Chapter 524
524 Tax
With white gloves on, Lester once again let Charlie inspect the bottle of wine. Charlie took note of the
details, such as the wine’s temperature, origin, and vintage, as well as the fact that it was unopened.
Afterward, Lester took the corkscrew and skillfully removed the cork without dropping any wood
shavings.
To maintain the wine’s flavor, even the highball glasses were slightly chilled. The gold–trim decanter,
too, had been treated.
As half a bottle of red wine was poured in, the wine emitted a faint fragrance.
These people had never drunk wine like this before. They had been to nightclubs where they ordered
cocktails like they were tea. That also cost them almost ten thousand.
However, they felt superior when they watched the owner and manager meticulously pour the wine for
them and specially present it to them in luxurious highball glasses.
“It’s all thanks to Charlie that we get to drink such good wine. Come on, let’s make a toast!”
Andy was quite something. Even the restaurant manager wanted to laugh when he heard those words.
Charlie theatrically swirled his highball glass, mentioning, “A toast is fine, but wine is meant to be
savored. We should drink it slowly.”
“Charlie knows best,” Gina said, nudging Yvette. “Yvette, I envy you so much!”
Yvette smiled graciously. “It’s enough as long as a bottle of wine can make everyone happy.
With that, except for Selena, everyone at the table stood up to toast Yvette and Charlie:
Everyone took a sip, but none of them noticed any difference. Still, Charlie continued to maintain his
image by commenting, “It’s smooth. It’s not harsh at all. There’s also a hint of
fruitiness.”
Like, come on now. Could a wine from that origin not be harsh?
Lester had been waiting for the next moment since he started standing here.
“Because this bottle of wine is quite expensive, it needs to be paid separately.”
Lester had the card reader and bill brought over.
“Sir, please review the bill.”
Lester, who ran a century–old establishment, never overlooked the courtesy of politely addressing his
customers.
Charlie was still basking in the crowd’s admiration when he took the bill with a smile. But within
seconds,
the amount on the bill made the smile freeze on his face.
“1.71
million? Million?” Charlie–tried to control himself. He never expected a bottle of wine to cost 1.7 million!
Not 17 thousand, not 1170 thousand, but 1.7 million!
As his hand clenched the bill, his face fell.
The rest of the people at the table also stopped what they were doing. Just a moment ago, they were
all smiling. But now, their eyes widened as they looked at their highball glasses.
This wine cost 1.7 million!
“Is this wine really that expensive?” A startled voice rang out.
Selena was the only one not holding a wine glass as she ate the mutton on her plate.
Yvette also realized something was wrong. She glanced at Charlie, then looked toward Lester, with a
slight smile.
“Sir, did you accidentally add an extra zero to the bill? Look, there are other amounts here.
“Oh, that’s the tax,” Lester patiently explained. “Ma’am, you may take a closer look. The total price,
including tax, is 1.7 million.”
Lester’s explanation only made matters worse, as Yvette’s face was now beet red.
She had experienced a rebirth and learned many things others didn’t know. Upon her return, she
quickly rose to prominence in Southdale by her own means, seeming to be superior to
others.
However, many people forgot she had lived in a village for many years. Her school ha