Chapter 69: Making The Right Choice [2 Castle Bonus]
Vessel Grill looked exactly like the kind of place Adrian would’ve walked past a week ago without giving it a second glance.
There wasn’t a giant sign outside. No bright advertisements. Just clean glass, warm light spilling through the windows, and an entrance that somehow managed to look expensive without trying too hard.
He checked the name once more.
Vessel Grill.
Yep. This was the place. Adrian stood outside for a moment, looking through the glass.
People were already eating inside. Quiet conversations. Properly dressed customers. The sort of crowd that probably didn’t check the price before ordering.
Well. I’m here now.
He pushed the door open and went in.
Inside, the difference was immediate.
The lighting was low and warm, the floor polished enough to catch the glow from the fixtures overhead. Everything had its place. Even the napkins looked like someone had spent time deciding exactly how they should sit.
Adrian slowed for half a second.
He wasn’t sure where he was supposed to go.
A waiter noticed him before the uncertainty could become obvious and stepped over with a polite smile.
"Good evening, sir. Table for one?"
"Yeah."
The waiter led him toward the windows and pulled out a chair for him.
Adrian sat down.
"Here’s the menu."
The waiter handed it over before leaving. It was heavier than it needed to be.
Adrian opened it.
The prices were exactly what he’d expected.
Bad.
The lowest price he could see was three hundred and forty-five dollars for some fancy name he couldn’t even pronounce.
He scanned the menu anyway.
For a moment, the old instinct kicked in.
Close it. Leave. Find somewhere cheaper. Then he remembered his balance. Two thousand dollars he could actually spend.
Adrian looked back at the menu. One meal wasn’t going to touch two grand.
He spotted another five-hundred-dollar option.
Well. Probably.
He settled on something called fresh black truffles. Four hundred dollars. Before drinks or tax.
"And what drink will you need?" The waiter added.
He looked at the price one last time. Then closed the menu.
"Just water."
The waiter nodded and left. Adrian sighed. He pulled out his phone while he waited and opened it.
A new notification caught his eye.
You have one new message.
His expression didn’t change. Probably the group chat. He checked it anyway.
Rose: Where are you?
His eyebrows lifted slightly. That was certainly unexpected. He typed back.
Adrian: Went out to eat.
A short pause followed. The three dots appeared. Disappeared. Then appeared again.
Rose: You just left without saying anything?
Adrian glanced at the message.
Adrian: You had Maya over. Didn’t want to walk into that.
The reply came almost immediately.
Rose: Maya never showed up.
He stared at the screen.The fuck?
So he’d spent the afternoon rearranging his plans around an ex who hadn’t even been there.
Great. He set the phone down for a moment.
Then picked it up again when another message appeared.
Rose: Don’t worry about it. How did things go with Daniel?
Adrian thought back to the meeting. It had gone well enough.
Daniel hadn’t given him anything concrete, which was probably the problem. The man had been cooperative without actually saying much.
Adrian still couldn’t quite read him.
He sent Rose Mr. Lee’s contact information and reminded her that she needed to make the call before the window closed.
He was about to add something else when the waitress arrived.
"Here you are."
Adrian lowered his phone. The plate was placed in front of him.
It looked just like a regular duck.
There was some kind of glaze over it, something creamy beside it, and a smell that made him forget about the message for a second.
He looked at the plate.
$422. Without tax.
Whatever’s on this plate had better be taking the price seriously.
He picked up his fork and tasted it. He stopped.
...Okay.
It was good. Really good. Adrian took another bite. Then another.
He ate slowly, mostly because the creamy part of the dish was far too good to rush through.
And after paying four hundred dollars for it, he wasn’t about to start shoveling it into his mouth like a starving animal.
He took his time.
By the time he was finished, there was barely anything left on the plate. Adrian looked at it.
Completely empty. Fuck. He really was turning into a glutton.
The bill came a few minutes later. He paid it. For once, he didn’t immediately check his balance afterward.
He simply sat there, looking at the empty plate. The meal had been ridiculous. The price had been ridiculous. And somehow, he’d enjoyed every bit of it.
He looked at the empty plate again.
So this is what money actually does.
It wasn’t just about buying things. It was having a choice.
A week ago, he would’ve looked at a meal this expensive and closed the menu.
Tonight, he’d seen the price, checked his balance, and decided he wanted it.
That was new. He reached for his water. Then he thought about his parents.
His hand stopped halfway to the glass.
...Wait.
He thought about the money his mother had sent him when he first came to university.
The way she’d brushed it off like it was nothing. Like he shouldn’t worry about what it meant for her. She’d been helping him when she barely had enough to spare.
And now he was sitting in a restaurant he would’ve never considered a week ago, spending hundreds on dinner because he could.
He lowered the glass.
What the hell am I doing?
He’d been so focused on the System, Rose, the money, and everything that had happened since then that he’d barely thought about the people who’d gotten him here in the first place.
His mother. His father.
Adrian pulled out his phone and opened his banking app.
His balance was still there.
Five thousand dollars sat untouched in the account. The reserve. He stared at it.
That money could do a lot more for his parents than it could sitting untouched in his account.
He hesitated. Then he made the transfer. It was a bit painful at first, then it wasn’t.
Outgoing Transfer in progress: $5,000.
A few seconds later, the confirmation appeared.
Transfer successful!
Available Balance: $1,595.87
Adrian stared at the new balance for a moment. Five thousand dollars gone.
It didn’t bother him as much as it probably should have.
If anything, he felt strangely satisfied. He’d made the right choice. Yeah. He probably did.
Adrian put his phone away.
Then he stood up and walked outside.