Chapter 25: Pocket Change

Gregory looked as if all the oxygen had just been sucked out of the room.

He stared at the half-million-dollar platinum Audemars Piguet resting on Jude’s wrist, and then up at Jude’s calm expression.

He had just threatened to have the billionaire owner of the studio thrown into the background extra holding pens...

Jude didn’t even bother to fire him. He looked at Harper and said, "If he gives you any more trouble with your creative greenlights, terminate his contract and blacklist him from the lot."

With that, Jude turned and walked out of the executive lobby.

Jude had promised the Apex Media executives a legendary summer gala, and he fully intended to deliver.

His Dreamliner was already waiting at the private mainland airstrip, fully fueled and ready to take him straight back to his tropical empire.

By the time the late afternoon sun began to cast shadows over the waters of the Caribbean, Jude’s bare feet were sinking into the sands of Sapphire Cove.

The beach was transformed into a paradise...

As Jude approached the main gathering near the shoreline, he noticed a distinct disruption.

A speedboat had beached itself near the cabanas, and a group of men in swimwear had crashed the private party.

At the center of the group was a blonde European man who was flirting with Seraphina Frost and several of the lead actresses.

"Mr. Lawson," the island’s estate manager murmured, stepping up beside Jude. "I apologize for the intrusion. That is Sebastian Thorne. He is the heir to a European shipping conglomerate that owns a much smaller, secondary atoll a few miles east of here. Should I have security remove them?"

Before Jude could answer, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.

[Ding!]

[Continuous Mission Triggered: Financial Overkill.]

[Objective: An interloper is attempting to leverage his wealth to poach your guests and undermine your prestige. Obliterate his net worth in a single transaction.]

[Reward: +2 Money Sign-Ins, +1 Platinum System Reward Box!]

Jude smiled faintly. "No. Let him speak. I want to see exactly what he thinks he’s doing."

Jude walked closer, slipping into the crowd of executives just in time to hear Sebastian Thorne’s loud pitch.

"A beach party is incredibly quaint, ladies, but it’s just sand," Sebastian boasted. "I, on the other hand, am not short on capital. I am currently spending twenty million dollars to lease the offshore coral reefs for the evening, and I have chartered a fleet of twenty private yachts to take us out there. Leave this boring retreat and come party on the open ocean with me!"

A few of the younger actresses exchanged wide-eyed glances.

"Twenty million dollars?" one of the pop stars whispered, genuinely shocked. "He’s spending twenty million just for a sunset party?"

"Renting twenty private yachts requires hiring professional maritime crews for each vessel," one of Sebastian’s European friends bragged. "And leasing public reefs for a private event costs a fortune in government permits. Sebastian doesn’t care. He throws around twenty million like it’s pocket change!"

Sebastian puffed his chest out, clearly feeding off the awe and hesitation of the Apex Media talent.

He looked around the beach.

"So," Sebastian smirked, offering his hand to Seraphina. "Who wants to board my speedboat and head to the yachts?"

"Nobody is getting on your boat, Sebastian," a calm voice echoed across the sand.

The crowd parted as Jude stepped forward.

Sebastian frowned, looking Jude up and down. "And who are you supposed to be? The event planner?"

"I’m the owner," Jude replied. He let out a soft laugh. "And I have to say, Sebastian, I find your attempt to lease the coral reefs incredibly amusing."

Sebastian’s face hardened. "Amusing? I just dropped twenty million dollars. What could possibly be amusing about that?"

"Because you can’t lease those reefs," Jude said, gesturing toward the waters stretching out to the horizon. "The ten square nautical miles of ocean surrounding this island is not public water. It falls within my sovereign exclusion zone. It is my private territory. You couldn’t lease it if you offered me a billion dollars."

The crowd of actresses gasped.

Sebastian’s smirk instantly vanished.

He looked out at the ocean, his face turning pale.

Sovereign maritime rights?

That was a level of wealth that his shipping family couldn’t even dream of acquiring...

But Jude wasn’t finished. The system had demanded overkill, and Jude was more than happy to bury the interloper.

Jude turned slightly, snapping his fingers to get the attention of his estate manager.

"Cancel Sebastian’s little rental," Jude commanded. "I want thirty private yachts brought to my docks immediately. Furthermore, charter a fully staffed, hundred-person luxury ocean liner and anchor it just outside the reef."

The estate manager bowed. "Right away, Mr. Lawson. Shall I secure the routing permits?"

"Yes," Jude smiled. "In fact, go ahead and contact the international maritime authority. I want to lease the next ten square nautical miles of international waters just so my guests have extra room to race the yachts."

The beach fell into silence.

The executives, the actresses, and even Sebastian’s own European entourage stared at Jude as if he had just rearranged the stars in the sky.

"You’re lying!" Sebastian yelled, his voice cracking. "Do you have any idea how much that costs?! A luxury hundred-person ocean liner is five million dollars a day! Thirty private yachts with professional crews will run you fifteen million! And an expedited, same-day lease for ten miles of international waters is at least ten million dollars!"

Sebastian pointed a shaking finger at Jude. "That is thirty million dollars for a single evening! No one spends thirty million dollars on a sunset cruise!"

"The funds have already cleared the international registry, Mr. Thorne," the estate manager interrupted, holding up a digital tablet that displayed a multi-million-dollar wire transfer receipt from Jude’s offshore account.

Sebastian stared at the green text on the tablet. His jaw went slack.

The man standing in front of him had just dropped thirty million dollars simply to prove a point...

"Thirty million dollars for one night..." one of Sebastian’s friends muttered. "My god... Sebastian’s trust fund is pennies compared to this guy."

Without another word, Sebastian’s own entourage abandoned him, blending into the crowd of Apex Media executives who were already cheering and raising their champagne glasses to Jude.

Sebastian stood alone on the sand, humiliated.

[Ding!]

[Mission Completed: Financial Overkill.]

[Reward: +2 Money Sign-Ins, +1 Platinum System Reward Box!]

Jude smiled, looking at the actresses who were giddy with excitement at the prospect of boarding a private ocean liner.

"The ocean liner will be here shortly," Jude announced, his voice welcoming. "In the meantime, the bar is open. Enjoy yourselves."