The Love Of Money - S02 E202

Story 3 weeks ago

The Love Of Money - S02 E202

Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 202

Wednesday, October 2nd, 11:35 am

We were a few minutes late as Chloe and I stepped onto the stairs leading up to St. Puerto’s lounge bar. One of my security guys stood at the top, and as soon as we were close enough, he said, “Everything’s clear, Miss Tanner.”

Chloe gave him a curt nod, opened the door, and waited for me to step through before falling in at my heels.

It still felt strange having a woman open doors. My dad had drilled chivalry into me—hold doors for your mom, your sister, your girlfriends; pay for meals; the lady goes first. Those old instincts had to be set aside when it came to Chloe, but it was what I got for choosing a woman as my bodyguard.

Entering the building was like ducking underwater. The sounds of the city—horns, shouting, the constant churn—dropped ten decibels the moment the door shut behind us. It all dissolved into the low, pleasant murmur of people enjoying a mid-afternoon indulgence.

St. Puerto’s Lounge was one of the better-known spots near Times Square. Actors, businessmen, and the general elite came here to sip cocktails and discuss the kinds of things that would shape the world for the next decade.

Small marble-topped tables were scattered around the large room. Dark wood dominated the interior, accented with gold that complemented the marble and created an understated elegance. Waiters in deep navy glided from table to table, delivering drinks with ghostlike silence. The air smelled faintly of citrus layered over coffee.

I recognized a few of the patrons, and it was difficult not to be a little starstruck.

What was stranger was how many of them seemed to recognize me. I’d been well-known before, but the last week or two had turned that dial up to eleven. More than a few heads turned as Chloe and I passed, heading toward the elevators to the rooftop pods.

Paparazzi used to be a problem, but Charity had folded managing them into her job de***********ion. With Julia’s help, she’d become adept at seeding information that sent most photographers and ambulance chasers wherever she wanted, leaving only a handful of competent ones for my security team. She’d even mulled over ways to weaponize them.

Needless to say, my earlier insecurities about Charity were… fading quickly.

I did my best to ignore the attention as we stepped into the elevator, my eyes roaming the polished brass doors as they began to slide shut. “I seem to ride a lot more elevators than I used to.”

“You’re rich now,” Chloe replied. “Gotta get closer to God.”

“Cute,” I said as I felt the lift take off.

Reaching the top floor, the doors opened to reveal a smiling hostess. “Mr. Upton? Right this way.”

As we followed her down a wide hallway made entirely of dark glass, my stomach twisted tighter than it had when I’d met with Sachiko, and I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. It was crazy—sit down at a meeting of utmost importance with a representative of one of the most powerful families in the world, and I was just as nervous as I would be around someone with only a fraction of the significance.

My mind could be a strange place.

Halfway down the hall, she left us in front of one of the sliding doors of the glass pods, letting us know that a waiter would be right with us.

“I’ll just wait out here,” Chloe said.

I glanced down the hall—sure enough, two other guards stood outside two other pods, each keeping watch over their charges.

Chloe slid the glass door open. I stepped inside.