Robert McAfee; The New Student Trillionaire

CHAPTER 10

The hall echoed with roaring laughter. The Orlando twins were basking in their supposed triumph, with David grinning from ear to ear as he turned toward the hotel attendant.

"Go ahead," he said smugly, flipping his platinum card toward her. "Debit the remaining balance. Let’s end this charade."

The attendant nodded and approached the terminal. She inserted the card, punched a few buttons, and—

Beep.

A red light blinked. She frowned.

“Sir… I’m afraid the transaction was declined.”

David raised an eyebrow, casually adjusting the cuff of his designer suit. “Then swipe it again. It’s a black card. Probably your machine is acting up.”

She tried again.

Beep.

Still declined.

“Is this a joke?” David snapped. “Are you even trained to use that thing?”

Just then, a stern voice cut through the tension.

“I’ll take over from here.”

All eyes turned. It was the club manager, an older man with silver hair and a deep, commanding voice. He walked up to the attendant, his sharp black uniform giving off a no-nonsense vibe.

“Card, please,” he said firmly to David.

David handed it over, rolling his eyes. “Knock yourself out.”

The manager inserted the card into his own terminal.

Beep.

Declined again.

The manager frowned. Then his device buzzed—a message notification. His expression hardened.

“I’ve just received a warning,” he said coldly. “One more swipe from this card and the entire club’s banking channel will be flagged. If that happens, we’ll be temporarily suspended from all merchant services.”

The hall went dead silent.

The laughter? Gone.

Now, murmurs began to rise.

“Is this real?”

“Did their card just—?”

The manager turned to David, face like stone.

“You and your brother need to pay now. Or there will be consequences. Legal ones.”

David and Bucky glanced at each other. Then, quickly, they both pulled out their phones and opened their bank apps.

A moment passed.

Then another.

Suddenly, both brothers froze.

David blinked, tapped his phone again. Bucky swiped in disbelief.

“W-what the hell?” David muttered.

His account, which just that morning held over $300 million in assets, now showed a drastically reduced figure.

“I… I’m seeing eight thousand… Bucky, are yours showing the same?”

Bucky’s lips were dry. “Mine says six. Thousand.”

Whispers spread like wildfire.

“They’re broke?”

“ No way the Orlando's just filled for bankruptcy”

“No way… Is this Robert’s doing?”

“How could he…? That’s impossible!”

David’s hands trembled. He tried refreshing his app again. Nothing changed. Then he looked up, panic now seeping into his voice. He turned to Matthew and Eva McCastrol , the smooth-talking heirs to the McCastrol energy group and key figures in the Twine clique.

“Heh… bro… help us out, yeah?” David said, forcing a smile. “It’s just a glitch. You know how banks are. Can you lend us a small amount? A hundred K or so? We’ll repay you by Monday.”

Bucky jumped in. “Honestly, Eva, we just need to tide over for a couple of days. My father’s out of the country, and—”

Eva McCastrol raised a hand.

“Don’t involve me.”

David blinked. “What?”

“We had no part in organizing this event,” Matthew said, stepping back. “This was entirely under your name. And since you clearly can’t handle the expenses, don’t drag us down with you.”

He turned to the manager. “Please separate our group’s bill. We’ll pay for only what we ordered.”

One by one, the rest of the Twine Group followed suit, stepping away from the Orlandos.

Even their so-called “brothers” were abandoning ship.

“You cowards,” David spat, face now red with fury and shame.

The manager cleared his throat again. “Enough. I’ve seen scams before, but this—this is on a new level.”

David narrowed his eyes on him. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

He never finished the sentence.

SLAP.

The manager’s palm landed across his cheek like thunder. The sharp crack echoed through the hall.

Bucky screamed and lunged forward, “How dare you hit my brother—”

SLAP.

The second hit sent Bucky spinning backward.

The room gasped.

The Twine Group stepped further away. Some chuckled. Others just shook their heads.

“Security,” the manager barked. “Round up everyone still inside. All debts must be cleared tonight.”

Two burly security guards flanked the hall instantly.

“Since the Orlandos can’t pay,” the manager continued, “they’ll pay with labor.”

He turned to the waiter nearby. “Bring the mop. And a broom.”

Moments later, the waiter returned with both.

The manager held them out to David and Bucky.

“You’ll mop this floor until I say stop. Every glass, every crumb—you’ll clean it. If you’re not paying in cash, you’re paying in sweat.”

David’s lips quivered.

“This isn’t over,” he growled, turning his head toward Robert. “You think you’ve won? You’re nothing but a rat from downtown! We’ll crush you when we’re back!”

Robert smiled.

“Try,” he said softly. “Please. I insist.”

The Murphys, another elite family, raised their hands.

“We’d like to settle our bill—one hundred thousand, I believe.”

The machine beeped. Transaction successful.

One by one, the rest of the guests settled their tabs. No one glanced back at the Orlandos.

Robert exited the club, hands in his pockets, head high. The night air outside was cool, refreshing. He had come in as the laughingstock. He left as something else—something everyone now feared and couldn’t understand.

The other guests followed, still murmuring.

“Who is Robert?”

“He just… took down the Orlandos in a night.”

“What kind of power is that?”

Even the Camino twins, the low-tier members of the Twine group, looked dazed.

Robert was quietly stepping away, preparing to call a taxi.

Just then—a sharp slap rang out.

He turned.

Emily, holding her cheek, stood rigid in shock.

Pat Hunter, red with fury, towered over her.

“You really think you can embarrass me like that?” Pat hissed. “Defending that pervert in front of everyone?”

“Pervert?” Emily’s voice cracked. “He did nothing wrong!”

Pat stepped closer, voice low and threatening.

“Do you forget who my father is? Your dad’s been begging us for a contract. One word from me, and your whole family’s in the gutter.”

Emily’s face turned pale.

Pat leaned in.

 “Support that trash again, and I’ll bury your father. That hundred million your old man owes? I’ll have it collected—tomorrow.”

Robert’s eyes darkened.

He took out his phone and dialed swiftly.

“Mr. Edward,” he said calmly, “Meet me at Aurum Towers. Bring the Hunters Deal document.”

Pause.

“Yes. Now.”

He ended the call and calmly stepped off the curb to hail a taxi.

Behind him, the noise of the Twine Group faded. The club lights dimmed. And the Orlando brothers, once kings of the hall, were left with mops in hand—sweeping the floor where they once walked like gods.

As the crowd buzzed outside, someone cleared their throat.

It was Matthew.

“Well,” he said with a charming smile. “Since tonight’s ceremony was never completed… and the Orlandos didn’t make the cut, how about I give everyone a free tour of Aurum Towers instead?”

He held up a set of platinum keys.

The murmurs turned into eager chatter.

The Twi

ne Group nodded in approval. Even the Camions cheered.

Matthew clapped his hands.

“And who knows? Once the Orlandos sort themselves out, maybe—maybe—we’ll consider inducting them again.”

Laughter echoed from the crowd.