Novel Full Chapter 158: The Chairman’s First Banquet
Chapter 158: The Chairman’s First Banquet
Several of the dancers couldn’t help stealing glances at Mia.
Just recently...
They had all been staff members working together, relying on dance performances to make a living.
Today...
Mia was already sitting inside the Chairman’s exclusive private room on the top floor of Bellagio Grand.
The difference between yesterday and today was like heaven and earth.
Their eyes were filled with envy.
Some were jealous.
Others were genuinely happy for her.
Deep down...
Every one of them wished they could one day meet a man like Lucas.
A man handsome enough to make girls blush...
Powerful enough to own Bellagio Grand...
And generous enough to completely change someone’s life overnight.
Feeling all those complicated gazes directed at her...
Mia suddenly became a little embarrassed.
She lightly tugged on Lucas’s sleeve before smiling at Connie.
"Manager Connie..."
"Have you eaten yet?"
"If not..."
"Why don’t you sit down and join us?"
"There are only two of us."
"We’ll never be able to finish all this food."
Lucas immediately nodded in agreement.
"She’s right."
"Come sit."
His gaze swept across the enormous dining table.
It was practically overflowing.
More than thirty exquisite dishes filled every available space.
Steaming seafood.
Premium steaks.
Rare delicacies.
Expensive soups.
Exquisite desserts.
Every signature dish Bellagio Grand was famous for had been brought out.
For ordinary guests...
Many of these dishes required reservations made more than a month in advance.
Some were only available in limited quantities each day.
Connie had arranged every single one without hesitation.
Originally...
She thought Lucas had come to inspect the hotel’s cuisine.
She imagined he would carefully examine every presentation, taste only a small bite from each plate, then calmly point out flaws one after another.
From that perspective...
Thirty or forty dishes didn’t seem excessive.
But now...
Watching Lucas genuinely prepare to enjoy dinner...
She suddenly realized he had simply come here to eat.
And judging from the way he kept looking at the table...
He was actually worried about wasting food.
Connie couldn’t help becoming even more confused.
Why did this mysterious new chairman feel so unlike every powerful businessman she had ever met?
No...
Maybe she was misunderstanding something.
Perhaps...
He intended to dismiss her after tonight.
And this dinner was simply a final act of kindness before sending her away.
Or maybe...
He was deliberately testing her.
Waiting for her to make one tiny mistake so he could find a perfectly reasonable excuse to fire her.
Connie had read countless ridiculous stories online.
Someone being dismissed because they arrived two seconds late.
Someone losing their job because they used the wrong coffee mug.
Someone even being fired simply because they stepped into the office with their left foot first.
The more she thought about it...
The more nervous she became.
Lucas might really be waiting for exactly such an excuse.
It wasn’t impossible.
Taking a slow breath...
Connie answered carefully.
"Chairman Lucas..."
"I’m afraid that wouldn’t be appropriate."
"Our employees aren’t allowed to eat during working hours."
After saying that...
She secretly felt relieved.
That answer was perfect.
Polite.
Professional.
There shouldn’t be anything Lucas could criticize.
Lucas looked at the mountain of food once again before slowly shaking his head.
"What a waste."
"There are only two of us."
"Even if we packed everything..."
"It wouldn’t taste the same tomorrow."
He looked directly at Connie.
"Rules are important."
"But rules were created by people."
"And right now..."
"I’m the one making the rules."
"If I tell you to sit down and eat..."
"What exactly are you afraid of?"
His tone wasn’t harsh.
Yet it carried an unquestionable authority that naturally made people obey.
For a brief moment...
Connie suddenly remembered a famous line from an old movie.
"My rules..."
"...are the rules."
She couldn’t help smiling bitterly inside.
"...Understood, Chairman."
"I’ll respectfully accept your invitation."
She knew refusing again would only make things awkward.
Slowly...
She pulled out a chair and sat beside Mia.
Lucas then looked toward the dancers who were still standing obediently nearby.
"You girls too."
"Come over."
"Let’s eat together."
The dancers blinked in surprise.
"...Us?"
Lucas nodded naturally.
"Of course."
"I’ve only been your boss for a day."
"We haven’t even properly introduced ourselves."
"So think of today as..."
"...the boss treating everyone to dinner."
Truthfully...
Lucas still hadn’t completely adapted to his new identity.
He simply wasn’t used to sitting comfortably while a group of girls stood beside him watching him eat.
It made him feel strangely uncomfortable.
Besides...
Most of the dancers were around the same age as Mia.
Some were even younger.
The moment they heard Lucas’s invitation...
Several of them immediately lit up with excitement.
"Really?"
"Chairman Lucas is treating us?"
The girls happily started walking toward the table.
Seeing this...
Connie’s expression changed instantly.
"Oh no..."
As the manager...
It wasn’t strange for her to accompany the chairman during dinner.
But these dancers were Bellagio Grand’s biggest attraction.
Many guests specifically came to enjoy their performances.
And now...
On the chairman’s very first visit...
Every single dancer had abandoned her duties simply because of one dinner invitation.
Wouldn’t that leave an irresponsible impression?
Thinking of that...
Connie hurriedly stood up.
"I’m terribly sorry, Chairman Lucas."
"This is entirely my fault."
"I’ve failed to manage them properly."
While apologizing...
She repeatedly winked toward the lead dancer.
The girls immediately noticed Connie’s desperate signals.
Their excited smiles froze.
One by one...
They awkwardly stopped halfway to the table before silently returning to their original positions, standing neatly in line once again.
Lucas watched the entire scene with a puzzled expression.
Only then did he finally understand what Connie had been worrying about this whole time.
He couldn’t help laughing.
"Connie..."
"You don’t have to be so nervous around me."
"I’m really not that scary."
He gestured toward the table once more.
"Just think of today as the boss treating everyone to dinner."
"We’ll eat together."
"We’ll chat together."
"And get to know each other a little better."
"There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that."
He paused briefly before smiling.
"To be honest..."
"I probably won’t have much time to come here very often."
"So from now on..."
"I’m trusting all of you to help me take care of Bellagio Grand."
"As far as I’m concerned..."
"We’re already on the same team."
"Come on."
"Everyone, sit."
"I know working here isn’t easy."
"So forget the rules for today."
"Just think of this as relaxing over a meal with me."
Lucas smiled casually as he spoke, his tone carrying none of the arrogance Connie had expected from someone in his position.
To him...
It was simply a dinner.
But to Connie...
Only one sentence truly echoed in her mind.
"I’ll be relying on all of you in the future."
She stared at Lucas blankly for a moment, almost afraid she had misheard him.
Her lips parted slightly.
"...Chairman Lucas..."
"Does that mean..."
"You’re... not planning to fire us?"
Her voice carried a trace of disbelief, along with the nervousness she had been suppressing all evening.