Chapter 138: Executive Members Only
Chapter 138: Executive Members Only
Lucas slowly returned to the table where Drake was already waiting with two glasses of expensive wine.
He calmly took his seat.
The crystal glass sat directly in front of him, its deep red contents reflecting the warm golden lights above.
Lucas merely glanced at it before looking away.
Not once did he think about taking a sip.
He had already made up his mind.
Nobody inside this place could be trusted.
From the moment he stepped through the entrance...
He had felt it.
This club looked luxurious on the surface.
Elegant.
Sophisticated.
Exclusive.
But beneath all that luxury...
Something filthy was hiding.
If people needed black membership cards just to enter...
Then nothing served here could be trusted.
Especially not free wine.
So instead of touching the glass, Lucas simply leaned back in his chair and pretended to enjoy the atmosphere.
Across from him, Drake happily raised his own glass.
"Cheers!"
Lucas only smiled.
Drake didn’t notice anything strange.
Instead, he took a large sip before placing the glass down with satisfaction.
The two continued chatting casually.
Or rather...
Lucas talked.
Drake laughed.
Every single sentence Lucas spoke...
No matter how ordinary...
Made Drake burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"You’re hilarious!"
Lucas blinked.
He hadn’t even told a joke.
A minute later...
"Hahahaha!"
"You really have a way with words!"
Lucas looked at him strangely.
Does this guy laugh at literally everything?
The more they talked...
The stranger it became.
Lucas could casually mention the weather...
Drake would laugh.
Lucas commented that the steak looked expensive...
Drake laughed even harder.
At one point, Lucas simply stopped talking altogether.
Yet Drake was still smiling from ear to ear.
Lucas couldn’t help wondering...
Has this guy never had a real friend before?
Or perhaps...
He was simply too desperate to make one.
After waiting for the perfect moment...
Lucas suddenly smiled.
"You know what?"
Drake looked up immediately.
"What?"
Lucas pointed toward the untouched wine on the table.
"When I come back..."
"Let’s have a drinking competition."
Drake’s eyes instantly lit up.
"A competition?"
Lucas nodded confidently.
"The loser..."
"...becomes the winner’s personal servant for one week."
The moment those words left his mouth...
Drake nearly jumped out of his seat.
"A deal!"
He accepted almost instantly without thinking.
In his mind...
This was already his victory.
Lucas didn’t look like someone who could drink much.
Besides...
This club possessed some of the finest liquor in the country.
There was no way he could lose.
A wicked smile slowly appeared on Drake’s face.
He had already begun planning everything.
A whole week...
He could make Lucas do whatever he wanted.
Carry his shopping bags.
Wash his cars.
Run errands.
Better yet...
Whenever he spotted a beautiful woman...
Lucas would have to approach her first, start the conversation, and bring her over.
Free of charge.
Thinking about it made Drake even more excited.
He extended his hand immediately.
"Deal."
Lucas smiled faintly.
Instead of shaking hands politely...
He suddenly leaned across the table and slammed his palm heavily against it.
Bang!
The loud sound attracted the attention of several nearby guests.
Lucas grinned.
"Then it’s settled."
"The loser..."
"...becomes a slave for one full week."
Drake laughed loudly before slamming his own hand onto the table.
"Done!"
The two men briefly clasped hands to seal the wager.
A few moments later...
Lucas stood up.
"I’ll be back."
Drake waved carelessly while taking another sip of wine.
"Don’t keep me waiting."
Lucas smiled before calmly turning away.
The instant his back faced Drake...
The smile on his face slowly disappeared.
His right hand, hidden inside his pocket...
Opened slightly.
Resting quietly in his palm...
Was the black membership card.
During the handshake and the dramatic table slam...
He had already completed his real objective.
Without Drake noticing...
Lucas had expertly lifted the card straight from his pocket.
Success.
A faint smile curled onto Lucas’s lips.
Now...
He no longer needed Drake.
And more importantly...
He finally possessed the key to finding whatever this club was desperately trying to hide.
The moment Lucas disappeared from Drake’s sight, the relaxed smile on his face vanished completely.
His expression became cold.
Focused.
Without wasting another second, he slipped the stolen black membership card into his palm and immediately headed toward the dark corridor he had discovered earlier.
He knew one thing very clearly.
Every second he wasted...
Debbie’s situation became more dangerous.
There was no room for hesitation anymore.
His footsteps remained steady as he walked deeper into the hallway.
Unlike the luxurious lounge outside, this passage was eerily quiet.
The soft jazz music gradually faded behind him.
The golden lights disappeared, replaced by dim wall lamps that barely illuminated the corridor.
The deeper he went...
The heavier the atmosphere became.
It almost felt like he had stepped into an entirely different building.
Several expensive paintings decorated the walls, but there wasn’t a single guest in sight.
Only silence.
Lucas continued walking until...
He stopped.
At the end of the corridor stood an enormous black steel door.
It looked nothing like the elegant wooden doors throughout the club.
This one resembled the entrance to a high-security vault.
Standing before it were two men dressed in black tactical suits.
Unlike the bodyguards outside...
These men weren’t pretending to be nightclub security.
Their muscular builds, emotionless expressions, and alert eyes immediately revealed one thing.
Professionals.
Lucas paused for only half a second.
Then...
He continued walking toward them as though he belonged there.
His heartbeat remained perfectly steady.
This time...
There wasn’t even the slightest trace of panic.
The first security checkpoint had already taught him something.
Confidence was often more convincing than lies.
The two guards immediately noticed him.
One of them stepped forward, raising a hand.
"Stop."
His voice was cold.
"You’re not authorized beyond this point."
"This area is reserved exclusively for Executive Members."
The moment Lucas heard those words...
His expression instantly darkened.
His brows furrowed as though he had just been deeply offended.
"What did you just say?"
His voice carried obvious displeasure.
The two guards exchanged brief glances.
Lucas took another step forward.
"Who exactly gave you the authority to decide that I’m not an Executive Member?"
His tone became even colder.
"I don’t remember asking for your opinion."
For a brief moment...
Even the guards were caught off guard by his confidence.
The first guard quickly regained his composure.
"If that’s the case..."
"Your membership card."
Lucas didn’t hesitate.
With a calm expression, he slowly reached into his pocket.
The stolen black membership card appeared between his fingers.
Without the slightest tremble...
He confidently stretched it toward them.
"Here."
His eyes never left theirs.
"If you’re done wasting my time..."
"You’ll recognize the name."