Chapter 1

My gaze swept over the name tag on the trainee manager’s chest, and I memorized her name. It was Sasha Dean.

I immediately revealed my identity when faced with her unreasonable demand to pay ten thousand dollars for a meal.

“I’m the owner of this hotel.”

However, upon hearing my words, Sasha looked at me and my mom as if we were idiots. Then, she scoffed. “You must be out of your mind if you think you can get a free meal with that.”

She rolled her eyes, and her tone dripped with undisguised sarcasm. “You’re dressed in nothing but cheap clothes, yet you come here pretending to be the owner?

“I’ve seen plenty of cheapskate bums like you.

“If you’re on a budget, stay at a budget hotel for a few dozen dollars. Why come to a five-star hotel to enjoy the air conditioning and pretend to be rich?”

I looked down at what my mom and I were wearing.

To keep things casual and comfortable, we had taken a stroll through the local market near the hotel.

So, we were both wearing casual cotton-linen clothes that we had just bought from the local stalls. They cost less than two hundred dollars combined.

My mom was carrying nothing but a promotional eco-friendly tote bag she had gotten as a free gift when buying fruit at the market.

Our outfits certainly stood out like a sore thumb in the five-star hotel’s lobby.

Sasha tapped the counter and raised her voice.

“The owner of this hotel is my brother. He built this empire in Waterside Spry!

“Judging by how penniless you look, you’re not even worthy of tying his shoes. How do you have the nerve to pretend to be the owner?!”

Faced with Sasha’s brazen humiliation, my mom frowned and shot me a glance.

Before retiring, she had been a senior teacher at a top municipal high school. Having been an educator her entire life, she never imagined she would be subjected to such humiliation, especially not at her own daughter’s hotel.

When my mom saw me shake my head, she turned to look at Sasha.

“Ms. Dean, what you’re doing right now is extortion.

“Besides, the hotel lobby is a public lounge area. You have no right to use that excuse to chase guests away, let alone make personal attacks.”

Sasha turned pale with shock. She had not expected an elderly woman dressed in cheap street clothes to be so eloquent.

Furious and humiliated, she grabbed her walkie-talkie and shouted, “Security, there are two troublemakers in the lobby! Send someone over immediately!”

In less than half a minute, four security guards stormed in from the hallway.

Sasha pointed at us menacingly and threatened, “In this hotel, I’m the one who calls the shots.

“You will pay ten thousand dollars today. Don’t even think about taking a single step out of here until you do!”

Watching this absurd scene unfold before me, I could not help but wonder.

She had a “brother in all but blood” who dared to lay down the “law” in my hotel. Which executive in the group was pretending to be a big shot?

I had to get to the bottom of this immediately and have human resources and the compliance department look into it.

As I reached for my phone, I realized it was turned off.

Then, I remembered that I had drained the battery earlier at the market while filming a video for my mom.

Staring at the black screen, I quickly regained my composure.

If I got into a physical altercation with these security guards, my elderly mom could easily get hurt.

So, I reached out to stop my mom, who was about to continue arguing with the security guards. Then, I turned to look at the smug Sasha.

“Fine, I’ll pay the ten thousand dollars.

“But since this is a gourmet meal, I demand that you issue a restaurant receipt along with a detailed itemized bill.”