Chapter 4: The Escalating Bill
Inside the dining room, the atmosphere around Table 4 had turned entirely chaotic.
"How much is it?!" Victoria demanded, her voice rising in pitch, attracting the attention of neighboring tables.
Julian leaned over his mother's shoulder, scanning the printed ledger inside the black folder. His face drained of all color. "Mom... look at the itemized list."
The bill wasn't just for tonight's dinner of vintage wines and caviar, which came to $12,000.
Because the master corporate guarantee had been revoked retroactively for the entire calendar month, every unbilled charge from the Ritz-Carlton's private executive suites, the catering for last week's charity auction, and the vintage wine cellar reserves booked under Victoria's name were instantly consolidated onto the live table statement.
"That's only the first charge..." the waiter said politely, flipping to the second page of the statement.
The number printed in bold black ink at the bottom of the page made Victoria's eyes widen in sheer horror: