My Husband Is a Million Years Old Vampire-Chapter 159

At that moment the room fell into a stunned silence.

Avery blinked rapidly, her smirk frozen halfway like she didn’t quite understand what she’d just witnessed.

Then Edward leaned back slightly, his glass pausing mid-air. Liam shifted in his seat, eyes narrowing, trying to process what the manager just said.

Even the military guy furrowed his brows.

This wasn’t normal, this wasn’t something they could brush off.

The name of the restaurant — Velvet Garden, one of the most exclusive and prestigious fine-dining establishments in the city — wasn’t the kind of place where staff would bow to just anyone. Not even to city council members or celebrity clients. And yet, here they were, bowing to Raymond like he owned the place.

Immediately Avery leaned in and whispered sharply, "What is going on?"

Then the manager raised his head slightly, composed. "For the delay in acknowledging Mr. Raymond’s presence and the failure to offer the level of hospitality his name deserves, we take full responsibility," he said, clearly addressing the whole room now. "Our staff should have noticed immediately. This is on us, and we will ensure it never repeats."

Immediately the murmurs began again.

Someone whispered, "Raymond... who the hell is he really?"

Another followed: "Is he the owner?"

Then another: "No, even the owner wouldn’t be treated like this..."

And still, Raymond hadn’t said a word.

Then he sat calmly, letting the silence do all the talking.

The room grew tense. Avery crossed her arms, her voice sharp. "There must be a mistake here. You’re bowing to the wrong man," she said, forcing a polite laugh. "Our booked this room. If anyone deserves your gratitude, it should be him, not... him." Her eyes flicked toward Raymond, full of disbelief.

The manager slowly turned his head and stared at Avery as if she’d just insulted his ancestors. His eyes narrowed. He didn’t speak at first. He just looked at her—cold and unreadable.

Everyone watched, expecting him to nod, to apologize, maybe even admit he got the wrong person.

Instead, he stepped forward.

"This isn’t a mistake," the manager said, voice firm and eyes locked on Avery like a hawk spotting prey. "And if you think I’m some clueless manager who bows to anyone, then you’ve clearly never stepped out of your little bubble."

Hearing what the man just said Avery blinked, unsure if she heard him right.

He continued, voice rising slightly. "You think I don’t know who Mr.Raymond is? You think I don’t know the kind of power he carries? Let me be very clear, Avery—had you been anyone else, I would’ve thrown you out of this place for talking nonsense in my presence."

The silence that followed was deafening. Even the military guy leaned back, quiet now.

"I’m not here to play games or pander to noise," the manager added, shifting his attention briefly to Raymond with a respectful nod. "I know exactly who I bowed to."

Avery, stunned, sat frozen in place. Her lips parted as if she wanted to speak again, but nothing came out.

And just like that, the atmosphere shifted.

The room was heavy with tension.

"If you open your mouth one more time," the manager snapped, pointing directly at Avery, "I swear, I will have you kicked out of this restaurant right now."

Immediately Avery froze.

Gasps echoed softly from every table. Heads turned. Chairs shifted. Even the clinking of glasses stopped, nobody expected it.

Not from the manager. Not in a place like this.

Edward’s brows furrowed in disbelief. The military guy sat straighter, lips slightly parted. Even Liam, who had been smirking just moments ago, looked like someone had poured cold water over his head.

Avery blinked rapidly, as if trying to catch up with what just happened. But the silence that followed was louder than any retort she could think of.

No one dared speak. They all watched.

Then the manager calmly adjusted his suit jacket and cleared his throat. "To show how truly sorry we are—for not recognizing Mr. Raymond earlier and for the disrespect he’s been shown by your group—we will cover the entire cost of today’s reservation. Food. Drinks. All of it. On the house."

Immediately Liam’s chest tightened.

Then he turned his gaze to Raymond. Something was off. This wasn’t just coincidence. A manager in a place like this wouldn’t risk the entire table unless he was sure—unless Raymond was someone worth losing other customers for.

At that moment his thoughts spiraled, ’Was Chloe right? Was Raymond someone completely different from who they all thought he was?’

He couldn’t make sense of it anymore. And for the first time that night, Liam wasn’t angry... he was uncertain.

Raymond calmly stood up, looked at the manager, and said in a voice low but firm, "Thank you, but we were just about to leave."

"There’s no need for all this formality," Raymond said, calmly straightening his shirt cuffs as he glanced at the manager. "You’ve done more than enough already. We were about to leave before you arrived."

Immediately the manager’s face dropped in disappointment. "Leave?"

Raymond nodded once. "Yes. We were only waiting for the GSK representative. Once they arrive, we’ll excuse ourselves."

Again the manager blinked, as if trying to grasp onto something—some way to fix what had gone wrong. His eyes flickered toward Avery, then slowly narrowed.

He could see it now, the look she gave him when he walked in, the interruption, the raised voice, the mockery—it wasn’t just rudeness. It was an attack. And if Raymond truly was who he believed him to be, that attack had consequences.

His jaw tightened.

’So that’s why Raymond wanted to leave. Not because of poor service. But because of her.’

He turned sharply, his voice cold and sharp. "I see. I see exactly what happened here."

Avery swallowed but didn’t say anything.

She could feel the heat of judgment on her skin—eyes around the room now falling on her like sharp thorns. What had started as her plan to shame Valentina had turned into a public humiliation of her own making.

The manager didn’t say another word. But his glare said everything.

At that moment Edward stood up sharply, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. His expression was stone-cold, but his voice carried anger that couldn’t be ignored.

"Enough is enough," he said. "I’m not going to sit here and be insulted by a restaurant manager who clearly doesn’t know who we are."

He pointed toward himself, then to Leon, Avery, the military man, and the last of their circle.

"Do you have any idea who you’re speaking to? None of us here come from families below second-tier status. We’re not ordinary guests," he said, his tone sharp. "We’re not the kind of people you dismiss so easily while kissing the feet of someone like... him."

He jerked his chin at Raymond with a mocking snort. "A nobody, who you suddenly treat like royalty? While ignoring the rest of us?"

The tension in the room grew thicker. Some of the guests shifted uncomfortably. Others remained frozen, watching every word unfold.

"You want us to believe this is how this place operates? You belittle people who built their names and reward someone who hasn’t even introduced where he’s from? This whole thing is a slap in the face."

Again he leaned forward, voice low but firm.

"You want to fix this? Then start showing us the kind of care and respect we deserve. That’s the only way this insult can be forgiven."

Without hesitation, Edward step away from his seat, the tension in his chest finally snapping. His boot collided with one of the wooden chairs beside him. The loud crack of splintering wood echoed across the room like a warning shot.

Immediately all conversations went dead silent.

One of the guests let out a soft gasp. Another turned to glance at the manager, unsure what was coming next.

The broken chair lay on its side, one of its legs twisted and detached.

However Edward didn’t stop there.

"This is just the beginning," he said flatly, voice low but sharp like the edge of a blade. "If this manager doesn’t apologize to us right now, we will make this whole restaurant look like a junkyard."

He didn’t yell. He didn’t need to. His words carried enough weight on their own.

Immediately, the other man—Darren —stood up beside him. He calmly removed his blazer, revealing a wristwatch worth the cost of a sports car. His cold gaze swept the room before resting on the manager.

"I second that," Darren said. "You see, we don’t tolerate disrespect. Especially when it comes from someone who doesn’t even know the rules of the game. You picked a side too fast."

The two of them weren’t yelling. They weren’t violent. But the way they moved, the deliberate slow walk around the table, the occasional knock of an empty glass to the floor, spoke volumes.

Everyone watched, the military guy leaned back, arms crossed. Even he didn’t say a word—just observing, unreadable.

The restaurant staff, frozen at the entrance, didn’t dare step forward.

Then the manager’s jaw clenched. His fists were hidden behind his back. From his eyes, it was clear—he knew these weren’t just any spoiled men throwing a tantrum. They were powerful. Dangerous, even without touching a single guest.

"You think this is going to end with you walking out proud?" Edward said again, circling the table slowly. "You insulted the wrong group of people. One call. One signature. You’ll be sweeping floors in a roadside canteen before you blink."