$100 Million Before Doomsday: My Doomsday Shelter System

Chapter 8: Kicked Out

Joshua and Gina talked easily for a few more minutes. She had a natural way of keeping conversation flowing without making it feel forced, and Joshua found himself genuinely enjoying the company. It had been years since someone had spoken to him like an equal instead of a servant.

Eventually Gina steered the conversation back to business, leaning forward with her hands folded neatly on the table.

"So, Joshua, I mentioned our VIP membership earlier. If you're interested, we have three tiers. The first is our Gold level at one hundred thousand dollars. That gives you priority reservations and a dedicated server anytime you visit. The second is our Platinum level at five hundred thousand. That adds access to our private dining room, a personal sommelier, and invitations to exclusive tasting events."

She paused and something playful crossed her face.

"And then there's our Supreme Membership at one million dollars. That's our highest tier. Unlimited access to every service we offer, a permanently reserved table, a private chef on call, and full authority over guest privileges in the restaurant. We've only ever had two Supreme Members in the history of The Golden Terrace."

Joshua stroked his chin and pretended to think about it for exactly three seconds.

"I'll take the Supreme."

Gina's composure cracked. Her eyes went wide and her lips parted and for a moment she looked like a woman who had just been told she won something she didn't even enter. Then the reality of what he just said hit her and her face broke into the brightest smile Joshua had ever seen on a professional.

"You want the Supreme Membership? The one million dollar tier?"

"That's the one."

"Joshua, that's incredible. I mean, that's wonderful." She was trying to stay professional but her voice kept climbing with excitement. "Let me go process this for you right now. It will only take a few minutes. I'll bring your membership card back personally."

She stood up and walked toward the back office so fast her heels clicked double time on the marble floor. Joshua watched her go and took a sip of his wine. The system was right about her. She was sharp, efficient, and she moved with purpose. Exactly the kind of person who would thrive in a shelter where every minute and every resource counted.

He was setting down his glass when the front doors of the restaurant swung open and a wave of noise rolled through the dining room like a truck crashing through a library.

Elena walked in first, wearing a tight red dress and heels she could barely balance on, with her chin lifted so high she was practically looking at the ceiling. Gerald shuffled in behind her with his chest puffed out and his injured shoulder miraculously forgotten, wearing a suit jacket that was at least one size too small and a tie that looked like it came from a gas station clearance rack. Patricia was clutching her handbag against her chest with both hands, eyes darting around the room like she had never seen a chandelier before. And Lorry strolled in last with his hands in his pockets, looking smug and bored at the same time.

"Oh my God, look at this place!" Patricia's voice came out at a volume that belonged in a stadium, not a five star restaurant. "Elena, honey, this is beautiful! Look at those curtains! Are those real crystals on the ceiling?"

"Mom, keep your voice down." Elena hissed it, but her own voice wasn't exactly quiet either.

"How much do you think a plate costs here?" Gerald was craning his neck to look at what other diners were eating, leaning so close to one table that the couple sitting there pulled their plates toward themselves protectively. "Is that lobster? That piece is tiny. I could eat ten of those."

"It's about quality, not size, old man." Lorry laughed and slapped Gerald on the back. "When Elena gets that fifty million, we'll buy the whole lobster tank."

Several heads turned. An older couple near the bar exchanged a look of quiet disgust. A man in a tailored suit at the next table set down his fork and stared at them the way a person stares at a car alarm that won't stop going off.

The waiter who had seated Joshua earlier appeared in front of Elena's group within seconds. His face was tight and his smile was the thinnest version of polite Joshua had ever seen.

"Good evening. Welcome to The Golden Terrace. If I could ask you all to please lower your voices, our other guests are enjoying their evening and we maintain a quiet atmosphere in the dining room."

"We just got here." Elena looked at the waiter like he was a fly that had landed on her food. "We haven't even sat down yet and you're already telling us what to do?"

"I apologize, ma'am. I'm simply asking you to be mindful of the volume. If you could wait here, I'll check on table availability for you."

"Wait?" Gerald's voice boomed across the room. "We drove all the way across the city to eat at this place and you want us to wait? Do you know who we are?"

The waiter clearly did not know who they were, and from the look on his face, he didn't want to find out. He opened his mouth to respond when Gina reappeared from the back office.

She was carrying a black leather case with Joshua's membership card inside, and her face was still glowing from the commission she had just locked in. She walked past Elena's group without a glance and headed straight for Joshua's table.

"Here you are, Joshua." She set the case on the table and opened it to reveal a matte black card with gold lettering. "Your Supreme Membership card. You are now one of only three Supreme Members in The Golden Terrace's history. Everything I described is now at your disposal."

Joshua picked up the card and turned it over in his fingers. Then he looked past Gina toward the entrance where Elena's family was still arguing with the waiter, and a slow, cold smile spread across his face.

"Gina, quick question. You said the Supreme Membership comes with full authority over guest privileges."

"That's correct."

"Does that include the authority to have certain people removed from the restaurant?"

Gina followed his gaze toward the group at the front. Gerald was now jabbing his finger at the waiter's chest while Patricia was loudly complaining that no one had offered them water. Her expression hardened.

"Absolutely it does. And frankly, that group has been disturbing our guests since the moment they walked in."

Joshua pointed directly at Elena, Gerald, Patricia, and Lorry.

"Then kick them out."

Gina didn't hesitate for even a second. She turned on her heel and walked to the front of the restaurant with the kind of purpose that made the other waiters step out of her way. She stopped in front of Elena's family and stood with her shoulders squared and her hands clasped behind her back.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask all four of you to leave. Your behavior is disrupting our dining room and one of our VIP members has exercised his right to have you removed."

Elena's face went red. "Excuse me? VIP member? What VIP member? We came here to spend money just like everyone else."

"Who gave that order?" Gerald was shouting now, his face purple, spit flying from his lips. "Who the hell do they think they are? I want to see this VIP right now!"

"Turn around." Gina said it quietly, with the calm authority of a woman who had dealt with difficult people every night for three years.

Elena turned. Her eyes scanned the dining room and landed on Joshua, sitting at the best table in the restaurant with a wine glass in his hand and a smile on his face. Not a warm smile. Not a kind smile. The smile of a man watching people get exactly what they deserved.

Elena's face twisted so violently it barely looked human. "You! You did this?"

"Enjoy your evening, Elena." Joshua raised his glass toward her. "Somewhere else."

Elena looked at Gina standing next to Joshua, beautiful and poised and professional, and something inside her snapped. "Who is this woman? Is this why you wanted a divorce? So you could run around with some waitress while your wife sits at home?"

"Ma'am, I'm the general manager of this restaurant." Gina's voice was ice. "And I am asking you, for the final time, to leave."

"We're not leaving!" Patricia stepped forward and dug into her handbag with shaking hands. She pulled out a crumpled wad of bills and held them up in the air like a torch. "We have money! Look! One thousand dollars! We can pay just like anyone else! You can't throw us out!"

The waiter who had seated Joshua earlier looked at the money in Patricia's hand and a small, pitying smile crossed his face.

"Ma'am, you think you can eat here with just one thousand dollars?" He glanced over his shoulder toward Joshua's table. "That gentleman over there gave one thousand dollars just as a tip."

Patricia's arm dropped. The bills hung limp in her fingers and her face went from angry to pale in less than a second. Gerald's mouth fell open. Even Lorry's smug expression flickered.

But Elena was not done. She planted her feet and lifted her chin, clinging to the last scrap of pride she had left.

"Fine. He tipped a thousand dollars. Good for him. But on what grounds can he kick us out? We're paying customers. This is a public restaurant. You can't just throw people out because one man snaps his fingers."

Gina walked toward Elena until she was standing close enough that Elena could smell her perfume. She looked her dead in the eyes and spoke in a voice that was calm, clear, and carried across the entire dining room.

"On the grounds that he just deposited one million dollars here, and because you are being too loud."