Life at the Top

“Can’t enjoy good food without some good wine.” Vita laughed as he took out two bottles of aged brandy and said, “It’s all thanks to you that I could advance further in my career, Mr. Laine. Let me give you a toast.”

Smiling, Jasper picked up his cup and said, “Cheers to that. Before we talk about anything else, you should first stop calling me Mr. Laine. You’re about John’s age, and I should be addressing you as an older brother instead. Please, call me Jasper.”

“Alright, Jasper, cheers!” Vita’s face was bright red as he excitedly clinked his glass against Jasper’s and downed its contents.

Jasper, too, tilted his head back and finished the entire glass.

…

“This is the meat of the albino beluga sturgeon, a rare fish which can only be harvested for half a month every year. It’s suitable to be consumed by women because it nourishes your body and skin.”

Jasper did not give Celine the cold shoulder as they ate. He cut her a slice of sturgeon meat as he spoke.

When he heard that, Vita smiled and said, “Two years ago, a pound of this could be bought for 8,000 dollars. But bear in mind that it was 8,000 dollars back in 1999. Now, there’s simply no supply although there’s a great demand for it. You can’t buy it even if you have the money.”

was tender, fresh, and fatty without being greasy. She said in surprise, “It’s

the rivers when I was

Celine said, Jasper exclaimed in surprise, “You grew up

I was in fourth

numbers to drop greatly. A policy was even introduced so now, they can only

caught in recent years, but he didn’t sell it to anyone despite being offered several million dollars for it. Instead, he brought it straight

soup. He smiled meaningfully as he said, “You should have more of this, Jasper. It has amazing healing properties. All the herbs are aged and harvested

are the ones who should drink more of this. Don’t regret it when you’re

about slightly inappropriate things when they ate and drank

had initially been worried Celine would not

If you actually want

table burst into laughter when they heard

had been present because of Celine, who was a