Chapter 291: Take Back Your Car

Chapter 291: Chapter 291: Take Back Your Car

Down on the main stage, Melissa Cooper stepped back up to the rostrum with a polished, radiant smile as the final applause died down.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Melissa’s voice rang clearly through the auditorium’s acoustic system. "This concludes tonight’s catalog. On behalf of the Meridian Gallery and Golden Investments, thank you all for your esteemed presence. Have a wonderful evening."

As the house lights brightened and the elite crowd began streaming toward the grand double doors, the auditorium instantly filled with a frantic buzz of conversation.

"Did you see Julian Sterling back there?" a prominent real estate developer muttered to his companion as they adjusted their jackets in the aisle. "After hiding out for months following that brutal takedown by Aurelia Capitals, he crawls out of the woodwork just to drop five and a half billion marks on a tech bundle?"

"It’s insane," his associate chuckled dryly. "Remember that charity auction a few months back? Rivers auctioned off a block of shares in Sterling’s own tech company just to mess with him, and Sterling fought tooth and nail to buy them back. Now he’s right back throwing billions at Rivers’ leftovers. Is the man clinically obsessed with competing against him?"

"Who knows," a third investor chimed in, shaking his head. "More importantly, what on earth is Jake Rivers planning to do with a thousand acres of private sovereign territory? You don’t drop four point two—sorry, five point two billion marks just to build a holiday cottage."

"Either way, with Sterling back in the City, it’s about to get a whole lot noisier."

Outside the grand entrance of the Meridian Gallery, the atmosphere was absolute chaos. A massive wall of paparazzi and financial journalists had swarmed the perimeter, flashbulbs popping continuously like lightning storms as high-profile executives poured out onto the steps.

"Did you get the footage of Julian Sterling leaving through the side exit?!" a frantic producer shouted over the din, shoving past a camera operator.

"Forget Sterling, did you see Box 1? Get those long-lens cameras on the private terrace! If we get even a single frame of Jake Rivers and Catharine Stone together, our morning edition triples its print run!"

"Move, move! Interview that hedge fund manager about the four-billion-dollar island bid right now!"

Reporters shouted over one another, desperately shoving microphones forward in a scramble to secure the first exclusive scoop on Sterling’s surprise return and Rivers’ record-breaking island purchase.

Up inside Private Box 1, the doors swung open, and the subdued amber light of the suite spilled out into the private corridor.

Inside the box, Jake stood up smoothly, adjusting the cuffs of his suit. Catharine rose gracefully beside him, smoothing down the rich fabric of her burgundy silk dress.

"Well," Catharine said, offering a warm smile as she looked around the room. "I think that officially concludes tonight’s entertainment."

Luke stood up as well, clutching the heavy, velvet-lined mahogany case containing his family’s recovered heirloom as if it were made of fragile glass. His expression was a mix of exhaustion and profound relief.

"I cannot thank you enough, Mr. Rivers, Miss Stone," Luke repeated, bowing respectfully. "If you ever find yourselves in London or passing through Mayfair, my family’s doors are permanently open to you."

Jake gave an indifferent, polite nod. "Enjoy its return with your grandfather, Mr. Barnett. Alice will ensure the paperwork for the transfer is finalized by morning."

Brandon joined them, stepping toward the doorway with a wide, easy grin. "Man, what a night. I think I need a week just to process everything I’ve seen in the last two hours."

Aliya laughed lightly, looping her arm through Fancy’s as they prepared to exit. "Come on, Brandon. Let’s get you back before your brain short-circuits entirely."

Catharine turned her gaze toward Aliya, a playful glint in her eyes. "You know, Aliya, I’m actually quite surprised. With everything that went down tonight—from the reunion drama to a four-billion-dollar island buyout—I figured you’d have your phone out recording a vlog the entire time."

Aliya froze mid-step, her eyes widening in sudden, dramatic horror. She slapped a hand against her forehead. "No way... I completely forgot!"

"Forgot what?" Brandon asked, blinking.

"My vlog!" Aliya groaned, instantly dropping into a mock-crying posture as she turned to glare at her brother. "Jake! Why didn’t you remind me?! You were standing right there while history was being made, and you let me walk right past the biggest content opportunity of the year!"

Jake raised both hands in a defensive gesture, blinking in genuine bewilderment. "Hold on. Why am I catching strays right now? How is your lack of social media management my fault?"

"Because you’re supposed to be my personal assistant-slash-brother!" Aliya shot back indignantly, before shaking her head with a sudden, cheeky grin. "Whatever. It doesn’t even matter. I’ll just upload the vlog on our trip to Geneva instead. And trust me, it’s going to blow this auction out of the water—because it features a massive secret that almost nobody in the world knows about yet."

Brandon leaned in, his curiosity instantly piqued. "Wait, what secret? Is it corporate, or—"

Aliya just giggled, giving him a teasing wave over her shoulder. "Nope! You’ll just have to wait and watch the vlog like everyone else."

"Wait, that reminds me," Jake said as recalled the Geneva trip. "You filmed so much stuff back then, why haven’t you even posted a teaser clip yet?"

?Aliya shot him a look as if he had just asked the most idiotic question in human history. "Do you honestly think videos edit themselves? Especially with Leon’s crazy demands that he must look pristine in every single clip—ranting on and on about protecting his precious public reputation."

?Jake shook his head slightly, a faint, amused smile touching his lips. "You really shouldn’t take Leon’s tantrums quite so seriously, Al."

?"Easy for you to say, you don’t have to listen to him critique his own jawline for three hours straight," Aliya retorted playfully.

As the group filed out of the gallery box and headed toward the private elevator bank, the relaxed atmosphere felt worlds away from the suffocating tension they had left behind at the Meridian Crown earlier that evening. A few paces behind them, Elias and Miller maintained a quiet, professional watch.

Down in the VIP parking space, the air was cool and dead silent.

The low-slung, volcano-orange McLaren P1 sat parked under the crisp overhead spotlights, its dihedral doors open and waiting. Kovacs and Sarah stood nearby beside the sleek black Mercedes-Benz S-Class, ensuring the perimeter was completely locked down.

Aliya paused by the hypercar, pulling the carbon-fiber key fob from her pocket and holding it out toward her brother.

"Here," Aliya said, tossing the keys gently into Jake’s hand. "Take your car back."

Jake caught the fob with an amused eyebrow. "What’s the matter? Did the V8 engine intimidate you?"

"Please," Aliya scoffed, crossing her arms with a mock-offended look. "It catches way too much attention on the road. Every single person at every stoplight was staring, and I don’t feel like being a mobile billboard tonight."

Jake let out a low, teasing chuckle. "Admit it, Aliya. You were just terrified of scraping the car on your way back."

Aliya shot him a sharp, unapologetic glare. "I handled the hypercar perfectly, thank you very much. But it has served its purpose, and I’m definitely not driving all the way back to the Zenith just to return your car."

"Fair enough," Jake smiled faintly, pocketing the keys.

Luke and Brandon paused near Brandon’s sedan, bidding their final farewells to Aliya and Fancy before driving off into the cool Aurelia night.

Aliya and Fancy slipped into the luxurious leather back seat of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, with Kovacs behind the wheel and Sarah in the passenger seat.

As the S-Class glided smoothly toward the exit ramp, Fancy glanced out the window at the towering glass facade of the gallery. "So. Think Alan Mcfree and Liv have finally finished tearing each other’s throats out back at the restaurant?"

Aliya smirked, leaning back comfortably as they merged onto the open avenue toward the residential district. "Oh, absolutely. They’re probably still sitting in that empty booth right now, staring at each other in sheer terror, too scared to even look at the bill."

Meanwhile, up on the gallery’s private executive terrace overlooking the avenue, Jake and Catharine stood side by side, watching the taillights of the departing cars fade into the distance.

Jake turned his head slightly, looking down at her with a subtle, affectionate gleam in his dark eyes. "So... how did it feel attending your very first high-society gala?"

Catharine offered a soft, knowing smile. "It was quite a unique experience."

Jake let out a dry, amused chuckle. "Though, to be fair, it doesn’t really count as a true initiation. You spent most of the night safely tucked away in Box 1 without having to interact with any of those hungry old men down on the floor."

Catharine rested her head gently against Jake’s shoulder, watching the glowing skyline of Veyra stretch out across the horizon. "Is it always like this?" she asked softly.

Jake slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her slightly closer as the cool night wind brushed past.

"Don’t worry," Jake murmured, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head. "You’ll get used to it."