Chapter 97: Investment Meeting

Before meeting up with Patricia the next day, I had one last major surprise lined up for the team to properly round out their championship victory. I gathered Amanda, Angelo, NightEye, and Piercer out in the villa’s courtyard, where four brand-new, top-of-the-line luxury sports cars were parked in a sleek row under the palm trees, keys already in hand.

When I revealed they were theirs, Amanda completely lost her usual stoic composure.

"Holy shit!" Amanda gasped, her eyes flying wide as she stared at the keys in her hand and back at the sleek chassis in front of her. She was practically bouncing on her heels, overexcited as she ran a hand over the hood of her new ride.

Angelo, on the other hand, held his set of keys like they were made of fragile glass, looking deeply conflicted. "Boss... man, I can’t accept this," he said, shaking his head humbly. "You’ve already paid for the island, the bonus, everything. This is way too much."

NightEye stared back and forth between her keys and the car, looking equally overwhelmed. "Yeah, what the... this is crazy, boss! It might actually be too much for me. Honestly, if I keep it, I might just end up selling the car for gear or cash!"

"Hold on, no selling anything," I chuckled, stepping into the middle of the driveway. "You guys are world champions now. You broke TitanSkell’s streak and put Zenith on top of the global stage. You can’t just be taking public transport everywhere you go. Nope, from now on, you drive in style wherever you’re heading."

While everyone was admiring the engines, Piercer stood off to the side, slowly removing the lollipop from her mouth with a thoughtful expression.

"Ummm..." Piercer raised a hand casually. "I can’t drive at all."

"I’ll pay for driving lessons," I offered immediately.

She let out a dramatic sigh, slipping the lollipop back in and shaking her head. "No way. Learning sounds like way too much stress. Absolutely not."

I sighed, shaking my head at her unbothered attitude, but couldn’t hide the grin on my face. "Fine. You can hire a personal chauffeur then. Bottom line is: you guys are in Zenith’s care now. But if anything ever goes sideways—on the road, in your careers, or anywhere else—I’ll be sure to come to your rescue."

The four of them looked at each other, the weight of how much had changed since our rocky beginnings finally settling in.

Without warning, Amanda grabbed my arm, NightEye jumped in from the left, Angelo threw a heavy arm around my shoulders, and even Piercer stepped in to join. They pulled me into a sudden, tight group hug right there in the courtyard.

I stood there stunned for a second, caught completely off guard by the uncharacteristic burst of affection from the squad. But as the warmth of the moment took over, I smiled, wrapping my arms around them and letting them celebrate the empire we were building together.

I pulled up to the oceanfront restaurant early the next morning, the engine of my car humming softly as the morning sun reflected off the water. Just as I suspected, Patricia was already there, wiping down tables in her faded apron despite having worked deep into the night. They were utterly overworking her, squeezing every last drop of labor out of a girl running on empty.

Dressed impeccably in sharp, modern tailored fashion, I stepped through the grand glass doors. The quiet morning atmosphere was immediately cut by the confident stride of my presence.

I didn’t make a scene right away. Walking past the front desk, I headed straight to my already booked private reservation—a quiet, elevated corner booth overlooking the ocean, perfect for observing the room and laying out my next big play.

As I took my seat, Patricia looked up from her work, catching sight of me. Her eyes widened in a mix of surprise and nervous recognition as she realized the guy whose expensive suit got soaked in wine yesterday was back—and looking like he owned the entire coast.

Patricia walked over to my table with a tray tucked under her arm, her hands fidgeting nervously. The second she saw my face, her head dropped slightly, and the apologies started tumbling out all over again.

"Sir... I am so, so sorry about yesterday," she stammered, her voice tight with anxiety. "I was terrified I’d get fired, or that... well, I’m just so sorry about your suit."

"Hey, don’t worry about it," I said smoothly, leaning back and giving her a calm, reassuring smile. "I told you last night, it’s completely fine. Accidents happen."

She let out a quiet, cautious breath, pulling out her notepad and holding a pen ready. "Thank you, sir... What can I get started for you this morning?"

Instead of looking at the menu, I gestured to the empty plush chair across from me. "Take a seat, Patricia."

She froze, her eyes widening as she glanced around the sparsely populated dining room, nervously checking over her shoulder for the floor manager. "Oh... I—I really can’t, sir. I’m on shift. Management is extremely strict about us interacting with guests like that. I could get written up."

"Consider it the only way I’ll officially accept your apology from yesterday," I said with a light, easygoing smile, keeping my tone entirely polite and relaxed. "Just sit for two minutes. I’ll take full responsibility if anyone says a word."

Hesitating for a second longer, the sheer exhaustion in her legs seemed to make the decision for her. She slowly pulled out the chair and sat down on the very edge of the cushion, her body tense and ready to spring up at any second.

As she sat, her eyes instinctively dropped to my wrist, catching the glint of my luxury watch, before flicking out the floor-to-ceiling glass window where my high-end sports car was parked right out front. She wasn’t dumb; she had instantly clocked the sheer amount of wealth and influence sitting right across from her.

She swallowed quietly, her posture straightening up slightly. "Alright... I’m sitting, sir. What is this about?"