2025-12-14 00:32:34Inside, Robert told Maya to go take a seat while he went to talk to the manager.
Your parents’ friends are your network, huh? The manager of this restaurant happened to be one of his father’s old buddies. Robert had already called the man on his way over. The manager walked up with a big smile, hand stretched out. Robert shook it firmly. “It’s so nice to see you, Robert. How’s your father? I don’t remember the last time I saw him… two months ago?” the manager asked. “He’s fine—somehow. I don’t know,” Robert laughed. “You’re still not a kid he’s proud of, I guess.” “Never been his favorite,” Robert said, and they both chuckled like it was normal. “How can I help you today?” “Actually…” Robert leaned in slightly. “Some guy’s coming in soon with his girlfriend. Trying to screw me over. One of those poor dudes who suddenly gets lucky and thinks he can disrespect me.” The manager blinked. “Okay… so how do I come into play?” “Whatever we buy, I want you to make it five times the price.” The manager’s face froze. “Come on,” Robert said, smirking. “Do it for my dad. The poor dude will pay it. If he can't afford it, make him one of the fucking workers here, he'll earn it. I want to deal with his broke ass.” “Well… can I have a picture of him?” the manager asked. “No need. You’ll see him soon enough. But for cinematic effect, we’re gonna play a little game,” Robert said, pulling his card from his pocket and holding it up like it was a weapon. “Both of our cards go down. His gets chosen. He pays. All of it.” The manager’s eyes widened. “Describe my card to the waiter,” Robert added. “Make sure he picks the other one. Dude’s gonna pay for all of our meals.” The manager frowned, hesitating. “Robert… five times the bill? That’s insane—” “I want to deal with his broke-ass,” Robert snapped, nudging at Jace, who was striding in with his girlfriend, cool as a storm. The manager opened his mouth to warn Robert who Jace really was, but Robert was already walking away, phone facedown on the table like it was a goddamn shield. Damn. The manager cursed under his breath, finally giving instructions to the waiter. “Do not pick the black card with ‘Robert’ on it,” he hissed. Jace, of course, wasn’t even using his own money—some CEO had hooked him up this morning, turning Jace into a walking viral ad for the restaurant. Ironically, the waiter was panicking. Some sudden running stomach hit him. Dysentery was no joke, and now he was stuck in some rich-kid power-play roulette. He rushed to his coworkers. “Please… pay attention to that table. Make sure you pick Robert’s card,” he stammered, before darting to the restroom to avoid embarrassing himself right in the middle of the room. Confused as hell, the second waiter shuffled toward the table where Jace, the third-year girl, Robert, and Maya were seated, sweat already breaking out on his forehead.
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“Three million,” Jace said, voice low but cutting through the room. Gasps. Shouts. The person running the livestream froze for half a second, then kept going. Comments exploded online like wildfire. Robert’s jaw tightened. He wanted to bury this kid in debt, to drag him into a pit of numbers he couldn’t handle. Jace’s competitive streak? Oh, it was real. He’d bite the bait every single fucking time. “Ten million dollars!” Robert barked. Someone choked on their meal. The room’s energy spiked. “Well…going…?” Robert’s voice wavered slightly. “Two hundred million dollars,” Jace shot back like it was nothing. Maya’s eyes went wide. Her heart skipped. Robert froze. Two hundred million. That number alone could break most people—but not Jace. Poor kid had that stupid ego, and he was riding it straight into chaos. Bid at an insanely higher amount and then, he'd stop so that Jace would be trapped into being the last bidder. Robert’s face hardened. He had to push harder. He looked Jace
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He reached out, ready to reveal the card—and Robert raised a hand, voice smooth and dangerous:“And, man, if my card is picked, I’ll cover your entrance fee to the basketball team. But if it’s yours… you’re paying double.”Maya’s jaw tightened. She knew this was Robert’s trap—he was trying to shove Jace out before he even got close.“How much is the bill?” Robert asked casually.The waiter swallowed. “Three million dollars, sir.”The comment section online was going insane.“Bro that’s a whole lifetime savings!”“No way Jace can pay that!”“This is INSANE.”“Can’t wait to see Jace cry fr.”“Jace RUNNNN!!”Robert smirked, “You can opt out of the game if you can’t play it, dude,” he called across the table, loud enough for the livestream mic to catch every syllable.The third-year girl’s chest tightened. She looked from Robert to Maya, wishing—begging—they’d understand.If this meal was two hundred million, Jace still wouldn’t be paying with his own money.“Jace, you can tell us now—” M
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Robert picked up the menu. “What shall we go with, babe?” he asked Maya.Maya blinked, caught in a storm of her own thoughts. She drew closer, trying to focus on picking a meal, but her eyes kept darting toward Jace and the third-year girl. The girl—dressed like a queen straight out of some fantasy store—looked insane. The way Jace had taken her shopping, spent like nothing mattered… Maya’s chest tightened. He had always told her, back when they were “together,” that when he became rich, he’d spoil his girlfriend crazy. But she had never imagined it this fast, this publicly, right in front of her.“Maya?” Robert’s voice cut through her haze.She jumped slightly, forcing a smile. “I’ll go with…” She pointed to a dish without thinking.Robert smirked and picked something else—two hundred thousand dollars. The waiter bowed and took the menu.Jace and his girl placed their orders, calm, collected, completely unaware of the storm brewing across the table.Robert’s mind ticked. Everything
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Inside, Robert told Maya to go take a seat while he went to talk to the manager.Your parents’ friends are your network, huh? The manager of this restaurant happened to be one of his father’s old buddies. Robert had already called the man on his way over.The manager walked up with a big smile, hand stretched out.Robert shook it firmly.“It’s so nice to see you, Robert. How’s your father? I don’t remember the last time I saw him… two months ago?” the manager asked.“He’s fine—somehow. I don’t know,” Robert laughed.“You’re still not a kid he’s proud of, I guess.”“Never been his favorite,” Robert said, and they both chuckled like it was normal.“How can I help you today?”“Actually…” Robert leaned in slightly. “Some guy’s coming in soon with his girlfriend. Trying to screw me over. One of those poor dudes who suddenly gets lucky and thinks he can disrespect me.”The manager blinked. “Okay… so how do I come into play?”“Whatever we buy, I want you to make it five times the price.”The
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The third-year girl grew more nervous by the second.Jace had taken her to a store only celebrities—and the disgustingly rich—ever stepped foot into.He told the stylists to “doll her up” with a firmness that made even the manager jump.Now she stood in front of a massive mirror…She looked like Cinderella designed by billionaires.The gown.The heels.The diamonds.Even though she was rich—really rich—the total of it all shook her to her bones.“Two million dollars, sir,” she heard the cashier say.She almost died right there.Her twenty-one-year-old instinct kicked in—this wasn’t right. He was eighteen.She should be the older, sensible one here.She hurried over just as he was about to hand over his card. She snatched it from him.“I want to talk to you,” she whispered urgently.Jace grinned at her. A full, bright, reckless smile.“You look fucking pretty.”She almost melted. For real. Her knees legit shook.They stepped aside to a quiet corner.“You can’t pay this,” she hissed. “T
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He came around, grabbed Maya’s hand, and shoved through the crowd until they reached Jace and the third-year girl—who hadn’t made it far because everyone was blocking the path, trying to record the drama. “Hey, Jace,” the guy drawled, stepping directly into Jace’s path, still gripping Maya like she was some trophy. “How about a double date with you and your new girlfriend?” Jace eyed both of them like they were fucking ants crawling on his shoe. He had never seen this clown before, but the trust-fund energy was loud as hell. “Why the fuck would I want a double date with you two?” Jace asked flatly. “Oh, right—my bad,” the guy said with a fake, polished smile. “I forgot to introduce myself. Name’s Robert. Thing is, we placed a bet on that fresher’s party night.” He turned to Maya. “I personally laid down a million dollars, because I didn’t know Maya would pull that off. I already paid her.” Jace blinked once, unimpressed. “How the hell does that relate to me?” Robert gave a slo
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