My Girlfriend Chose a Rich Man, Then My Money Started Multip

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The opening night arrived under a warm evening sky. The new sign above Golden Plate's entrance glowed beneath the lights, and the first customers began arriving as their reservations came up.

Noah stood near the entrance, greeting guests while keeping an eye on the dining room. The restaurant wasn't full yet, but several tables were occupied. In the kitchen, Ethan called out orders while his team worked through the first wave of tickets.

Everything was running smoothly. Even so, Noah kept an eye on the empty tables near the center of the room.

Maya joined him after helping a server show a couple to their seats.

“Six tables are occupied. Two more reservations haven't arrived yet.”

“We still have time.”

“I know. I just hope everyone who booked actually shows up.”

Before Noah could answer, a man walked through the entrance and gave his name to the host.

Daniel Cross had arrived right on time.

He wore a dark shirt under a casual jacket and occasionally glanced at his phone to check his messages. After the host led him to his table, Daniel took a look around before opening the menu.

Noah didn't approach him to introduce himself. Daniel was here as a customer, and Noah had no intention of making him feel special just because he had a large following.

Instead, he made sure the server assigned to Daniel knew the menu well enough to answer questions about the dishes and their ingredients.

A few minutes later, Daniel's order reached the kitchen.

Ethan took charge of its preparation himself.

The Golden Roast was the dish that had once made Golden Plate famous. Ethan had no intention of changing the original recipe just to make the presentation look more impressive. He stuck to the cooking method that had made the dish distinctive, paying close attention to the temperature and timing before sending it out.

When the plate reached Daniel's table, the blogger studied it briefly before picking up his knife and fork.

Near the register, Maya pretended to check something on her tablet. Noah caught her glancing toward Daniel's table for the third time.

“If you keep staring, he'll realize he's being watched,” Noah murmured.

Maya immediately looked away. “I'm checking the service.”

“Of course.”

“Don't start.”

Noah suppressed a grin and returned his attention to the dining room.

Daniel had already cut several pieces of the Golden Roast. He chewed slowly before trying another bite, giving nothing away.

Maya stopped tapping her screen.

Eventually, Daniel set down his cutlery and reached for his phone. He photographed the dish, checked the picture, and began typing a post.

His phone buzzed repeatedly as comments started coming in. After reading the screen for a moment, he smiled and called over his server to ask about the restaurant's opening hours and upcoming reservations.

Noah noticed the change in his expression, but he wasn't ready to celebrate. Daniel might have enjoyed the food without feeling the need to recommend it to anyone else.

A moment later, Maya hurried over with her tablet. “Look at this.”

Daniel had just posted a picture of the Golden Roast with the caption:

'Golden Plate is back. And the Golden Roast still tastes exactly the way I remember it.'

Below the photo, he wrote that the restaurant deserved a second chance and encouraged his followers to try the dish for themselves.

The post spread faster than Maya had expected. Former customers began tagging friends, while others asked for the restaurant's location and booking details. Before long, reservations for the next few days started coming in.

Maya checked her tablet again, then looked at Noah. “This isn't just another post. People actually want to come here.”

“Good. Just don't accept more reservations than the kitchen can handle.”

“I'll keep an eye on the numbers.”

Noah nodded. They couldn't control how far Daniel's post would spread, but they could make sure the people who came through the door got the experience they were paying for.

Toward the end of the evening, several people who had seen the post showed up without reservations. They couldn't all be seated immediately, but a few were willing to wait after the host gave them an estimate.

When a family finally took a table that had just been cleared, Maya approached Noah with a broad smile.

“I think we'll need more staff tomorrow.”

“Contact the two extra servers you shortlisted. Let's see how tomorrow goes before making any more changes to the schedule.”

Maya nodded. There was no longer any need to convince Noah that Daniel's post could make a difference. They were already seeing the results.

---

By the following evening, nearly every table at Golden Plate was occupied when dinner service began. Servers moved between the tables with plates in hand, while Ethan kept the kitchen running according to the order of incoming tickets.

Noah helped direct walk-in customers while checking their ingredient supplies. Demand for the Golden Roast was much higher than they'd anticipated. When a kitchen assistant informed him that their supply of meat was running low, Noah immediately asked Maya to contact the supplier and arrange an additional delivery before the next day.

They made it through the second night without compromising the food or leaving customers waiting too long.

The third night was even busier.

Reservations kept coming in after Daniel's post. Some customers wanted to try the Golden Roast for themselves, while others remembered visiting Golden Plate before it closed.

That evening, Maya brought Noah the latest booking report.

“Dinner reservations are almost completely booked for the next thirty days. We still have a few lunch slots available, but if demand keeps growing, we'll need to adjust the staff schedule.”

Noah reviewed the report before handing it back.

“Don't take more bookings than we can handle. I'd rather have customers wait for a table than promise them service we can't deliver.”

“I've already set a limit. Ethan has also asked our suppliers to increase delivery frequency so we can maintain the quality of the ingredients.”

“Good. Make sure everyone knows about the schedule changes.”

Maya headed to the small office behind the register to contact the staff. Noah continued checking the dining room, making sure every table was being served and no orders had been overlooked.

As he passed the kitchen, he found Ethan inspecting a dish before a server carried it out.

“How are our supplies holding up?” Noah asked.

“We have enough for tonight. If orders stay at this level, we'll need more ingredients tomorrow.”

“I'll have Maya arrange it.”

Ethan nodded and returned to work.

Noah wasn't about to assume that three successful nights guaranteed a lasting recovery. Still, Golden Plate had proved it had a real chance of surviving.

His phone vibrated as he returned to the dining room.

[Successful Business Asset Detected.]

[Restaurant Performance Has Exceeded Expectations.]

Noah opened the next notification.

[Multiplier Increased.]

[Current Multiplier: 50×]

He read the message again. Golden Plate had performed beyond the system's expectations, triggering an increase in his multiplier.

Until now, he'd used the rewards to expand his portfolio of assets. This time, a business he'd purchased and developed himself had unlocked another upgrade.

He immediately understood what that meant for his next purchases.

“Fifty times,” he muttered.

Maya, who had just finished speaking with a server, turned toward him. “What was that?”

“Nothing. Just some good news.”

She gave him a curious look, but Noah slipped his phone into his pocket and returned to checking the dining room.

He couldn't tell her about the system. What he could do was put the extra money to work and make Golden Plate stronger.

---

The next morning, Noah arrived early to check what the restaurant needed before lunch service. He purchased several small items for the staff, spending a total of one hundred dollars.

As soon as the payment went through, a notification appeared on his phone.

[Purchase: $100]

[Reward: $5,000]

Noah checked the figures. Everything was working as expected. With the new multiplier, even a small purchase could generate a substantial reward.

When he entered the kitchen, he found Ethan examining one of the machines used to prepare orders. It was still operational, but its capacity was becoming a problem now that the kitchen had to handle so many orders at once.

“We need to replace this,” Ethan said after explaining the issue. “If customer numbers keep climbing, this machine will slow down preparation.”

Noah asked the supplier for a quote. The replacement would cost ten thousand dollars, but its greater capacity would allow the kitchen to handle orders more efficiently.

He approved the purchase.

[Purchase: $10,000]

[Reward: $500,000]

Noah studied the notification before closing it.

Half a million dollars from a single transaction.

The amount was enough to tempt anyone into spending more, especially when every purchase generated a multiplied reward. But he had no intention of changing his approach just because the system had become more profitable.

He'd already seen how quickly a restaurant's operating costs could rise. Unnecessary spending was still wasteful, even when the reward exceeded the purchase price.

His phone vibrated again.

[Daily Spending Limit Updated.]

[Daily Spending Limit: $100,000.]

Noah read the notification carefully. His daily spending limit had increased to one hundred thousand dollars. With a 50× multiplier, he could potentially earn up to five million dollars in rewards per day if he used the entire limit on qualifying purchases.

The new limit opened up plenty of possibilities, but it also made careful spending more important. He wasn't going to burn through it just because he could.

He put his phone away and returned to the dining room. 

---

That evening, Noah was speaking with a supplier near the bar when two familiar faces entered Golden Plate.

Victor Hale caught his attention first.

Claire was walking beside him.

Noah wrapped up his conversation before greeting them. Victor surveyed the crowded dining room, watched the servers moving between tables, then turned his attention to Noah.

“So this is the restaurant everyone's talking about.”

“Welcome to Golden Plate.”

Victor glanced at the sign above the bar. “I saw Daniel Cross's post. Looks like you've managed to get his attention.”

“He liked the food.”

“Let's see if the customers still like it after the publicity dies down.”

Claire glanced at Victor but said nothing. Then she looked at Noah, apparently waiting to see whether his comment would provoke a reaction.

Noah had no interest in trading insults. “Do you have a reservation?”

Victor gave him a thin smile. “Of course. I want to try the food that's brought this place back to life.”

A server led them to their table. Victor chose a seat close enough to the bar to keep Noah and most of the dining room in view.

After placing their orders, he leaned back in his chair. “This place has potential,” he said. “Good location, a name people still recognize, and now everyone's talking about it again. But keeping a business like this alive is a lot harder than making it popular for a few days.”

Noah gave a slight nod. “That's why we're preparing for the long term.”

“We'll see.”

Their food arrived soon afterward. Victor sampled several dishes but offered little comment as he continued eating. Claire was equally quiet.

After the meal, Victor asked Noah to join him near the bar. He made no attempt to disguise the reason for his visit.

“I want to buy Golden Plate.”

Noah looked at him. “Why?”

“The location, its earning potential, and the attention it's getting. You've done the hard part by bringing the name back. I could take the business much further.”

“How much are you offering?”

“Ten million dollars.”

Noah didn't answer immediately. The offer was far above what he'd paid for the building, but Golden Plate was no longer an empty property. He'd invested in its renovation, recovered its original recipes, and put together a team capable of running the restaurant.

“It's not for sale.”

Victor didn't look surprised. He studied Noah for a moment before raising his offer. “Twenty million.”

Noah shook his head. “My answer hasn't changed.”

“You're turning down twenty million dollars for a restaurant that's only been open for a few days?”

“I didn't buy Golden Plate just to sell it as soon as it started making money.”

Victor let out a short laugh. “You really think you can keep this going? Public attention doesn't last forever.”

“Then we'll give people a reason to keep coming back.”

For a moment, Victor had nothing to say. He straightened his jacket and glanced toward the still-busy dining room. “Fine. If you change your mind, you know how to reach me.”

“I won't be calling you to sell the restaurant.”

Victor's smile faded. He offered a brief farewell before leaving Golden Plate with Claire.

Claire glanced back at Noah once but said nothing before following Victor outside.

Noah didn't go after them, nor did he feel the need to explain his decision. Twenty million dollars was a substantial offer, but he had no reason to give up a business that was only beginning to realize its potential.