"When they arrive, give them the worst table in the house—near the kitchen door or the bathroom. Somewhere loud and uncomfortable. Tell them it's all you have available, even if better tables are empty.
"Their orders should take an unusually long time. Bring the wrong dishes initially—apologize profusely, of course, but let it waste their time. When the correct food finally arrives, it should be slightly overcooked or underseasoned. Not inedible, but disappointing.
"The service should be inattentive. Let their water glasses stay empty. Forget to bring bread. Take forever to bring the check when they're ready to leave.
"And finally—most importantly—when the young man tries to pay, his card should be declined. Multiple times. Even if it's valid, your system should reject it. Make it public enough that nearby tables notice. Then, only after maximum embarrassment, 'discover' it was a system error and process it correctly."
Victoria studied him carefully. "You want me to sabotage this boy's date."
"I want you to demonstrate the reality of his situation," Sebastian corrected.
Victoria shook her head slowly. "Mr. Fairfax, I appreciate your... directness. But what you're asking would put a stain on our business. We're trying to build a reputation here. If word gets out that we provide terrible service, it could destroy us before we've even established ourselves."
Sebastian sighed, leaning back in his chair. He'd expected some resistance.
"What's your estimated yearly revenue?" he asked.
Victoria paused, clearly wondering why that was relevant. "About $150,000."
They're a nice restaurant, but not high-class. Not yet, anyway.
"$150,000," Sebastian repeated thoughtfully.
Sebastian pulled out his phone again. "I'll invest $150,000 into your restaurant. For renovations, expansion, and a proper marketing campaign. You can use it to upgrade your kitchen equipment, redesign your interior, hire a PR firm, whatever you need to become the premier Italian dining destination in this city."
Victoria's eyes widened. "You're... you're serious?"
"Completely serious. But I need your cooperation tonight. This wouldn't be a regular thing—just this once, for this specific situation."
Victoria's expression was torn between temptation and professionalism. "I... I need to speak with the owner. I can't make this decision alone."
"Of course," Sebastian said smoothly. "Please, call them now. I'm happy to wait."
Victoria picked up her phone and stepped out of the office for privacy.
Sebastian waited patiently, leaning back in his chair and checking his messages. He could hear Victoria's muffled voice through the door, speaking to someone.
A few minutes passed before Victoria returned, her phone still pressed to her ear. Her expression was complicated—somewhere between surprised and amused.
"Mr. Fairfax," she said, "the owner would like to speak with you directly. May I put him on speaker?"
"Of course."
Victoria placed her phone on the desk and tapped the speaker button.
"Mr. Fairfax?" came a familiar voice through the speaker. "Is that you?"
Sebastian's eyebrows rose slightly in recognition. "Mr. Zhao?"
A warm laugh echoed through the phone. "When Victoria described a young man in an expensive suit with a Patek Philippe making aggressive business investments, I thought it sounded familiar. But I didn't expect to hear from you again so soon!"
"Small world, I didn't realize you owned Bella Vista."" Sebastian said with a slight smile.
"One of my few investments," Zhao replied. "Tech companies, real estate, restaurants—I like to diversify. Bella Vista is actually a passion project. Good food, good atmosphere, building something from the ground up."
Victoria looked between the phone and Sebastian, understanding dawning on her face. "You two know each other?"
"We concluded a significant business transaction just this morning," Zhao explained. "Mr. Fairfax sold me his shares in Sunrise Tech. He is very smooth, very professional. He's quite impressive for someone so young."
"I can see that," Victoria murmured.
"So, Sebastian," Zhao continued, his tone becoming more amused, "Victoria tells me you want to invest $150,000 into my restaurant in exchange for... let's call it 'creative service management' for a particular couple tonight?"
"That's correct," Sebastian confirmed. "One evening of strategic service failures. Nothing illegal, nothing dangerous—just enough to ensure a young man's date doesn't go as planned."
"And this young man is...?"
"A puny toad trying to eat swan," Sebastian said simply. "Someone who needs to understand the difference between his reality and his aspirations."
Zhao laughed again, this time with genuine appreciation. "You know, when we met this morning, I thought you were mature for your age. Decisive. Pragmatic. But this? This shows real strategic thinking. You're not just reacting to competition, you're proactively eliminating it before it becomes a problem."
"I believe in being thorough," Sebastian replied.
"I respect that." There was a pause, then Zhao's voice became more serious. "Alright, Mr. Fairfax. Here's what I'll do. We will set up a meeting tomorrow to discuss your investment. In exchange, Victoria and her staff will ensure your rival has the worst possible dining experience. But it will all appear to be natural service failures—nothing that could be traced back to deliberate sabotage."
"That's exactly what I'm looking for," Sebastian said.
"Victoria," Zhao addressed his manager, "you'll handle this personally. Mr. Fairfax is now one of our priority investors. Whatever he needs, you provide it. Clear?"
"Crystal clear, sir," Victoria responded, her earlier hesitation completely gone now that she had the owner's explicit approval.
"Sebastian," Zhao continued, "I'm going to give you some advice. You're young, ambitious, and you clearly understand how real power works. That's rare. Most people your age are still playing games. You're playing chess."
"I appreciate that, Mr. Zhao."
"Call me Richard," Zhao corrected warmly. "And I meant what I said this morning about reaching out if you need connections or advice. But let me add something else, if you ever need creative solutions to problems, the kind that require... discretion and resources... you call me. I like supporting people who know how to win."
Sebastian felt a sense of opportunity here. Richard Zhao wasn't just a businessman—he was someone with significant influence and a willingness to bend rules for the right reasons.
"I'll remember that, Richard. Thank you."
The call ended.
Victoria looked at Sebastian with new respect in her eyes. "I apologize for my hesitation earlier. I didn't realize you and Mr. Zhao had an existing business relationship."
"No apology necessary," Sebastian said, standing. "You were being appropriately cautious. That's good management."
With everything settled, Sebastian didn't need to do anything but watch the show that was about to appear later. Based on his estimation, Sebastian believed that once this was over, he would unlock the market, and expand his power by an incredible amount.
For now, he wanted to check out the low-tier cultivation manual that he had received.