The Dumped Husband Gets A Debt System

Three

The receptionist promptly raised her face with a friendly expression, but then her smile fell off when she saw the person who was requesting the most expensive suite in the hotel. She fought the urge to chuckle and rolled her eyes.

Based on his outfit, the receptionist could only assume that Reed was there on a ridiculous dare.

After all, at two hundred thousand dollars per night, the penthouse was their most expensive suite and was reserved for the truly elite such as presidents and royalty.

And this loser did not look like he had ever seen a thousand dollars, let alone two hundred thousand. And he said he wanted it for an entire year. The receptionist did a quick mental calculation and then her eyes widened.

An entire 73 million, did he even know what that looked like?

"You must be at the wrong place. Why don't you try another hotel?" The receptionist said impatiently and went back to concentrating on her screen.

She wanted him gone before more important clients came in and saw him. His presence alone was bringing down the value of their hotel with his scruffy look.

"But, I know I came to the right place. I want to stay in this penthouse."

The receptionist started to laugh at the serious expression on Reed's face.

"Angie, what is funny?" Another receptionist came over.

"Martha, this man says that he wants to take the Golden Penthouse for an entire year."

Martha scrutinized Reed, eyeing his cheap-looking clothes, and found him lacking.

She could see that he was a good-looking young man, but he looked nothing like the people who came to stay in the hotel. There was no way that he could afford the penthouse for one day, much less for an entire year.

The Golden Gate Hotel was not only the most expensive hotel in all of Ruby City, it was also the most exclusive.

People came to the hotel because they knew that other equally important people went there and would not be stalking them and asking for autographs or favours. They came to get away from desperate fans.

The typical guests were top celebrities, politicians, and members of elite families. Only the wealthy and powerful had the guts to come to the hotel.

She felt it was a disservice that Reed was even able to get into the hotel in the first place.

Reed, in his threadbare clothes and scruffy appearance, did not look like their usual clientele, and they automatically assumed he could not afford to pay, so they looked down at him.

"Sir, you must have come to the wrong hotel. The hotels that would be more in your price range are on the next street over," Martha explained carefully as if she was speaking to a foolish child.

"I am not mistaken. I want the penthouse here. I'm ready to pay."

The receptionists glanced at each other and turned bewildered looks at him.

"Are you just trying to waste our time? We don't service people like you. Leave before we call security."

Reed crossed his arms and laughed and looked away from their angry faces.

He found it laughable that these receptionists who probably had to make long commutes to work daily and shared a dorm room with other service girls had instituted themselves as the gatekeepers of wealth.

They looked at him and passed judgment on him, they had decided he was not good enough for service.

Their attitudes made him want the suite evn more.

"There is no need to insult me. If you take my card and try, you will see that there is…"

"The government needs to do something about drugs on the streets. Some people get intoxicated and think they are rich."

"Yes, we don't accept frauds like you. You better leave, or else we will have the manager call the police to throw you out."

Their confrontation began to attract attention from guests in the lobby who started to crane their necks to get a better sense of what was happening at the receptionists' table.

"Why don't you call the police then? Because I am not moving an inch until you attend to me."

"Oh, you are still trying to be headstrong?" Martha sneered and pressed the button hidden under her desk.

"What is the ruckus? What is going on here?" came the stern question from a young woman who rushed into the lobby.

With her long, shapely legs that were shown off in a short grey skirt, bright spotless skin, and her beautiful face, she looked more beautiful than both receptionists put together.

"Miss Jessi, this man came in from the streets and does not want to leave. But don't worry, we are dealing with it," Angie turned with a smile at Jessi.

"I only want to pay for a suite. I'm not here to cause any problems," Reed said nonchallantly.

"I know what he is trying to do. He wants to case the building so that he and his friends can come and rob us later," cried Martha.

Jessi studied Reed and noticed how he did not seem concerned with the insults being rained on him.

If anything, he looked extremely bored. Like he had all the time in the world.

That was how you knew wealthy people, not necessarily by the flashy things they wore and waved around, but by their attitude in the face of conflict.

If one looked casually at him, he looked like just some random guy on the street, but a closer look showed Jessi that he was a man of presence who should not be trifled with.

And even though his clothes and appearance looked less than ideal, his calm confidence made him stand out, and that made Jessi curious to see how things would play out.

She knew that one of two things would happen: he would either prove he was wealthy enough to pay his bills, or he was just delusional. Jessi was curious to see which of the two was going to be the case.

"I say let's call the police and let them deal with him," Angie insisted.

"What crime have I committed? You have not attended to me but instead have rained curses on me."

"You've spent more time insulting me than doing your job. Is this how the Golden Gate treats paying customers?" Reed asked calmly.

"Girls, that is enough. My apologies for the harassment, Mr…"

"Reed," Reed answered Jessi.

"Mr. Reed, I am a member of the legal team here at Golden Gate Hotel. Why don't we process your payment?"

"That is a waste of my time. Why are you even apologizing? People like him don't deserve it," Martha muttered.

"You sound so certain. What if I prove you wrong? What will you do then?"

"I will chew my own shoe and resign from here," Angie taunted without wasting time.

"And when your payment fails, there will be no mercy." She pointed a threatening finger.

She relished the thought of seeing him dragged out by the police and taken to jail where he would learn a lesson.

"Martha, that is enough already." Jessi's eyes had turned to narrow slits of irritation.

A couple who had been discussing among themselves turned to look.

"What's going on?"

"Just some guy causing trouble…"

"Why won't the security just throw him out?"

Just at that moment, the security guards who had been summoned stepped into the lobby. When she saw them, Martha waved them closer.

"This is the troublemaker that's causing a commotion," she pointed at Reed.

"Huh? Reed, why are you causing a scene instead of doing your job?" One of the guards peered closer at Reed's face.

"Do you know him?" Angie asked.

"Yes, he works in this hotel. He is a cleaner."

Angie and Martha gave triumphant smiles. It seemed like everything was turning out exactly how they had predicted it.

He was not just any type of poor person; he was a cleaner working in the same hotel, and he wanted to fool them and make them lose their jobs.

"You see? I told you this man was a fraud."

Jessi stared at Reed. Despite the chaos around him, he remained calm and undisturbed. Something about his reaction did not sit well with her, and she wanted to see how this all ended.

"That has nothing to do with my paying for the suite." Reed faced Martha coldly.

Jessi looked at him and made a decision. "Alright Martha, I still want you to process his payment,"

Martha grabbed the payment device with a smirk.

"Let's see how far this act goes then," she muttered.

"Stop wasting my time," Reed stared at her ruthlessly.

For a second, the expression on his face made her hesitate; then she remembered that he was just some cleaner, not the heir of a wealthy family.

She held out the scanner.

Reed didn't hesitate.

He placed his card on it.

Beep.

The machine paused.

One second.

Two seconds.

Martha's smile widened.

"I knew it. What a loser."

Beep.

The scanner flickered.

"Processing…"

Martha scoffed under her breath.

"I think his balance is so low that it has broken our scanner," she muttered mockingly.

"Payment accepted."

Martha's eyes grew so big that she looked more like a cartoon character.

Her eyes swung up to Reed; she shook her head at his smug smile.

Then back to the screen and thought, this can't be real.

For a moment, no one spoke.

The lobby fell into a suffocating silence.

Then…

"Wait… it actually went through?"

"That's impossible…"

"Did he just pay for the penthouse… for an entire year?"

A phone slipped from someone's hand and clattered to the floor.

Angie staggered back, her legs giving way as her back bumped hard against the marble of the counter.

"N-no… that's not possible…"

Jessi's gaze locked onto Reed, her heart pounding.

She had seen wealthy men before.

But none of them had ever looked this… composed.

As if this meant nothing.

As if he had just spent only a few scents not millions.

Reed didn't even look at them.

He simply adjusted his sleeve.

"Now," he said calmly,

"Shall we proceed… or do you need more time to insult me?"