Chapter 8 Supplies Begin to Roll In

Kenneth left instructions with the Olive Garden staff to deliver the pasta sauce later. For other food supplies, they could be directly retrieved from Walmart's warehouse when needed. Pasta sauce, however, was a special case. It was never sold publicly, and even the market-available packaged sauces were vastly inferior to the ones served in the restaurant. Otherwise, why would customers bother dining in for pasta? After finishing his meal, Kenneth was about to head home when his phone rang. It was the manager of a five-star hotel. "Mr. Kenneth, the five hundred banquet tables you ordered are ready. Are you available to receive them now?" "Sure, just have them delivered," Kenneth responded. Kenneth went home to wait for the food and drinks to arrive. The five hundred banquet tables would last him two to three years. With one point two six million dollars still at his disposal, he had no reservations about spending. In fact, he was eager to finish it quickly. While on his way home, Kenneth pondered what else he enjoyed eating. He ended up placing orders with several major restaurants in Valkyrean, instructing each to deliver one hundred tables of food. From a variety of cuisines to diverse styles, the total came to several thousand tables. This effectively ensured his meals were covered for decades. Soon, catering trucks from the Grand Fortuna Hotel arrived at Osvaria Residence's gate. The twenty to thirty vehicles caused a massive jam, leaving onlookers bewildered. Raiden Cross, the security guard, promptly stepped forward to stop them and asked about their purpose. The hotel manager explained, but Raiden insisted Kenneth needed to come down in person to grant entry. The scale of the delivery and the unknown contents of the vehicles made him cautious about community safety. Left with no choice, the manager called Kenneth. Kenneth came down and walked to the gate. A crowd had already gathered, including neighbors and curious onlookers like Grace and Morgan. With a smile, Kenneth addressed Raiden, "Raiden, this is my food delivery. Let them in." Raiden was astonished. "Food delivery? What kind of food needs over ten trucks?" The neighbors, hearing it was catering, were equally stunned. "This must be at least a few hundred tables!" "Is Kenneth hosting an event?" "Could it be a wedding? But several hundred tables seems excessive!" "That’s Grand Fortuna Hotel, a five-star place!" "Ordering this much from them must cost one hundred forty thousand dollars or more!" "Unbelievable, spending over one hundred fifty thousand dollars on a meal. Kenneth really has hidden depths!" The crowd buzzed with speculation, their eyes on Kenneth brimming with respect and admiration. Standing by the road, Grace observed the spectacle and subtly pursed her lips. Her determination to win Kenneth’s favor grew even stronger. She stepped toward him with a smile and asked, "Kenneth, what’s been happening at your place lately? Buying so much stuff like this." Kenneth paid her no attention, instead offering a cigarette to Raiden. Seeing Kenneth arrive, Raiden opened the gate and allowed the Grand Fortuna Hotel’s catering trucks into the community. Kenneth walked ahead to guide the vehicles. Even though he ignored Grace, she didn’t seem to care. She followed along beside him, chatting animatedly. "What’s going on at home that you can’t share with me? Aren’t we close friends? I’d like to know more about you. Please don’t treat me like a stranger." Kenneth glanced at her deeply and smirked. "These aren’t for me, they’re for my boss. Even the Michelin restaurant meal last time was his treat." He sighed, "If only I were as rich as you think." Grace’s expression shifted instantly. "You’re not serious, are you?" Kenneth spread his hands and said, "Why would I lie? We’ve known each other for so long. You’re aware of my situation. My parents passed away years ago. I’m just a warehouse manager. How could I have that kind of money?" Kenneth’s candid words left Grace’s face clouded with mixed emotions. She had always suspected that a truly wealthy heir would come from a family running a major business. Kenneth’s parents had been gone for years, leaving some inheritance but nothing extraordinary. Now that he admitted the truth, all her doubts made sense. Grace quietly stepped back a little. Fixing her hair, she gave him a polite smile and said, "It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or not. We’re still the best of friends, right? I’m not someone who values money over friendship." She emphasized the word "friends" intentionally. Manipulative people like her never burned bridges entirely, as they always kept options open. Kenneth chuckled lightly but didn’t bother responding. Meanwhile, workers from the Grand Fortuna Hotel began hauling luxurious dishes into Kenneth’s home. Kenneth had ordered the most extravagant items such as abalone, sea cucumbers, shark fins, lobsters, truffles, and caviar. With five hundred banquet tables worth of food, there was barely enough space in his house to fit it all. Even the hotel manager appeared concerned about the logistics. Kenneth, however, calmly instructed them, "Just keep moving it inside." While they were busy unloading, Kenneth discreetly stashed everything into his alternate dimension. He worked covertly, ensuring no one noticed. Before long, all five hundred tables of gourmet food were hidden safely in his secret space. Later that evening, Kenneth received a phone call from Warren, the manager at ValorGuard Security. Warren informed him that their team was ready to start building his safe house and asked when it would be a good time to begin. Kenneth replied directly that they could come over the next day, as he planned to move into a hotel temporarily. After wrapping up the discussion about the safe house, Kenneth waited for Warren’s next update. He had another pressing issue to discuss with Warren, which was getting his hands on some weapons. After a brief pause, Warren lowered his voice and said, "If you genuinely need something like that, I can connect you with someone. But it won’t come cheap." Kenneth nodded, fully understanding the situation. Cost was no longer a concern for him. "That’s fine, as long as the quality is top-notch." Warren replied with ease, "Very well. In that case, I’ll make the arrangements and let you know the meeting location in three days."