My Infinite Cashback System

5

The double doors swung open, and four burly private security guards in dark suits stepped into the private dining suite, led by the restaurant floor supervisor.

"Is there a problem here, Mr. Sterling?" the supervisor asked, eyeing the shouting men and the tense atmosphere.

"This bum just ordered eighty-four thousand dollars worth of reserve alcohol on my table credit without authorization," Vance shouted, slamming his fist onto the mahogany. "He is broke, he is trespassing, and he is trying to stick me with the bill! Restrain him and call the precinct!"

The security guards stepped forward, reaching toward Baxter’s shoulders.

Baxter did not flinch, nor did he raise his voice. He reached into his jacket, pulled out his black debit card, and dropped it onto the floor captain’s silver check presenter.

"Swipe the card," Baxter said, his voice cutting through the noise like cold steel. "Charge the full eighty-four thousand, two hundred dollars right now. If the payment fails to clear, your security team can hold me in the alley until the precinct arrives."

The floor captain hesitated, looking at the restaurant supervisor, who nodded curtly.

The floor captain drew the mobile payment terminal from his hip holster, typed the full amount into the ledger screen, and inserted the card chip into the slot.

The private dining room went dead silent.

Vance stood with his jaw clenched, waiting for the harsh red refusal buzz. Damian folded his arms, a cruel grin spreading across his lips as he waited to watch Baxter get thrown to the floor by the guards. Clara watched the small terminal screen with narrow, disdainful eyes.

The machine buzzed once with a high-pitched, clean electronic chime.

Transaction Approved.

Amount: $84,200.00.

Merchant: Grand Horizon Hospitality LLC.

Status: Cleared.

The thermal printer fired instantly, spitting out a white paper slip that unspooled down the front of the server’s apron like a white ribbon.

Damian’s jaw dropped. The cruel grin vanished so fast his face seemed to sag, his eyes bulging as he leaned forward over the table. "No... that is impossible. The machine glitched. Check the network connection!"

Vance’s face went completely white. His fingers twitched against the wood, his eyes darting from the long receipt ribbon to Baxter’s calm, unblinking expression. "Eighty-four thousand dollars? In cash? Where did you get that kind of liquidity?"

Clara sat frozen in her seat, her breath catching in her throat as she stared at the black plastic card resting on the silver tray.

Before anyone could utter another word, the familiar golden chime exploded through the center of Baxter’s mind, and the radiant blue letters flared across his vision.

[Expenditure Confirmed: $84,200.00]

[Merchant Category: Premier Hospitality & Fine Dining]

[Multiplier Triggered: 500x]

[Cashback Rebate: $42,100,000.00 Dispatched to Host Account]

[Bonus Asset Reward Unlocked: Commercial Real Estate Protocol Activated]

[Host is hereby awarded 100% Equity Ownership and Master Title Deeds of the Grand Horizon Hospitality Group, including all subsidiary restaurants and real estate holdings.]

[Corporate Registry Updated: Sole Proprietary Owner: Baxter Steele.]

Baxter’s phone vibrated against his ribs with a massive, heavy pulse. He did not even need to unlock the screen to know that forty-two million dollars had just landed safely in his private ledger.

Suddenly, the double doors of Suite Four burst open with a loud bang.

A man in a charcoal double-breasted suit, wearing the gold executive lapel pin of the Grand Horizon Group, rushed into the dining room. It was Felix Graves, the chief executive managing partner who ran the entire property portfolio along King’s Way.

Felix ignored Vance Sterling completely. He blew past Damian Hayes without a second glance, sprinted straight to the foot of the table where Baxter sat, and dropped to his knees on the parquet floor, bowing his head so low his tie grazed the carpet.

In his trembling hands, Felix held a leather portfolio containing a stamped corporate deed and a master brass key.

"Mr. Steele," Felix said, his voice shaking with pure deference. "The national registry just cleared the ownership transfer. The entire Grand Horizon Group, this limestone building, the riverfront land, and all operating assets now belong unconditionally to you. I am your executive manager. Please forgive our staff for not rolling out the red carpet at the entrance."

The entire room fell into an abyss of absolute silence.

One of the junior analysts dropped his champagne flute, sending shards of glass and foamy wine splashing across the wood, but nobody moved to clean it up.

Damian’s knees buckled slightly, and he had to grab the edge of the table to keep himself from collapsing onto the floor. "Owner? He... he bought the entire Grand Horizon Group? The property is worth forty million dollars!"

Vance Sterling stumbled backward, knocking over his own chair as his breath turned into shallow, ragged gasps. "No... this is a joke. Felix, look at him! He was an entry-level bullpen clerk in my father’s firm this morning! He is a nobody from Maple Grove!"

Felix snapped his head up, his eyes flashing with fury as he glared at Vance. "Shut your mouth! Mr. Steele holds absolute controlling equity over this entire hospitality chain. His capital cleared through the national central bank within seconds! You are a patron renting a dining room, and you dare insult the master of this estate?"

Clara sat paralyzed, her fingers digging into the pale green crocodile handbag Vance had bought her earlier that day. Her knuckles turned bloodless white as she looked at Baxter, whose tailored suit now seemed to radiate an aura of untouchable authority.

"Baxter..." Clara stammered, her voice thin and trembling as she rose halfway from her seat. "Baxter, please... we were together for three years. You know I was just frustrated earlier... I didn't mean those things I said at the cafe..."

Baxter did not even look into her eyes. He took a single sip of water from his goblet, set the glass down with a soft click, and looked at the four armed security guards who remained standing by the entrance.

"Floor security," Baxter said, his voice calm and cold.

The four guards snapped to attention, saluting with immediate precision. "Yes, Mr. Steele!"

"Evict Vance Sterling, Damian Hayes, and Clara Cooper from my building immediately," Baxter ordered, gesturing toward the doors. "Drag them out through the front steps where the valet stands. Then inform the front desk that all three are permanently blacklisted from every hotel, lounge, and dining room owned by the Grand Horizon Group."

"Understood, sir!"

The guards moved instantly. Two of them seized Damian Hayes by the collar of his shirt, twisting his arms behind his back as Damian shrieked in terror.

"Steele, wait! You can't do this! I was only following company procedure! Baxter, please!" Damian screamed, his polished shoes dragging helplessly against the floor as the guards hauled him through the double doors.

The other two guards closed in on Vance Sterling, grabbing him by his jacket lapels and shoving him toward the exit.

"Get your hands off me! Do you know who my father is? My father is an executive partner at Apex Financial!" Vance roared, his face red with humiliation as he struggled against the guards' iron grip. "Steele, you are dead! I will ruin you tomorrow morning!"

Clara stood alone by the table, tears of panic spilling over her cheeks as she reached out a shaking hand toward Baxter. "Baxter, don't do this to me... please, talk to me! I made a mistake!"

"Get out of my restaurant, Clara," Baxter said quietly, not sparing her a second glance as the floor captain stepped forward and blocked her path.

The guards ushered Clara out behind Vance, slamming the heavy wooden double doors shut behind them.

The remaining junior analysts stood frozen in their seats, trembling in terror as Baxter Steele picked up the leather deed from Felix's hands and took his seat at the head of the imperial table.