Chapter 199: A Sudden Trip
The silence of the grand conservatory grew heavier, the residual warmth of the low-burning hearth failing to touch the sudden chill left by Derrick’s departure. Elizabeth remained perfectly still by the massive glass wall, her reflection staring back at her against the backdrop of the moonlit Crest District hills.
’He’s probably already moving,’ she realized, her fingers tapping a restless rhythm against the smooth crystal of her wine glass.
She turned away from the window, her mind moving with calculated efficiency. Her original plan—the slow observation of Jake Rivers as he swallowed the remnants of the Sterling empire—was obsolete.
If Derrick intended to use the upcoming chaos to tighten the state’s grip on Golden Investments under the guise of an audit or a national security review, she had to construct a counterweight before he does anything. Jake Rivers was sharp, but he had never faced the institutional malice of the Roys bloodline.
Stepping out of the conservatory, Elizabeth walked down the long, portrait-lined corridor of the west wing toward her private study. The night-shift guard stationed at the threshold straightened instantly, his eyes fixed forward.
"Call Leon Hart," Elizabeth commanded without breaking her stride. "Tell him to be at the Crest pavilion by six tomorrow morning. Tell him if he’s even a minute late, I’ll personally inform his mother about his little offshore ledger in the southern territories."
"Understood, Miss Roys," the guard replied, already reaching for his encrypted communicator.
Inside her study, surrounded by dark mahogany bookshelves and secure data terminals, Elizabeth sat down at her desk. She didn’t turn on the main lights, allowing the blue glow of her personal computer to illuminate her sharp features.
She needed to redirect the focus. If Derrick wanted to play with the new titan of Veyra, she would have to give him a much bigger, much more urgent problem to solve on the northern border first.
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Meanwhile, the deep, mechanical rumble of the Brabus cut through the quiet, tree-lined streets of the lower capital district. Jake steered the heavy armored wagon with a relaxed precision, though his eyes constantly scanned the dark intersections in the rearview mirror. Behind them, two black SUVs containing Elias’s security detail maintained a perfectly calibrated three-car distance.
In the passenger seat, Catharine was quiet, her head leaning slightly against the cool glass of the window as she watched the city lights blur past. The adrenaline from the mall riot had faded, leaving a comfortable, domestic exhaustion in its place.
In the back seat, Melissa was still wide awake, her thumbs flying across the screen of her new tablet as she customized the settings. Every few seconds, she would glance up at the back of Jake’s head, her expression still fluctuating between absolute awe and lingering suspicion.
"Hey, Jake," Melissa called out, leaning forward against the gap between the front seats.
"Yeah, Mel?" Jake replied, catching her eyes in the mirror.
"So... if you’re the Gold King, does that mean you can just, like, print money whenever you want?"
Catharine let out a soft snort, not quite opening her eyes. "Melissa, that’s counterfeiting. He’s a trader, not a central bank."
"It’s basically the same thing if you have enough leverage," Jake joked, a small smirk playing on his lips. "But no, Mel. I just look at the market and see where the cash is flowing before everyone else does. It’s just math."
"Yeah, math that buys a car that sounds like an angry dragon," Melissa muttered, leaning back into the leather. "My math teacher just uses his salary to buy cheap coffee and complain about the government. I think he’s doing it wrong."
Jake laughed, the sound low and easy. For all the corporate warfare waiting for him on Monday morning—the Aurelia Capital paperwork, the impending collapse of Julian Sterling, and the suspicious movements of the Ministry of Commerce—this small, enclosed space felt entirely real.
He glanced sideways at Catharine, whose hand was resting on the center console. He reached over, wrapping his fingers around hers, feeling the steady warmth of her palm.
"We’re almost at the apartment," Jake said softly.
"Good," Catharine whispered, her fingers tightening around his. "Because if Melissa asks you one more question about your bank account, I’m going to confiscate her new toy."
"You wouldn’t dare, Cathy!" Melissa protested from the back, defensively hugging the premium paper bag to her chest. "This is for my future! My matric exams depend on this!"
As the Brabus pulled into the secure courtyard of Catharine’s residential complex, the heavy iron gates rolled shut behind them. Jake killed the engine, the sudden silence inside the cabin profound.
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A week flew by in a blur of corporate integration and late-night filings. By the time Friday evening arrived, the initial media frenzy surrounding the ministerial dinner had settled into a steady, background hum. But in the apartment, the atmosphere was far from quiet. It was the night before Melissa had to head back home to the province.
The living room floor was a minor disaster zone of half-packed bags, new clothes Jake had insisted on buying, and stacks of exam preparation booklets. Melissa was frantically trying to zip up a bright red duffel bag that was visibly protesting its contents.
"I told you to pack the heavier books at the bottom, Mel," Catharine said, walking out of the kitchen with a neatly wrapped container of snacks for the road. She looked down at the bulging zipper with an amused sigh.
"If I put the biology guide at the bottom, the cells might get crushed, Cathy," Melissa grumbled, throwing her entire weight onto the duffel bag. With a triumphant click, the zipper finally held. She wiped her brow, looking around the room. "Where’s my tablet box? If I leave that behind, I’m taking the next bus right back here."
"It’s already by the front door, safe and sound," Jake said, stepping into the apartment. He had traded his usual bespoke suit for a comfortable dark jacket and jeans, looking far more relaxed than a man running a billion-mark fund had any right to be.
Catharine checked her watch, her brow furrowing slightly as she calculated the traffic for the next day. "We should start heading down to the station early tomorrow morning. If we don’t get to the central bus terminal ahead of the weekend rush, the holiday crowds are going to make finding a decent coach a nightmare."
Jake leaned against the kitchen counter, crossing his arms. "Why don’t we just drive her back ourselves?"
Catharine stopped in her tracks, looking at him as if he had suggested they walk there on foot. "Drive her? Jake, it’s a five-hour trip just to get to the village. That’s a ten-hour round trip total. You have three board meetings scheduled for Monday morning, and you haven’t slept more than five hours a night all week."
"Exactly. Which means a road trip is exactly what I need," Jake countered, his voice smooth and entirely unbothered. He looked out the window toward the skyline. "I grew up entirely within the capital’s concrete. I’ve never actually seen much of the country. Think of it as an educational tour."
Melissa’s eyes lit up instantly. She let go of her duffel bag and scrambled to her feet, joining Jake’s side with a perfectly synchronized nod. "Yes! Cathy, please! The buses smell like old boiled eggs and everyone fights over the window seats. Plus, imagine the entrance we’ll make in the village if the Brabus pulls up to the front yard. The neighborhood kids will think I got adopted by royalty."
"Melissa, stop exaggerating," Catharine scolded, though the corner of her mouth twitched. She looked back at Jake, searching his face for signs of jest, but his eyes were steady and warm. "Jake, seriously. It’s a massive detour for you. The roads out of the district aren’t like the capital highways."
"The Brabus was built for rugged terrain, Cath. It’ll barely feel the gravel," Jake said softly, stepping closer. "And if the road conditions are actually that bad, we could always just buy a new off-road vehicle tomorrow morning before we head out."
Melissa gasped, her jaw dropping so low it looked like it might unhinge. "Buy a whole new car? Just for a weekend trip? Jake, you are officially insane and I love it."
Catharine shot Jake a sharp, warning glare, pointing a finger at him. "Don’t you dare. Do not even think of spending money on a car you’re only going to use once. We are taking the Brabus, or we are taking the bus. Those are the choices."
Jake raised his hands in mock surrender, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Alright, alright. The Brabus it is."
Catharine looked between Jake’s reassuring smile and Melissa’s wide, pleading eyes. She let out a long, defeated breath, her shoulders dropping as a soft smile broke through her hesitation. "Fine. But you’re in charge of the playlist, because if Melissa plays her pop stations for five hours straight, I’m jumping out of the moving vehicle."
"Deal," Jake laughed.
The rest of the evening was spent in a flurry of sudden preparations. While Melissa bragged to her friends over text messages about her upcoming luxury escort home, Catharine went through the apartment, packing extra water, emergency blankets, and enough road snacks to last a week. Jake spent an hour on his secure laptop, clearing his schedule for Saturday and delegating minor operational tasks to his senior analysts so his phone wouldn’t ring every five minutes.
The next morning, the sun had barely cleared the horizon when they gathered in the secure basement parking deck. Jake stood leaning against the hood of the heavy wagon while Elias stood opposite him, checking the digital map on a tablet.
"Just one security car will be required for this route, Mr. Rivers," Elias reported, his deep voice echoing slightly in the concrete space. "The northern corridor is quiet today, and a full three-car convoy will draw unnecessary attention in the smaller towns. I’ll personally head the detail trailing you. We will maintain a five-hundred-yard gap to keep the profile low, but we’ll be on your bumper the moment you hit the provincial borders."
"Sounds good, Elias. We’re looking at about ten hours total on the road," Jake noted, glancing up as Catharine and Melissa emerged from the elevator, hauling the final set of bags.
"The team is prepared for the duration, sir. And the vehicle is fully fueled. Safe travels," Elias replied, offering a crisp, respectful nod before disappearing toward a sleek, S-Class parked in the shadows.
With the bags loaded into the spacious rear cargo bay, Melissa climbed into the back seat, immediately unboxing her tablet to load up a movie, while Catharine settled into the passenger side, adjusting the climate controls with a deep sense of relief.
Jake started the engine, the deep V8 growl purring to life, vibrating through the floorboards with an assuring, heavy rhythm. He steered the massive vehicle out of the residential gate, leaving the towering glass skyscrapers of Veyra behind as they aimed toward the wide, open northern highway. The high-stakes warfare of the capital was still waiting for him, but for the next ten hours, the only board that mattered was the asphalt stretching out into the horizon.
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