The sprawling greens of the Silver Oaks course stretched out before them, a sea of perfectly manicured erald that seed to vibrate under the midday sun.
Jake and Catharine walked in a comfortable rhythm, the soft crunch of their shoes on the gravel path providing a steady trono to their conversation. For a few minutes, the tension of the Highlands Lounge felt like it belonged to another world entirely.
"You’re remarkably calm for soone who just agreed to a public execution," Catharine said, glancing at him with a mixture of amusent and genuine curiosity. She adjusted her sunglasses, the light catching the gold rims. "I’ve seen people more stressed about choosing a movie than you are about a high-stakes trading duel."
Jake offered a small, lopsided smile. "Stress is just a signal that you aren’t prepared, Cath. I’ve spent thousands of hours staring at the tape. One hour of live execution isn’t a threat; it’s just another day at the office, only with better scenery."
Before she could respond, Jake’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw the na on the screen: Marcus. But this wasn’t the man currently sweating over a terminal back at the lounge; this was the CEO of Aurelia Capital Partners.
"Speak of the devil," Jake murmured, sliding the green icon to answer. "Marcus. I assu the paperwork hasn’t caught fire already?"
"Not yet," Marcus’s deep, gravelly voice echoed through the speaker. He sounded relaxed, likely calling from his own private office. "I was just checking in to see how the ’social integration’ was going with Leon. He can be a handful when he’s in his elent—lots of flash, sotis not enough substance. I wanted to make sure he wasn’t overwhelming you."
Jake chuckled, glancing back toward the distant clubhouse. "Leon is being Leon. He’s actually currently officiating a trading contest between and a friend of his... also nad Marcus."
There was a sudden, sharp silence on the other end of the line. "A trading contest?" Marcus repeated, his tone shifting from casual to intensely intrigued. "With Leon’s circle? That sounds like exactly the kind of ss he’d stir up. Who’s the opponent?"
"A guy Leon introduced as a ’savage in the FX pits,’" Jake replied, his voice laced with a dry irony. "He seed very eager to prove that ’new blood’ doesn’t have the stomach for the tape."
"Is that so?" Marcus let out a short, barking laugh. "Wait right there. Don’t start yet. I’m calling Adrian and Noah. We were supposed to et for a late lunch anyway, but this is far more entertaining. We’ll be there in fifteen minutes. I want to see if this kid has any idea whose cage he’s actually rattling."
Jake hung up, a predatory glint in his eyes. He turned to Catharine, who was watching him with wide eyes. "Well, the audience just got a lot more crowded. The partners are coming."
Catharine stopped walking, her brow furrowed in genuine confusion. "Jake, wait. Why aren’t you preparing? I saw that other man—the one at the table—he hasn’t let go of his phone since we stood up. He’s scrolling through charts, muttering to himself, looking like he’s cramming for a final exam. You’re out here taking a stroll and talking about your mom’s birthday. Why aren’t you checking the market?"
Jake stepped closer to her, the warmth of the sun reflecting in his steady gaze. He reached out, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. ’She’s worried for ,’ he realized, the thought sending a wave of affection through him. ’She sees the effort others put in and wonders why I’m not doing the sa.’
"The market doesn’t change because you stare at it longer, Cath," Jake said softly, his voice a calm anchor. "I already know where the major levels are. I spent my morning analyzing the global flow before we even left the apartnt. Checking it now would just be second-guessing myself. When we walk back in there, I’ll take one look at the screen, and I’ll know exactly what the ’flow’ is doing. Trust , I’ve got this under control."
She looked at him for a long beat, searching his face for any sign of bravado or hidden nerves. Finding none, she let out a long sigh and smiled. "Okay. I trust you. But if you lose, I’m never letting you live down the ’flow’ speech."
"Deal," Jake laughed, taking her hand as they turned back toward the lounge.
When they re-entered the Highlands Lounge, the atmosphere had shifted. Leon was busy barking orders at two young assistants who were setting up high-spec laptops on a side table near the terrace railing. The ’New Marcus’—the challenger—was sitting stiffly at the table, his face pale as he stared at a flickering screen of red and green candles.
"Leon," Jake called out as they approached. "You might want to order a few more chairs. We have guests coming."
Leon looked up, a puzzled expression crossing his face. "Guests? I didn’t invite anyone else. Who’s coming?"
Jake leaned against a pillar, his eyes sliding over to the man at the laptop. "Marcus is on his way. Along with Adrian and Noah." He paused, a sharp, knowing smile touching his lips. "You know... the ’Real’ Marcus."
The challenger flinched, his head snapping up at the ntion of the na. The implication hit him like a physical blow—that in Jake’s world, he was rely a footnote, a nasake of a far more powerful man. His irritation flared, a flush of red creeping up his neck. ’He’s trying to psyche out,’ he thought, his grip tightening on his mouse. ’Let the big nas co. It’ll just make it sweeter when I humiliate this kid in front of his bosses.’
Ten minutes later, the roar of a high-performance engine announced the arrival of the partners. The Real Marcus led the way, his presence instantly sucking all the air out of the room. Adrian and Noah followed, looking like they had just stepped off a private jet—composed, wealthy, and deeply bored by anything that didn’t involve seven figures.
"Leon!" Real Marcus shouted, his voice booming across the terrace. He walked straight to Leon and clapped him on the shoulder with enough force to make the smaller man wince. "Why are you setting your boy up for failure, Leon? I thought you liked this kid."
Leon let out a nervous chuckle, but the comnt triggered a sudden, icy realization in his gut. He looked at Jake, who was standing calmly by Catharine’s side, and then he looked at the Real Marcus. He rembered the board eting discussions—the way Jake hadn’t even blinked at a fifty-million-mark commitnt. He rembered the rumors of Jake’s lightning-fast accumulation.
’Wait,’ Leon thought, a bead of sweat forming on his own temple. ’If Jake is throwing around fifty million for a joint venture, his total net worth must be astronomical. He made that in months. He’s not a ’boy’. He’s a monster.’
He looked over at his friend, the New Marcus, who was still trying to look imposing behind his laptop. Leon felt a sudden pang of guilt. He had intended to test Jake, but he had accidentally led his friend into a lion’s den.
Leon moved quickly, leaning down to whisper urgently into the challenger’s ear. "Listen to very carefully. Do not go easy. Do not hold back. I just rembered . Jake didn’t just get lucky. He’s made over a hundred million marks in a few months of pure trading. He’s a shark, Marcus. A real one."
The challenger’s eyes went wide, his jaw practically dropping as he stared at Leon. ’A hundred million? In months?’ The air in the lounge suddenly felt very thin. He looked at Jake again, and for the first ti, he didn’t see a rich kid playing pretend. He saw the cold, predatory stillness of a professional. His hands started to tremble slightly, and he felt a dampness under his collar.
But he couldn’t back down. Not with Adrian, Noah, and the Real Marcus watching. To retreat now would be social suicide. He would be the man who talked big and ran away. ’It’s just an hour,’ he told himself, trying to steady his breathing. ’It’s a sprint. Accumulation is one thing, but a one-hour scalp is about nerves. I’ve been doing this for years. I can still win this.’
While the challenger spiraled into a private panic, Noah had already made himself comfortable. He had moved toward the three ladies—Chloe, Sofia, and Maya—who were watching the drama with rapt attention.
"Don’t mind the testosterone over there," Noah said, leaning against the bar with an effortless grace. He didn’t ask for their nas; he already knew their reputations. "It’s a primitive ritual. But I suppose it beats watching golf."
Chloe smiled, leaning in. "You seem very confident in your partner, Mr. Noah."
"I’m confident in the math," Noah replied, his eyes roaming the room with a sense of total detachnt. To him, these won were interesting diversions, but none were on the level of the power plays currently being orchestrated by Aurelia Capital. He was perfectly at ease, the social hierarchy of the room bending around him without him even trying.
Adrian, anwhile, approached Jake and Catharine. He offered a polite, respectful nod to Catharine. "It’s a pleasure to et you. Jake is a lucky man to have found soone who can handle this much ego in one room."
"I’m managing," Catharine replied with a smile, though she remained tucked close to Jake’s side.
Adrian turned to Jake, his expression becoming more focused. "Are you confident? Marcus over there looks like he’s about to have a heart attack, but he’s been a top perforr in Leon’s circle for a long ti."
Jake simply grinned, a sharp, white flash against his tanned skin. "Don’t worry about it, Adrian. Just make sure the drinks stay cold."
"Everything is set!" Leon shouted, his voice cracking slightly as he tried to regain control of the room. He pointed to the two laptops. "I’ve created two sub-accounts on the Aurelia Exchange. Each is funded with exactly 250,000 VM in paper capital, but the execution is linked to the live book. Sixty minutes on the clock. Highest percentage gain wins. Are we ready?"
The challenger nodded curtly, his face set in a grim mask of determination.
Jake turned to Catharine. Without really thinking about the audience or the stakes, he leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her forehead. "Wish luck," he murmured, his voice warm and private amidst the chaos.
He took a step toward the computer, but then the reality of what he’d just done—the public display of affection, the sudden warmth—hit him. He stopped, looking back at her.
Catharine was frozen, her face flushing a deep, radiant red. Her heart was hamring in her chest, the surprise of the gesture leaving her montarily breathless. It took her a few seconds to find her voice, her eyes wide as she looked at him. "Good luck, Jake," she whispered, the words barely audible but filled with a sudden, intense sincerity.
Jake caught the words, a genuine smile spreading across his face. He felt centered, focused, and utterly invincible. He walked to the side table and took his seat next to the New Marcus, his fingers hovering over the keys.
"Your hour starts... now!" Leon shouted.
The silence that followed was absolute, broken only by the rapid, rhythmic clicking of keys and the heavy, ragged breathing of the man sitting next to Jake. The duel had begun.
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