31 Mariotte 5

Ci-ci shook his head, smiled and waved at the cameras before decisively turning and walking in a different direction. No matter how bold these news reporters were, they wouldn't burst into a Mariotte without proper membership, or else they could be booked for trespassing.

Of course, Ci-ci thought of the possibility that the Mariotte itself were the people who tipped off these reporters to his presence here. However, if the Mariotte allowed reporters to disrupt their locations, it would be a huge blow to their reputation.

Think about just how many rich and famous people frequent these establishments. It's certain that a large portion of them would be highlight news on a daily cycle. If the Mariotte allowed any one of them to be harassed, it would be practically inviting their competition to take a bite out of their business.

"Young sir, you can't go back there." One of the two attendants that greeted Ci-ci stopped him when they noticed where he was headed.

By now, they too had been informed of who this young man was, causing them to feel highly conflicted. Lucius Grandbell Sr. was a legendary figure respected by all. It didn't matter whether you were well informed in the path of Inventors or not. He was a leader of men, had a heart large enough to encompass their lands and had a presence that transcended all aspects of life. Even if Ci-ci had achievements of his own, he would always pale in comparison to that legendary figure.

Yet, he stepped on a grand stage and rejected the award meant to commemorate that legendary man. To say he was hated was a severe understatement.

Ci-ci had yet to truly feel the repercussions, but it seemed it was finally reaching a head today.

"I understand that you might not like me," Ci-ci started with an amiable smile, "But, I am still a paying customer. Normally, reporters wouldn't even dare to come here, the fact they did means that your manager gave a tacit agreement to not pursue this beyond today.

"Now, you tell me. What kind of consequences would that kind of action have?"

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The two girls paled. It was their manager who told them to stand here and prevent Ci-ci from entering their back rooms and escaping. But, they had been seen through so easily.

Normally, they didn't have the intelligence to pick apart the truth of these events so easily. However, after their manager gave them such a task, even if they were ten times dumber, they'd know that something fishy was going on.

It didn't take a genius to realize that their manager wouldn't take the blame for this. In all likelihood, they'd be used as scapegoats and lose their jobs.

Despite their position here being relatively lowly, with their pretty looks, they made a surprising amount in tips. If they lost this job, it would be akin to falling from the heavens. They simply couldn't afford it.

Ci-ci smiled, walking by them. "Glad you understand."

The girls panicked. If they let Ci-ci by, they would lose their jobs anyway. They were caught between a rock and a hard place.

The quicker witted one of the two suddenly flashed with an idea. "Quickly, punch me!" She said to her friend.

"What?"

Without explaining, the quick-witted beauty swung her fist forward, slamming into the delicate face of her still confused friend.

"AH!" The beauty stumbled, holding her eye in shock. "Why'd you do that?!"

The quick-witted beauty ignored her dumb friend, turning to look at Ci-ci with a triumphant expression. However, when she saw his cold expression, she couldn't help but stumble backward a few steps, almost tripping over herself and onto the ground.

"Y- you! Don't do anything you'll regret!" She said through clenched teeth. "If you dare to take a step into the backroom, I'll tell the media after you leave that you punched her when we wouldn't allow you into the back room! Obediently go out the way you're meant to."

The more she spoke, the more confident she became. That's right, this wasn't ancient times, you couldn't just assault people because you felt like it. And, even if Ci-ci did lose his temper and punch her, that would just make everything better because then she wouldn't have to lie. She definitely didn't understand that a single one of Ci-ci punches could kill her.

Of course, there were cameras in their Mariotte, however it would be easy for the manager to restrict their release on grounds of "protecting client privacy". After all, they were protected by special confidentiality laws.

Plus, even if they weren't, why would the manager release such damning tapes? He would sooner destroy them to protect their location's reputation.

When the beauty who was punched heard the conversation, her eye glowed with realization as she covered her other in pain. After understanding, she obviously wasn't angry anymore, just a bit disappointed she hadn't punched her friend when she was asked to.

The two attendants stared at Ci-ci with victorious expression, sneering in victory.

"Think of the headlines." The quick-witted beauty pressed. "The lauded Ci-ci Bell hits rock bottom, his fall from heavenly genius to pathetic woman beater. I'm sure you're very rich too, we wouldn't mind suing you in the court of law in a very public fashion."

The more dim-witted beauty started to make her eyes water. Although she was less intelligent than her friend, her acting skills were great. It was no surprise though, many actress-hopefuls started off as waitresses and attendants.

She fell to the ground and held her knees, whimpering silently as her friend sneered.