Chapter 19: A Private Island

[Consuming Diamond System Reward Box...]

[Congratulations, Host! You have received three high-tier rewards!]

[Acquired Skill: Absolute Probability (Active).]

[Acquired Asset: Sapphire Cove Private Island.]

[Acquired Asset: Sovereign Maritime Rights (10 Square Nautical Miles).]

Jude blinked.

He focused on the skill first.

*Absolute Probability: An active ability that allows the Host to predict the outcome of any game of chance, lottery, or market fluctuation for exactly sixty seconds. This skill has a cooldown of twenty-four hours.

Jude couldn’t help but chuckle. It was an incredibly powerful ability... essentially turning him into an invincible gambler for one minute a day.

But with hundreds of millions of dollars sitting in his bank accounts and multiple thriving corporations under his control, stepping into a casino felt entirely redundant.

He didn’t need to gamble to make money anymore. Still, as a trump card for high-stakes negotiations, it was a safety net.

But it was the next two rewards that truly made his breath catch in his throat.

A private island?

Jude tapped the glowing folder icon in his system inventory, pulling up the digital deed.

Sapphire Cove was a legendary island located in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean.

But the system hadn’t just given him the land; it had secured a ten-square-nautical-mile maritime exclusion zone around the island.

He didn’t just own a piece of real estate... He owned a small sovereign nation!

"Unbelievable," Jude muttered, shaking his head in awe.

Purchasing an island of that caliber, complete with private maritime rights, was something even the most entrenched billionaires couldn’t achieve with raw cash alone...

It required decades of maneuvering.

Before Jude could fully process the magnitude of his new tropical empire, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

It was a text from Victoria.

*Mr. Lawson. Seraphina Frost, the acting CEO of Apex Media Group, just contacted my office. She is requesting your immediate presence at Apex Tower. A rival studio head has infiltrated the executive boardroom and is attempting a hostile talent poach ahead of the annual summer gala.*

Jude raised an eyebrow. A hostile talent poach on his first day of ownership?

He tapped the partition dividing the Maybach’s cabin. "Change of plans. Take me to Apex Tower in the media district."

"Right away, Mr. Lawson," the driver replied, navigating the luxury car through the downtown traffic.

Twenty minutes later, Jude stepped out of the Maybach and walked into the lobby of Apex Media Group...

It was the epicenter of the city’s entertainment industry.

Digital billboards displayed the faces of A-list actors, chart-topping musicians, and blockbuster movie posters... all of which Jude now completely owned.

Jude bypassed the security desks and took the executive elevator directly to the top floor.

He approached the doors of the executive boardroom and pushed them open.

Sitting along the table were half a dozen of the country’s most famous, highly paid actresses and top-tier influencers.

At the head of the table stood Seraphina Frost, a brilliant woman in her late thirties who looked like she was currently fighting off a migraine.

And standing casually near the floor-to-ceiling windows, holding a glass of sparkling water and flashing a million-dollar smile, was a man Jude didn’t recognize.

"Seraphina, you have to be realistic," the man was saying. "Apex Media was just bought out by a complete unknown. Some phantom investor who probably wants to gut the studio for parts. Why on earth would you ladies tie your careers to a sinking ship?"

Seraphina gritted her teeth. "Donovan, you are trespassing in a private corporate meeting. I will call security."

"Call them," Donovan Pierce laughed, unbothered.

He turned his attention to the A-list actresses. "Pierce Studios is hosting our annual summer retreat next week. We aren’t doing some boring hotel gala in the city. My father pulled massive geopolitical strings, and we secured a fifty-person VIP invitation to Sapphire Cove."

The boardroom erupted in shocked gasps.

Even Seraphina’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Sapphire Cove?" one of the lead actresses, a stunning woman named Chloe, asked breathlessly. "I thought that island was locked down. Billionaires can’t even get clearance to sail past it!"

"Exactly," Donovan smirked, taking a slow sip of his water. "It is the most exclusive piece of land on the planet. And Pierce Studios has exclusive access for the weekend. We are chartering a private mega-yacht to take our top talent. If you sign with my studio today, your name goes on that boarding pass. Crystal blue water, privacy, and the kind of prestige money can’t buy."

The actresses began whispering among themselves.

The allure of the island was intoxicating...

In the entertainment industry, prestige and exclusivity were the ultimate currencies.

Being seen at Sapphire Cove would elevate their careers to untouchable heights.

Seraphina looked defeated. She had been planning to host the Apex gala at a five-star hotel downtown.

It was a luxurious plan, but compared to a private island in the Caribbean, it was a joke. She was going to lose her top talent.

"Excuse me," Jude said, stepping fully into the boardroom.

Every head in the room snapped toward the door.

Donovan Pierce looked Jude up and down, his smile faltering slightly at the presence Jude projected. "Who are you? The new security guard?"

Seraphina, however, recognized him instantly from the legal dossiers.

She stood up immediately, her posture rigid with respect. "Mr. Lawson. I... I apologize for this intrusion. We are currently experiencing a disruption."

The actresses gasped again, their eyes locking onto Jude.

This was the mysterious billionaire who had acquired the entire conglomerate overnight?

"Lawson?" Donovan scoffed. "Ah, the new money. Well, Mr. Lawson, you bought a sinking ship. Your top stars are leaving with me."

"Is that so?" Jude asked, walking toward the table.

"You can’t compete," Donovan laughed, gesturing broadly to the room. "What is Apex going to offer them for the summer gala? A ballroom at the Obsidian Grand? A nice dinner downtown? I’m offering them Sapphire Cove. You can have all the cash in the world, Lawson, but you don’t have the social capital to get past the maritime security of an island like that."

The actresses looked at Jude, their expressions a mix of pity and lingering desire for the island trip.

They wanted to stay with Apex, but Donovan’s offer was simply too legendary to pass up...

Seraphina closed her eyes, preparing for the inevitable wave of contract resignations.

Jude stood at the head of the table, looking at Donovan’s incredibly smug face.

He thought about the digital deed sitting quietly in his system inventory, complete with the ten-square-nautical-mile sovereign exclusion zone.

Donovan was bragging about begging his father for a temporary visitor’s pass to a piece of land that Jude literally owned.

A slow smile spread across Jude’s face.

"A ballroom?" Jude echoed, shaking his head. "Seraphina, cancel the hotel reservations for the summer gala."

Seraphina blinked, confused. "Cancel them, sir?"

"Yes," Jude said, his gaze locking onto Donovan’s suddenly nervous eyes. "Apex Media won’t be renting a hotel. We’re taking the company jets to my private island."