Chapter 91: The Summit Eve and The 75% Milestone

The crisp evening wind blew through the sprawling courtyard of the East Lake Villa, as the heavy security guards grabbed Preston Croft by his tailored collar, dragging the weeping executive across the pristine stone pathways.

Preston sobbed hysterically, leaving a trail of blood from his scraped knees on the ground, since his fragile corporate ego had shattered into dust the second he realized he had smashed a thirty-million-dollar dynasty masterpiece owned by his supreme boss.

Isabella Vance shrieked in pure horror, her flashy red dress catching on the decorative bushes as the guards physically threw her out the front gates right alongside her ruined boyfriend, leaving the greedy couple to rot in the gutter where they belonged.

The entire crowd of high-society guests and snobby relatives fell into a dead, horrifying silence, as they stared at Rick’s towering figure, finally realizing they had spent the entire evening mocking a hidden dragon who treated thirty-million-dollar artifacts like cheap pocket change.

Uncle Henry dropped his expensive wine glass, letting it shatter on the stone floor, as he practically crawled forward, forcing a sickeningly sweet smile onto his greedy face, desperately pulling a gold-plated business card from his pocket.

"Young Master Rick!" Uncle Henry groveled, his voice dripping with pure sycophantic worship, as he offered the card with both trembling hands. "I swear we had eyes but failed to see Mount Tai! Our real estate ventures would be incredibly honored to partner with a supreme titan like you!"

Aunt Sarah shoved her way past the other relatives, bowing her head so low she almost hit her own knees, because her frog-in-a-well mentality instantly switched to survival mode the second she smelled real wealth.

"Elena has always been the absolute jewel of our family!" Aunt Sarah praised loudly, completely ignoring the fact she had just called Elena a disgrace twenty minutes ago. "You two make a flawless couple, and we will gladly prepare the grandest dowry in the city for your wedding!"

Rick did not even blink, as he looked at the groveling relatives with dead, flat eyes, refusing to take a single business card, because an apex predator never wasted his breath acknowledging the buzzing of pathetic insects.

Patriarch Arthur Vance slammed his wrinkled hand onto the armrest of his mahogany chair, his heavy, raspy voice echoing through the courtyard to silence the barking relatives.

"Stand aside, you greedy fools," Arthur commanded sternly, standing up from his seat with a newfound, immense respect shining in his sharp eyes, as he walked directly toward Rick, treating him as an absolute equal rather than a junior.

The eighty-year-old patriarch grabbed a delicate porcelain teapot, slowly pouring a cup of premium vintage tea, and offered it directly to Rick with both hands, which was a gesture of supreme submission in high-society circles.

"You possess a terrifying, ruthless power, young man," Arthur stated, a greedy, satisfied smile breaking through his wrinkles, since he respected absolute dominance above all else. "You crushed that arrogant fool without lifting a single finger, proving you are a true king among mortals."

Arthur turned his gaze to his granddaughter, nodding his head in deep approval, "You have my absolute blessing, Elena. A man who commands the Imperial Jade Group is more than worthy of standing beside the Vance family."

Rick took the porcelain cup, taking a slow sip of the premium tea, as a dark, highly entertained smirk stretched across his face, having successfully conquered the family politics without breaking a sweat.

"Keep your barking dogs on a tighter leash, Patriarch," Rick mocked lazily, handing the empty cup back to the old man. "Let’s go, Doc. The air in this courtyard is getting stale."

Rick turned his broad back on the silent, awestruck crowd, offering his arm to Elena, as they walked side-by-side down the stone pathway, leaving the elite guests to choke on their own profound humiliation.

Ten minutes later, the massive, twin-turbocharged V8 engine of the matte-carbon Koenigsegg Gemera roared to life, as Rick steered the thirty-million-dollar hypercar away from the East Lake Villa, tearing into the neon-lit city streets.

The plush leather cabin was quiet, as the city lights reflected off the tinted windows, while Elena sat in the low-slung passenger seat, keeping her ice-blue eyes glued to Rick’s sharp, unbothered profile.

Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs, as the sheer magnitude of the face-slapping dominance she had just witnessed replayed in her mind, making a deep, intoxicating rush of pure affection flood her chest.

She had spent her entire life surrounded by weak, arrogant men who hid behind their families’ wealth, but Rick was a self-made monster who radiated raw, undeniable alpha energy, making her feel incredibly safe in his shadow.

Elena slowly reached across the center console, her soft, jade-like fingers gently wrapping around his muscular forearm, as she let out a breathy sigh, letting her strict Ice Queen persona melt away entirely.

"Thank you," Elena whispered softly, her voice trembling with genuine emotion, as she leaned her head closer to his shoulder. "You protected me, you humiliated those snobs, and you made my grandfather respect me... I have never felt this safe in my entire life."

"I told you I don’t let anyone look down on the women who belong to me," Rick replied smoothly, keeping one hand on the custom steering wheel, as his deep voice sent a massive shiver straight down her spine.

"I know," Elena murmured, her thighs instinctively clamping together, as a heavy wave of undeniable devotion settled into her core, realizing she would gladly follow this heaven-defying man to the edge of the earth.

The hypercar devoured the miles, eventually pulling into the sprawling, private driveway of Elena’s massive mansion, as the heavy tires crunched against the expensive gravel before coming to a smooth halt.

Rick parked the mechanical beast, but before he could even reach for the door handle, Elena undid her seatbelt and practically rushed out of the car, her breathing turning incredibly ragged and heavy.

She walked quickly to the heavy wooden front doors, unlocking them with trembling hands, and the second Rick stepped over the threshold, she didn’t wait for him to take off his suit jacket.

Elena grabbed the lapels of his bespoke suit, pulling his towering frame forward with surprising strength, and forcefully shoved his broad shoulders against the wall of the foyer, crashing her soft lips directly against his in a desperate, fiery kiss.

Rick let out a low, satisfied chuckle against her mouth, as he wrapped his large arms firmly around her narrow waist, pulling her curvy body flush against his chest, meeting her feral energy with his own dominant hunger.

Elena tangled her manicured fingers deep into his dark hair, moaning softly as his tongue expertly parted her lips, exploring her sweet mouth with ruthless precision, since she wanted to show him her absolute, unwavering loyalty.

She pressed her heavy breasts against his solid chest, her heart racing a mile a minute, fully prepared to let him drag her up the grand staircase and wreck her untouched body all over again.

But just as the suffocating sexual tension reached its peak, Rick slowly pulled his lips away, leaving Elena panting heavily, her ice-blue eyes hazy with burning, unadulterated lust.

"Rick...?" Elena whimpered softly, chasing his lips, as her thighs rubbed together in desperate anticipation.

Rick looked down at her flushed, beautiful face, as a wicked, highly arrogant smirk stretched across his jawline, raising his rough thumb to gently wipe a smudge of lipstick from her chin.

"Not tonight, Doc," Rick whispered in a low, lethal register, as he brushed a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, teasing her aching body with supreme restraint.

"Why not?" Elena asked breathlessly, a pout forming on her lips, as she tightened her grip on his suit jacket, refusing to let him step away.

"Because tomorrow morning, I am going to war," Rick stated coldly, his eyes flashing with a dangerous, murderous glint that made the temperature in the foyer drop. "The International Culinary Summit starts tomorrow, and I need my energy to completely slaughter the underground syndicate and solidify my empire."

Elena swallowed hard, her logical brain finally piercing through the heavy fog of her arousal, as she remembered the massive corporate warfare looming over his head.

She knew George and his corrupt allies were planning to sabotage the Peninsula Hotel, and since Rick was the supreme boss, he carried the weight of a multi-billion dollar operation on his broad shoulders.

"Okay," Elena murmured obediently, her respect for his ambition overriding her physical frustration, as she leaned forward and pressed a lingering, tender kiss to his cheek. "Go win your war, Rick. I will be waiting right here for you when you return."

Rick patted her wide hip, securing her emotional loyalty without needing to take it all the way tonight, before he turned around and walked out the front door, leaving the devoted surgeon to lock up her mansion.

The next morning, the sun rose high over the glittering commercial district, as Rick stood barefoot in the massive, ultra-luxurious kitchen of his Peninsula Hotel penthouse.

He wore a plain black t-shirt and dark sweatpants, as he laid his heavy, black leather roll across the marble island, pulling out his pitch-black, bone-handled Shadow-Forged Cleavers to inspect the Damascus steel blades.

He ran a sharpening stone over the edges with terrifying, machine-like precision, as the visceral, metallic scraping sound echoed through the quiet penthouse, preparing his physical and mental state for the ultimate culinary bloodbath.

Just as he finished polishing the final cleaver, a sharp, mechanical chime rang directly inside his skull, as the translucent blue screen materialized in his line of sight, delivering his final pre-summit rewards.

[Ding! Quest Completed: The Patriarch’s Banquet!]

[Objective: You flawlessly slapped the faces of the arrogant snobs, secured a priceless tribute, and asserted your absolute dominance as the Culinary Emperor in high society!]

[Reward Processed: +13% Chef Occupation Progress!]

[Current Chef Class Completion: 55%!]

Rick read the glowing blue text, feeling a massive influx of system power settle deep into his bones, as his sensory perception sharpened to a heaven-defying level.

But the system was not finished, as the screen flashed a brilliant, blinding gold, triggering the massive corporate reward he had been waiting for.

[Ding! Ultimate Milestone Processed: 50% Threshold Breached!]

[Because your culinary dominance has reached the halfway mark of absolute perfection, the God of Mischief grants you supreme corporate authority to crush your enemies without mercy!]

[Reward Delivered: +5% Additional Controlling Stake in the Peninsula Hotel Conglomerate!]

[Calculation: Your total personal ownership has now reached an undeniable 75%!]

[System Note: You now hold Absolute Veto Power. The board of directors is completely obsolete. Your word is literal law, and you legally own the empire outright.]

Rick stared at the golden text, as a dark, villainous laugh rumbled deep in his chest, echoing loudly in the empty penthouse.

He didn’t just have a majority stake anymore; he possessed a crushing, insurmountable seventy-five percent ownership, meaning he could legally burn the entire hotel to the ground and nobody could stop him.

Rick swiped the interface away, grabbing the handles of his Shadow-Forged Cleavers, and slipped them back into the heavy leather roll, feeling the immense, untouchable power coursing through his veins.

He walked toward the master bedroom to put on his crisp, black Executive Chef uniform, ready to march directly into the International Culinary Summit and show the arrogant rivals exactly what happened when they courted death.