Chapter 116: Announcing the Big Sale

Jude checked the room. "Stay off the main floor."

"Got it, got it," Chelsea waved him off.

Jude took a few steps into the room and glanced back, only to see Chelsea already greeting another group near the ice statue.

He shook his head slightly, deciding not to make a scene by dragging her away.

Before he could do anything, the background music faded, and the spotlights shifted to the small stage at the front of the hall.

The chatter across the room died down as the general manager of the Heavens Club stepped up to the microphone.

Vanessa Canfield adjusted the mic, her clear voice echoing across the ballroom. "Good evening, everyone. For those I haven’t met tonight, I’m Vanessa Canfield, General Manager of the Heavens Club."

The whole room fell silent. Around three hundred VIPs turned to look at the stage.

Vanessa looked stunning in a champagne silk dress, standing tall and totally composed. Even though she wasn’t even thirty yet, she had run this place for years, handling secret bookings, private VIP dinners, and high-stakes arguments between New York’s biggest billionaires and politicians.

Everyone in the room respected her. Running a club that held the deepest secrets of powerful moguls meant you had to run a tight ship.

And everyone knew that if you broke the club’s rules, the owners would destroy you in court and cut off your business...

As the clapping died down, Vanessa smiled and nodded to the crowd.

"It’s been five years since the Heavens Club first opened," Vanessa said clearly into the mic. "I’ve run this floor since day one. Everything this club stands for today is thanks to the trust and loyalty of everyone in this room."

Another round of applause followed as she acknowledged the club’s founding members.

Standing by the columns, Jude watched her work the crowd.

Surrounded by hedge fund sharks, corporate CEOs, and politicians, she stayed completely in control, commanding the room with the exact same calm power as Chloe Liu or Victoria Vance.

Up on the stage, Vanessa wrapped up the pleasantries and cut straight to the chase.

"Along with thanking our members tonight," Vanessa continued, looking across the front tables, "we brought everyone together for a major announcement. Due to business shifts at the top, the Heavens Club is going up for a 100% complete sale tonight."

People leaned forward. The rumors flying around the city for days were finally official.

"Miss Canfield, how is the bidding going down?" a pharma CEO shouted from the front table. "We need the rules so our finance teams can get ready!"

"Are we selling to the highest cash bidder tonight?" a big real estate mogul called out from across the aisle.

Vanessa held up a hand with a smile. "I know everyone wants the bidding details right now. But I only manage this place; I don’t own it. The official rules and final sale will be presented in person by our founder."

A wave of shocked whispers rippled across the room. For five whole years, nobody had any clue who actually owned the club...

The ownership was buried under layers of secret offshore companies, and the founder had never shown their face once.

Even Jude’s earlier background checks had hit a brick wall of lawyers.

Everyone assumed the founder was some shadowy syndicate from the West Coast, but nobody had ever proven it.

"Is the founder actually here tonight?" an investor asked from the second row. "When are they coming out?"

"They’re on their way and will be joining us shortly," Vanessa replied smoothly. "Until then, dinner is served."

Seeing that was the final word, the crowd relaxed.

Waiting an extra hour over drinks was nothing compared to the five years this person had stayed a ghost!

"Enjoy your dinner," Vanessa finished, stepping off the stage. "Once dinner wraps up, the founder will take the stage to start the sale."

She walked off as the live band began playing, and waiters swept through the ballroom carrying trays of food and expensive wine.

Having skipped dinner during his afternoon route, Jude walked over to the buffet along the wall.

He put some steak and pastry on a plate and stepped aside.

Most of the guests stayed huddled in small circles, ignoring the food while their accountants crunched numbers on phones and tablets.

An average New York worker earning $75,000 might save $8,000 annually after rent, taking over twelve years to scrape together a modest $100,000 safety net.

Meanwhile, Snyder pulled down a $3,500,000 base salary, easily gathering $20,000,000 in liquid capital in just five months through private family trust funds alone.

It would take an ordinary salaryman literally 2,500 years of nonstop labor just to match what Snyder could wire before midnight!

Near the central fountain, Arthur Snyder spotted Jude standing alone by the buffet.

Snyder put his wine glass on a passing waiter’s tray and strutted across the room.

"How’s the food, Lawson? Up to your high standards?"

Snyder stopped three feet away, a smug sneer on his face.

Four weeks ago, Jude had snatched a prime $45 million waterfront plot right out of Snyder’s grasp at the last second.

Snyder was still nursing the bruise, hiding behind Vanguard’s shadow just to look tall.

With Jacob Ward backing his firm with Vanguard’s massive cash, Snyder felt untouchable.

In his eyes, whatever small-time influence Jude had in the outer boroughs didn’t mean crap in a multi-billion-dollar Midtown auction.

Jude swallowed his food, looking at him without moving an inch. "It’s fine."

Before Snyder could open his mouth again, Harold Phillips walked over, stopping right beside him with a cold glare.

Jude had choked off Phillips’s $12 million commercial permit in Queens about six weeks back after catching his firm cutting corners.

Phillips hadn’t forgotten the sting of that signature being ripped away...

"Didn’t expect to see you here tonight, Lawson," Phillips said.

Twenty yards back near a marble pillar, Jovan Lambert stood frozen, refusing to take a single step forward.

Ever since Jude had broken his leg in their last brawl, Lambert knew better than to mess with him, keeping his distance while Snyder and Phillips tried their luck...