Miss Ricardo Is Our Honored Guest

Selena leisurely adjusted her posture, expressing with proud satisfaction, "I don't know if Valentina can get into college, but Diana said she's a sure fit for Biddeford University. Isn't that right, Diana?" If it wasn't for Diana repeatedly urging her to keep the Biddeford University acceptance thing a secret, she would have taken advantage of today's opportunity to bring it out in front of everyone and take a good few moments of boasting. "Really, Diana? You can get into Biddeford University?" George asked, excitement coloring his face, as he looked towards Diana in disbelief. For George, who had been poor for most of his life and looked down upon by his wife and blood brothers, his children were his hope; Augus and Diana's achievements had always been his pride. For him, a man on the bottom rung of society, having a child attend Biddeford University and achieve outstanding things in the future, was the greatest joy. "Yeah, Dad. I brushed through questions until midnight for a while, and I know all the questions I took this time. There is absolutely no problem in getting into Biddeford University," Diana replied. Upon hearing this, Selena straightened up even more confidently. The years she spent as part of the Ricardo family had never been this bright. "That's great," George uttered, his eyes wet, unable to form any coherent sentences in his excitement. Augus gave Diana a glance. Feeling Augus's gaze, Diana was slightly nervous in her heart. "Really? Getting into Biddeford University is a huge achievement." Johnson, the man in charge, laughed heartily, stating generously, "If you really get into Biddeford University, I will give you a big gift." "Thank you, Uncle Johnson," Diana, who became the center of attention after Uncle William's statement, was secretly delighted. "Hmph, anyone can talk big; let's wait till the admission before saying anything. It would be funny if you ended up embarrassing yourself," Pena said sourly, unable to bear Selena's smug expression and immediately retaliating, "By the way, how's Augus's foot doing? Nowadays, medical technology has advanced so much that you can have hope in a big city. If he's crippled for life, how will he find a job or a wife in the future? Even if he gets into a good university, this foot will surely hold him back." Caught off guard, Augus felt the elders' sudden malice. He froze, his hand under the table awkwardly clenching into a fist. With just a few words, Pena successfully hit the soft spot of Selena. Before Selena could react, a light yet chilly voice sounded ahead of her. "What good is kindness if it's just empty talk? Contribute something tangible like seventy or eighty thousand dollars to treat my brother's foot. He'd be grateful." "Seventy or eighty thousand dollars? You're quite audacious with your words. Children don't understand the hardships of making money. I have some savings indeed, but I have my own family to provide for." "Even thirty or fifty thousand dollars would do." Valentina was relentless, causing Pena's family to be somewhat embarrassed. Forget about thirty or fifty thousand dollars, she wouldn't even spare them a dime. But to outright say that, would be too demeaning for someone who initiated the conversation out of concern. Pena stayed silent for a while. "If you can't give, stop using the pretext of concern to sting others with their pains," Valentina's voice suddenly turned cold. "You're well past your youth and still can't talk things out nicely." These words from Valentina shocks everyone at the table. George leaped in fright, "Val, how could you talk to Pena like that?" Yet, Selena and Diana find Valentina's rebuttal satisfying. Although they didn't like Valentina, it didn't stop them from enjoying the spectacle. "How dare you talk to Pena like that? You're so disrespectful!" Frank slammed the table in anger, pointing at Valentina. "Selena, you taught your daughter well. She dares to talk to elders like this." Pena also cannot hide her anger. Pena's son, Greg, disdainfully said, "Humph, what can you expect from someone raised in a poor family?" Valentina placed a hand on the table, lazily leaning against the chair back, her face expressionless as she looked at the three of them, the ominous aura filling her cold eyes making them especially dangerous. "I'm really sorry." George stood up and apologized hastily. "Pena, Val doesn't know any better. Don't hold it against her. Please calm down," he added. Valentina was about to make a move when Augus beside her noticed. Worried about what Valentina might do, he quickly whispered to her, "Val." "What are you worried about? I'm not going to do anything," Valentina replied with a smile to Augus. "Enough already, let's eat. It's rare for all of us to gather like this," Johnson, the one with the most authority, stepped in to ease the tension. Even if Pena was displeased, she had to put it aside. After all, her family's business was reliant on Johnson's support. The dishes started being served one after another. Johnson's daughter caught a glimpse of Diana taking photos of the dishes with her phone and scoffed disdainfully. This scoff caught Pena's attention. Upon noticing Diana's action, she quickly got up and moved the dish in front of her to Diana, "Come on, Diana, take a photo of this. It's a beautiful dish." "Hold on, let's let our future Biddeford University student take photos first." Diana blushed and put down her phone awkwardly. "Go on with your photos. It's fine. I understand your family's situation and your feelings. It's not easy for you guys to have a meal like this; you don't need to feel embarrassed." "No need, Pena. I was just taking pictures for fun." Diana insisted, stifling her discomfort. Inwardly, she thought, "Just bear with them for now. Once I enter Biddeford University confidently, we'll see if they dare to look down upon me." "What? A few days ago, I was in..." Selena was about to say that they had been in the Biddeford a few days ago, where the principal of Biddeford University personally invited them to a grand banquet, even more upscale than this. However, before she could finish, she was interrupted by a nudge from Diana's knee. Selena was puzzled. This was a grand event, not some shameful secret. Why was it being kept hush-hush? Despite her confusion, Selena, herself uneducated, had no choice but to keep silent, as instructed by Diana repeatedly. "A few days ago, huh?" Pena scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Stop pretending to be rich when you're not. You should know your limits." She glanced at the exquisite dishes on the table and said to Johnson, "This meal must have cost a fortune, right?" "This spread is only about seven or eight thousand dollars. It's bearable." Johnson slouched in his chair, belly protruding, looking impressively affluent. "Seven or eight thousand dollars!" Pena gasped. Upon hearing that, Selena was also taken aback. "The wine is a bit pricey, a thousand dollars per bottle. Here, George, have some too." Johnson asked the waiter to pour George a drink. As the waiter approached, George immediately stood up nervously, "I, I, can't handle high-end drinks like this. No need, no need. You all enjoy." "Have a drink. It's not terribly expensive. Instead of always drinking that cheap liquor, you should taste what good wine is." Johnson, tipsy from several cups of wine, began to boast, addressing George, "If Val fails to get into college, let her come work at my company. I'll arrange for her to learn computers, be a clerk, and pay her a few hundred dollars a month." "Th-thank you. I appreciate it, Johnson," stammered George. He grabbed his wine, glanced at Valentina, and sighed resignedly. Diana was quietly snickering. Before Valentina could say anything, Augus, stood up, "Val will make it to college." Learning computers, being a clerk? Earning a few hundred dollars a month? Augus really wanted to stand up for Valentina and shut those boastful mouths. Seven or eight thousand dollars for a meal? Valentina had taken him to a meal in a top-floor private room, hundreds of times more luxurious than this. Four or five dishes there cost almost a hundred thousand dollars, and that wasn't the only time they had visited. What was the fuss about a bottle of wine costing a thousand dollars? Valentina didn't even like the taste of the 50 thousand dollars one she ordered last time! The second time she was here, she ordered an even more expensive one and didn't drink much of it. Seeing his sister and father being put down, Augus felt an upsurge of anger. Johnson merely smiled and didn’t feel like fussing with a boy. "Miss Ricardo, I notice that your table's wine is empty. We've kept the wine you didn't finish last time. Would you like to have it again?" The server holding a bottle of red wine asked Valentina as he bent beside her, whispering his question. The table full of people enjoying their meals raised their heads upon hearing him, looking at the scene before them with confusion. Before they could react, another server brought an exquisite plate of pastries and placed them in front of Augus. Addressing Augus, the server said, "Sir, during your previous visit, we noticed you particularly enjoyed these pastries of ours. They are complimentary for our esteemed guests. Please enjoy." Being addressed as sir, Augus felt decidedly odd, "Thank you." "Miss Ricardo, should I uncork the bottle for you?" The server holding the wine asked Valentina again. "You didn't throw it away?" Valentina was surprised that they had actually kept it for her. The beautiful server dressed in a neat uniform laughed and said, "This wine costs 87,000 dollars, we wouldn't dare to just throw away something so valuable belonging to our customers." "As for the 50,000-dollar bottle of red wine you ordered on your first visit, it has already aerated and can’t be stored, so we had to dispose of it."