My Stand-In Groom Is A Secret Tycoon (Audrey)

'Wait a sec. Why would I be scared of this guy? He's just some poor dude acting tough with his words. There's really nothing to worry about,' Sophie thought. Taking a deep breath, Sophie steeled herself and shot back, "You think you're so tough, but honestly, you're just a parasite. Are you really going to try and hurt me?" As soon as she said that, she felt a wave of icy stares filled with disgust and intimidation hitting her. It was like someone was gripping her throat, making her feel stiff.

But she didn't want to back down in front of Audrey, so she pushed on, "You're just a stingy loser trying to make a scene, coming to a nice place like this. Don't you even-"

Audrey was fed up with Sophie and was about to defend Alistair when someone suddenly came out from inside. "Excuse me, are you Mr. Hayes?" The gentle but firm voice cut through the tension.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man in a suit with a manager's badge.

He looked at Alistair with genuine respect, and as soon as he confirmed his identity, he bowed slightly and said, "Why are you queuing outside, Mr. Hayes? We've got a private room ready for you inside. You can dine whenever you like." That made everyone around them pause and look at Alistair in shock, wondering who he was. The restaurant manager came out to greet him personally and arranged a private room. Not many people in Riverdale got treated like that. Sophie was the most surprised. She thought the manager must have made a mistake and snapped, "John, I have to wait in line, so what makes this poor guy special enough for a private room?

"I've dropped over 200 thousand dollars here just this month. Why are you treating your customers differently?"

John recognized her and replied politely, "Mr. Hayes is one of our top customers. It's standard procedure to treat our VVIPs accordingly. If you're unhappy with that, you could always recharge 3.5 million dollars for a VIP membership, and then you could skip the line, too." But even then, she still might not be able to get a privete room.

"3.5 million dollars?!" Sophie's expression shifted. She nearly lashed out at him, wondering if he was trying to rob her.

No matter how incredible this restaurant was, no one could dine here all the time.noveldrama

'Like I'm that stupid, huh? And 3.5 million dollars for just a VIP? What about the VVIPs and their charges?' Sophie thought.

For a moment, Sophie eyed Audrey more jealously. She had thought Audrey stumbled upon a kept man, but now it seemed like she'd just landed on some rich dude.

Meanwhile, Audrey was completely baffled. 'Wait, how did Alistair become a VVIP guest?'

"Let's head in," Alistair said, grabbing Audrey's shoulder and walking in. In the lobby, a waiter led them to their booth.

On the way, Audrey got to ask, "How come you're a VVIP here?"

She always believed he was just an average guy, not someone who was rolling in money. If he really was a low-key rich guy playing the flash marriage game with her, then... Audrey's mind raced, and her expression grew more perplexed. Sensing her unease, Alistair didn't beat around the bush. "The membership card belongs to a friend of mine."

Alistair didn't often come to Riverdale. The house he was staying in, the car he drove, even the membership card - all in Logan's name.

'So it's just a friend, huh? Guess I was overthinking it. What kind of wealthy guy would play the game of pretending to be broke?' Audrey felt a wave of relief but couldn't help but be curious. "What kind of friend? I can't believe he's so generous." Alistair chuckled. "His name's Logan Barrett. I'll introduce you to him later."

"Logan Barrett?" Audrey's eyebrows shot up, surprised.

Alistair tilted his head, looking at her with tenderness. "You know him?" The dim hallway light softened his features.

Audrey, noticing none of that, muttered, "Yeah, I've heard of him. He's the youngest heir of the Barrett family and a well-known playboy. He'd probably dropped a ton of cash on that membership just to skip the lines. But how do you guys know each other?" It seemed like anyone who hung out with Logan must be in the same social circle. For a moment, a thought nagged at Audrey: If Alistair was just another party guy, she'd need to seriously rethink their marriage.