this, we can\'t serve you. Please…" Pierre gestured toward the door. "Make way for other customers; you\'ve taken up enough of their time." This was Pierre\'s trump card.

In Pierre\'s mind, at this moment, the girls should have yelled at the man, blaming him and taking control of the conversation. Making a reservation at his restaurant was quite a challenge; without months of pre-reservation, they wouldn\'t have been able to secure a spot.

Daniel\'s smile widened, but it was more of a sneer than a smile now. "Fine, have it your way. Just remember who started this," Daniel said before turning to his companions. "I\'m sorry, but we need to change venues. Let\'s go," he announced, and the girls nodded in agreement.

Penthesilea, however, looked at Pierre with visible disdain; she wasn\'t very good at hiding her anger. Nonetheless, she followed her lord\'s decision and left the restaurant with him.

Seeing this, Pierre was confused. Why had the ladies left with that man? Wasn\'t this supposed to be the moment when they took charge and blamed him? Pierre was stunned but quickly calmed himself; this was also a scenario he had anticipated. Even though he doesn\'t want it to happen.

"Heh, talking big. I\'d like to see what you can do to me," Pierre sneered before going about his day. Although he regretted not getting the ladies\' contact information, he remained optimistic, thinking he just got a free reservation fee worth 500 USD, courtesy of that foolish man.

—

At Daniel\'s side, they exited the restaurant and headed to a fried chicken joint near Union Square.

Inside the venue, Daniel began ordering chicken and fries sets for the girls. Envy smiled; it had been a long time since she last ate here. Likewise, for Koyuki, it had been ages since she and Daniel had visited this fried chicken spot, not since they graduated from university.

For Anastasia, this fast-food experience felt novel. Back in Russia, she hadn\'t had many chances to dine like this.

Penthesilea, loyal to her lord, happily ate wherever he did. Whether it was a roadside hot dog stand or a fancy restaurant, she enjoyed it.

The only one who found this less than ideal was Svetlana. She didn\'t want her princess eating at such a place. But seeing even the princess of the Tokugawa clan dining here, she refrained from judging Daniel\'s taste; after all, he was the most outstanding artificer in the Curtained World.

The group began to enjoy their meal, with Koyuki particularly relishing conversations about their university days. She and Daniel talked like an old couple, reminiscing, while Envy chimed in occasionally about miscellaneous topics.

Penthesilea didn\'t join in the conversation, maintaining a respectful distance. Despite being considered one of Daniel\'s wives, she still saw herself as his servant. However, Daniel didn\'t ignore her; he asked about her well-being from time to time during their meal, which warmed Penthesilea\'s heart.