As soon as Brandon heard this, he exploded: "Are you deaf? The receptionist just said it very clearly that I can bring my friend in with my invitation card!"
Diana looked at him as if he were a fool. "Did you let him finish?" she asked.
"What?!" Brandon didn't understand what she meant.
At this moment, the receptionist finally spoke up: "Sir, you can indeed bring your friend in, but only one."
"Only one person?!" Ava couldn't help but exclaim. She widened her eyes and angrily said, "What kind of stupid rule is this? We're all together, why can't we go in together?"
Upon hearing her words, the receptionist adjusted his glasses and slowly said, "I'm sorry, but that's the rule of the Diohn Club." Although his tone was still polite, there was no hint of compromise.
Ava was about to say something but was stopped by Noah, who pulled her back and whispered, "Are you crazy? Do you want to die? We don't want to be with you!"
Upon hearing this, Ava realized that she had lost her composure. She couldn't afford to cause a scene at the Diohn Club, as she didn't know what the consequences might be. She immediately closed her mouth and reluctantly stood next to Brandon.
Diana stood on the side, with a smirk on her face as she asked Brandon, "So, who are you planning to bring in?" Brandon looked at her expression, feeling both frustrated and angry. He had confidently promised to take them into the Diohn Club, but things had not gone as planned. The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.
Maddie noticed the tension and stepped forward, suggesting in a soft tone, "Since we can't go in, why don't we go somewhere else instead? It's not like this is the only place to hang out."
Maddie knew that the situation wasn't going well and she figured that by stepping in to mediate, she could leave a good impression on everyone. As for the Diohn Club, she wanted to get in, but unfortunately Brandon was being a hindrance and there was nothing she could do about it.
After Maddie spoke her piece, Brandon immediately looked her way. In his mind, Maddie's image improved a bit. However, he quickly snapped out of it and realized it wouldn't work.
Before coming, Brandon had already posted on various social media platforms that he was going to the Diohn Club. His friends commented that he had to take a picture and show it off to everyone once he got in. Brandon was excited to do so, but now he realized that if he couldn't get in, he would look bad. He didn't want to leave the others behind either. The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Diana noticed his embarrassment and playfully said, "What's wrong? Don't you want to leave us behind and go in by yourself?"
Brandon's true thoughts were exposed, and he reacted like a cat whose tail was stepped on. He angrily shouted, "What are you saying on the side! If you have the guts, you make everyone go in!"
Diana didn't back down, "Okay, but you have to promise me one thing."
Everyone was stunned by her words. Brandon almost laughed out loud. He only said it casually, but he didn't expect Diana to actually agree. Now he wouldn't let her off easily, "Okay, as long as you can get everyone in, I'll agree to any condition!"
"If I do it, you have to publicly apologize to me and say sorry three times. How about that?"
"No problem." Brandon didn't even think about it, "But if you can't do it, you also have to apologize to me!"
He felt from the bottom of his heart that Diana couldn't possibly have an invitation card. Even if she did, there were six people here and she would need three cards! He was waiting for Diana to admit her mistake in front of him.
"It's settled then," Diana replied calmly, and walked towards the receptionist.
Maddie was standing by, her eyes twitching at the corner. She used to think that Diana had became smart, but now it seemed that she was just asking for trouble. However, this was exactly what Maddie wanted, she was looking forward to seeing Diana make a fool of herself! Diana approached the receptionist and handed something over. The group craned their necks to take a look and burst out laughing when they saw what it was.
"Hahaha, Diana, did you forget your brain at home today? You're using your credit card as an invitation card, huh? Do you really think this proves that you're someone important?" Ava was the first to laugh uncontrollably.
Maddie suppressed a smile and pretended to scold Diana, saying, "Come on, Diana. What are you doing? I feel embarrassed for you. You should apologize to Brandon properly. Maybe he won't ask you to apologize anymore."
Luke, standing beside them, couldn't help but sneer. He could finally get revenge for being beaten up before. He would talk to Brandon later and ask Diana to apologize for a little longer. This way, he could record a video and upload it online, making her unable to hold her head up at college.
The receptionist glanced at the card and then gave her a mocking smile. "What do you mean by this, miss?"
Diana looked at him and asked, "Don't you know me?"
"I don't," replied the receptionist.
"Take a look at this card, my name is on it, and go find your manager. He should know who I am," Diana said calmly.
The receptionist's eyes flashed with impatience upon hearing her request. He thought they were just a bunch of young and inexperienced kids, probably some spoiled rich kids. But there was a limit to their nonsense, and he wanted them to realize where they were.
"Our manager is busy, and he can't come over here. I'm sorry, but if you don't have an invitation card, you should leave," the receptionist said.
Brandon lazily retorted, "Oh, it looks like the ID license doesn't work at all. You should come over and apologize, or else you'll embarrass yourself."
Maddie pretended to be hesitant and said, "Diana is a girl. It would be embarrassing to apologize in front of so many people. I shouldn't have brought her here in the first place."
"She confidently made a bet with me. She should accept the consequences if she loses," Brandon said loudly.
Diana seemed completely unaffected by the people behind her. She furrowed her brow, took back her ID license, and pulled out her phone to look for something. After a quick search, she found what she was looking for and handed her phone to the receptionist to show them.
Suddenly, a man in a gray suit rushed out of the Diohn Club behind them. He appeared to be about forty years old and, although not particularly handsome, had a refined air and sharp gaze that gave him an imposing presence.
The receptionist immediately lowered their head and addressed him as "Manager, what brings you here?"
The manager glanced at him and said, "Leave this to me. You can go back to your work."
The receptionist looked confused, but nodded and left. The few people with Diana were stunned. The manager of Diohn Club had come out? They realized that Diana's behavior might have caused dissatisfaction among the club's staff. Suddenly, they all stepped back a bit, distancing themselves from her.
Lily spoke with fear in her voice: "What if Diana angers the people at Diohn Club? If they investigate, we'll have to distance ourselves from her!"
Ava rolled her eyes and retorted: "Let her be! She always causes trouble. Nobody should bother with her later!"
"But...the manager doesn't seem to be here to reprimand her," Noah rubbed his chin and said thoughtfully.
The group turned their heads to see the manager of Diohn Club approaching Diana. He bent down slightly and asked softly, "Excuse me, are you Miss Diana Thompson?"
"Yes," Diana nodded and added, "You should know who I am."
"Of course I do! I didn't expect you to come!" The manager flashed a polite smile.
The people behind Diana were stunned. What, what's going on? Does Diana have some kind of relationship with this manager?
"Then it's easy," Diana put away her phone. She had just found the documents that could prove her identity, but now it seemed she didn't need to show them.
"Excuse me, do you know Diana?" Maddie approached, surprised.
The manager nodded, then looked at Diana. "Miss Thompson is the most honored guest of our Diohn Club."
What?! Everyone's eyes widened, and they took a deep breath, thinking they had misheard.
"Are you joking? How could Diana be a VIP here?" Maddie stiffened. There were rumors that the owner behind Diohn Club had a lot of power. How could someone like Diana be involved?
"I'm not joking. Please show some respect for Miss Thompson." The manager frowned, his gaze revealing a hint of oppression. Maddie was shocked and too scared to speak again.
Diana spoke softly, "I want to bring them in."
"Okay, I'll arrange the best room for you right away!" the manager replied eagerly.
Diana shook her head, "No need, just a regular room will do. You go ahead and take care of things, I can manage on my own."
"Alright, here's my business card. If you need anything, just give me a call," the manager handed Diana a card. Then, he solemnly gave her another card, "With this card, no one will dare to bother you when you're inside."
Diana lowered her head to take a look. Unlike Brandon's card, which was white with a red rose, this one was black with a blue flower embroidered in gold thread. The card was heavy, with a strange luster, and Diana couldn't tell what it was made of.
Diana held the card in her hand and looked up at the manager, catching his smile. From his eyes, Diana sensed that something was off. She felt a pang of doubt, wondering if John had found out she was here and arranged this. But he was in New York, how could he know what was happening here? It couldn't be him who arranged this, could it?