Chapter 2
The sudden darkness around the infinity pool created an uneasy hush among the dozen gatecrashers lingering nearby. The pulsing music continued, but the visual shift unsettled the crowd. Jax spun back around, his face flushed with sudden embarrassment and rising fury. He pointed a trembling finger at the young man in the grey t-shirt, struggling to regain his composure in front of the witnesses. "What kind of cheap parlor trick was that?" Jax demanded, his voice pitching higher than he intended. "You hacked the router? Is that it? Some local Wi-Fi prank?"
The young man lowered his wrist, his expression remaining entirely neutral. He adjusted the strap of his brown backpack over his shoulder with unhurried precision. "It is not a prank, Jax. The local network recognizes biometric voice signatures paired with administrative privileges. Something only the true owner possesses. My name is Julian, by the way. Though I doubt you care about introductions since you spent the last two hours parading around my father's architectural investment as your personal playground."
Jax let out a harsh, nervous laugh, though his eyes darted toward the dark glass doors of the mansion. "Your father? Don't make me laugh. Richard Vance sold this property six months ago. Everyone in the hills knows it. A tech conglomerate bought it. I am a guest of the new management."
"My father didn't sell," Julian replied quietly, taking a slow step forward. "He restructured the deed into a generational trust held under my name upon my twentieth birthday, which happened to be yesterday. You, however, are merely renting a guest house down the canyon for the weekend. You bribed the estate manager, Miller, to let you use the main patio for a promotional party for your failing crypto startup. Miller is currently being terminated."
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As if on cue, the heavy oak side doors swung open with a sharp click. Miller, the middle-aged estate manager, hurried out into the darkness, his face pale and slick with sweat. He rushed past the confused partygoers and stopped directly in front of Julian, nearly tripping over his own loafers. "Mr. Vance," Miller stammered, wringing his hands together desperately. "I can explain everything. We thought you were staying in Geneva until Monday. We only wanted to generate a little local buzz..."
Julian didn't look at the manager. He kept his eyes locked on Jax, whose arrogant posture had completely disintegrated. The red plastic cup slipped from Jax's slack fingers, tumbling onto the stone patio with a pathetic clatter. The power dynamic of the evening had shifted irrevocably, leaving the fraudulent host stranded in the cold reality of his own trespassing.
