RETURN OF THE TRILLIONAIRE: CAGE

FAKE

"Don't you think you took it far?" Cage spoke to Chloe in the car.

"You can't do it? I have known you since we were kids. I know what you are capable of, Cage." Chloe smiled at him.

Cage hummed in positive. He knew she was right.

"Where is your house?" Chloe asked. 

"Just stop here." Cage replied. He didn't want Chloe to know much about him. 

"Thank you for the ride." Cage said when he stepped out of the car.

"You wouldn't show me your home?" Chloe quirked a brow.

"Not now, Chloe. I have to prepare to see your family tomorrow." Cage reminded her.

Chloe's face dropped, but she understood.

Cage walked to the estate. His car had been appropriately parked in his garage.

His phone rang the moment he stepped into his house.

"Hello, Lily. I'm listening." Cage spoke into the phone.

"I did what you asked me to do. I have also prepared the contract." Lily reported.

Lily hoped she could still help him out.

"Thank you, Lily." Cage uttered.

"Excuse me, Sir. Are you alone?" Lily spoke with a flirty tone.

"I am." Cage said.

"I can provide company, Sir. You just… " Lily was saying.

Cage ended the call, walking to make himself a cup of coffee.

He had a bet to beat.

Lily was stunned when she realized that Cole wasn't listening to her anymore. Her face turned red out of embarrassment.

Cage called Zo at midnight.

"Hello Zo, I want to start a new business. I'm going to enter the food industry." Cage uttered.

"That's a brilliant idea, young master. I'm guessing it's for the bet against Daryl Gray." Zo spoke

"I don't know how you found out, but yes, it's for the bet. I'd need land and a dying food business." Cage instructed.

The reason he wanted a dying food business was so he could get the employees ready, and he could only become a shadow in the industry.

"That reminds me, young Master. I ate at a restaurant yesterday. Their food reminded me of home. However, they didn't have many customers." Zo replied.

"You'd take me there the day after tomorrow. I have to meet Chloe's family tomorrow." Cage sighed.

"Yes, young master. Although, why do you need land?" Zo inquired.

"When the food business is popular, I'd move it to the new site. It will be a ten-star restaurant when I'm done with it. " Cage chuckled.

"I have confidence in your skills, Young Master," Zo said.

"Thank you, Zo. Rest well." Cole ended the call after saying that.

He brought out his laptop and began his research on the food demand in the country.

It was going to be a long night.

It was 4 am when Cage checked his email. He saw the contract Lily had prepared and signed it.

He needed to get his car business on the move. 

Cage emailed Lily with the address of his car shop and told her to inform the technology company to begin production of the improved cars.

After settling his problems, Cage rested.

The next item was to visit Chloe's family.

Cage woke up and got ready to visit Chloe. 

He had just seen a text that her grandfather's birthday was today.

She had forgotten to inform me.

Cage didn't mind. He knew that Chloe was a forgetful person.

She would forget her head if it weren't stuck to her neck.

Cage just needed to look for something worth the old man.

From his former experience and what Chloe had told him. It seemed like the grandfather was prone to attacks from the inner family members.

Precisely, his first step was to get something that would assist him in warding off evil. 

Cage found his way to an antique shop.

He had decided to study archeology during his free time. Now, his efforts were about to produce fruits.

Cage walked into an antique store and looked around.

"Please, don't touch the items on display." The shop owner came to Cage's side when he wanted to examine an item.

Cage was surprised for a minute, but he regained his composure.

"How else do I know if it's real or fake?" Cage said with emphasis on the word 'fake.'

A vein popped up in the shop owner's head at the prospect of being called a scammer.

"I assure you, Sir. None of the items here are fake." The man huffed.

Cage nodded. He turned his head to the left and quickly spotted a fake item.

"How much is that?" Cage said, pointing to the item.

"It's ten hundred dollars, Sir." The man had no enthusiasm in his eyes because he thought Cage had no money to pay for such an expensive item.

"It's fake." Cage was blunt.

"What?" The man frowned. How dare this man come to his shop to accuse him of fake items.

"If you think everything here is fake, why not go elsewhere?" The man spoke, holding back his frustration.

"I haven't found what I'm looking for." Cage answered.

Some people heard their conversation, and they left the shop.

An item caught Cage's eyes. It was a jade bracelet with intricate golden designs.

Cage inched closer to the item and reached for it.

He had to inspect this beauty.

"Hey! You can't touch that!" The shop owner ran to stop Cage.

"I'm buying it." Cage's eyes were focused on the item. He dipped his hand and handed a stash of cash to the owner.

The shop owner was amazed at the pile of cash in his hands, but when he looked up, Cage had vanished.

Cage arrived at Chloe's mansion after following the directions she gave to him.

"Hey, who are you? You can't come in here. Invites only." The gateman refused to let him in.

The party at Richland's mansion was extravagant.

Every single top celebrity was invited to the grandfather's party.

Both enemies and friends ensured they came to feast their eyes on the presents that would be given to the old man.

It was also rumored that the famous Chloe Richland was announcing her fiancé at the party.

The internet wondered how she managed to keep her marriage under the bush.

Chloe, on the other hand, moved through the guests frantically.

"Where is he? How could he be late?" She felt disappointed.

Suddenly, a sound came from her phone. It was a text notification.

"E-invites." 

It was a single word, and it was from Cage.

Chloe slapped her head and sent him what he wanted. She couldn't believe she forgot.

"Hello, everyone. Welcome to the birthday party of Grandmaster Richland. It's time to open up the gifts."

A man's voice came from the speaker.

Chloe cringed at the sound. She hated him.

This man was the family's first son and her father, James Richland. 

The guests moved back and allowed the family members to present their gifts.

"Hello Grandfather. I bought this five-hundred-year-old harmonica. History says when played, it releases the sound of the ocean." A young woman with a model body bowed before the old man as she spoke.

"It's worth ten million dollars." She said with pride.

The crowd went wild.

"Ten million?"

"The Richland Family are wealthy!"

"The car I drove here is half of that amount."

"I can't keep living if I can't be rich like this. I'm off the jump. Don't hold me."

Everyone was amazed at such an expense.

Chloe frowned. That lady was her aunt. She knew she had ulterior motives, and she didn't trust her at all.

The sons and daughters of the old man presented their gifts, stirring up the crowd's hearts.

The last of the gifts cost ten million dollars.

It was just too much.

"It is time for the presentation of the Grandmaster Richland grandchildren's gifts," James stated. His eyes moved to Chloe briefly, and he was about to speak again.

Chloe swallowed. She knew her father would not hesitate to disgrace her at every chance.

"My husband says he wants to go first." A calm voice erupted from the family stand.

Chloe grimaced, "Not her again."

It was her younger sister, Rochelle Richland. 

"Come, my dear son, give Grandpa your gift," James said with a loving smile.

As the man walked forward, James decided to speak his mind.

"It seems my first daughter's fake fiance isn't here today," James said mockingly.

"Maybe she chased him off with her bad omens." Rochelle smiled.

The crowds snickered and gossiped.

"What a fraud."

"Why would she lie? Did she want fame?"

" I hate liars."

However, Chloe didn't care what they said. She knew he was going to come for her. 

Rochelle's husband stood in front of the Grandmaster of the family and proclaimed his gift.

"This is a jade bracelet from before the Great China Wall was built. The royal jade smith made it. It was designed to keep the emperor safe. from evil attacks." Mason said with a lofty smile.

"It's worth five hundred million." He uttered.

The crowd went into a state of commotion.

That was the highest gift price they had heard since the party started.

Grandfather Richland's eyes sparkled.

This was worth every penny.

Mason presented it to the grandfather and watched as the old man was about to wear it.

"That bracelet is fake." A loud voice resounded in the hall.

Chloe looked back and recognized the voice.

It was Cage!