Lisa and her two sisters finished their meal and followed Carla out.
Once outside, they couldn't help but take a look at the staff who were unloading the produce. They saw that there was lobster, sea cucumber, abalone, and other expensive ingredients in the truck, which seemed to be the same one that they had seen days ago in front of Sunset restaurant.
"Where did all this stuff come from? It looks pretty good," the chefs said as they studied the goods.
"The lobster is from Canada, the sea cucumber is from Australia, and the abalone is from Germany. Don't worry—everything is the world's best," the delivery man said.
"Let me see the documents for your shipment. Let me see when it arrived at the port." The delivery man quickly handed over a record book to a chef. This was the official data, and it recorded all the information of the shipment in detail.
"Hey, you don't trust us yet. The goods I'm giving you must be the best in New York. These goods were all checked and accepted by customs an hour ago. They are definitely the freshest," the delivery man said with a smile.
"Okay," the chefs said as they looked at the documents and nodded their heads in satisfaction. They had already picked out the ingredients that they needed and asked, "Where are you going to send the rest of this?"
"We take them to Sunset restaurant first. Although they're the leftovers, these are still top produce. I estimate that this hotel is the best in all of New York," the delivery man said as he loaded the remaining food into the truck.
This scene stunned Lisa and the others. The produce for the Sunset restaurant was chosen from their leftovers? Doesn't that mean the food here is better than at Sunset? How is it possible that the cargo could be transported here within an hour of reaching the port? she asked herself.
When Lisa recalled the taste of the food that she had just enjoyed in the dining area, it really had been more delicious than what they had eaten at Sunset.
Lisa, Fiona, and Natalie felt a great heartache.
That meal at Sunset restaurant had cost many thousands of dollars, and they had made big fools of themselves.
They had never thought that they would be able to enjoy a feast that was worth so much money but would be free of charge at Azalea Guest House. Plus, the ingredients were even fresher than those at Sunset.
They had stayed in Azalea Guest House for a week for nothing, but they had never eaten a single meal there.
When they thought about losing so much money all at once, Lisa and the others felt as if their hearts were being cut out bit by bit.
"Are you all right?" Carla asked with concern. Why did the three of them turn so pale all of a sudden?
"Mind your own business." Lisa gave Carla a hard look, thinking that Carla had been dining at the hotel all week. She looked at her with even more distaste, as if she had taken advantage of her.
Walking around the garden path in the courtyard, Lisa and the others finally felt a little better. However, there was one thing that they couldn't understand. Why was the Azalea Guest House restaurant so much more sophisticated than Sunset? This was just a run-down hotel that was about to shut down.
At that moment, they happened to be near the hotel's front entrance.
"I'm sorry, but please don't pass yet. You can take a detour to the other side," a man in a suit and shiny leather shoes said as he blocked their path. He looked like a staff member.
"Oh, okay," Lisa saw how handsome this man was and agreed in a daze. She stood beside Fiona and her sisters.
There were several staff members there, and all of them were tall and wore earphones. They wore serious expressions and said something into the earphones from time to time.
A few minutes later, the staff members started getting nervous and looked towards the entrance.
A flashy car with a red flag slowly drove up. A foreigner stepped down out of the car. A man who looked like he was in charge went to shake hands with the foreigner. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the translator, the man in charge invited the foreigner to enter through Azalea Guest House's gate.
Surprisingly, there were also a few reporters following behind them with cameras. A smartly dressed staff member stood nearby to protect them.
As they walked ahead, the man in charge introduced the Azalea Guest House to the foreigners through translators. The foreigners looked at the surroundings and nodded from time to time.
As they passed by Lisa and the others, they heard the man say, "This hotel is specially designed to receive the most respected guests. We've previously received the Secretary of State for Finance, the chancellor of the University of Oxford, and the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization."
The foreigner nodded and spoke in a foreign language. The translator quickly said, "Minister Yayaturei said that he is honored to be able to stay in a place where so many distinguished people have stayed. He also hopes that this trip to New York can attract more investment for El Salvador."
As the group spoke, they walked toward a large conference room by the courtyard.
Lisa and the others were shocked when they heard their words.
What kind of hotel was Azalea Guest House? They have even received powerful people, such as foreign ministers and chancellors, they wondered.
Thinking about how the receptionist had reminded them that they must leave their room, as well as the top ingredients in the hotel's dining area, Lisa felt more and more that Azalea Guest House was not as simple as they had imagined.
Lisa opened her phone and searched for information about the hotel on the internet.
When they saw the results, the sisters were completely dumbfounded. The words almost blinded them.
They were actually staying in one of the top hotels in the world. It was no wonder that they were not able to extend their stay in the room, and that the food was even better than at Sunset restaurant. Everything made more sense.
This was a place that had received countless nobles and dignitaries. Ordinary people, even if they had money, wouldn't be able to book a room there. Yet, these ladies from a small city had stayed there for a week.
If they had known earlier, they would have felt better there.
It was a pity that they had to leave the next day.
Lisa's gaze shot toward Carla as if she was a hungry dog that had seen bones. Her eyes lit up.
"Um… I'll go back first," Carla said as she was terrified by her stare.
"Don't go, Carla. Are you leaving tomorrow as well?" Lisa asked as she moved closer to her.
"Alex has already helped me pay. I can still stay here for a few days," Carla said in a low voice. She felt that Lisa and the others were like hungry wolves. Their eyes were red, and they could eat her at any time.
"Carla, let your daughter's boyfriend help us out for a few more days. We want to stay here to keep you company." Lisa had changed her way of addressing her. She definitely couldn't use Alex, so her only hope was Carla.
"Carla, please help us talk to Alex. Did you forget that we were the ones who gave you the plane ticket?" said one sister.
"I believe Carla will definitely help us renew our room since we came to New York together," said another sister.
The three sisters really wanted to stay for a few more days. After staying with so many great people, they would be able to benefit from their spiritual energy. At the same time, they could boast to their friends and relatives and become the center of attention.
"All right!" Carla wasn't the type to fuss about it, so she agreed.
She gave Alex a call, asking him to get a new room for Lisa and the others.
Previously, Debbie had told her that Alex's family background was also pretty good. At that time, Carla didn't really believe it, but she believed it now. However, Carla didn't know how big his family was, so she had to ask Debbie about it when she had time.
"Thank you, Carla. Take care!" After Lisa and the others respectfully escorted Carla to her room, they strolled around the courtyard. Knowing that this was such an important hotel, they even felt that the hotel's bathroom was more fragrant than the flowers outside.
The three sisters walked around and took fancy photographs, which would be evidence for their later claims that they had been to this hotel.
After two hours of photographing, they finally returned to their rooms in satisfaction.
"I didn't expect Alex to be able to get a room at a great hotel. Now that I think about it, that kid is quite handsome," Fiona said as she sat on the bed and looked at a photo on her phone.
"At first, I saw that he was poorly dressed and didn't have a watch. I thought he was a pauper with a poor woman like Debbie. But now, it seems that he isn't that simple," replied Natalie.
"I'm rich myself. But I've just asked how much it costs to stay here for a night, and its more than twenty thousand dollars. Who could possibly afford to spend that much money?" Lisa pondered and said, "Don't forget, this is a particularly exclusive hotel. It's impossible to book a room without status."
"Yeah, I think it's strange now. Think about this—why did Manager Hood treat us so courteously on our first day at Sunset restaurant? It must have been out of respect for one of us. At first, we all thought it was Darren, but it doesn't look like that's the case after what happened today," Natalie analyzed calmly.
"Only Alex—" Lisa paused then continued, "I didn't think that Alex would hide himself so well at such a young age."
"That's right—which one of the normal rich kids aren't arrogant and cruel? How many of them can be as calm and collected as he is? It seems like this Alex is no ordinary wealthy man. This kind of person is very powerful—he will definitely be very successful in the future," Fiona said, and the other two nodded in agreement.
"If only Donna could be with Alex. It seems like Carla and her daughter still don't know that Alex is from a top family. This is an opportunity—" Lisa began to scheme.
"That's right. In front of Alex, Darren is nothing," said one sister.
"Hmm—I'll tell Donna. Although the chances are slim. But if I don't give it a try, I'll regret it for the rest of my life," Lisa said with a serious look in her eyes.