Chapter 196: I’ll Scratch Your Spaceship
The morning sun broke over the capital’s northern skyline, casting long, warm shafts of light across the open-plan living room of the Zenith penthouse. It was just past eight on a crisp Saturday morning, and for the first time in months, the sharp, persistent buzz of corporate notifications on Jake’s phone had been entirely silenced.
Jake walked out of the master bedroom wearing a comfortable grey hoodie and dark jeans, rolling up his sleeves as he headed toward the kitchen.
He didn’t get three steps past the hallway before a small, bright face popped out from behind the marble kitchen island. Melissa was already awake, wearing an oversized graphic tee and a pair of fuzzy hotel slippers she had clearly pilfered from the guest bathroom closet.
She froze, her eyes widening as she took him in. For a second, the witty, confident teenager from the central bus station looked utterly paralyzed.
"You’re Jake," Melissa stated, her voice dropping an octave as she tried to look serious.
Jake smiled, the sharp, intimidating edge he usually wore in the boardroom completely vanishing. "I am. And you must be Melissa. I’ve heard a lot about you."
Melissa’s eyes darted from his face to his clothes, and then down to his feet. She let out a dramatic, audible sigh of relief, slumping against the counter. "Oh, thank goodness. You’re not bald. And you don’t look eighty."
Jake let out a sharp laugh, walking over to the espresso machine. "Did Catharine tell you I was an old businessman?"
"No, but she got super red and defensive when I asked, which usually means a girl is hiding something suspicious," Melissa said, her mischievous confidence instantly returning. She leaned over the counter, dropping her voice to a loud whisper. "Just so you know, she’s still asleep, which is rare. Usually, back home, she’s like a human alarm clock. If you sleep past seven, she pulls the blankets off you and starts listing chores in her scary voice."
"Is that so?" Jake amusedly glanced toward the hallway. "I’ll have to keep that in mind."
"Oh, absolutely. She’s brutal," Melissa chuckled, hopping onto one of the high leather barstools. "But your apartment is insane. I woke up at six because I thought I heard a helicopter, but it was just the fridge making ice. And the floors are warm! Do you have heaters inside the ground?"
"Underfloor heating," Jake explained, passing her a tall glass of fresh orange juice. "It keeps the place decent in the winter."
"Fancy," Melissa grinned, taking a massive gulp of the juice. "So, about yesterday... Cathy said you paid for that dinner at the fancy place before we even sat down. How does that even work? Do you just give them a bag of money and say ’keep the change’?"
"Something like that," Jake said, leaning against the counter with his own cup of coffee. "I have an account there. They just send the bill to my office at the end of the month."
Melissa shook her head, thoroughly amazed. "Must be nice. Back home, if you try to leave a shop without paying on the spot, the owner chases you down the dirt road with a plastic broom."
A bedroom door clicked open, and Catharine walked out into the living area, wearing a soft cream sweater and leggings, her hair tied back in a loose clip. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the two of them leaning over the counter, chatting like old high school friends.
"What are you two plotting?" Catharine asked, narrowing her eyes playfully as she walked over.
"Nothing!" Melissa said quickly, giving Jake a look that clearly screamed don’t betray me. "I was just telling Jake how grateful I am for the spaceship car. And how you look like a bridge troll when you wake up."
"Melissa!" Catharine’s cheeks immediately flushed pink, and she reached out to smack her sister’s shoulder, but Melissa nimbly dodged it, giggling loudly as she hid behind Jake.
"See? I told you! Violent!" Melissa shouted as she looked at Jake.
"I’m not violent," Catharine defended herself, though she couldn’t stop the massive smile spreading across her face. She looked at Jake, her eyes soft and full of genuine warmth. "Good morning."
"Morning sweetheart," Jake said softly, reaching out to squeeze her hand briefly. "So, where are we going today? Your sister gets to choose, right?"
Melissa immediately jumped up from the barstool, her eyes sparkling. "I already looked it up on Cathy’s phone last night! There’s this massive arcade and indoor amusement park at the Galleria Mall, and right next to it is a place that serves giant burgers with cheese fountains. Like, they literally pour a whole bucket of melted cheese over the food at the table."
Catharine groaned playfully. "Mel, that sounds like a cardiac arrest on a plate."
"It sounds perfect," Jake countered with a grin, tossing his empty espresso pod into the bin. "Go get changed, Mel. Spaceship leaves in twenty minutes."
"Yes, captain!" Melissa cheered, sprinting down the hallway toward the guest room, her fuzzy slippers slapping loudly against the hardwood floor.
The Brabus tore smoothly down the northern highway, the V8 engine purring quietly under the hood. Melissa’s face was once again glued to the glass, watching the sprawling suburbs give way to the towering luxury high-rises of the Galleria district.
"Are you sure nobody is going to arrest us for parking here?" Melissa asked as Jake pulled the aggressive wagon into the mall’s VIP underground lot, right between a sleek silver Porsche and a massive British luxury SUV.
"You don’t have to worry about that," Jake said, cutting the engine with a smirk. "If anyone tries to tow us, I’ll just buy the towing company and fire them."
Melissa stared at him, trying to see if he was joking, before turning to Catharine. "Cathy... is he allowed to say things like that? It feels illegal."
"Just ignore him," Catharine laughed, opening her door. "He likes to show off."
The Galleria was a massive, multi-level glass dome packed with high-end boutiques, cascading indoor waterfalls, and the roaring sounds of the entertainment wing on the top floor. For the next three hours, Jake and Catharine completely abandoned their corporate personas, following Melissa through a chaotic maze of flashing neon lights, roaring arcade cabinets, and competitive games.
"Move over, rich guy, you’re throwing off my drift," Melissa yelled, vigorously slamming the plastic steering wheel of a racing simulator.
Jake was sitting in the arcade seat right next to her, a rare, unbridled grin on his face as he aggressively pumped the virtual gas pedal. "I literally drive a sports car for a living, Mel. You’re in my territory."
"Yeah, well, your sports car doesn’t have a red turbo booster button!" Melissa shouted, slamming the button on her dashboard and sending her virtual car flying past his on the screen. "Ha! Victory! The village champion reigns supreme!"
Catharine stood behind them, holding a massive bucket of arcade tokens, laughing so hard her ribs ached. It was a side of Jake she had never seen—completely relaxed, entirely unconcerned with market shares or political rivalries, just genuinely trying to beat a seventeen-year-old girl at a racing game.
When they finally moved out of the arcade, Melissa spotted a massive, three-story indoor drop-tower ride that shot riders straight up into the glass ceiling of the mall.
"We are doing that," Melissa demanded, pointing a finger at the towering steel structure.
Catharine looked up at the drop tower, her face instantly turning pale. "Absolutely not. No way. My stomach turns just looking at it."
"Come on, Cathy! Don’t be a coward!" Melissa teased, pulling at her arm. "Jake, make her go!"
"Don’t look at me," Jake held his hands up, laughing. "I’m not forcing her up there. But I’ll go with you."
"Yes!" Melissa grabbed Jake’s arm, pulling him toward the ticket counter. She turned back to wave at Catharine. "Hold my purse, coward! Watch how the brave people live!"
Catharine stood by the safety railing below, a soft, incredibly content smile on her face as she watched Jake and Melissa strap into the heavy shoulder harnesses. Seeing her little sister—who was trembling at a chaotic bus station, carrying the heavy stress of their broken home—now laughing, shouting, and high-fiving the most powerful young billionaire in the capital, brought a sudden, fierce prickle of tears to her eyes.
The ride operator pulled the lever, and the machine shot Jake and Melissa upward with a loud hiss of pneumatic brakes. Melissa’s ecstatic, terrified scream echoed through the glass dome, followed closely by Jake’s booming laughter.
By the time two o’clock rolled around, they were sitting in a plush leather booth at the burger joint, completely exhausted.
True to Melissa’s research, a waiter in a black apron approached their table carrying a small, sizzling copper pot. With a dramatic flourish, he poured a thick, cascading wave of rich, melted cheddar directly over a mountain of crispy fries and three massive, gourmet bacon burgers.
"See?" Melissa whispered in absolute reverence, her eyes reflecting the glowing cheese. "I told you. A fountain."
"I take it back," Catharine said, picking up a fork. "This looks incredible."
As they ate, Melissa kept the conversation moving at a mile a minute, asking Jake about everything from how fast his cars could actually go to whether he had ever met a movie star. Jake answered every question with easy, casual warmth, trading playful jabs with her as if they had known each other for years.
"So, Jake," Melissa said around a mouthful of fries, leaning forward with a sudden, serious look. "Are you going to take care of my sister?"
The table went quiet for a split second. Catharine froze, a piece of burger halfway to her mouth, her eyes widening in sheer panic. "Melissa! What kind of question is that?"
"I’m just asking!" Melissa said, completely unfazed by Catharine’s death glare. She looked directly at Jake, her teenage playfulness softening into something deeply protective. "She works so hard, Jake. Like, way too hard. Back home, she was always the one saving up for my school uniform, dealing with the bills, and making sure I had food, even when things were really bad with our dad. She never takes a break for herself. Ever."
Jake set his burger down, his demeanor shifting into something incredibly steady and sincere. He looked at Melissa, and then turned his gaze to Catharine, whose eyes were suddenly shining with emotion.
"Your sister is the sharpest, most invaluable person I know, Mel," Jake said, his voice quiet but completely solid. "I don’t just intend to take care of her. She’s the one keeping me grounded. You don’t ever have to worry about her again. Or yourself."
Melissa stared at him for a long moment, checking his face for even a hint of hesitation. Finding none, she broke into a massive, bright smile, the tension completely leaving her shoulders.
"Good," Melissa grinned, reaching across the table to steal another one of Jake’s fries. "Because if you break her heart, I’m going to find a way to scratch the paint on your spaceship."
"Melissa!" Catharine gasped, half-laughing and half-horrified, hiding her blushing face in her hands.
Jake just burst out laughing, raising his glass of soda toward the younger girl. "Fair deal, Mel. I’ll keep the car safe, and I’ll keep her safer."
---