From Pit to Palace: Charlie Emerged

Chapter 12: Dinner Party at Prime Restaurant

Chapter 12

It was around 9 pm, and a group of people was gathered, surrounding a large table. The interior of the place was screaming wealth from every angle, the unsteady beaming of colourful lights, revealing the perfectly arranged plush sofas.

This was Prime Restaurant.

And the people around the table were the students from Maple City University.

Duke, Charlie's best friend, was seated, dressed in a nice, gray T-shirt, but his expression held no smile. He bit his lips nervously unable to speak as he listened to what others were saying.

Next to him was Stella, the class representative, who had brought up the idea of them meeting up and having a dinner gathering like this, not until it turned out the way it did.

She wasn't looking bad at all.

Beside her were three other students, biting their lips as if regretting coming here.

Across them were Franklin, Megan, and four other students whom Franklin was supposed to treat at the Restaurant tonight.

But among their midst, someone seemed to be missing.

Charlie!

Everyone was staring at the entrance, anticipating his arrival, but he wasn't showing up. Duke had tried countless times to call, but his line wasn't going through.

The rest burst into laughter. Duke lowered his head, ashamed to meet their gazes.

“I said it, didn't I?” Megan flirtatiously twined her arms around Franklin's, started arrogantly, her voice full of condescension. “He's just a trash picker and has got no penny on him. He only stood up just to challenge my boyfriend, Franklin, thinking I'd be jealous that he's now got so penny. Haha.”

Megan let out a short yet hearty laugh. She continued with her normal tone. “Let's quit fantasy! Charlie is worth nothing. He's my ex-boyfriend, you know that, and I can tell you all for free that Charlie won't dare show his face here. He's got nothing on him. He just fooled you guys into coming here.”

Franklin laughed and chimed in. “I see now. He was only really trying to save face back then in class. He's such a coward with no background yet trying to compare himself with me.”

Duke, although he felt a pang of disappointment for Charlie not showing up until now, couldn't help but angrily interrupt Franklin.

“Charlie, my friend, isn't a coward! And he has got a background!” He retorted, his face tightened, then added. “Maybe, he's stuck with something. I'll call him right away! You will see, he'll definitely show up!”

Franklin let out a mocking chuckle. “Really?” He glanced toward the entrance then back to Duke. “You really think he is not? Why then has he not shown up? And haven't you been calling him since we got here? Why isn't his line going through? He switched off his phone.”

He halted, took a deep breath then continued. “I can tell you for free that he's scared off, afraid that he's going to lick my shoes once I win and you think that he isn't a coward? If that doesn't mean he's a coward, then what's the true definition of the word ‘coward’, huh, friend of a pathetic trash picker?”

The four people from Franklin's side, who are supposed to be treated by him tonight, burst into laughter, almost echoing across the room.

“Thank God, I'm on my best friend, Megan's boyfriend's side,” Rachel said quickly while almost laughing off her ass.

“Me too! I'm safe! Even if this dinner party gets canceled tonight, at least Franklin is still going to treat us, which means I have got nothing to lose!” Erika uttered.

She looked at her other classmates across, on Charlie's side, and smirked at them, purposefully mocking them.

And the latter frowned, their faces wry with rage.

One burst out angrily. “How dare that poor brat! How dare he deceive us! I would have probably been on my bed, having some fun with my phone, and he dared to fool me into coming here and not showing up? I'll kill him!” He uttered through gritted teeth, his eyes red with resentment.

“I regret being on this trash picker's side,” another started, her voice full of regret, but her expression unusually furious. “I'm not surprised he didn't show up. What more is expected from a trash picker like him even if he had shown up? He isn't capable of treating himself let alone five other persons?”

She sighed exasperatedly. “He's not just a trash picker. He's arrogant and pathetic!”

Stella had been speechless ever since this topic started. She was short of words on what to say. She wasn't the type who talked down on poor people, but what Charlie had just done was a big slap to her face.

She had brought this up, but Charlie took it to another level in an attempt to challenge Franklin which she understood his reason.

But this? Keeping them here without showing up to give any reason? This is inappropriate!

It makes them all look stupid.

Stella slowly cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice soft, despite the anger in her, “Hey lovelies,” she started, specifically addressing those who Charlie was supposed to treat tonight, “I know how this feels, but I really apologise for this whole stuff. It's all my fault,” she said apologetically, emotion in her voice. “I only brought up this idea just for us to have a good time together, which might serve as a memory in the future, never knew it was going to turn out this way.”

She inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I wished I could take the responsibility, but….just discovered the price of their meal per plate had skyrocketed. It's now $700 instead of the usual $500. At least that would have cost $2,000, but $3,500? I can't afford to spend that for just a meal. I'm just a TikTok live-streamer and I'm not yet earning much.”

Hearing Stella say the price of the plate had increased $700, Franklin was momentarily shocked, but no one noticed. He discreetly counted the number of people he was supposed to treat tonight, including himself, in his mind and immediately summed up the amount.

“$4,200 for just a casual meal? What the heck! Who does that?” He muttered under his breath, then suddenly took a deep, relieved breath and waved the thought off with a smug smirk.

Earlier today, after everyone departed from the class, Franklin had called his father and cooked up a lie that each of the lecturers was dead serious that every student should buy their textbooks, costing $1k per copy, or else they would score them zero in the assessment.

And also the number of the textbooks was supposed to be twelve which means $12k.

His father had hesitated, skeptical about such an outrageous amount, but since he's a science student, his father tends to behave but promised to send the whole money tonight.

With this, he can treat his own people tonight.

Meanwhile, Duke finally stood up, his face filled with frustration. He glanced toward the entrance, hoping to see Charlie, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

Although he knew Charlie wouldn't be able to treat five people, including himself, tonight, he just wanted him to at least show up so everyone wouldn't see him as a coward. And besides, he has already gotten the money to help him out.

But now Charlie isn't here. Is he not a coward then?

He sighed after glancing down at the time. “Been trying to reach out to him, but his number isn't going through, and it's already late. Guess, I have to leave now before the school gate closes.”

“Me too,” Stella murmured, getting on her feet to leave.

Just at that moment, a familiar voice cut through the air, calmly yet firmly. “There's no need to leave too soon, Duke, Stella. I'm still treating you guys tonight. I made that promise and I'm fulfilling it.”