The student billionaire

Chapter10

The heavy mahogany doors of the mansion swung open to the sound of Jake's heels striking the marble floor. The events of the day played over in his mind like a scratched record: the gasps, the stunned faces, Maxwell’s infuriating smirk. Sure, the might of the black card had astonished everyone, but deep down inside, Jake had doubts.

“Good to have you back,” Klaus said, voice clean, smile near predatory. He stood at the foot of the grand staircase, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes glinted with something Jake couldn’t quite place — pride, amusement, or maybe speculation.

Jake hesitated. “I… don’t know what to do next,” he confessed, his voice weighed down with exhaustion. “I feel like I’ve proved a point here today, but I feel like I’ve just unlocked a door to something bigger — something I’m not ready for.”

“Exactly,” Klaus said, coming down the stairs. “You’ve made the first step, Jake. Power is not about single victories, however. It’s knowing the lay of the land and playing for the long game.”

For Jake to respond, Stella’s sound-noise came from the blur. She emerged into the light, arms crossed, the look on her face somewhere between disdain and intrigue.

“Power? Do you actually expect Jake to be ready for that?” she told him, her eyes narrowing as she inspected him. “He’s a kid with toys well beyond his comprehension.”

“Stella,” Klaus said, his voice frosty and disdainful. “Your opinions are noted and ignored, as ever.”

She scoffed but didn’t respond, a barely bridled fury glittering behind her eyes.

Klaus waved toward the sitting room. “Come, Jake. There is a lot that we will need to discuss.'

Jake trailed Klaus into the opulently decorated room as his mind raced. Klaus' tension with Stella was palpable but the true heaviness in Klaus' pocket that became unbearable, was the black card. Klaus gestured for him to sit, filling two glasses with amber liquid from a crystal decanter.

“The black card is more than just a symbol of your inheritance,” Klaus said, pouring a glass for Jake. “It’s a key—a tool. It opens doors to places, people, and opportunities that are mere dreams for most. But from great power comes responsibility and peril.”

Jake frowned, swirling the liquid in his glass. “Danger?”

Klaus nodded, seriously, at whom they were. “Your existence as Edward Robson’s son is indisputable now. But that legitimacy also makes you a target. There are people — such as Stella — who will view your ascent as a dangerous rival to their plans.”

Jake looked over at the door, half-expecting Stella to come back in. “She doesn’t even bother to hide her disdain for me.

“I don’t need to,” replies Klaus with a shrug. “She thinks she can outmaneuver you. And maybe she can if you’re not careful. And that’s why you need to know what the significance of the trials to come are.”

Jake’s brow furrowed. “Trials?”

Klaus leaned closer, eyes piercing. “Your father didn’t create his empire just on money. He prized character, intelligence and perseverance. He wants his successor to have those qualities, so the trials are his way of making sure of that. Your trials will be different facets of yourself. That’s failure, and not only do you forfeit your place in the heritage, you expose yourself to enemies who will gladly take advantage of your weaknesses.’”

Jake leaned back, the heaviness of Klaus’s words settling on his shoulders like a heavy cloak. The black card that had once illuminated the road to victory, now felt like shackles to an unknown future.

“What’s the first trial?” “Jake?” he barely managed to whisper.

Klaus smiled, but it was a cold smile. “It’s already begun. Mr. Alistair Grant will join us soon. He’s a daunting ally but also a predatory business person. He’ll challenge your negotiating skills, your ability to think on your feet and your ability to command respect. If you leave him unimpressed, you will lose more than just his support.”

Jake’s stomach churned. “What if I’m not ready?”

“Then you will get to know,” Klaus said flatly. “Adapt or perish, Jake. That’s the world you entered.”

Stella, hovering eavesdropping not far outside of the room, smuggled herself. She backed away without a word, her brain running over a dozen different schemes to take down Jake before he got any further ahead. If she could expose his humble beginnings to the elite circles, she could discredit him altogether.

Jake sat in the lavish room, looking at the glass in his hand. He felt the weight of the black card against his thigh, a grim burden that whispered of the road he should have never taken or the road that took him.

The sound of a car entering the driveway broke Jake’s thoughts. Klaus rose, brushing down the front of his suit. “Mr. Grant has arrived. Confidence is key, remember, Jake? Show weakness, and he’ll chew you up.”

Jake stood, heart racing. He trailed Klaus to the frontway, his thoughts a maelstrom of anxiety and resolve. And as the doors swung open to find a tall, imposing figure waddling out of a sleek, black car, Jake knew that there was no turning back.