Mocked at the Reunion, Revealed as the Billionaire

Ten years ago, I told her I loved her.

She said she felt the same, but we were too young. We'd wait. We'd both get into the Ivy League, and then we'd figure it out.

A few days later, she climbed into a rich kid's car. I ran to stop her. She got out, looked at me, and said, cold as stoneYour love is worthless. Richard Gilbert can make me somebody. Even if all he wants is to play with me and throw me away, I'd rather be his toy living in luxury than be loved by someone whose love isn't worth a thing.

I stood there for a long time, frozen, until Richard told his driverRun him over. We'll file an insurance claim.

The roar of the Bentley's engine turned my legs to jelly. I collapsed onto the pavement.

Richard got out, one arm draped around her, and looked down at meHeh. Poor people.

She gave me one long look and saidForget about me.

Ten years later, I came back to this city as a rising force in the business world.

A class reunion happened to be booked at my private club, and I saw her again.

I'd picked up Obsidian Club when I first came back to Brookhaven. I needed somewhere to host the city's power players, so profit was never the point. The place existed to filter. Nine-figure net worth or real political weightotherwise you didn't get through the door.

Today's guest was a special one: Lucius Donaldson, the senior official overseeing Brookhaven's economic development.

He didn't drink alcohol, only tea, and nothing expensive at that.

A few minutes of easy conversation and we'd locked in a project north of ten billion.

He took a call from City Hall. It wasn't my place to hover, so I stepped out of the private room.

That was when my assistant came clicking down the corridor, her too-tight pencil skirt turning every step into a slow sway.

Shelagh had the kind of face you'd swear belonged on a screen, and a figure that made sure you remembered it. No matter how many times you saw her, you looked again.

Mr. Swanson, a developer's son just showed up in the Lakeview Suite downstairs. Worth your time?

Shelagh's voice was sweet and honeyed, her tone soft.

I glanced at the private room where Lucius was still on his call, hesitated a moment, and saidSure. Let's go see.

Lucius's calls usually ran half an hour at minimum. I couldn't just stand out here waiting.

And if Shelagh had come to tell me in person, whoever was downstairs carried some weight. Worth a look.

I headed downstairs to the Lakeview Suite with a decent bottle of wine and knocked.

Come in.

Someone called from inside.

I pulled the door open and walked in with a smile that was polite but distant.

Before I could say a word, I stopped cold.

People I knew. People I'd known half my lifeand who looked like strangers now.

The seat directly facing the door was the head of the table.

And the person sitting there, naturally, was the one with the most clout: Richard Gilbert.

Ten years had passed, but I still thought about it sometimes, the moment that Bentley's engine sent me crumpling to the ground. I still remembered those three words of hisHeh. Poor people.

And then I saw her. Bridget Pruitt.

The girl who once told me my love was worthless was sitting right beside Richard now, a porcelain-pretty little girl cradled in her arms.

Five years ago, I'd run into Bridget once in the capital.

She'd been in the middle of a business meeting, being pressured to drink. She refused. Someone slapped her across the face.

I stepped in, got her out of it. She said she wanted a drink after all.

Half-drunk, she told me she could drink herself into oblivion of her own free will, but she would never let someone else pour her into it. That was dignity, she said. That was the line.

But she was the one who'd told me she didn't want to be loved by someone whose love was worthless. That she'd rather be kept and toyed with in luxury.

So what happened in those five years? Where did this sudden dignity come from?

I asked her what her line was worth. Name a price. I'd pay it.

She cried. Then, stubborn as ever, she scrubbed the tears away hard and said there was no price. It was mine for nothing.

I told her: you dare offer, I dare take.

That night, I brought her home. When I woke up, she was gone.

I thought about going after her. Even thought about crawling back to her, dignity and all.

In the end, I let it go.

Later I left the capital, assuming she was still there building her career. I never expected her to have come back to Brookhaven too.

Mommy, Daisy wants shrimp.

The porcelain-pretty little girl spoke up suddenly.

Andshe was married?

Had she married Richard?

Richard saidCome here, Daisy. Daddy'll get you some.

He glanced at me first when he said it, a deliberate little provocation, then turned his gaze to Bridget and kept it there.

Old classmate, it's been what, ten years?

I heard you got into an Ivy League school back in the day. How'd you end up a waiter after all these years?

Richard set a piece of shrimp on the little girl's plate. When he looked back at me, his face was pure mockeryAlmost thirty and still waiting tables. You're supposed to be a man, Tonyaren't you embarrassed? At least work your way up to shift lead.

The table erupted in laughter the second he finished.

Same as ten years ago, everyone at this table had the same reflex: kiss Richard Gilbert's ass on cue.

The logic was simple. Whoever Richard went after, they went after too. Show loyalty, earn favor.

Back in school, that favor might have been a pack of cigarettes tossed their way.

Now, maybe a decent job.

People did what they had to do to get by. Nothing shameful about that. I could understand it.

I smiled and set the bottle down, looking at RichardI'm just here to drop off a bottle. Enjoy your evening.

I turned to leave.

The thought had crossed my mind, of course. Reveal who I actually was, slap this rich boy across the face with it.

But a mature businessman knows restraint. Something that childish and stupid, you just don't do.

As for Bridget, I didn't look at her. There was no point.

She was married with a child. What was there to dwell on? Nothing to hold onto.

Hey, TonyRichard didn't say you could go.

Grayson Malone stood up from his seat near the door.

He'd always been Richard's number-one lapdog. Ten years ago, and clearly still now.

Otherwise he wouldn't be sitting by the door. That spot made it easy to run Richard's errands.

Richard rose too, both hands braced on the tableTony, it's been ten years. You stumbled into a class reunion. Might as well stay and catch up.

I need to get back to work.

I gave a thin smileI'll put in the effort. Maybe make shift lead before thirty.

The room roared again.

I didn't know what they were laughing at.

Was a shift lead at Obsidian Club really that funny? After taxes and deductions, the position still pulled twenty grand a month, a thirteenth-month bonus at year's end, plus benefits on top of that. What exactly was laughable?

I studied them more carefully. Sure, they were dressed well enough, but everything they wore was off-the-rack from the mall.

The car keys spread across the table were mostly budget or midrange.

And yet their eyes were full of satisfaction, like they'd made it.

Where did that sense of superiority come from?

A woman named Celeste Lambert seemed to notice me glancing at her keys and sneeredTony, don't tell me you don't even have a car. My Ford only cost, like, twenty grand, but at least it's got four wheels. What are you riding these days, an e-bike?

Nah, I grab a bike share.

I told the truth.

My penthouse was close to the club. For the daily commute, I really did just ride a bike.

And again, the whole room howled.

Seemed like without me there, they wouldn't have had anyone to laugh at all night.

They were all Richard's lapdogs, every last one of them. None of them had any room to mock anybody else.

Celeste turned to BridgetBridget, you were so smart to dump him back then. Otherwise you'd probably be crying on the back of a bicycle right now.

They laughed again.

Grayson especially, standing right across from me, head thrown back so far I could see his molars.

Bridget's face had gone tight and pale. She wouldn't look at me, her eyes darting anywhere else.

What was she afraid of?

That I'd bring up that night in the capital?

I wasn't that petty.

Richard rapped the table. The laughter stopped. He pointed at meTony, stay. I'll have a word with Assistant Harding later, get her to move you up. Making you a shift lead shouldn't be a problem.

When I said nothing, he laughed againYou probably don't even know who Assistant Harding is. She's the owner's personal assistant. A little server like you wouldn't exactly cross paths with her.

Even if he did, so what? You know who she is? Even Richard's dad has to mind his manners around her. You think she'd give a server the time of day?

Well, not necessarily. Our Tony's pretty good-looking, after all. Maybe Assistant Harding would take him in and keep him.

Celeste snorted at thatAnd so what if she did? He'd still rank about the same as a dog. A pet, at best.

I wanted to ask if I'd dug up their family graves or something. Was this really worth all that?

But I didn't have the time or the interest to go back and forth with them, and I had no intention of letting them find out who I really was.

The second they knew, they'd be crawling over each other to suck up and ask for favors, sticking to me like leeches. Not worth the headache.

Have fun, everyone. I really do need to go, or I'll lose my job.

I said it with a smile and turned to leave again.

That was when Grayson shoved me.

Tony, we're giving you face and you won't take it?

When Richard throws you a bone, you get on your knees and hold out both hands to catch it!

He jabbed his finger right at my nose as he said it.

Tony, the day you actually have money, I'll sell you my company, how about that.

Richard laughed, then addedOf course, by the time you have money, our company will be worth a whole lot more.

I didn't take the bait.

Grayson, right on cue to tee him upRichard, what do you mean by that? The company's got a new big project?

Oh yeah.

Word is, the owner of Obsidian Club is some young hotshot that Brookhaven's top man went all out to bring back.

And apparently, when this guy makes a move, he doesn't do small. We're talking projects north of ten billion.

Brookhaven's business scene has been half-dead for years now. The new development district is sitting half-empty. Word is that's exactly what drew him here.

My dad's got connections with Brookhaven's top man. When the time comes, we grab ourselves a piece of the actionand we're rolling in it.

Richard delivered all of this with that oily, self-satisfied look plastered across his face.

The "top man" he kept referring to was Lucius Donaldson.

After his little performance, Richard turned back to meTony, I still remember how you nearly pissed yourself when you saw our Bentley. I've kept it, you know. Can you drive? If you can, come be my chauffeur. I'll even let you drive the Bentley.

I've only ever driven domestic cars.

I said it straight.

They cracked up again.

Were the laugh lines really coming this fast? I'd sat through live comedy in the capital and never hit this many punchlines back to back.

Maybe because I wasn't talking back or getting angry, they were starting to feel itthat hollow frustration of swinging at something that won't flinch. The mood was souring.

Richard especially. He'd kept me here to toy with me. He wasn't about to let me off that easily.

He pointed at a bottle on the tableRichard, you ever tried top-shelf reserve liquor? Costs more than you'd believe. Tell you whattoday's your lucky day. Drain this bottle, and I'll let you walk out of here.

I don't drink. Alcohol dulls the brain.

I don't drink.

I shook my head. I was done playing along. They clearly had no intention of stopping, so I laid my cards on the tableRichard, I'm the owner of Obsidian Club. That multibillion-dollar project you were just talking about? I'm the one running it.

I was completely serious when I said it.

Not a single one of them believed me.

Every face in the room looked at me the way you'd look at a monkey doing tricks.

Then they burst out laughing again.

Grayson pointed at meTony, you are something else. What'd you major in at that Ivy League schoolbullshit?

I'm dying over here. What's next, you're the Emperor of China?

Celeste was howling with laughter too.

I let out a breath and looked at themThink about what you're saying. An Ivy League grad working as a waiteryou ever actually seen that?

That gave them a beat of pause, but the contempt in their eyes didn't waver.

Richard sneeredDoes it matter whether you're a waiter or not? What matters is that even with your Ivy League degree, you're still poor standing in front of me.

He stood up and pointed at the bottleYou drink this, or I crack it over your skull. Pick one.

If I drink it, I can go?

But Bridget suddenly stood. She picked up the bottle, drew a long breathI'll drink it for him. Then let him leave.

Why was she helping me?

Was she afraid that if I stayed here, got pushed too far, I'd say what happened that night?

I watched her, and something inside me wouldn't settle.

That was when the door to the Lakeview Suite swung open.

Shelagh walked in first. Lucius was right behind her.

Lucius was a regular face on the local news, so most people in the room recognized him immediately.

And Shelagh, as my executive assistant, had never gone out of her way to avoid the public eye, so she was well known in her own right.

Richard spotted them and crossed the room in an instant, bowing as he wentUncle Lucius, Assistant Harding, what brings you here?

Everyone else scrambled to their feet.

Everyone except me. I stayed right where I was, sitting on that oak barrel.

Richard's face twistedTony, get the hell up! Can't you see who just walked in?