Chapter 6099

The middle-aged man was taken aback, while the young woman beside him remained oblivious to his astonishment. Since joining the middle-aged man, she had never experienced the prestige of flying on a business jet. She had only heard her husband mention its legendary status a few times. Her husband was notoriously stingy, especially when it came to spending money on long-distance flights. Typically, only one business jet would fly to a specific city, or it would simply fly from one city to Aurous Hill. To save costs, he would spread the word through intermediaries and sell return flights at lower prices. He would spend tens of thousands on fuel just to take passengers back, like a taxi driver offering a discount for a longer trip. To impress others, a man once spent $100,000 to fly from Aurous Hill to Meridian. That experience became his bragging point, as he claimed to take business jets wherever he traveled. However, this trip to the Maldives was exorbitantly priced. Although not as steep as flights to the United States, it spiked during the Spring Festival holiday and approached nearly a million dollars. Reluctant to shell out that amount, he concocted a story about the business jet being fully booked. Elaine had a keen eye for recognizing others' vulnerabilities. Noticing the young woman merely taking photos, she realized they were in a similar situation, although this woman likely had far more experience. For Elaine, besting her was almost effortless. The young woman, feeling slighted, put down her phone and glared at Elaine, saying indignantly, "You’re really annoying. My husband usually spends generously on me. I just didn’t make a reservation this time. How did you manage to be here? It’s not like you chartered a flight across the country!" Elaine chuckled and silently thought, "Oh, sweet girl, with just a few words you’ve dug your own grave and now you want to argue with me?" With that in mind, she handed her phone to them with a smirk, saying, "Check out this video from my Moments, take a look!" Surprised, the man took the phone, opened the video, and discovered it showcased an extraordinarily luxurious private jet. In the clip, three flight attendants bowed deeply toward the camera, and one of them spoke respectfully, "Welcome, esteemed Ms. Elaine, to this flight. We will be flying directly from Aurous Hill to Providence, USA. The estimated flight time is around fifteen hours. I’m one of the flight attendants for this trip. The three of us will be attending to your needs throughout the flight; please feel free to make any requests at any time..." The man's eyes widened in disbelief. Elaine boldly announced, "Just so you know, I travel on the famous Gulfstream G650. Have you ever heard of it?" He stared at Elaine, astonishment flooding his thoughts, "What in the world? This woman takes a private jet to the United States? This flight must cost around a million dollars, at least two million round trip. Does she have a fortune stashed away?" The young woman, unimpressed, scoffed, "Tsk, it’s just a video. What does it prove? I know many low-quality short films can make anything look good. Even filming in private jets isn't rare!" The man quickly admonished her, "Shut up and eat your meal! You’re not helping your case!" The young woman, taken aback by her husband's ire, responded, "Husband, why are you upset with me? It’s this rude old woman who’s causing trouble!" He pointed at her, reprimanding her harshly, "Be quiet! Do you want me to really silence you?"

Frightened by his outburst, the woman fell silent. After addressing his wife, the man handed the phone back to Elaine with a sheepish smile and said, "Ms. Elaine, I mean, Aunt Elaine, my apologies. We didn’t know better; please forgive us!" This man, worth tens of millions, had only bought a second-hand Bentley that didn’t cost him much. Though he considered himself wealthy, when confronted with someone who could easily spend over a million on a private jet to the United States, he recognized the vast difference in status. Elaine was surprised to see this man, who had acted so boastfully outside the airport, suddenly shrink back, a smug smile spreading across her face, reveling in the turn of events. At the same time, she thought to herself, "I usually enjoy showing off on WeChat Moments; today has proved it was worthwhile." With that in mind, she looked at the man and said, "Listen, young man, when you’re out, don’t assume you’re the best. You need to be aware that there are always bigger fish in the sea. My husband happens to be the head of the Calligraphy and Painting Association, and I could very well be on that Gulfstream G650 flying to the Maldives. Do you really think I would settle for a mere first class flight with someone of your standing?" The middle-aged man, completely overshadowed by Elaine’s presence, quickly replied, "Yes, yes, Aunt Elaine, you’re absolutely right. We’ll be more humble moving forward!" Elaine nodded in satisfaction, casually saying, "Let’s consider this a lesson this time, and remember to be mindful in the future." With that, she turned and confidently walked back toward her family. Jacob was astonished when Elaine returned and immediately whispered, "Wife, when did you take a private jet to the United States? Why didn’t I know about this?" Claire was equally surprised. She recalled that her mother had visited the United States once while attending a master class in Providence. Her mother had said she missed her and made a trip to see her. However, she had never mentioned traveling by private jet. Moreover, how could she possibly afford such a luxury? Claire could not help but inquire, "Mom, I’ve never heard you mention taking a private jet. How did you manage that?" Elaine, feeling a tad uneasy, whispered back, "Do you remember when we went to Harbour City for shopping? There was a jewelry store that had a promotional lottery. The grand prize was valued at $1.2 million, and I happened to win it. But guess what? They didn’t give me the cash; they offered a charter flight worth that amount to the United States instead. I figured since you’re there, I might as well go visit." Jacob was shocked and elated, "Wow, look at your luck, my wife! This is amazing! Also, you mentioned asking that guy to check your Moments earlier. Did you post something? Why didn’t I see it?" Elaine cleared her throat and cautioned him, "Keep your voice down! We don’t want others to hear us." Then she added, "I posted to my Moments to keep it low-key. I didn’t want you all to know!" Jacob appeared confused, "How does blocking your family count as keeping a low profile?" At that moment, Claire’s mind raced with questions, wondering which jewelry store could offer such outrageous prizes. Something didn’t add up! Then, she glanced at Charlie beside her, and everything suddenly fell into place. If Charlie were secretly behind all this, it all made perfect sense...