Apocalypse Fighter

Chapter 19 Go Dutch!

Henry hadn’t met anyone who acted like Richard, who was only a few years older than him.  Although he knew that Richard possessed a magnetism that made him attractive to all, Henry didn’t know what kind of man Richard truly was. Could he make Mary happy? Maybe Mary, the woman that Henry loved so fiercely, deserved someone better than even Richard. 

Henry was furious. So lost in his feelings for Mary was he that he had entertained a string of unsuccessful relationships that went nowhere. He missed Mary. But now, he owned a multimillion-dollar investment banking firm in Washington DC. He had wealth, success, and contacts. Perhaps there was a way he could get to be with Mary now that Richard had no job and few prospects… 

 “Ooh! It’s exciting to meet both of you and I’m eager to catch up. Do you mind if I order food and drinks first? Mary, you can go ahead and join your friends. Richard and I can order for you, and we’ll join you shortly.”

“Richard, what do you think?” Mary bit her lip and looked at Richard. She knew Richard didn’t like dealing with strangers.

“No problem. Take care of Steven and have fun.” Richard smiled at Mary and gave her a peck on the cheek. 

Once Mary walked into the elevator, Richard turned to Henry with a cold look.

He thought he had hidden his feelings. But I know what he was thinking. When he looked at Mary, he was definitely planning something. He still loves her. He asked me to stay with him. What is his plan? Well, hopefully, he won’t irritate me and force me to beat him up…

Henry grinned at Richard and pulled Richard to the waiter.

“Oh, Richard, I should’ve told you before. Since there’ll be more than four people joining the party, we thought it would be easier to just split the bill. You know, go dutch,” Henry paused. “It’s going to be a bit pricey and I heard you’re recently out of a job… so if you need me to cover for ya, just let me know! Or we can order cheaper stuff.” 

Then, Henry turned to the waiter. 

“I’d like to get the Bluefin tuna. Please go ahead and send it to 301.” 

“Sir, this fish is sold 400 dollars per kilogram. This one is 2.75 kilograms. We can give you a special discount. You only need to pay 1000 dollars for it.” The waiter pulled out a large fillet of the ruby-red tuna and smiled at Henry.

I get it. So, he plans to humiliate me in this way. Some fish that costs 1000 dollars… He thought I can’t afford it? Richard looked at Henry and smiled coldly. Now that Henry started the game, he would let Henry know who would be the winner in the end.

Richard waved to the waiter and asked gently, “Do you have anything higher quality? My wife just gave birth to my son. I want to order something special for her.”

“Well, sir, you could opt for the sea urchin. It’s flown in fresh each morning straight from Hokkaido. We also have wonderful beluga sturgeon caviar.” The waiter uttered. 

Henry looked at Richard with a cold look. 

Stupid! Richard probably has no idea how much that stuff costs. When he realizes, it’s going to be so incredibly awkward. He will be so embarrassed in front of his wife and all of her friends…

“Excellent. Please send both over to 301.”

Both the waiter and Henry were surprised and speechless. Why was Richard ordering the most expensive stuff on the menu?

“You sure about that, buddy? Those don’t come cheap.” Henry said.

“Henry, what are you saying? You said I can order whatever I want. Well, you don’t have enough money? Can’t you afford it?” Richard smiled. He knew that Henry still loved Mary. There was no need to be kind to such a man. Richard was happy to mock Mary. 

“Can you? It’s not about me, Richard. You ought to know what you can and can’t afford, don’t you think?” Henry chortled. 

 “Oh, but I thought we would split the bill evenly? Go dutch, just like you said.” Richard gazed at Henry with a sharp look.

Henry was full of anger. He did the math in his mind. He would have to pay thousands of dollars to cover. Clenching his fists, Henry uttered, “Okay. You’d better do as you say! Waiter, go get the platter!”

“Really? Are you sure?” The waiter was shocked. He hadn’t expected that things would go like this. Well, customers said they want the fish, and he would get the fish for them. After all, he had been taught that the customer is always right.