The Billionaire Heir They Looked Down On

Chapter 007

Henry had never been able to afford to join gatherings because after repaying his student loans and paying rent, his monthly salary was mostly spent on Jane.

Now that he no longer had Jane as a financial burden and had inherited a vast fortune, he no longer needed to be as frugal as before.

"Hahaha... Henry, no wonder you'd rather be late and risk losing your bonus just to go deliver takeout. Looks like you made quite a bit of money! But using work hours for your side gig and pushing your responsibilities onto your colleagues isn't right. If you ask me, you should cover the bill for this meal as an apology!" Victor said with a smirk, his arm around Jane.

Even though Victor was the manager of the Marketing Department and not from the same department as Henry, Jane was his subordinate. Given his relationship with Jane and his status as a manager, no one objected to him joining the gathering.

"You're hilarious, Mr. Lewis! Poor Henry can't even afford to treat us to breakfast, let alone cover the bill for a meal. If he pays for our dinner, I'll eat shit right here in front of everyone!" said Kent Charley, a man with a face full of pimples and a sleazy look, shouting arrogantly.

"Well, Kent, if you're so eager to eat shit, I'll make sure you get the chance. We have a deal. I'll cover the payment for dinner tonight, and afterward, I'll have the waiter fetch some from the restroom for you," Henry said, looking at the sleazy man with a calm tone.

Everyone was surprised to hear this; even Victor, who had been egging Henry on to pay for dinner, hadn't expected Henry to agree!

After the initial shock, Victor and the others quickly showed disdainful expressions, thinking Henry was just trying to save face and would likely borrow money to show off.

Charles and Maurice exchanged glances and sighed. They decided to pool together a few thousand dollars for Henry later so that he wouldn't be unable to pay the bill.

"Henry, don't try to bluff me! Let's get this straight! You can't take us to some low-end diner. It must be a high-end restaurant, at least on par with the places we usually go!" Kent said dismissively, not taking Henry's threat seriously.

"Kent, you're underestimating Henry. He's got money now and is finally being generous. There's no way he'd take us to a cheap place! At the very least, it should be a Michelin three-star one!" Victor chimed in, continuing to provoke him.

"Exactly, Mr. Lewis is right! Henry, if you take us to a Michelin three-star restaurant, I'll respect you. Heck, I'd do anything you ask me to!" Kent quickly agreed, catching onto Victor's idea.

"There's a new high-end restaurant called Aurora View on Financial Street. It's the first Michelin three-star Chinese restaurant in the U.S. Let's have our dinner there!"

"Sounds great! I've heard it's fantastic, and I've been wanting to try it! Henry, you're not going to back out, are you?" Lily and Vivian joined in, grinning as they anticipated Henry's embarrassment.

"Aurora View, huh..." Henry pondered for a moment and didn't immediately agree. Just as Victor and the others were about to mock him, thinking he was backing out, Henry suddenly said, "No problem, we'll go to Aurora View! But I'm only willing to treat people from our department. Victor, I don't know you well, and you're not in our department. If you want to come along, we'll split the bill fifty-fifty!"

Everyone turned to look at Victor, their faces filled with anticipation.

Now, it was Victor's turn to hesitate. As a department manager, he had a decent salary and wasn't short on cash, but he wasn't wealthy either. A high-end restaurant like Aurora View, with so many people dining, could easily cost forty to fifty thousand dollars. Even splitting it fifty-fifty would mean paying twenty to thirty thousand, which he could afford, but it would still hurt.

"Alright, we'll split the bill fifty-fifty for whatever we spend at Aurora View," Victor agreed after a brief hesitation. For the sake of his pride and to see Henry make a fool of himself, he accepted the proposal.

"Fantastic! We're going to dine at a Michelin three-star restaurant! Thank you, Mr. Lewis!"

"Mr. Lewis, you're so generous!"

The employees cheered. Even though Henry would be paying half of the bill, no one paid him any attention; they all crowded around Victor.

"Ah, the male ego!" Maureen sighed deeply, looking at Henry with a mix of pity and concern.

Charles and Maurice felt worried for Henry. If it were a regular restaurant, they might have managed to pool together enough money to help him cover the bill. But for a high-end restaurant like Aurora View? Even if they emptied their savings, it wouldn't be enough!

A few minutes later, everyone dispersed and drove to Aurora View.

Half an hour later, Henry and Charles arrived at the entrance of Aurora View and saw Victor and the others standing outside, waiting.

"Oh, I thought you'd gotten cold feet and wouldn't dare show up!" Victor taunted as soon as he saw Henry approach.

"Not only did he show up, but he also brought a backpack! Henry, are you planning to take all the leftovers home afterward? I've got to say, you sure know how to stretch a dollar!" Kent chimed in, standing beside Victor, joining in the mockery.

Henry ignored them and walked over to Charles and Maurice, greeting them.

"Henry, it's not too late to back out now. But once we've finished the meal, it'll be too late!" Charles whispered, tugging on Henry's sleeve.

He and Maurice had been discussing for a long time but hadn't come up with enough money or any good ideas to prevent Henry from embarrassing himself. They could only hope Henry wouldn't go into unnecessary debt just to save face.

"Don't worry. Since I dared to come, I have the money to pay the bill!" Henry replied with a relaxed smile.

"But—" Charles tried to say more, but Henry was already leading the group into Aurora View's entrance.

"Welcome to Aurora View!" A beautiful Eastern woman in a cheongsam greeted them as they entered the spacious and grand lobby. She bypassed Henry, who was walking in front, and went straight to Victor, warmly asking, "Good evening, sir. Do you have a reservation?"

She had assumed Victor was the most important person in their group.