Golden Eye Tycoon: Rise of the Billionaire Trader-Chapter 66: Lunch Outside

The numbers on the screen were more than just digital ink; they were the building blocks of a new reality. Jake sat at his desk, his gaze fixed on the gold chart as the final remnants of the "Shift" flickered behind his eyelids. The market had provided another opening—a classic bull flag pattern that most traders would have agonized over for hours. For Jake, it was a glowing neon sign.

He executed his entries with the cold precision of an algorithm. Ten minutes of focused breathing and surgical management later, the take-profit triggered.

Trade Result: +1,200,000.00 VM

He leaned back, clicking over to his primary dashboard. His total profit for the morning stood at 2,220,000 VM, pushing his total liquid capital to a staggering 23,640,000.00 VM. He was closing the gap, one candle at a time, but the remaining millions still loomed like a distant mountain peak. He closed the laptop, the heat of the processor a faint reminder of the speed at which his life was moving, and headed out to meet the one person who still treated him like the guy who used to worry about gas money.

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The Ridge View Bistro lived up to its reputation. Perched on the rocky outcrops overlooking the vast, sun-drenched plains on the edge of the city, the air here felt thinner and cleaner. As Jake pulled into the parking lot, he immediately spotted a flash of aggressive, frozen-blue paint.

’An M4 Competition,’ Jake thought, a smirk crossing his face as he parked. ’So Alex is actually early for once. The world must be ending.’

He followed a waitress through the open-air dining area, where the scent of grilled wild game and expensive perfume mingled in the breeze. Alex was already seated at a corner table under a wide canvas shade. He wasn’t on his phone; he wasn’t checking out the crowd. He was staring out at the horizon, his glass of water untouched, looking remarkably small in the middle of such a vast view.

"Oi, I thought you had ditched me for a board meeting or a yacht auction," Alex said, looking up as Jake approached. He tried for a grin, but it was brittle, a mask that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"Since when did you learn to show up early for anything?" Jake countered, taking the seat opposite him. "I half expected to be waiting here for twenty minutes while you ’searched for a parking spot’."

Alex let out a dry, mirthless laugh. "I had to escape the drama at home. My parents’ house is currently a war zone, and I figured the outskirts of the city was the only place they wouldn’t look for me. I’ve been sitting here for fifteen minutes just enjoying the fact that no one is yelling about legacy."

The waitress returned, and Jake ordered a grape juice. He watched her walk away before turning back to his best friend. "Are they still pushing for the merger? The marriage?"

Alex’s posture slumped. He began tracing the rim of his glass with a trembling finger, his gaze dropping to the tablecloth. "I managed to avoid it for four years by using college as a shield. I told them I needed to focus on the degree, that a union was too much responsibility. But now? I’m out of excuses, Jake. They’ve stopped asking. Now they’re just... scheduling."

"Well, maybe it’s about time you accepted fate, Alex," Jake said, though the words felt heavy in his mouth. "If they aren’t going to budge, is it worth the war?"

Alex shot him a sharp, pained look. "That’s not the life I wanted, man. I’m twenty-four. I don’t want to be a business contract in a suit. I want to build something that’s mine, not spend my life performing for people I don’t even like."

"Have you even met her yet?" Jake asked softly. "Maybe she’s someone you’d actually like. You’re assuming the worst."

"I haven’t met her," Alex admitted. His voice grew thick, and he suddenly looked away, his jaw working as if he were trying to swallow something jagged. "I’ve been dodging every ’casual’ dinner they try to set up. But... that’s not even the real reason I can’t do it."

He stopped. The silence between them stretched, becoming uncomfortable. Alex reached for his water, took a sip, and set it back down with a clink. He wouldn’t look at Jake. He seemed to be counting the threads in the table linen.

"I have Lisa," Alex whispered. The name seemed to drain the last bit of color from his face. "And right now... she isn’t even talking to me."

Jake frowned, sensing the shift in the air. "I thought things were good with you two? Did you have a fight?"

"It’s not a fight, Jake." Alex finally looked up, and the raw grief in his eyes made Jake’s stomach drop. "She got pregnant. A few weeks ago."

Jake sat back, the air leaving his lungs in a silent rush. "Alex... Wait what?" He sat back up as the weight of what he just heard settled in.

"I panicked," Alex said, his voice cracking. He leaned in, his words coming out in a desperate, whispered rush. "I knew there was no way my family would ever accept her. She’s not from money, she doesn’t have the ’pedigree.’ My father would have cut me off, ruined any chance I had at a future. I told her the situation... I told her we couldn’t keep it. I convinced her that an abortion was the only way for now. That we were too young, that the timing was impossible."

He stopped, a single, sharp breath hitching in his throat. He covered his mouth with his hand for a moment, his eyes shimmering.

"She did it," Alex continued, his voice hollow. "But the light... it just went out of her. After it was over, she looked at me like I was a stranger. Now, she won’t take my calls. She won’t see me. And I’m terrified, Jake. I’m terrified that I’ve lost her forever, and I’m terrified that her family will find out what I pushed her into. I feel like a monster."

Jake couldn’t speak. He looked at his best friend—the guy who usually had a joke for every disaster—and saw someone who was utterly broken. The contrast was staggering: Jake was winning mansions and millions, while Alex was losing the only thing that actually mattered to him.

"I... I didn’t know it had gone that far," Jake said, his voice strained. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

"Because I’m ashamed," Alex said as he gave Jake a side eye then he took another shaky sip of water. "I was busy watching you win, and I didn’t want to bring this... this filth into your world. That’s what’s been going and it’salso the reason why I haven’t been around that much these days. I’ve been living in a nightmare."

Before Jake could find the words to respond, his phone began to vibrate on the table. The caller ID showed Marcus. Jake took a steadying breath, forced to compartmentalize.

"I have to take this," he murmured. He answered quickly. "Marcus?"

"Jake, sorry to interrupt," the CEO’s voice was crisp, professional, and entirely disconnected from the tragedy at the table. "Board meeting tomorrow, Thursday, 10:30 AM. We need to finalize the structure and look at a new investment opportunity that came up. Can you make it?"

"I’ll be there," Jake said, his eyes fixed on Alex. "10:30. Goodbye."

He hung up, the corporate world feeling like a cold, distant planet. "That was Marcus. Board meeting tomorrow. It never stops."

He looked back at Alex. "Your family... they’re looking to expand through that marriage, Alex. They’ll never accept Lisa because she doesn’t bring a balance sheet. You know that. It’s cold, and it’s wrong, but that’s their game."

"I know," Alex said, his voice sounding like it was coming from the bottom of a well. "I don’t know what to do, Jake. I really don’t."

Jake’s phone lit up again. This time, the screen showed a picture of Aliya, her face bright and full of life.

Alex’s reaction was instantaneous. He stiffened, his eyes darting to the phone, and for a split second, the grief in his face was replaced by a flash of pure, unadulterated terror. He looked like he wanted to bolt from the chair, his hands clenching into fists on the table.

"It’s Aliya," Jake said, looking at the screen.

"Go ahead," Alex muttered, his voice draining of all emotion as he stared intensely at a spot on the floor. "Take it. Don’t... don’t keep her waiting."

Jake acted like he hadn’t noticed Alex’s weird reaction and just assumed that it was a bit normal for someone who’s going through a lot to be shaken by the presence of others they didn’t trust. He stood from the table to go take the call.

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