Kai smiled good-naturedly. "This place wouldn't have what I want."
Dog scowled. "What do you mean? This is the biggest restaurant in Avenport! They even have the rarest Sauvignon Blanc if you so desire! What is it that you want?"
"I'm not fond of white wine," Kai said with a contemptuous glance at the wine list. "I only drink Romanée-Conti or nothing at all."
Dog frowned. "What the hell is that?"
In spite of herself, Josephine laughed at Dog's expression. Kai, on the other hand, remained silent with an enigmatic smile as he awaited Dog's response.
Still frowning, Dog turned to the waiter beside him. "What was that wine he mentioned? Do you have any on hand?"
The waiter shook his head. "We don't carry red wine here."
"So it's a bottle of red, is it? What kind of person would drink that kind of swill?" Dog scorned in disdain before turning once more to the waiter. "Get out there and find some. Buy several bottles."
As he spoke, Dog extracted a wad of cash from his wallet and let it fall onto the table with a smack.
The waiter merely stared at the stack and waited expectantly.
"Did you not hear me?" Dog fumed. "I told you to get out and buy us some wine!"
"It's not enough, Dog," the waiter whispered.
"How much could a bottle of red cost?" Dog asked scornfully. "Here is another five thousand!"
As he spoke, Dog slammed another wad of cash onto the table.
The waiter remained still as a statue. Dog lost his temper and aimed a vicious kick at the waiter's shins.
"It really isn't enough, Dog!" the waiter whimpered in pain.
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"Do you think I was born yesterday?" Dog bellowed as he rose to his feet. "You're going to pocket some for yourself, aren't you?"
"Enough." Kai felt the need to intervene. "This wine isn't available in Avenport. And the waiter's right. A single bottle of Romanée-Conti costs three-hundred thousand."
"What! Three-hundred thousand?" Dog roared, thunderstruck. "You, drinking a bottle of wine that costs that much? With what money? Everybody knows that you just got out of prison. Do you think that renting a Mercedes and hiring an escort makes you look rich? If you weren't Ingrid's cousin, I would have kicked you out of Avenport."
Josephine's expression grew cold at the mention of the word "escort".
"Calm yourself, Kai." Sarah stood up and faced him. "Nobody is making you feel bad about being an ex-convict. We're all family here, there's no need to act tough in front of us. You need to be more realistic and settle down with an honest job instead of boasting about drinking expensive wine. What nonsense are you talking about, anyway? There is no wine in the world worth that much. Don't be ridiculous."
"That's enough, Kai. Your aunt is right," Hannah said sharply at the sight of her sister's displeasure.
"You need to keep an eye on Kai, Hannah," Sarah sighed. "I've helped raise my nephew. I know him and there's nothing he can hide from me. This isn't him. Prison has made him lose his way. Now that he's finally out, I'd say we try to keep him from going back. Since the development of our city is currently booming, the mass demolition on the way would definitely need good, strong men like him. Talk some sense into Kai. Help him find an honest job to marry a wife and raise a son. It's not too late to lead an honest life."
"We'll talk about it later," Hannah said curtly, getting tired of the conversation. "Everybody knows what they want? Let's summon the waiter."
Not long after that, the table creaked from bearing the combined weight of the dishes and several bottles of white wine. Dog behaved ostentatiously as he waited for the others to raise their glasses to him, pretending to be pleasantly surprised each time he received a toast.
"By the way, Dog," said Sarah suddenly. "Who is this Mr. Charleston?"
"Oh, he's a big shot," described Dog airily. "Nothing happens in Avenport without his approval. Even property valuations depend on his signature. He is the one who has been providing me with contracts."
Sarah was still concerned about Kai's employment status. "He sounds like an important man. Can you see if Mr. Charleston can find Kai a job? He's going to be your cousin-in-law, after all."
Dog gazed scathingly at Kai. "I would refuse to lift a finger to help him for his attitude tonight.
For Ingrid's sake, I will put in a word with Mr. Charleston."
Turning away with disgust, he picked up his glass of wine. "I'm going over to toast to Mr. Charleston's good health. Help yourselves!"
Kai's family and Ingrid's family were the only ones remaining in the suite after Dog disappeared.
