Chapter 93: A Billion-Dollar Rebate and a Broken Hand
After receiving Bennett’s account details, Lucas transferred the money without a second thought.
The full amount.
One hundred and thirty million dollars.
In a single transfer.
Bennett stared at the notification on her phone. The string of zeros didn’t shrink no matter how many times she blinked.
"Lucas..."
She looked up slowly.
"What is this? We agreed on sixty million as a deposit."
Lucas slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"I didn’t feel like splitting it into two transfers."
He shrugged casually.
"Besides, Mason vouched for you. That’s enough for me."
Bennett blinked. "That’s... a lot of trust."
From beside him, Mason let out an awkward laugh.
"Yeah. Definitely."
Inside, he was panicking. Lucas, I am begging you to stop saying my name.
He had no idea whether Bennett was actually trustworthy. If she disappeared with one hundred and thirty million dollars and Lucas came looking for answers, Mason was going to have a very difficult year.
He smiled and wisely said nothing else.
Truthfully, he was beginning to wonder what Lucas’s background really was. In less than a week, the man had purchased a luxury apartment downtown, a villa on the outskirts of the city, and now a limited-edition hypercar.
Everything paid in full.
Mason had known wealthy people before, but Lucas operated on an entirely different level. The kind of money that didn’t need to announce itself.
Bennett was studying Lucas with new eyes as well. There was something deeply reassuring about a transfer like that. For someone in her line of work, that kind of trust meant more than a contract.
She reached for a bottle of wine and poured two glasses.
At the same moment, the system chimed quietly in Lucas’s mind.
[Ding!]
[The host has spent $130,000,000.]
[10x rebate triggered.]
[Congratulations! The host has received $1,300,000,000.]
Even Lucas felt his heartbeat skip. One billion three hundred million dollars.
The number flashed through his mind again.
One billion three hundred million.
His fingers tightened slightly around the glass. Just a few months ago, he had worried about paying for instant noodles. Now he could buy companies. Entire neighborhoods. Anything he wanted.
The rush lasted only a second before he forced himself to stay calm.
He couldn’t afford to lose control every time the system rewarded him.
Not anymore.
Still, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Not bad for a night out.
His gaze drifted briefly toward Bennett. The system had already completed its analysis.
[Target: Ava Bennett]
[Appearance Rating: 9.4]
[Current Favorability: 35]
Lucas studied the number for a moment.
Close.
Very close.
Almost a 9.5.
He accepted the wine glass she offered. Bennett raised hers in a small toast.
This time, her smile looked genuine.
Then a hand shot out from the side and grabbed her wrist.
"Bennett."
The voice was loud, slurred, and thick with an accent. A heavyset man in an expensive but wrinkled shirt had stumbled over from the private rooms.
His face was flushed from alcohol. His grip on her wrist was tight enough to whiten her knuckles.
"You said you were going to the restroom."
His English was rough but understandable.
"That was twenty minutes ago."
His eyes shifted toward Lucas.
"You’ve been out here drinking with him this whole time?"
His expression darkened.
"We spent hundreds of thousands tonight."
His voice rose.
"You’re supposed to be entertaining us."
He snatched the wine glass from Bennett’s hand.
"She’s with us tonight."
His free hand reached toward her waist.
Bennett twisted instinctively, but his grip kept her locked in place. There was nowhere to go.
The hand never reached her.
Lucas caught Carlos’s wrist.
His fingers closed around it like steel.
Carlos turned toward him. He found a calm, almost bored expression waiting for him.
"Let go," Carlos said.
Lucas glanced at the hand still wrapped around Bennett’s wrist.
"You first."
Bennett immediately stepped in.
"Mr. Carlos, please head back to the room."
Her voice remained composed.
"I’ll come by shortly. I promise."
She knew exactly how to handle men like him. An apology. A complimentary bottle. A little extra attention.
Usually, that solved everything.
Carlos wasn’t interested in solutions. He was the type of man who viewed public embarrassment as a personal attack. The alcohol only made it worse.
"What if I don’t let go?"
He sneered at Lucas.
"What exactly are you going to do?"
Lucas looked at him for a moment.
Then he spoke calmly.
"I’m counting to three."
"Three."
"Two."
Carlos understood enough English to know exactly what Lucas meant.
Which only made him angrier. The audacity of this man counting down at him like he was a child.
"You think you can..."
Lucas tightened his grip.
Carlos’s expression changed instantly.
The shout that escaped his mouth turned into a high-pitched scream.
His knees buckled.
His free hand clawed desperately at Lucas’s fingers.
They didn’t move.
Lucas’s hand might as well have been made of iron.
"Apologize to her."
Carlos’s face had gone pale. Sweat poured down his forehead.
His pride was losing a very painful battle against reality.
"Why would I apologize to her?"
He gritted his teeth.
"She’s just a..."
Lucas applied a little more pressure.
CRACK.
Carlos collapsed to his knees. His hand hung at an unnatural angle.
He trembled violently.
Lucas released him and stepped back.
The entire bar fell silent.
Everyone’s eyes dropped to Carlos’s hand.
Nobody needed medical training to know something was wrong.
Before anyone could react, two men burst out of the private room behind him.
Carlos’s friends.
Broad-shouldered.
Already angry.
Already charging toward Lucas.
They swung first.
Lucas grabbed two wine bottles from the nearby table.
One in each hand.
He moved in a single fluid motion.
BANG.
BANG.
Two clean hits.
The bottles shattered.
Both men dropped instantly.
Bennett hurried over immediately. Her expression tightened as she checked their breathing.
"Relax."
Lucas set the broken bottle necks down.
"I pulled the hits."
"They’ll wake up with headaches. That’s all."
He had measured the force carefully. If he hadn’t, this place would need more than a mop.
Carlos remained on his knees, clutching his injured hand. Whatever courage the alcohol had given him had vanished completely.
"You’re insane."
His voice shook.
"I’m calling the police."
Lucas crouched in front of him.
Not threatening.
Just calm.
"Think carefully before you do that."
He glanced toward the unconscious men.
"Your friends charged at me in front of a room full of witnesses."
"What I did was self-defense."
Lucas tilted his head slightly.
"Are you sure that’s the story you want to tell?"
Carlos opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
[Ava Bennett Favorability +10]
[Current Favorability: 45]
Bennett slowly stood and smoothed out her dress.
When she spoke, her voice was perfectly composed.
"Lucas, what are you talking about?"
She looked around the room with concern.
"These gentlemen clearly had too much to drink."
She gestured toward the shattered glass on the floor.
"They slipped."
"And unfortunately hit their heads on those bottles."
"What a terrible accident."
Nearby hostesses immediately nodded.
"That’s exactly what happened."
"We all saw it."
"The floor gets slippery near the bar."
"We should probably put up a warning sign."
Carlos stared at them.
Then at Lucas.
Then at his injured hand.
For the first time that night, real fear appeared in his eyes.
Across the room, Bennett looked at Lucas differently. For years, every man who had stepped in to help her had expected something in return.
Lucas hadn’t asked for anything.
He had simply acted.
Bennett felt something she rarely allowed herself to feel.
Safe.
