I Became A Billionaire Overnight

Chapter 4

Steve sat in the plush leather backseat of his luxury town car. He stared at the flashing numbers on his encrypted financial tablet. A harsh headache pounded behind his eyes. Beside him, Vanessa leaned her head against his shoulder. She completely ignored the tense atmosphere and filed her nails with total disinterest in anything other than herself.

"You are going to fire all of them, right?" Vanessa asked. She did not bother looking up. "Especially that obnoxious girl, Chloe. She always thought she was better than me just because she made the manager schedule. I want you to walk into that cafe, announce you own the place, and fire her right in front of the entire morning rush. It will be hilarious."

Steve forced a tight smile. "Of course, babe. I am handling the acquisition right now. My broker is finalizing the bid as we speak."

He lied through his teeth. His broker was actually panicking on the other end of a secure text thread. Steve had put forward a massive offer to buy the corner cafe outright. He expected a simple transaction. Instead, someone had swooped in out of nowhere and completely obliterated his offer. The counter-bid was absolutely astronomical. The anonymous buyer had thrown down enough liquid cash to buy the entire city block.

Steve tried to counter the offer. His banking application immediately threw a harsh red error code across his screen. Insufficient funds.

A cold sweat broke out on the back of Steve's neck. He quickly locked the tablet screen and shoved the device into his designer briefcase. He could not muscle up enough funds to beat this anonymous whale. The reality of his financial situation was terrifying. His real estate firm was bleeding capital at an alarming rate. The company was not functioning anywhere near as well as last year. He was leveraging properties he barely owned just to keep his lavish lifestyle afloat.

He needed a massive influx of capital to survive the quarter. He desperately needed to secure a binding partnership with Sterling Apex Holdings. If he could just get them to sign the paperwork, he would finally be included into the elite South Side circle. Those men were the true background rulers of the whole country. They controlled the politicians, the zoning boards, and the major banks.

But he had still gotten absolutely no follow-ups from Arthur Sterling, the top firm manager. Arthur was ignoring his calls. The silence was deafening. Steve genuinely hoped this deal went through soon, or he was going to lose everything.

Vanessa sighed loudly and nudged his arm. "Well? Did they accept the offer? I want to go down there and gloat."

Steve adjusted his collar and put on his best arrogant sneer. He had to play the part of the untouchable billionaire.

"Screw them," Steve said smoothly. "I just pulled the bid. They wanted way too much for a pathetic little coffee shop. They are simply not worth our time or my money. Let's go lounge at the luxury hotel down at Sapphire Avenue instead. You can order room service and relax."

Vanessa pouted for a second, but the mention of a luxury hotel quickly smoothed over her bruised ego. "Fine. But you owe me a shopping spree."

Steve nodded and turned his attention to the front seat. He pressed the intercom button to speak to his private driver. He had planned to go to the hotel, but his phone buzzed with an urgent priority message from his family's private physician. The timing could not be worse.

"Change of plans, Marcus," Steve ordered the driver. "Take us to the hospital."

Vanessa sat up straight, her eyes wide with confusion. "The hospital? Why are we going there?"

Steve ignored her question completely and stared out the tinted window. He had far bigger problems to worry about than a petty rivalry at a local cafe.

Meanwhile...

Mason stepped out of his premium ride-hailing SUV and stood on the busy sidewalk. He looked up at the sleek, modern exterior of the corner cafe. The place was packed with high-end clientele. Men in tailored suits and women carrying designer handbags sat at the patio tables. This was the exact spot where Vanessa had worked her shifts. This was the exact spot where she had met Steve.

Mason walked through the heavy glass doors. The rich smell of roasted coffee beans and expensive pastries hit him immediately. He walked straight past the long line of waiting customers and approached the main counter.

A young woman stood at the espresso machine. She had bright eyes, a sharp jawline, and a nametag that read Chloe. Mason recognized her immediately. Vanessa used to come home to the apartment and complain endlessly about Chloe. Vanessa absolutely hated this girl with a burning passion, claiming Chloe was too bossy and entirely too pretty for her own good.

Chloe wiped down the counter and looked up at Mason. She took in his sweaty t-shirt, his scuffed sneakers, and his generally exhausted appearance. She clearly assumed he was lost.

"Can I help you?" Chloe asked. Her tone was strictly professional, but highly guarded. "The line for ordering is back there."

"I am actually looking for Vanessa," Mason said casually. "Is she working today?"

Chloe rolled her eyes so hard she almost lost her balance. She let out a sharp, genuine laugh. "Vanessa? No. She does not work here anymore. She quit this morning in the middle of a massive rush."

Mason raised an eyebrow. "Really? Just walked out?"

"Just walked out," Chloe confirmed. She leaned against the counter and shook her head. "She threw her apron on the floor, bragged about finding some billionaire boyfriend who owns a whole estate, and told us all she was moving on to greener pastures. She said she had absolutely no time to work at a pathetic establishment like this one ever again. Good riddance, honestly. She was terrible at making lattes."

Mason could not help the small smile forming on his lips. Vanessa had burned her bridges perfectly. She had left her only source of income to rely entirely on a man who threw hundreds at strangers to feel powerful.

Mason looked at Chloe. She was genuinely cute, and her blunt honesty was incredibly refreshing after dealing with Vanessa's constant manipulation.

"Since she is gone, maybe I could get your contact info instead?" Mason asked.

Chloe stopped wiping the counter. She stood up straight and looked Mason up and down one more time. The judgment in her eyes was heavy and undeniable. She saw a guy in dirty clothes asking for her number in the middle of a high-end cafe. She opened her mouth, fully prepared to turn him down flat and send him to the back of the line.

Before she could form the rejection, the heavy wooden door to the back office slammed open.

The sitting manager, a balding man named Richard, rushed out into the main service area. He was sweating heavily and clutching a stack of freshly printed financial documents. Richard practically shoved two baristas out of the way to get to the front counter.

Richard stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Mason. He frantically checked a photo on his phone, looked up at Mason, and then quickly smoothed down his tie.

"Mr. Mason!" Richard announced loudly. His voice carried across the entire cafe, silencing the low hum of customer chatter. "Sir, I am so incredibly sorry. I did not realize you had arrived already. We were not expecting you until this evening."

Chloe stared at her boss. Her mouth hung open slightly.

Richard turned to Chloe and the rest of the stunned staff behind the counter. He clapped his hands together nervously.

"Everyone, please pay attention," Richard instructed eagerly. "This is Mr. Mason. The buyout transaction just cleared our corporate accounts five minutes ago. He is the sole owner of this entire property and holds all the majority shares. Mr. Mason is your new boss."

Complete silence fell over the service area. Chloe looked from Richard to Mason and then back to Richard. Her brain struggled to process the information. The guy standing in front of her looking like he just finished a marathon in cheap shoes had just bought a multi-million dollar business in cash.

Mason watched the shock register on every single face behind the counter. He felt a massive surge of adrenaline. The power of the two billion dollars was real, and he held it firmly in his hands.

He leaned against the marble counter and looked directly at the staff.

"Alright," Mason said. His voice was calm, steady, and packed with total authority. "You heard the man. Get back to work. We have paying customers waiting."

It was the very first time he had ever dished out authority in his entire life, and it felt incredibly natural. The staff scrambled back to their stations immediately. The baristas started pulling espresso shots with extreme urgency. Richard bowed his head respectfully and hurried back to his office to prepare the handover files.

Mason pushed himself off the counter and prepared to leave. He turned back to Chloe one last time.

Her entire attitude had flipped on a dime. The heavy judgment in her eyes was completely gone. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger and offered him a highly flirtatious smile. She quickly grabbed a pen, scribbled her personal number down on a blank receipt paper, and slid it across the marble counter toward him.

She tapped the paper, winked at him, and then held her hand up to her ear, signaling a very clear 🤙 call me gesture.

Mason smiled back at her. He took the small piece of paper, folded it neatly, and slipped it into his pocket. He turned around and walked out the front doors of the cafe with his head held high.

He stepped back out onto the busy sidewalk and let out a long breath. The warm air hit his face. He pulled his busted phone out of his pocket to check the time. The screen was badly damaged and barely responsive. He shook his head. There was absolutely no way he was texting a girl like Chloe on a piece of garbage phone. He needed a serious hardware upgrade before the sun went down.

He also needed new clothes. The looks of disgust from the bank and the cafe were getting old quickly. It was time to dress the part of a billionaire.

He looked back through the glass windows of his newly acquired business. The cafe was packed shoulder to shoulder with wealthy executives, socialites, and high-level managers. This single location housed the biggest of the bigs in the city. It was the premier networking hub for the elite.

No wonder Vanessa had found a guy like Steve lurking around the tables. The place was a goldmine for wealthy connections.

Mason realized his impulsive purchase was actually incredibly smart. The daily revenue from this single establishment would be absolutely massive. It was his very first calculated move with his new wealth, and it was already paying off on multiple levels. He owned the ground Steve walked on, and Vanessa had just quit a job that would have made her untouchable.

He put his busted phone back into his pocket and flagged down another premium car. The revenge tour was only just beginning.