Simon was very generous during this shopping trip. He gifted Howard not one, but two luxurious watches. But compared to the number of items he picked out for his girlfriend, Sarah, it seemed completely negligible.
At some point even Sarah herself was embarrassed by the jealous eyes around her. Whatever she laid her eyes on, Simon would just order the shop assistant to pack it up and deliver it to the home of Srah's parents. Michelle and Howard were just mechanically following while observing how New York's youngest billionaire was spending close to ten million dollars in jewelry and watches.
The commotion got large enough for the general manager of Tiffany to personally accompany their group. At the end of their shopping trip many news reporters of famous magazines were taking pictures around them.
While holding onto his single shopping bag, Howard was completely absent mindedly following a few steps behind Simon. Today broke anything he ever believed in. The man in front of him, who was only two years older than him, created a commotion large enough to disturb half of New York, just to satisfy the vanity of his girlfriend. Seeing the pure admiration and love written all over Sarah Harisson's face filled his heart with envy and desire. He wanted to achieve the same as the handsome boy in front of him.
On the other hand, Michelle was blushing while holding onto her new necklace. She knew that there was no way Simon Smith would ever take any interest in her. She was not delusional to this point. But she desperately didn't want this beautiful day to end. Even if she completed her studies, she would most likely never be able to repeat today again. When her point of view crossed over to the embarrassed Howard, she realized. The normally reserved Simon Smith did such a commotion only for this unknown boy next to him.
Something must be special about him, for Simon to go that far. After hesitating for a moment, she grabbed Howard free hand, and squeezed slightly. Howard was a little shocked by this sudden touch, but somehow felt a lot of comfort after having a person to share this strange situation with. This small hand gave him confidence to keep walking behind the beautiful, young, and glamorous couple in front of him.
When the four of them joined in the back of Simon's Rolly-Royce, finally everything seemed quiet for a moment. No more eyes on them, no more photos being taken, and no more questions being thrown at them.
"To finish this day, I would like to introduce you to some fine dining. I haven't been to this restaurant yet, but my older sister loves it. Can you guess where I am going to take you, Sarah?" the young billionaire asked, full of expectation for his girlfriend to guess the correct answer.
"Fine dining and your sister loves it. That narrows the choice quiet a lot. There are a few options:
Maxwell's Plum: A popular restaurant and bar known for its vibrant atmosphere and celebrity clientele.
La Côte Basque: A classic French restaurant that is a favorite among New York's high society.
Lutèce: Another renowned French restaurant, known for its elegant cuisine and upscale ambiance.
The Quilted Giraffe: A pioneering restaurant known for its innovative and luxurious approach to fine dining.
I guess it should be La Côte Basque, right? Your sister has mentioned this restaurant a few times already. I knew she picks it every other week to meet with your mum and spent a mother daughter day." Sarah answered, proud of already knowing so many details about Simon's family.
Her boyfriend was very satisfied with this answer, and lovingly kissed her blushing cheek, while holding onto her small hands.
La Côte Basque was a New York City restaurant. It opened in the late 1950s and operated until it closed on March 7, 2004. In business for 45 years, upon its closing The New York Times called it a "former high-society temple of French cuisine at 60 West 55th Street."
It was "known as much for its elegantly arrayed tables, set against a backdrop of handsome French seaside murals, as for its food."
Famous patrons included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Babe Paley, Nan Kempner, Frank Sinatra, Freddie Carucci and Dave Feeback.
Michelle and Howard were overwhelmed by the many specialties they were offered in the restaurant. Even worse was that Howard obviously had no idea how to eat many of those high-class French dishes. From time to time, Michelle was trying to help him out, while Sarah was guiding the conversation along.
As a daughter of a wealthy and traditional New York family, the young girl was well trained in how to keep a conversation flowing, without embarrassing somebody or leaving someone out. The two girls got along surprisingly well. Sarah admired the dream of becoming a fashion designer, because she wanted to get involved in the beauty business as well. They even exchanged numbers and wanted to stay in contact after this meeting. Even though Sarah was admired wherever she went, especially after being the official girlfriend of Simon Smith, the conversation today seemed the sincerest she had in months. A similar dream felt like a strong bond between the two young woman.
When the day finally came to an end, Sarah and Michelle already seemed like close friends. She even offered to accompany Michelle home. Simon agreed reluctantly, even offering them one of his cars and a bodyguard. He knew his girlfriend would have to return to her parent's house, to welcome the large amount of shopping carts they filled today.
When the two cars of Simon and his remaining four bodyguards arrived at the address of Howard Schultz, in a poor area of Brooklyn, the daydream seemed to end abruptly.
When Howard saw the taillights of the two cars, he was still in trance. If it wasn't for his nice suit and the expensive watch on his arm, he would never believe everything that happened today was reality. He was holding a small business card, like it was the largest treasure in the world. The card only had some small characters on it:
"April 5th, 6 AM, Atari Headquarters, Staten Island."