The Ding Of Destiny: Cole Walker's Revenge

Chapter 5: The Final Countdown

The Highland villa pulsed with energy. Tailors, stylists, and jewelers moved in and out all day, adjusting fabrics, polishing accessories, confirming details.

Cole Walker sat like a king in his study as his tuxedo was adjusted, his expression unreadable. The banquet was only one day away. Every second mattered.

Ding. The System’s blue interface unfolded before him.

[Banquet Countdown: 24 Hours]

[Status: High-Risk Event]

[Potential Rewards: Fleet of Luxury Cars, $2 Billion Boost, “Corporate Predator” Title, Global Reputation Increase]

[Warning: Failure will result in severe penalties]

Cole raised an eyebrow. “Penalties?”

The screen pulsed. [Penalty: Loss of all current assets]

Cole’s jaw tightened. “So it’s win or die, huh?”

[Ding. New Tool Unlocked: Prestige Aura]

[Effect: Host’s presence commands respect and submission. Duration: 3 hours. Recharge: 7 days]

Cole’s lips curved into a dangerous smile. “Perfect. Just what I need for my entrance.”

Across town, Vanessa sat in front of a mirror, hands trembling as her stylist applied her makeup. Her beauty hadn’t faded, but the desperation in her eyes was impossible to hide.

“Cole’s changed,” she whispered to herself. “He’s rich. Powerful. I just have to remind him of what we had.”

Her friend, sipping champagne nearby, scoffed. “You humiliated him, Vanessa. Everyone knows. You’re lucky he even picks up your calls.”

Vanessa’s eyes burned. “He’ll forgive me. He has to.”

She clenched her fists. Tomorrow night, she would win Cole back, or destroy him trying.

Meanwhile, Derek Stone stormed through his penthouse, pacing like a caged beast. “Find me something!” he barked at his private investigator.

The man swallowed hard. “Sir, we checked everywhere. Cole Walker has no known investors. No loans. No partners. It’s like his money just appeared.”

Derek’s face twisted with rage. “Money doesn’t just appear! Someone’s behind this, and I’ll expose him tomorrow.”

He slammed his fist against the glass table, cracking it. “No one humiliates Derek Stone and gets away with it.”

Back in the villa, Cole stood on the balcony, looking out at Dallas as the sun set. The city glittered, unaware of the storm brewing.

He sipped his whiskey slowly, eyes sharp as steel. Tomorrow, everything would change.

Tomorrow, Vanessa, Derek, and Harlan would be crushed. Tomorrow, Dallas would bow to the name Cole Walker.

[Ding. Final Reminder: Humiliation must be public, brutal, and irreversible]

[Audience Impact Multiplier Active]

Cole whispered to the night, voice cold and certain: “They wanted trash. Tomorrow, they’ll get a titan.”

…

The ballroom of the Crescent Hotel was alive with golden light. Chandeliers blazed overhead, casting a warm glow on Dallas’s most powerful families. 

Waiters glided between glittering gowns and tailored tuxedos, serving champagne that cost more per glass than most people’s monthly salary.

Everyone who was anyone was here, and everyone was talking about one man. “Have you heard? Cole Walker.”

“The one who took Derek Stone’s company?”

“Overnight billionaire, they say. Nobody knows how.”

“I heard he bought a fifty-million-dollar villa in Highland Park.”

“No way, he was nothing last week.”

Jonathan Harlan, the aging but still sharp-eyed CEO of Harlan & Co., stood near the stage, listening to the whispers with an amused smile. 

“Cole Walker,” he muttered. “Interesting. Let’s see if this upstart is worth my attention.”

Vanessa Walker floated through the crowd in a shimmering silver gown, her smile radiant, though her heart pounded with fear. 

Every guest she passed whispered behind her back. “That’s her, Cole’s ex-wife.”

“She left him for Derek Stone. And now…She must be desperate to win him back.”

Vanessa kept her chin high, but inside, she burned. Tonight, she had to change everything. If she could get Cole to forgive her, even just to stand beside him, she could silence the whispers.

Her eyes swept the entrance every few seconds. “Come on, Cole. Show up. I’ll make you remember what you lost.”

At the far end of the hall, Derek Stone downed a glass of bourbon and slammed it onto the bar.

“Relax, Mr. Stone,” his companion muttered. “We’ll humiliate him tonight. The board will side with you.”

Derek’s jaw tightened. “Cole Walker made me a fool in front of everyone. I’ll shred him tonight. Just wait.”

Then, the lights dimmed. The host cleared his throat at the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, our honored guest has arrived.”

Heads turned. Conversations stopped. Even the music faltered. The double doors swung open. Cole Walker stepped inside.

He wore a midnight-blue tuxedo tailored to perfection, his platinum watch glinting under the chandeliers. 

At his side walked two stunning models, their presence more accessory than company, but it was Cole himself who commanded the room.

His posture radiated dominance. His eyes, sharp and cold, swept the hall like a king surveying his court.

[Ding. Prestige Aura Activated]

[Duration: 3 Hours]

The effect was immediate. The chatter died. People who had never met him felt their throats tighten, as if in the presence of royalty. 

Even the most arrogant billionaires stepped back, giving him space. Cole’s lips curved slightly as he strolled forward, every step deliberate. He didn’t belong here. He owned it.

Vanessa’s breath caught. “My God… he’s changed.”

She moved quickly, weaving through the crowd, her silver gown shimmering under the lights. “Cole!” she called, her voice trembling with excitement.

Every eye turned. Cole stopped, his gaze flicking toward her. Cold. Detached. Vanessa reached him, smiling brightly, reaching for his arm. “You look incredible. I.”

Cole stepped back. The rejection was public, brutal, unmistakable. Gasps rippled through the hall. Vanessa froze, her hand hanging awkwardly in the air.

Cole’s voice was calm but sharp enough to cut steel. “Vanessa. Didn’t I tell you? You’ll learn humiliation tonight.”

The words echoed across the silent ballroom. Whispers erupted instantly. “Humiliation?”

“He just rejected her in front of everyone.”

“She begged for him, and he turned her down like that.”

Vanessa’s face was drained of color. “Cole, please, don’t do this here,” she whispered, her eyes darting at the watching crowd.

But Cole only smiled, raising a glass of champagne handed to him by a passing waiter. “Oh, Vanessa. This is exactly where I’ll do it.”

From across the room, Derek Stone’s face twisted with fury. “That bastard.”

His companion grabbed his arm. “Wait. Don’t lose your temper. Not yet. We’ll strike when the moment is right.”

But Derek’s fists clenched tighter. Jonathan Harlan approached, his smile smooth, his eyes sharp. “Mr. Walker,” he said, extending a hand. “Quite an entrance.”

Cole accepted the handshake lightly, his gaze unwavering. “Mr. Harlan. Thank you for the invitation. I hear your company’s annual banquet is legendary.”

Harlan chuckled. “And I hear you’ve been making quite the stir in Dallas. Buying companies overnight, humbling giants. Dangerous habits for a newcomer.”

Cole sipped his champagne, his smirk faint but deadly. “I’m no newcomer. I’ve simply stopped playing by their rules.”

Harlan’s eyes flickered. “We’ll see if you can play by mine.”

[Ding. Target Interaction Detected: Jonathan Harlan]

[Suggested Action: Delay humiliation until peak of banquet]

Cole smirked inwardly. “Patience,” he whispered under his breath.

The banquet resumed, but the atmosphere had changed. The spotlight was firmly on Cole Walker.

Vanessa hovered nearby, desperate, her eyes darting between him and the crowd’s whispers. 

Derek fumed in the corner, plotting his move. And Harlan, calculating, waited for the perfect moment.

Cole stood in the center, calm, untouchable, sipping his champagne. The stage was set.

[Ding. Banquet Progress: 10%.]

[Humiliation Sequence Initiated]

Cole’s smile sharpened. “Let the games begin.”