Chapter 7 - Dinner by the Ocean
On the second afternoon, Millie reserved a table in the main dining room.
She chose a seat beside the windows because she wanted to watch the ocean. Champagne arrived with lobster, soup, and a small floral arrangement.
Halfway through the meal, the doors opened.
Her family entered together.
They had apparently spent the morning searching every public dining area.
Robert saw her and marched across the room.
“What are you doing on our cruise?”
Several guests turned toward him.
Millie raised her glass.
“Enjoying the vacation I paid for.”
That was when Vanessa noticed the gold wristband.
The argument unfolded quickly.
The cruise manager arrived with her tablet. She confirmed that Millie’s penthouse remained active while the family upgrades had been canceled.
Vanessa demanded to know whether Millie had moved them into windowless cabins.
Millie reminded her that she had wanted a family-only vacation.
Then Elena displayed the charges the family had already used before the cancellations were processed.
Spa treatments.
Premium drinks.
Boutique purchases.
Private lounge fees.
A celebration dinner.
Robert stared at the total.
His anger disappeared.
“And now the family can pay for it,” Millie said.
The relatives who had joined the confrontation slowly stepped back.
Her aunt cleared her throat.
“Robert told us Millie was treating everyone.”
“I never said that,” Millie replied.
Her cousin Daniel immediately opened his banking app.
“I’ll pay for what I used.”
His mother agreed.
Vanessa looked at her father.
May you like
Robert looked at Millie.
For the first time, he seemed to understand that she was not going to rescue him.
