The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Chapter 31 Punishment
At that moment, the server accompanying Hera approached Gerald discreetly and whispered, “Sir, actually, our boss is still on the premises.”

Gerald’s eyes widened in astonishment, his jaw-dropping in disbelief. Before he could fully process the revelation and dash off to find their boss, Mary quickly grabbed the hem of his suit and whispered something urgently.

“But it seems she’s trying to hide her identity. I’m not entirely certain, but I overheard her using the name Hera Ainsley,” Mary whispered cautiously.

Mary discreetly pointed her lips towards Hera. Following her gesture, Gerald found the girl who had been dragged to the issue by Claire resulting in a prolonged discussion. Despite her remarkable beauty, Hera was clad in unbranded attire. This observation aligned with Claire’s earlier claim that Hera was poor, likely accompanying a man to dine there. Gerald glanced back at Mary, raising his eyebrows as if wanting to confirm once more.

Understanding his doubts, Mary added, “Sir, if you don’t believe me, you can directly ask Miss Cindy. She arrived with our boss and addressed her respectfully as ‘young miss.’ Who else would Miss Cindy call ‘young miss’ if not the Avery family’s sole heiress?” Mary reasoned.

“Cindy was here?!” Gerald asked in incredulous surprise. Then, he added, “Then where did they eat, and why did they cancel the reservation?”

Mary briefly recounted the altercation that occurred when Hera arrived. Upon hearing the details, Gerald quickly came up with a possible conclusion as to why Hera had canceled her reservation and opted to dine with someone else instead.

However, he couldn’t just dismiss the thought of their boss being bullied in his own territory. ‘This is unacceptable!’ he thought to himself. Yet, he also considered the possibility that their boss might be maintaining a low profile for the time being. Therefore, he refrained from acting hastily.

To ensure justice for his boss, he deliberated on the appropriate punishment for Claire and her entourage.

But Claire, seemingly eager to assert herself once more, chose that moment to make her presence known. In a pleading tone, she said, “Please forgive me this once. Consider my loyalty to this establishment. I’ve been a regular customer here for a very long time. Besides, didn’t the Avery heiress cancel her reservation anyway?” With a selective memory, she conveniently overlooked her own involvement in the cancellation and downplayed the entire thing to suite her situation. She also conveniently forgotten how she disrespected Gerald multiple times.

“I’m glad you mentioned that,” Gerald said, his expression unreadable. “This establishment has a set of rules that members must properly follow if they wish to remain part of our membership. Unfortunately for you, you have been disqualified from membership qualification and will be blacklisted for a lifetime.” Gerald dropped the bomb without batting an eyelid.

“What?!” Claire’s voice raised several pitches higher upon hearing the news. The card she had been using belonged to her father. “No! Please! Anything but that! I promise to follow the rules properly from now on,” she pleaded with a trembling voice.

She can’t get their membership taken from them, her father has relied on forging connections with individuals who have a higher social standing than them. Coming to Golden Dragon Pavilion is also another way to connect with wealthier individuals with richer resources, loosing their membership here will surely cripple their company one way or another.

Her father had gone to great lengths to climb the ladder of social status and obtain a membership card. While it might seem insignificant to those in higher circles, for their family, which relied heavily on connections and socializing, it was a significant achievement and a heavy loss.

There will be a huge opportunity that they will miss without their membership. And Gerald is well aware of that, their Golden Dragon Pavilion is also considered as a network and information hub. That’s why they have difficult social qualifications to be a member.

The Avery family wouldn’t have reached their current status without a reliable source of intelligence. Recognizing this, their ancestors established the Golden Dragon Pavilion. Originally, it served as an inn for travelers during their time as advisors to the monarch. They understood the importance of gathering useful information to devise effective solutions to challenges. Today, the family leverages this network as a cornerstone of their business empire.

The members of the Golden Dragon Pavilion will have access to valuable information once they meet specific requirements. Some individuals would go to great lengths, even resorting to extreme measures, to secure a slot in this exclusive circle. Such memberships are highly coveted due to the invaluable benefits they offer. However, gaining entry is not guaranteed, and once an opportunity is lost, there’s no certainty of another chance in the future.

This exclusive option is reserved for members who have met specific requirements, a privilege known only to those who receive the service. It remains a mystery how Claire’s father became aware of this offering, but it aligns with his longstanding ambition to join the coveted 1% of members. Thus, he has spared no effort in pursuing this goal.

Gerald understood that revoking Claire’s membership was the most fitting punishment for her stepping out of line. As Claire beeing blacklisted from the Golden Dragon Pavilion unfolded before the eyes of those present, there was little sympathy for her plight. In fact, many onlookers viewed it as just retribution for her actions. Some even found a silver lining in Claire’s downfall, anticipating the opportunity for someone else to claim her vacated spot, particularly the coveted gold membership.

“This ban will take immediate effect,” he announced firmly. Then, casting a glance at the front desk attendant who had been quietly observing, he instructed, “Spread the word that there will be one opening for a gold-tier membership at the Golden Dragon Pavilion.”

The front desk attendant nodded and left to do her work.

Upon hearing the news, Claire burst into tears, and a loud thud echoed through the lobby as she dropped to her knees, clinging to Gerald. “Sir, please have mercy! My father will surely kill me if he finds out about this!” she pleaded desperately.

“Miss White, I’m afraid it’s too late for that now. I provided you ample opportunities earlier to come clean, yet you persisted in deceiving me, even causing offense to Miss Avery,” he lamented, shaking his head with regret (his fake regret that is only for show).

Only their people knew that the Avery owns the Golden Dragon Pavilion, to the outside world, the Avery only holds a share but nothing more.

Blocking their path to success due to tonight’s altercation might seem petty, but he cared little about that. His priority was ensuring that such incidents didn’t occur with their boss while she stayed in his territory.

Just like Cindy’s family, his family also has a long history with the Avery and they vowed to be the protector of the Avery from the shadows while Cindy’s family remains as the vanguard standing with the head. He can’t blame anyone for not knowing who the heiress to the Avery is because her information was locked with the highest security there is in their system. This is to protect her from information leakage while she lives outside, but now that she came back, he hopes that this information will be available to their people.

He is sure that his best friend will be happy to know that the leader they’ve been waiting for a long time has finally showed up.

Each generation in their families undergoes rigorous training to become the perfect subordinate to the heir, much like their predecessors. They are akin to emperors with their trusted aides. He and his best friend went through this, and there are countless others scattered across the globe, ready to serve their designated roles with unwavering loyalty and dedication.

“No! No! I refuse to accept this!!!” Claire shrieked hysterically as the security escorted her out.

“I’m afraid the decision is not yours to make, Miss White,” Gerald replied calmly, gesturing for the security to proceed with removing them from the premises.

“Why are you treating me like this?!” Claire exclaimed, she saw the snickering Athena on the side, she mustered all her strength and ran to Hera to drag her by the hair with her. She can’t accept being humiliated while Hera was having the time of her life.

Hera’s reflexes were faster than Claire’s. She seized Claire’s hand and squeezed it with all her strength, leaving bruising marks. “You can continue to make a spectacle of yourself, but I will not dance to your tune,” Hera smirked, then pushed Claire forcefully, causing her to lose her balance and fall onto her butt.

Claire struggled against the security, feeling unfairly judged and cornered with no way out. But before she could say anything.

Gerald’s furious outburst snapped Claire out of her malicious thoughts. “Make one more move,” he growled, his jaw clenched tightly and a visible vein throbbing in his temple, “and I’ll ensure your entire family will go begging on the streets tonight!”

Even the other guests were taken aback by his sudden outburst. Just moments ago, he was cordial and still avoiding conflict, but now his demeanor had shifted to clear hostility.

Hera glanced at him with raised eyebrows, and Claire instantly stopped struggling, her face pale with realization. She didn’t know what to make of the unfolding scenario. Blinded by panic, she had blamed everyone around her, never considering that it all stemmed from her actions. Now, she cried, consumed by worry over how to explain it all to her father.