Chapter 10 It’s Nothing at All

Just two sentences from Zack and a bill costing eight to ten thousand dollars hit Terry in the face. He dared not reject the man because Zack had yet to send him the eight thousand dollars he had promised him for sabotaging the investment. Even if Terry was fuming internally, he could only plaster on a smile. “Of course, thank you, thank you…”

When the dishes were served, Terry was irked by Javier’s presence. Who knew where the latter had scouted the names of these dishes from and put up such an act, causing him to lose so much money.

The more he thought about it, the more disgruntled he grew, so he spoke up with a fake grin, “Mr. Kersey, you must’ve had a hard time in the past, working in the office during the day and sending food delivery during the night. I bet you’ve never tried these delicacies before. Have more of them. Who knows if you’ll ever get another chance.”

Javier ignored him, like how he had ignored the cutlery on the table, but Terry did not stop there.

“Don’t worry, help yourself. I won’t ask you to foot the bill. Not everyone’s like you, you know? So poor that your pocket is emptier than a beggar’s bowl. I’m not like that. I can still afford to buy a meal for you. It feels like giving charity.

“There was once, I took some burgers out to the streets and these stray dogs kept barking since they were starving, so I did some charity and fed them those burgers.”

Terry was not planning on stopping his stream of abuse but Jade interrupted him, “Mr. Hamer, the dishes are quite decent. Please, try them.”

Terry scowled but kept his mouth shut after Jade’s intervention. After that, however, he still made occasional indirect remarks that were targeted at Javier. The latter said not a word in retaliation and was instead focused on his cellphone, which seemed like a rude thing to do during lunch, but Javier was actually scrolling through the black market app in the exclusive OS on his phone.

Illegal items were not the only things for sale in the black market. There were services as well, including finance hackers which Javier currently required.

As lunch went on, the fact that Javier busied himself on his phone without taking a single bite displeased Zack greatly, especially because he was still resentful about Javier’s expensive orders that had ended up backfiring on him. Although he had transferred the grievance to Terry, he was still miffed.

Unable to help himself, he slammed his cutlery on the table. “Javier Kersey, who are you trying to show your scowl to? No one owes you anything here!”

Terry, that groveling *ss, was quick to side with Zack despite just being ripped off by him, and made another jab at Javier.

“Sigh, don’t remind him, Mr. Dilley. I owe him. He’s taken care of my wife for years, and he did it well too.”

Zack was momentarily stunned before his face lit up with delight.

“I heard that you snatched your current chick from someone but I didn’t expect it to be him!

“I see, that’s understandable now. Look at your sour and sullen face…

“Alright, I allow you to keep wearing that ugly look on your face. Keep it on, you look quite good with it, haha!”

After the mocking laugh, Zack continued telling, “Seriously though, Mr. Kersey, we men can be without anything but not money. You can be healthy, yes, but being poor is a debilitating condition! If you’re too poor, that’s not just a condition, it’s a crime. And if this crime were to be penalized… Well, let’s just say you’d be shot seven times. Hahaha!”

Zack seemed to get a kick out of taunting Javier as he was about to speak up after guffawing but Jade cut him off. “Terry, you’ve stepped over the line.”

Although Jade had said Terry’s name, everyone at the table knew whom her words were meant for.

When Zack turned to Jade, he had put on an entirely different expression, beaming brighter than the sun. “Aww, Jade, don’t get mad. I’m just joking with him. No need to be so serious.”

He then looked at Javier. “No offense, yeah. It’s a joke. If I wish to kick a dog, I have to check who its owner is, right?”

Javier, who had not even spared Zack a proper glance, finally focused his gaze on the man’s sneering face.

“Zack Dilley, you having fun ribbing me huh? Just because of those pricey orders I made? Do you feel bad over a handful of pretty pennies?

“Man, you shouldn’t have to feel that way. Mr. Dilley and his money, right? It wouldn’t make sense if you’re feeling the pinch.

“It’s just a simple meal and look at how miserable you’re acting. That’s very ‘successful’ of you!”

Being poked in his sore spot in front of Jade served to charge Zack’s rage and embarrassment. He slammed a fist on the table and sent his cutlery flying.

“Bullsh*t! I’m upset over money? That’s the funniest joke in the world, ever!”

Zack waved for their attending server immediately.

“Go, get your POS machine here. I’m reloading 1,500 dollars to the member card. Let’s show this peasant what a rich man is!”

Javier leaned back in his chair and smirked. “You deny it when I say you’re butthurt over the dimes and want to reload a mere 1,500 dollars? Stop embarrassing yourself and turning yourself into a joke for the staff.”

Zack was shaking in anger as he pointed a shaking finger at Javier. “You sound smug, don’t you? Fine, you think 1,500 dollars is too little? You reload an amount you deem suitable then. I’ll double however much you’re reloading—even the same amount would be an offense to me. Go on!”

Zack was officially at loggerheads with Javier and Jade could not help but be worried for the latter. She had asked him when he was massaging her ankle earlier and he said that he had won 2 million dollars in the lottery. After the 22% tax deduction, he was only left with 1.6 million dollars. After the investment he had made this morning, he was now left with 60 thousand dollars.

He could barely win Zack with…a mere 60 thousand dollars, right?

Jade gave Javier’s leg a light kick under the table with her high heels to warn him but the man dismissed her with a smile.

Opposite of them, Zack was ready for a showdown, his spirit high and burning.

“Come on! Do it if you’re a man! Do the reload if you dare or get your *ss out of here!”

Javier gave Zack no reply and turned to smile at the server. “Hi, please bring your card machine here. I’d like to sign up to be a member.”

“Tch, mindlessly bold huh!”

Zack patted Terry’s head and chuckled. “Make sure to keep your eyes open and watch how he shoots himself in the foot later!”

Terry promptly responded with a servile grin, “Of course. You’re so rich, Mr. Dilley. Anyone who dares challenge you is seeking their doom!”

Every line of their back and forth served to mock Javier and both men seemed to revel in doing so.

Javier could care less about them, swiping his card when the server brought over the machine and a new member card. “30 thousand dollars, please.”

“How much?!” Zack asked in surprise before the server had even confirmed it with Javier.

He realized that things were unlike what Terry had told him on the way to the hotel. Terry had said that Javier could not even produce three thousand dollars as he was penniless. That was exactly why he dared to bluff about going double however much Javier decided to put in the membership card.

Now that the bluff was too much and he could not just bullsh*t his way out of it, he could only retrieve his bank card in feigned generosity.

“Only this much? What a waste of effort. Here, 60 thousand dollars!”

The beeping of the payment terminal as it printed out the receipt sounded like the erratic beat of Zack’s heart which was bleeding inwardly. While it was true that his family had four to six million dollars, there were all fixed assets. It was not like the family factory had been sold off and was cashed into his card.

The 60 thousand dollars he was swiping on his card had been obtained through insistent pleading and whining, squeezed out of his old man’s hands in the name of buying a car. Well, look at what had just happened. The receipt came out easily with a few beeps but his Audi A8 was turning into an Audi A4.

And he still acted nonchalant and proud!

“It’s only 60 thousand dollars. This is nothing at all to me, like a drop in the ocean!”

A drop in the ocean, huh… That would be the best.

Javier was going to test the water today. Let’s see how deep Zack’s ocean was!