Second Chance For Revenge

Chapter 5

The sound of the decline beep was like a starting gun for the crowd.

Laughter ripped through the hall, sharp and cruel, bouncing off the gold walls and expensive lights. It wasn't just a few quiet snickers. People were bending over in their seats, pointing at Gerald like he was some street performer who had just fallen on his face.

"I actually almost believed him!" a woman shrieked, wiping tears from her eyes. "The way he was standing there so serious, ordering like he owned the place. He should be on TV, not in a factory!"

"Did you see the manager's face?" a man in a suit called out, his voice full of satisfaction. "She actually gave him a chance. She almost treated a beggar like a real customer. That's the real joke tonight!"

But the loudest laughter came from the Hills table.

Henry pointed straight at Lora, his voice cutting through the noise. "Look at her! She actually thought he had money! She went against us for a broke factory worker!"

Tina crossed her arms, a huge smile spreading across her face. "I warned you, didn't I? You chose to believe Gerald over the Hills family. I hope you're ready to find a new job tomorrow."

James Hills raised his glass like he was making a toast. "To the manager who bet on the wrong horse!"

The whole table burst out laughing again.

Lora was not laughing.

Her face went white, then red, then something close to green. She stood behind the payment terminal with Gerald's card still in her shaking hand, staring at the declined screen like it had personally destroyed her life.

She had gambled everything on Gerald. She had gone against one of the most powerful families in the city because she thought she recognized his face from that blurry trading photo. She had convinced herself that this worn-jacket factory worker was the mystery Newtop investor.

And his card had declined. Twice.

The panic hit her like a punch to the stomach. She could feel every eye in the room on her, every whisper cutting into her like knives. Her career was over. The Hills family would make sure of that.

Gerald didn't look at the crowd. He didn't even look at the red screen. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out, checking something quickly.

Alert: Your account has been temporarily frozen due to suspicious activity. A deposit of $2,000,000.00 from Newtop Securities exceeds your standard transaction profile. Please visit a branch with two forms of identification to verify these funds.

Gerald sighed quietly. Of course. A man who usually had a few hundred dollars suddenly getting two million would make any bank panic. He had been so focused on preparing for the Apocalypse that he forgot about security limits.

"Wait," Gerald said, his voice calm in the middle of all the chaos. "The card didn't fail because there's no money. My bank blocked the account. I got a two million dollar deposit from Newtop this morning and the system flagged it as suspicious. I just need to call them to verify it."

The restaurant went dead silent for exactly one second.

Then the laughter came back louder than before.

"Two million dollars?" Henry barked from his table, slapping his knee. "Gerald, you don't even know how to spell 'stock' let alone trade it! What did you do, trade your lunch box for shares?"

Tina walked closer, her heels clicking against the marble floor. The disgust on her face was so deep it was hard to believe they had ever been married.

"You are truly pathetic," Tina said, her voice low but sharp enough for everyone to hear. "You really thought that if you lied about having millions, I would regret divorcing you? Look at you. You still smell like grease and sweat. No fake bank alert is going to change the fact that you're nothing."

The crowd jumped on her words like hungry dogs.

"The divorce completely broke his brain!"

"Newtop stock? That company's been dying for months!"

"Someone that broke doesn't just walk into a place like this!"

"He's having a complete breakdown!"

Lora felt the walls closing in on her. The Hills family was staring at her with cold eyes. The crowd was laughing at her judgment. Her reputation was in pieces on the floor.

She stepped forward, her chest rising and falling too fast.

"Do you think I'm a fool?" Lora snapped, all her professional calm gone. "I gave you a chance and you turned my restaurant into a circus! You made me look like an idiot in front of my best customers!"

She didn't want to hear about bank alerts or stock deposits. All she could see was the Hills family's angry faces and her career going up in smoke.

Lora snapped her fingers at the security guards near the door.

"Get him out of here," she ordered, her voice shaking with anger and panic. "Throw him in the alley. If he fights back, make sure he can't walk back in."

Tina's smile got even bigger.

"It's for the best, Gerald," she said sweetly. "Maybe some pain will finally bring you back to reality. You were never meant for a place like this."

The guards started walking toward Gerald, their heavy footsteps echoing in the sudden quiet.

Gerald's eyes narrowed slightly. His muscles tensed under his jacket. He could feel his Primordial Essence flowing through his body, making everything sharper, faster, stronger. These guards would be easy to handle.

But if he started a fight here, he'd bring police attention before he could finish preparing for what was coming. That was a price he couldn't afford to pay.

The lead guard reached out, his thick hand moving toward Gerald's shoulder.

Just then, the heavy front doors of the restaurant swung open.

The sound that followed was different from anything that had happened all night. The low, expensive hum of a luxury car engine. Then the confident click of expensive heels on marble.

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

A woman walked in, and the entire room seemed to shift around her.

She wasn't just beautiful. She had the kind of presence that made everyone else look small, like extras in a movie while she was the star. Her skin glowed with perfect health and her emerald dress moved like water when she walked. Her jewelry was quiet and elegant, the kind that whispered old money and real power.

Every man in the room felt his mouth go dry. Every woman suddenly felt cheap and ordinary by comparison.

Tina, who had always been the most beautiful woman wherever she went, suddenly felt like a waitress standing next to a queen.

Lora's anger vanished instantly, replaced by pure panic and desperate need to impress. She recognized the woman immediately. Anyone who followed business news would. She was connected to one of the biggest investment groups in the city, the kind that could buy and destroy restaurants like this without blinking.

Lora practically ran toward the entrance.

"Ma'am! We weren't expecting you tonight!" Lora said, her voice suddenly sweet and shaky. "Please, let us give you our best private room. Anything you need, just say the word!"

The woman didn't even look at her.

She walked straight past Lora like she was part of the furniture, her eyes fixed on the center of the room where Gerald stood with guards on either side of him.

Lora's hand froze in mid-air, her face burning with a second wave of humiliation.

The woman stopped a few steps away from the guards. They felt her gaze and automatically stepped back, suddenly not wanting to be in her way.

Her eyes moved over the guards, past Lora, over the Hills family with the same cold, bored look you'd give to dirt on your shoes.

Then she looked at Gerald.

The coldness melted off her face instantly. A real, warm smile spread across her lips, making her even more beautiful.

She didn't care about his worn jacket or the fact that seconds ago he was about to be dragged outside by security.

To the complete shock of everyone watching, the most powerful woman in the room gave Gerald a small, respectful bow.

"We finally meet," she said, her voice smooth and rich. "I've been looking for you all morning, Mr. Gerald."

The restaurant went so quiet you could hear people's hearts beating.

Tina's mouth fell open. Henry stared with wide eyes. James and Jane Hills sat frozen like statues.

The woman who could buy and sell all of them was bowing to the "useless factory worker" they had just tried to throw out like trash.

"I believe we have some very important business to discuss," she continued, her eyes never leaving Gerald's face.