Chapter 4: I Won’t Be a Fool

"Clara, you’re the best!" Dumb as always, could she really be so easily swayed just by a few words? As the two entered the living room, Lee greeted them with a warm smile. "Miss Daisy, Miss Clara, I’ve just made some boiled fish, wash your hands and come eat!" "Lee, you’re always so thoughtful!" Daisy Stone affectionately hugged Lee’s arm and acted coyly. Lee lovingly pinched her cheek, as close as a real mother and daughter. Suddenly, a bizarre thought popped into Clara Bennett’s mind. In a past life, Lee had come to work for the family through an agency. Initially, Clara was not satisfied with her, thinking her work was not meticulous enough, and the housework was carelessly done. It was Daisy who suggested keeping her, saying she was from their hometown, with a friendly and caring nature. It was difficult for the elderly to find work far away, so she hoped Clara could be more forgiving. She hadn’t paid much attention before, but now seeing their strikingly similar facial features, she recalled how their mother’s health deteriorated since Lee came into their home, and how Samuel Grant seemed to know everything about their family’s movements. A chill swept through her body instantly! Clara didn’t care much about what to eat; sweet and sour fish was actually a dish Daisy especially loved. Every time Daisy visited, this dish would surely appear on the table. Clara’s face darkened, "I’ll go upstairs and change my clothes first!" Once back in her room, she quickly picked up the phone and dialed a number: "Get me a reliable private investigator." ... In the evening, the city lights had just turned on. In the Ink White Hall of Chga Hotel. Inside a private room, everyone was gathered around a circular table. Daisy Stone, dressed to the nines, sat at the head, basking in everyone’s compliments and flattery. "Daisy, you’re really something, you passed the Foster family’s interview so easily." "I said back in college, Daisy, you’d definitely achieve great things, you are extraordinary." "Of course, I heard this Ink White Hall is particularly hard to book, all thanks to Daisy." Daisy proudly held her head high, "No big deal, once I become the chief designer at the Foster family, dinner at Cloud Summit Restaurant is on me!" After all, it’s always that fool Clara who picks up the tab in the end! Everyone had already seated themselves, and Clara arrived slowly afterward. Daisy affectionately pulled her to sit down, "Why didn’t you bring Samuel along?" "I thought you told him," Clara said coldly. "I’ll message him right now. Just a moment ago, someone asked when they could drink at your wedding!" After sending the message, she loudly instructed, "Waiter, place our orders!" While ordering, she didn’t bat an eye. "This one, and this one, one of each!" Then she placed the menu on the lazy Susan, generously saying, "Order what you like!" The others, seeing her so generous, all ordered the dishes they normally wouldn’t indulge in. When it was Clara’s turn to choose, she smiled slightly, "Let’s start serving!" The atmosphere at the table was lively, and after a few rounds of drinks, Daisy was dizzy from the compliments. When it was time to pay, Daisy noticed Clara had not moved and whispered a reminder, "Clara, time to settle the bill." "If we need to settle the bill, then let’s do it," Clara seemed not to understand, deliberately raising her voice, "Bill, please!" The server smiled and approached Daisy, "The total is two hundred and sixty-three thousand seven hundred yuan. Will you be paying by card or...?" Daisy’s smile froze on her face, "How much...?" The server repeated, "Your total expenditure is two hundred and sixty-three thousand seven hundred yuan." Where on earth could she find that much money! She looked to Clara for help, "Clara?" This fool always used to rush to pay for her bills before. Clara smirked, "Aren’t you starting at the Foster family next week? It’s quite normal to treat everyone to a meal to celebrate, isn’t it? Do you expect me to foot the bill?" "How could it be like this..." Daisy said awkwardly, taking out her bank card, her voice low as she pleaded, "Clara, this is all my savings. You wouldn’t want me to not afford to eat, right?" Under her eager gaze, Clara took out a card from her bag. Daisy smugly thought everything was under her control. Just as she was about to put her card away, she heard Clara say, "I only had a drink; could you cover my part, please? Thank you." Meaning she was only willing to pay for her drink. "Forty-eight yuan!" The server swiped forty-eight yuan off and handed the card back to her. Daisy widened her eyes and questioned angrily, "Clara, what are you trying to do?" Was she not planning to pay the full amount? "Everyone ordered the dishes; I only had a drink. I’m not used to taking advantage. Let’s go Dutch!" Clara’s smile was innocent, "Is there anything wrong with that?" The moment she finished speaking, the private room fell silent. Daisy felt she had been embarrassed by Clara, her grip on her card tightening as she forced a smile, "Clara, stop joking. Why are you suddenly so good at kidding around?" Clara’s lips curled slightly, her eyes carrying a hint of mischief, "Didn’t you say you wanted to treat everyone to a meal to celebrate?" She blinked her big eyes, looking both naive and innocent. Daisy was furious, not understanding what Clara was up to. She had indeed said she would treat, and Clara had agreed. Why the change now? Could she suspect something between herself and Samuel Grant, intentionally embarrassing her in front of everyone? Hearing Clara’s words, everyone turned their eyes to Daisy. "Yeah, Daisy, you said you joined the Foster family and wanted to treat us. You wouldn’t really make us go Dutch, would you?" Even going Dutch, each of them had to pay a significant amount, which wasn’t a small sum for these working folks, almost half a year’s salary for them. Daisy forced a smile, "Of course not." She had expected Clara to pay for the meal, which was why she let them order freely, not expecting things to turn out this way. Just as Daisy was at a loss, the door to the private room opened. Samuel Grant, impeccably dressed, walked in gracefully. "Sorry for being late, had some matters to attend to!" He approached Clara, explaining gently. Sensing something was off, Samuel asked, "What’s going on?" Clara immediately spoke up, "Samuel, Daisy is treating us; we’ve finished eating and were just about to pay!" Upon hearing this, Samuel looked at Daisy, seeing her embarrassed expression, and immediately understood what had happened. Turning to hold Clara’s hand, he naturally said, "Daisy’s family isn’t well off. She had a hard time joining my uncle’s company. As her good friend, shouldn’t you celebrate with her?" Someone nearby chimed in, "That’s right, Clara, you’re usually so close with Daisy. This amount is nothing to you, right?" Although, for Clara, the wealthy heiress, two hundred and sixty-three thousand seven hundred yuan was just a drop in the bucket, she wasn’t happy being used like a fool.