He was blindly defending a financial demand without knowing the numbers.

“Brandon, do you know what the initial deposit is?” I asked.

“It’s a standard retainer,” Brandon said, looking toward the barista counter instead of at me.

“Samantha said it was completely normal for a primary booking.”

Samantha had never shown Brandon the actual invoice.

“The total wedding venue cost is one hundred eighty thousand dollars,” I said.

Brandon stopped tapping his foot.

His eyes narrowed as he tried to process the figure without showing weakness.