Read Novel Full Chapter 863: Report
Chapter 863: Chapter 863: Report
Bella frowned at Marcus’s suggestion and looked at him with a serious expression.
“Why would you even suggest something like that? We can’t discriminate between nobles and commoners, especially when we’re commoners ourselves. How can you expect me to serve different qualities of food simply because someone belongs to a higher social class?”
Marcus immediately laughed as though she had said something ridiculous.
“What are you talking about, Bella? How can you possibly consider yourself an ordinary commoner? Have you ever taken a proper look at your own circumstances? You own this restaurant, and you have access to mysterious ingredients that even the royal family doesn’t possess. It’s only a matter of time before the nobles and royalty begin paying attention to this place. Once they start focusing on your restaurant, your reputation will spread, and you’ll eventually become famous. So why are you thinking so small? Just remember my suggestion and make the food served to nobles even better. As for the commoners, you can simply serve them something less extravagant.”
Bella’s expression turned cold as she stared at him. “Have you forgotten something, Marcus? You’re a commoner yourself.”
Marcus’s smile faded, and he clenched his teeth as though he were struggling to swallow his frustration. After a brief pause, he muttered, “I think I’ll go outside for a walk.”
Without waiting for Bella to respond, he turned around and left.
Once he was gone, Bella let out a quiet sigh. She knew that Marcus had probably been hurt by her words, but she couldn’t bring herself to agree with his suggestion merely to protect his feelings.
Of all the things that troubled Marcus, his status as an ordinary person seemed to bother him the most.
Despite being strong, handsome, and exactly the kind of man Bella would usually find attractive, he carried a deep insecurity about his background.
That insecurity sometimes influenced his judgment, leading him to make suggestions that Bella found difficult to accept.
‘If only he could stop looking down on himself because of his status, things would be so much easier,’ she thought, feeling a faint ache of frustration.
Just as Bella was reflecting on the matter, two days passed, and a pair entered the restaurant.
The first customer was a young woman wearing a beautiful pink frock, and she was holding her mother’s arm as they entered the establishment.
Her mother, on the other hand, wore a traditional, body-hugging dress that fitted her figure elegantly.
On Planet Astra, such body-fitting garments were considered traditional attire, and they were particularly popular among women who preferred a graceful, sophisticated appearance.
After entering the restaurant, the mother and daughter glanced around the first floor, taking in the pleasant atmosphere and the enticing aroma of freshly prepared food. They then approached Bella at the counter.
“We’d like to reserve one of your private rooms,” the older woman requested politely.
Bella immediately checked the reservation records and arranged their booking. Once everything had been settled, a member of the staff escorted them toward their private room.
Not long afterward, another pair of customers arrived.
This time, the customer was a man with a round figure, accompanied by a woman who appeared to be his wife. In contrast to her husband’s build, she was particularly slim and held his arm affectionately as they walked inside.
The man, too, looked at her with unmistakable fondness, and the warmth between them was evident in their every movement.
The couple approached Bella and made their request.
“We’d like to book a private room as well,” the man said with a friendly smile.
Bella checked the reservation list before shaking her head apologetically.
“I’m sorry, but all our private rooms are currently occupied. We assign seating according to the reservations and the arrangements made for our noble customers. If you belong to a noble family, you may provide your identification so we can check whether there’s an appropriate room available for you. However, I can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to accommodate you in a private room today.”
The couple exchanged a glance.
After considering the situation, they decided not to make things complicated and agreed to sit on the first floor instead.
Once they were seated, they looked around with evident satisfaction.
“This place is lovely,” the woman remarked, smiling as she examined the surroundings.
Her husband nodded in agreement. “Indeed, the atmosphere is wonderful, and the service seems excellent as well.”
When Bella’s staff brought their food to the table, the couple tasted the dishes with visible delight.
They continued enjoying their meal until they were finally ready to leave.
However, just as the man was preparing to depart, he approached Bella at the counter and revealed something unexpected.
“I’m an employee of the Food Department,” he informed her. “I came here today to conduct a special inspection because someone reported that your restaurant was not treating noble customers differently from commoners. The complaint also claimed that you were mixing ingredients improperly and diluting the soup served to commoners.”
Bella’s expression changed slightly as she listened to his explanation.
The man smiled reassuringly and continued, “However, after experiencing your service and tasting the food myself, I can see that the complaint was based on a misunderstanding. Young lady, you’re doing an excellent job here. Keep up the good work, and don’t let unfounded accusations discourage you.”
With those words, the man left the restaurant.
Bella remained behind the counter for a long time, staring in the direction he had disappeared. She hadn’t expected an official inspection to take place so suddenly, especially when the complaint involved such specific accusations.
As she thought about it, a suspicion gradually formed in her mind.
‘Could Marcus have been the one who reported us?’
After all, apart from Marcus, no one else knew about his suggestion to provide nobles with better food while serving commoners something inferior. If someone had reported precisely that kind of misconduct, it seemed far too coincidental to dismiss.
Bella decided to wait until Marcus returned so she could ask him directly.
That evening, Marcus eventually came back to the restaurant. However, the moment he noticed Bella waiting for him, his expression turned particularly gloomy. He seemed to have been expecting her to welcome him warmly, but the serious look on her face made him hesitate.
Nevertheless, a smile soon appeared on his face, and he walked toward her with his arms slightly open, apparently intending to hug her.
Bella calmly stepped aside, avoiding his embrace, and looked at him with a serious expression.
“We need to talk.”
The firmness in her voice made Marcus’s smile falter. He shuddered slightly before quickly trying to lighten the atmosphere.
“What happened, baby? Why are you looking at me like that? Did someone upset you?”
Bella raised an eyebrow at the affectionate term he had used.
“Baby? As far as I remember, we haven’t even made our relationship official yet, so why are you calling me that?”
Marcus froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard by her response. He quickly raised both hands in a placating gesture.
“All right, all right, that was my mistake. I won’t call you that again until we’ve made things official. Now, can you tell me what happened? Why do you look so upset?”
Seeing that he was willing to acknowledge his mistake, Bella decided not to argue about the matter any further. Instead, she told him everything that had happened earlier, including the unexpected inspection and the complaint filed against the restaurant.
Once she finished speaking, Marcus remained silent for a long time.
Surprisingly, he didn’t explode in anger or immediately accuse someone of deliberately targeting them.
Instead, he looked at Bella with a complicated expression, as though he were considering something he had been reluctant to discuss.
“There’s something I didn’t want to say earlier, Bella, but I think those people are targeting you precisely because you’re a woman and they believe you’ll be easy to deal with,” he finally said.
Bella snorted softly, showing little concern about the possibility.
“Let them try. I’ve already dealt with this particular problem, and the inspection cleared up the misunderstanding. Let’s see what they do next time.”
Marcus shook his head, appearing dissatisfied with her response.
“You don’t understand how unreasonable some people can be. They’ll stoop to any level if they think they can get what they want. How about this? You should temporarily step away from the restaurant and tell everyone that you’ve handed the business over to me. Once things settle down after a few days, you can return and take charge again.”