Chapter 1
The night air of the sprawling hillside estate was thick with the scent of spilled bourbon, cheap vape smoke, and expensive pine cleaner. Bass from a hidden speaker system rattled the flagstones near the infinity pool, casting erratic ripples across the water. Jax stood by the edge, his black button-down shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest, a silver chain glinting against his tanned skin. In his hand, a crushed red plastic party cup served as a prop for his simmering irritation. He looked down the stone pathway and spotted the twenty-year-old intruder wearing a grey t-shirt and a heavy brown backpack. The kid looked entirely out of place among the glamorous, uninvited social climbers who had crashed the billionaire's property.
Jax stepped forward, his boots crunching on the gravel, blocking the young man's path. His jaw tightened as he glared down at the unassuming backpacker. "You do not belong at my party," Jax said, his voice dripping with venom and whiskey. He expected the kid to shrink away, stutter an apology, or flee back toward the canyon road. Instead, the young man simply paused, letting out a measured, quiet breath. The kid looked up, his eyes steady, utterly devoid of fear or panic.
"Your party?" the boy asked, his voice calm, cutting cleanly through the heavy bass thumping from the patio speakers. "Is this villa really yours?"
Jax offered an arrogant, practiced smirk, swirling the warm amber dregs in his red cup. He gestured expansively toward the glass walls of the modern architectural masterpiece behind him. "Everything here belongs to me. Get out. Now."
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The young man didn't move an inch. Instead, he slowly raised his left wrist, looking down at the sleek digital interface of his smartwatch. His thumb tapped the glass face twice with deliberate slowness. "If this house is yours, why does the lighting system only answer to my voice? AI Butler, switch off all pool lights."
Instantly, the blinding underwater LEDs and the perimeter sconces plunged into absolute darkness. The vibrant turquoise pool became a black abyss. Jax spun around, his arrogant smirk instantly vanishing, replaced by a sudden flash of panic as the shadows closed in. The boy didn't flinch. "Now you may leave on your own, or I can have security escort you out."
