Chapter 305: No To A Silver Spoon

Chapter 305: Chapter 305: No To A Silver Spoon

The soft, warm ambient lights of the dining room cast a cozy glow across the glass table as Jake and Catharine shared a quiet dinner at home.

Catharine swirled the wine in her glass, her usual vibrant energy tempered by a faint shadow of conflict. She took a slow sip before looking across at Jake.

"They offered me a permanent position today," she said, her tone flat rather than excited. "Full-time analytical lead for the regional desk."

Jake put down his fork, looking at her with a warm smile. "You’ve only been interning there for a few months. That’s impressive, sweetie. Congratulations."

Catharine sighed softly, setting her glass down as she rested her chin in her hand. "I should be thrilled, right? But... I’m really not."

Jake tilted his head slightly, his eyes softening as he picked up on her tone. "What’s bothering you?"

"Ever since word leaked around the firm that I’m dating you, everything changed," Catharine confessed, a look of genuine frustration crossing her face. "My line manager doesn’t critique my reports anymore—he just nods and praises everything I write. Senior partners open doors for me, talk to me like I’m made of glass, and offer me projects that senior staff have been fighting over for years. I worked so hard to get into this field on my own merit, Jake. But now I know this promotion was handed to me just because of who sits across from me at dinner."

Jake reached across the table, taking her hand and giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. He understood her frustration completely; she was fiercely independent and wanted to carve out her own legacy.

"I get it," Jake said gently, his voice grounded and warm. "It stings when you want to earn every step and people try to hand you a shortcut. But at my current level, people are always going to look for ways to curry favor with me. It’s not something you can easily turn off, Catharine. What matters is that you know how talented you are. Don’t let their kiss-ass motives make you doubt your own skill."

Catharine looked into his eyes, the tension in her shoulders easing as a small, appreciative smile returned to her lips. She squeezed his hand back. "Thanks, Jake. I needed to hear that."

Later that evening, after Catharine had gone upstairs to shower, Jake sat on the terrace overlooking the sparkling night lights of Veyra. He pulled up his LOOP account on his phone.

With a calm, razor-sharp smirk tugging at his lips, he typed out a single line and hit publish:

"Didn’t watch the weather report today, but rain is definitely expected tomorrow afternoon..."

Within two minutes, the internet exploded.

The short, cryptic post went mega-viral across every financial board, social media platform, and group chat in the city. Everyone instantly recognized the signature phrase: the Gold King was dropping a public market signal tomorrow.

Comment sections detonated into absolute pandemonium:

— "HE SAID RAIN! THE GOLD KING IS DISHING OUT SIGNALS TOMORROW! WE ARE GETTING RICH!"

— "I JUST MOVED ALL MY SAVINGS INTO MY TRADING ACCOUNT! READY FOR THE RAIN!"

— "Husks and Timber must be shitting their pants right now! The people’s signal is back!"

— "Setting five alarms! I am not missing a single pip tomorrow!"

— "WE EATING GOOD TOMORROW BOYS!"

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The next morning, sharp geometric shadows stretched across the glass expanse of the Zenith. By nine o’clock, the public demonstrations outside the Ministry building had turned into a full-blown street festival, with thousands of celebratory citizens chanting Jake’s name while holding up protest signs against Ministers Troy Husks and Duke Timber.

High above the noise on the top floor of Golden Investments, the executive suite was quiet and cool.

The double oak doors swung open, and Alice Chase ushered in Anthony Paige. Dressed in a bespoke three-piece Italian suit with gold-rimmed spectacles, Anthony carried himself with the smug, easy posture of Mayfair high finance.

Jake stood near the floor-to-ceiling glass wall, taking a sip from a glass of water before turning around.

"Mr. Paige," Jake acknowledged casually, gesturing toward the leather lounge chairs. "It’s been a while since we last met."

Anthony flashed a wide, polished smile, stepping forward with an outstretched hand. "Indeed it has, Mr. Rivers! Great to see you again under proper professional settings."

"Take a seat," Jake replied, shaking his hand briefly before sitting behind his grand desk.

Anthony sat down, adjusting his cuffs with an air of casual superiority. "I have to congratulate you on yesterday’s performance. Pulling thirty-two billion marks out of the market in less than an hour... even the trading desks in London were buzzing about it. Honestly, I came to Veyra planning to offer Paige Financial’s private equity to back your Twin Islands resort project. But after watching you print money out of thin air, it looks like you don’t need our cash."

Jake let out a dry chuckle, leaning back. "I like keeping my balance sheets clean, Anthony. Full ownership cuts out the headache."

"A luxury very few can afford, but you’ve earned it," Anthony laughed smoothly, throwing an arm over the back of the leather chair.

Jake rested his elbows on the mahogany desk, watching him closely. "I take it this isn’t just a social call to praise my trading balance."

"Direct as the rumours suggest. I like that," Anthony said, his tone shifting into a smooth, business pitch. "Look, after you bought out and dismantled Newman Enterprise Group, my family’s northern energy project ran into a small administrative hiccup. Our main channels for clearing overseas capital into that northern build were routed through hidden transit networks the Newmans used to run."

Jake nodded slowly, his eyes dark and attentive. "And since Golden Sheele Corp absorbed those assets, those channels are locked down under our new security protocols."

"Exactly," Anthony said with a breezy wave of his hand, as if talking about a minor parking ticket. "Since we already know each other, I figured I’d swing by personally so we could smooth this out quickly. Just look the other way and give Paige Financial green-light access to keep running our cash through those conduits. In return, Golden Investments can keep a minor administrative fee on the transaction volume."

The relaxed, easy atmosphere vanished from Jake’s face, replaced by an icy, lethal stillness.

’A minor fee?’ Jake stared at Anthony, a cold, mocking glint kindling in his eyes. He had just printed thirty-one point nine billion marks of pure liquid profit in fifty minutes by himself. And here was this foreign heir sitting in his office, offering him pocket change like a handout and expecting him to jump at the scraps while giving away his proprietary network.

Anthony, completely blind to the sudden tension choking the room, kept his patronizing smile intact. "It’s a free win for both of us, Jake. A nice little trickle of passive pocket money for Golden Investments without you having to lift a finger."

Jake leaned back slowly in his high-backed chair, his voice dropping into a low, terrifyingly calm register.

"A minor fee..." Jake repeated softly, the words laced with cold amusement.

Anthony tilted his head, his confident grin faltering slightly at the chilling tone. "Well... yeah. Considering it’s just basic routing—"

"Anthony," Jake interrupted, his eyes locking onto him like a hawk locking onto prey. "Yesterday, I pulled thirty-two billion marks before my coffee got cold. My company has zero debt and has over a hundred billion marks in liquid cash. And you walk into my office offering me pocket change, expecting me to hand over my private network for your crumbs?"

’A hundred billion?’ Anthony’s face stiffened, the easy charm flushing out as his jaw clenched. "Hold on, Rivers, it’s a standard business arrangement—"

"You came here because your northern project is dead in the water without me," Jake cut in smoothly, his voice slicing through the air like steel. "You thought drinking in the same club a few weeks ago gave you the right to walk in here, talk down to me, and treat my assets like your personal playground. The answer is no."

Anthony stood up abruptly, his smug composure shattering into red-faced anger. "Rivers, Paige Financial is backed by massive capital out of London! You might run this small regional pond, but blocking our channels will lock you out of European finance!"

Jake didn’t even bother to stand up. He just looked up at Anthony with cold, absolute disgust.

"You’re in my city, sitting in my building, begging me for access," Jake said quietly, a sharp smirk touching his lips. "The conduits are officially blacklisted. If your family wants to build that energy corridor, find another way—or watch it rot in the dirt."

Jake looked past him toward the door. "Alice, escort Mr. Paige out."

Anthony’s jaw worked silently, his face burning with humiliation. He opened his mouth to bark another threat, but meeting Jake’s dark, unyielding eyes, he swallowed the words down, turned on his heel, and stormed out of the office, his expensive shoes clicking angrily down the hallway.

Alice stepped forward as the heavy double doors clicked shut. "Should I activate the full network freeze on all Paige Financial clearing nodes right now, sir?"

"Freeze every single one of them," Jake said, turning his chair toward the window as Veyra sparkled beneath the morning sun. "Let him see what his pocket change is worth."

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