stjorthotic Chapter 153: A Chaotic Dinner
Chapter 153: A Chaotic Dinner
The relentless downpour that had started on Thursday night washed well into Friday morning. For the first time in days, Jake woke up to the steady, rhythmic sound of heavy rain drumming against the windowpane of his old bedroom rather than the persistent chime of a synchronized corporate briefing.
Before he could even clear the sleep from his eyes, his phone buzzed on the nightstand. The screen lit up with Catherine’s name. It was their usual morning ritual, a grounding routine they had kept no matter how chaotic their respective weeks became.
"Good morning babe," Catherine’s voice came through, warm and slightly muffled, signaling she was likely already holding a travel mug on her way into her office. "Just checking in. Are you already buried in paperwork, or do I actually get to talk to my boyfriend today?"
Jake leaned back against his pillows, a relaxed smile tugging at his lips. "Neither, actually. I don’t plan on going into the office today unless Apex Plaza catches fire or something absolutely critical requires my signature."
A light chuckle came over the line. "Really? The Gold King is taking a day off? I should mark this on the calendar."
"I’m also human, Cath," Jake teased, his voice low and raspy from sleep. "How about this, let’s do dinner tonight. I’ll pick you up from work."
"I’d love that. Call me when you’re on your way," she said softly. "Now get some rest."
After hanging up, Jake stretched, brushed his teeth, and made his way down the hallway. The familiar, comforting sounds of a busy morning kitchen guided him—the clinking of ceramic plates, the sizzle of butter, and the low murmur of the morning news.
The family breakfast was a lively, normal affair. Martha was hovering over the stove, insisting everyone eat a full meal, while Ryan read through a digital architectural draft. Across the table, Aliya was aggressively buttering a piece of toast, completely unbothered by the heavy-set man in a discreet dark suit waiting patiently by the front door. Following the security scare a few weeks prior, her bodyguard was no longer secretly tracking her movements from the shadows; she knew he existed, she knew his name, and she had reluctantly accepted him as a permanent fixture of her daily commute to campus.
"If you take any longer with that toast, you’re going to be late," Ryan noted, looking up from his screen with an amused glance.
"Kovacs says we have a ten-minute buffer with the morning traffic," Aliya replied, gesturing toward her bodyguard with her knife before taking a massive bite.
Within twenty minutes, the house emptied out. Aliya left with her security detail, and his parents headed out for their corporate offices, leaving Jake entirely alone in the house. Bypassing the living room, he walked back to his old bedroom, pulled the blinds shut to block out the overcast morning light, and fell into a deep, uninterrupted sleep for another two hours.
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When he woke up again, his mind was sharp and clear. He sat on the edge of the bed, picking up his encrypted phone, and dialed a direct number. It rang twice before Adrian Vale answered.
"Jake," Adrian said, his tone professional but curious. "I didn’t expect a call from you on a Friday morning. What’s up?"
"No, nothing much really," Jake replied, walking over to the window and watching the rain reduce to a light drizzle. "I’m looking for a direct connection to a banking syndicate in the United States. Someone institutional, discreet, and deeply trusted. I figured the Vale family legacy extends well into the US markets."
There was a brief pause on the line as Adrian processed the request. "A US syndicate? Are you already looking to deploy capital internationally?"
"Not immediately," Jake said evenly, his gaze fixed on the damp lawn outside. "I just don’t want all my liquidity sitting in one basket. I have intentions to open a few secondary accounts in Europe and a few other international hubs later this quarter. I want the infrastructure ready."
A low, appreciative hum came from Adrian’s side. "Sensible. Diversifying your sovereign risk before the political elements try to map your capital. I can certainly facilitate that introduction. My father has a direct relationship with the board at Vanguard Institutional in New York. I’ll have my secretary compile the compliance requirements and send them over to Selena."
"Vanguard Institutional huh? Alright, I appreciate it man. Let’s touch base next week."
Jake ended the call and tossed the phone onto the mattress. He spent the rest of the day simply unwinding, watching the gray clouds slowly fracture to reveal patches of blue sky, letting the internal battery completely recharge.
By six in the evening, the atmosphere had shifted. Jake had returned to his penthouse at the Zenith luxury apartments to change into a tailored, unstructured dark suit and a crisp white shirt. When he descended to the secure underground garage, Elias was already waiting by the gleaming midnight-black Audi RS 6, flanked by two black S-class SUVs carrying a recently expanded eight-man security detail.
The three-car convoy cut through the city traffic with mechanical precision, pulling up to the entrance of Catherine’s firm exactly as she walked out the glass doors. The rear security vehicle detailed two men to screen the sidewalk while Elias held the door open for her.
"A seafood place?" Catherine asked, settling into the leather seat beside Jake and leaning in to press a soft kiss against his cheek. "You’re keeping secrets."
"It’s a place called The Neptune Archive," Jake said, his hand sliding into hers as the convoy pulled away from the curb. "It’s hidden away on the coastal edge of Aurelia. Supposedly the best catches in the province."
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Outside the glowing glass facade of The Neptune Archive, a popular local food-reviewing streamer named Chloe held her phone aloft on a stabilizer rig, smiling brightly for her front-facing camera.
"Okay, guys, we are finally here!" Chloe told her screen, panning the camera to show the elegant, minimalist entrance of the restaurant where valets were moving expensive sports cars. "This is literally the most exclusive seafood spot in all of Veyra. Even though the menu prices are absolutely over the roof and my credit card is already crying, I promised you guys a full aesthetic review, so we are going inside!"
Her live chat feed of 1000 viewers was scrolling at a furious pace, though the comments were less about the food and more about her styling.
User_9921: Look at the pricing on the board lol
FlexMaster: You’re only here for the clout Chloe
VeyraBoy: Love the outfit, forget the fish
Just as Chloe adjusted her lighting ring to step toward the entrance, the heavy, synchronous roar of modified V8 engines echoed down the narrow street. A tight, aggressive convoy of three blacked-out vehicles—two massive security SUVs sandwiching a low, menacing Audi RS 6—pulled directly into the restaurant’s restricted loading zone.
The sudden arrival immediately halted the chatter on the sidewalk. Passersby stopped in their tracks, and the valets instinctively backed away, recognizing the high-tier security protocol.
Chloe’s live chat split into a frenzy of speculation, completely ignoring her commentary.
HyperDrive: Whoa, look at the convoy.
Alpha_01: Is that a government official?
D_Gamer: Those S-Classes are heavily armored look at the glass.
Chloe’s smile tightened as she watched her viewer count fluctuate. Someone was completely stealing her spotlight right outside her own stream window. "Uh, looks like some major VIP just arrived, guys," she muttered, trying to pivot her camera toward the vehicles while keeping her face in the frame.
Four muscular men in tailored dark suits stepped out of the lead and rear SUVs, instantly forming a defensive perimeter around the sedan. One of them stepped forward, opening the rear passenger door of the Audi.
Jake stepped out into the crisp evening air, turning back to offer his hand to Catherine. As she stepped out beside him, looking radiant in a sleek emerald dress, Jake noticed the small crowd of people staring from the sidewalk. He didn’t think much of it; over the past month, he had grown entirely accustomed to the heavy silence and lingering stares that followed his security detail wherever they deployed.
But in Chloe’s live chat, the collective internet mind was already solving the puzzle of who the young man was. Suddenly, a young man standing near the valet stand gasped, pulling out his phone.
"Holy crap, that’s Jake Rivers!" the guy shouted, his voice echoing clearly across the entrance. "That’s the Gold King!"
The mention of the name acted like an electric shock. The word Jake Rivers passed through the crowd like wild fire. None of these people had ever seen him in person—he was a ghost who existed only in financial headlines and shadowy board updates. To see him standing on a regular street in Veyra was an absolute anomaly. Dozens of hands instantly reached into pockets, smartphones flying into the air to record video while others opened up their own streaming apps.
Inside Chloe’s live stream, the chat exploded into pure chaos.
CryptoWhale: NO WAY. IS THAT ACTUALLY HIM?
StarGazer: CHLOE GET CLOSER NOW!!
VeyraBoy: Stream snippet of the year, push through the crowd!
User_002: Look at the viewer count jumping! 20k active!
UrMama: Is that his girl friend?
UrMama: She’s really pretty.
Ten-Inch-Princess: Look at that dress, she’s looks stunning.
Dozens of high-tier digital gifts began flashing across Chloe’s screen, the notifications blinding her display as her viewer metrics spiked into uncharted territory. Driven by the sheer adrenaline of the viral moment and the sudden influx of monetary gifts, Chloe aggressively pushed her way forward, trying to thrust her camera over the shoulders of the crowd to get a clear, high-definition shot of Jake’s face.
"Move aside, let me through!" she urged, her eyes wide as she tracked the couple walking toward the steps.
But the Golden Investments security detail was an impenetrable wall. The moment the crowd surged, the bodyguards locked shoulders, their faces expressionless but their physical presence completely unyielding. A large hand blocked the upper trajectory of Chloe’s stabilizer lens.
"Step back, ma’am. Maintain your distance," a security officer commanded, his voice low and entirely serious.
Jake didn’t look back. With his hand resting firmly on the small of Catherine’s back, he guided her through the heavy glass doors of The Neptune Archive, completely insulated from the rising noise of the street behind them.
Even though the glass doors closed and Jake was no longer visible, the crowd outside didn’t disperse. Instead, more people began gathering on the pavement, whispering and pointing at the parked convoy while Chloe’s live stream continued to experience a historic surge in traffic.
"Oh my god, guys, he just went inside," Chloe breathed into her microphone, her hands shaking slightly from the sheer energy of the crowd. "The security is insane. But don’t worry, I have a reservation tonight, so we are going to get into that room."
VeyraBoy: Great job chloe...
ChickenHead: If you can get in I’ll follow you.
UrMama: Tell Jake to create a TikTok profile...
She marched up to the entrance, but two of Jake’s personal bodyguards remained posted outside the main vestibule, completely bypassing the restaurant’s regular hosting staff.
"Reservation for Chloe," she said, thrusting her digital confirmation screen toward the lead guard.
The security officer took a long, methodical look at the digital receipt, checked his earpiece, and then looked down at her active camera rig. "Live recording devices are strictly prohibited beyond this point for private dining hours, ma’am. You will need to cut the feed and store the stabilizer before entry is permitted."
"What? But I’m a verified reviewer!" Chloe protested, her face falling as her chat flooded with laughing emojis.
"Proof of reservation is cleared. Cut the stream or entry is denied," the guard repeated flatly.
Left with no choice under the intense glare of the security detail and the eyes of the remaining crowd, Chloe reluctantly tapped her screen, terminating the historic live feed with a heavy sigh. By the time she finally passed compliance, stored her gear, and stepped into the main dining room, Mr. Rivers and his guest had already been escorted into the private booth at the back of the establishment—completely out of sight, and completely out of reach.
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