Brayden tugged at the tie and collar around his neck. He despised wearing a suit, and he felt out of place at these galas. If he hadn’t received the invitation from the one person who he thought could help him push his app forward, he wouldn’t have come.
He glanced around the opulent ballroom. The dim lighting sparkled in the golden fixtures between the giant windows and curtains. The curtains had been hung so the moonlight could dance across the floor.
While the room offered plenty of space, everyone in attendance gathered in four different groups. Brayden could smell a mix of exotic, expensive perfumes and colognes, all of which were probably more expensive than the car he had driven just weeks ago.
He had never thought about going to these galas before, but he had imagined running around in these types of circles. Now that he had spent some time around these circles, he realized it wasn’t much different from high school. The more money they had, the more they gossiped about others.
He wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t received Jack Jonas’s invite. He didn’t care to be known with the other billionaires, but he felt honored by his idol’s invite. He had reasoned that Jonas had invited him because he wanted to meet, not because he had crossed some type of exclusive line, but the reality might indicate otherwise. A couple of months ago, no one knew him, now most of the internet talked about him.
And he hated it.
Brayden leaned onto the bar and waited for the bartender, who nodded slightly aggressively at Mrs. Neely Sutton. His mom had loved keeping up with Mrs. Sutton in the magazines when he was younger. She had once been a beautiful young woman, famous for her family’s wealth. All the men of his dad’s generation had lusted after her.
Now, she hardly looked human. No part of her face looked natural. Her dress had to be new, but it definitely didn’t look in style. It hung off her like the parts of her skin that hadn’t seen a scalpel.
She glared at Brayden as they made eye contact, like a snake ready to strike. He recoiled before he could stop himself.
Then, she took her drink and spun without giving him another thought. She slithered her way back to her friends, who all looked dated. Each of them had tried to cling to their youth in different ways, but everything pointed to their being on their way out.
Brayden watched her go. As she left, one of the younger guys—someone Brayden had mentally dubbed a ‘Tech Boy’—walked up and put his glass on the bar.
“Fill her up, barmaid,” the boy said. As the bartender took the glass, he turned to his group of friends and laughed. Brayden recognized the kid as the recently appointed VP of international policy at Skip, the social media giant. While Brayden was sure the kid had traveled internationally before, he doubted he had much interaction with anyone outside his yacht.
Like most of the guys he remembered from high school, the kid had doused himself with strong cologne, which would probably help later, since he didn’t have any socks on inside his loafers.
She returned and set the glass down.
“Here you are.” Her voice was flat.
The Tech Boy leaned in and prodded, “Are you on the menu?”
She shook her head. The Tech Boy scoffed, leaning back with his arms spread wide—the petulant posture of someone who’d never been told no.
“Excuse me, miss?” Brayden interjected. He couldn’t watch anymore.
She looked down the bar at him and nodded. The Tech Boy took a drink of his IPA, eyes locked on her hips as she walked away.
As she approached, he offered her a peaceful smile.
“What’ll be?” The bartender asked. She twirled her blonde curls that hung past her shoulders, but her shoulders stayed tense.
“I’m okay,” he said. “Looked like you needed some help.”
She flashed him a warm smile. He felt his own smile tugging at his cheeks before he looked away. “My hero,” she said with the same professional distance she had just used.
“Seriously, I’m good,” he said with his hands up. “Just trying to help.”
“She leaned into the bar, eyebrows raised. “Interesting. Well, let me get you something for being my hero. What’s your standard drink?”
“Fine,” he said with mock exasperation. “Old Fashioned.” He found himself relaxing for the first time all night.
“Hm, didn’t take you for the type,” she said as her hands moved beneath the bar.
“No?” he asked as he cocked his head.
“The grey hairs drink those.” She nodded towards the men with Neely Sutton. “Guys our age tend to dabble in IPAs and stouts.” She glanced at the group of men who had just vacated the bar.
He glanced over at the bros chumming around. “That’s not me.”
“I can tell,” she quipped. “You still have that new-guy sheen.”
He dropped his head, trying to hide the warmth in his cheeks. He leaned further into the bar.
“So, what are you doing at a place like this?” she asked.
He examined his glass, spinning it around in his hand. Anything to keep his focus away from her stare. He shifted in his seat, settling in.
“I’m looking for Jack Jonas,” he admitted.
“The host, huh? Got a bone to pick with him?”
The spicy liquid caught in his throat. He coughed, eyes watering, aware that people were probably watching. “No,” he managed. “I just need advice about my future.”
“Is that all?” she said, her smile remaining.
He nodded and sat rigid in his seat, but he avoided her eyes.
“Well, be careful,” she said, taking in a large amount of air.
His head snapped up. Eyes narrowing, he tried to read her expression. “Do you know him?”
She clicked her lips and shook her head. “This is my fourth or fifth event. I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Jonas pays well, but he’s just like all the others.”
Brayden chewed the inside of his lip until another of the tech bros stumbled up to the bar with an empty glass. He slammed it down, rattling the air between the three of them. The bartender lingered near Brayden before raising a quick eyebrow and moving toward the tipsy patron.
“Don’t go changing, okay?” she said as she moved to the newcomer.
“IPA,” the billionaire slurred. Brayden chuckled, drawing a quizzical stare from the other. Brayden tossed back the last of his drink to escape the stare.
The rest of the Tech Boys swarmed the bar around their friend. Brayden watched them ogle the bartender, heard their loud comments about how sexy she looked—words he’d never have the nerve to say to anyone.
Sick to his stomach and with nowhere else to go, he stood to find a better vantage point.
“You look a little lost,” a deep voice came from behind him.
Brayden spun around and froze. Behind him stood a man whose hair looked as messy as every photo. His slim tuxedo projected a youthful style that clashed with his crow’s-feet. The man’s beard looked mostly grey now, although patches of the dark hair he used to have showed through.
“Jack Jonas,” the man extended his hand.
Brayden jolted back to awareness and reached out a clammy hand. His palm was sweating, but Jonas’s grip stayed strong.
Brayden could hear his own heartbeat like a bass line at a concert. He idolized Jonas— he had a poster of the man above his computer with that famous quote: Dreams don’t happen if you quit. He couldn’t count the number of times he looked up at it when he struggled to get some code to work.
Brayden gulped down air and tried to force his arms to stop shaking. “Uh, Brayden Escalate, yeah… You’re my…I’m a fan of yours.”
Jonas flashed a crooked smile, which made the man seem more human. The elder man placed a calming hand on Brayden’s arm. Brayden’s shaking stopped. He could breathe again, and his thumping heartbeat quieted.
Jonas pivoted to drape his arm around the younger man. The stiffness in his shoulders melted out. The weight of Jonas’s arm felt fatherly, comforting.
“It’s okay, kid, I remember what it’s like.”
Brayden took three deep breaths and stood taller as Jonas removed his arm.
“I remember when I first started coming to these. Neely’s glare will stay with me until my death,” he chuckled.
“I thought it was just for me.”
“Oh, she makes each one special. So that one was for you.” They both laughed. “She’s harmless, though.”
“Could have fooled me.”
“She’s territorial. I didn’t get it at first. She was born into this club. Plus, she’s not used to people in general.”
“I figured she’s a descendant of Medusa,” Brayden barbed. Jack laughed. Brayden couldn’t hide the prideful smile—he’d made Jack Jonas laugh.
“You’re probably right. Regardless, she’s seen enough of us come and go. She’s wary of anyone coming in.”
“But you’ve been here for decades,” he said as a compliment, but as it left his lips, he winced at his phrasing.
He nodded with a slight smile. “I have. But I have seen many like you burn bright and then fizzle.”
Brayden’s head dropped. Jonas’s words stung more than they should have because they named the fear he’d been carrying.
“I like your app,” the billionaire offered in response. “Very ingenious. Well worth the praise it has received.”
Warmth rolled through him, the same as when his father said how proud he was of his son. He stood a little straighter.
Brayden glanced back toward the bartender as he placed her warning away from his mind. Jonas had acted kindly, and he knew Brayden’s app. He couldn’t see him as dangerous.
“Thank you,” he said, looking away to hide the pride brimming inside him.
“Of course. But we have to make sure we prove Ruth wrong, and we keep you around. So, what’s next?”
“Well, I’ve hired some people to manage the money so it keeps growing. I’m sure you-“
“Good, but not the money. What’s your next step?”
“I’m not really sure,” Brayden stammered. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”
“The downloads will eventually dry up. It is only going to get more complicated from here, though.” He raised an eyebrow at Brayden.
Brayden pinched the crown of his nose and tightened his entire face. The room suddenly felt hot. “I know,” he sighed.
Jack laughed and placed his hand on Brayden’s shoulder. “We’ve all been there. Not to put the extra pressure on you.”
“Yeah, of course. No pressure.” He shook his head and ran a hand through the slight stubble on his chin. “I just don’t know what to do. I never expected to end up here.”
“Well, you’ll have to bleed your customers a little. Turn up the pressure and the price. If you run low on funds, you can start selling their data,” Jonas said.
Brayden’s left cheek and eyebrow tried to come together as he recoiled from Jonas’s suggestion. “But that’s user-hostile.”
Jonas bent over laughing for a moment. “Who cares? Users are idiots.”
“But without users…”
“Look, some will churn, but most will stay. They get addicted to these services, and then you have them hooked.”
Brayden’s mouth felt dry. He shook his head, struggling to process what Jonas had said.
Jack took a moment to look around the room, waving at one of the older men in the corner next to Neely. Brayden bit his lip, unsure whether to keep pushing Jack for help or let the conversation end.
When Jack returned his attention to Brayden, he cocked his head to the side, eyes full of pity. The fatherly warmth had vanished, replaced by something close to disgust.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Jonas said, adjusting his suit jacket at the cuff.
Brayden jolted forward. “Wait.”
Jonas stopped and looked at him with a pointed raised eyebrow. “If you can’t do the hard thing, kid, I don’t think you need me. Nice people don’t last long in this world. They chew you up and spit you out unless you can be the one taking a bite.”
Brayden shook his head. “I just wanted to make a really good app. I didn’t expect all of this,” he looked around the elegant ballroom.
Jack shook his head. “You did, but your success won’t last. If you’ll excuse me,” he said as he used his hand to press down on the front of his suit, as if Brayden’s declaration had sullied him somehow.
A chill expanded from Brayden’s chest as Jack moved away. He bit his lip and took a stumbling step forward. He couldn’t let it end like this—not with his idol.
“There has to be another way.” He reached for Jonas’s shoulders.
Jack shook his head and clicked his tongue. “Nothing can save it if you can’t cross that line.”
He turned away. Brayden watched him go, feeling everything drain out of him. His knees wobbled. He needed to sit down, but couldn’t make himself move.
He watched, mouth agape, as Jonas walked away. He’d expected wisdom, not ruthlessness, from this man he had idolized. That poster above his computer would go in the trash when he returned home.
He thought about his app and how he had spent tireless nights hunched over a keyboard, clacking away. He had made it here on his own. Jonas was wrong.
His legs found strength. In a flash of confidence, he intercepted the older man.
“I respectfully disagree,” Brayden said as he got back within earshot.
Jack stopped, feet from his new target. His back straightened, he nodded to the man in front of him, and put up a finger, indicating it would only take a moment. He spun on his heels, getting in Brayden’s face. “You aren’t hungry. This is a nice little display, but you aren’t willing to do what it takes to keep it up,” he spat. The venom hit Brayden like a slap in the face. “You have to eat people alive if you want to be the best.”
Brayden took a step back, eyes wide.
“My company makes millions of dollars an hour in profit. Do you think I really needed to show commercials before our videos? Just signing up is enough to help fund all the movies and shit we are making. I can double that by putting one ad before the movie even starts. I will always do what I can to bleed your purse.”
Brayden hadn’t realized that his hands had curled into fists. The edges of his eyes had tightened. His heart beat in his temples with rage.
“There is another way,” Brayden said more to himself than to Jack.
Jack looked at him with contempt. The man’s eyes filled with pity and disgust. Then he shrugged.
Brayden met Jack’s eyes, and they held the stare. Brayden’s breathing became forceful. His jaw clenched, while all the muscles in his body strained.
“Is it worth it?” Brayden whispered.
Jack cocked his head from side to side, cracking his neck, then he sighed. “You think so little. My status is everything. I will do everything to remain the best. I will milk the people for all they’re worth. I have to be the best.”
Brayden nodded but didn’t say another word. Instead, he walked away, something he figured not many people had done. His pace picked up with each step as he headed for the exit. He didn’t dare look back at his former idol, as he might throw up if he did.
Brayden marched to the exit. While he kept his head on his target, he glanced at the bartender.
He stopped and spun on his heels toward the bar. She glanced at him while filling up cups of beer with one hand and pouring liquor with the other.
Brayden rolled his tongue between his lips and teeth. “My name’s Brayden. What’s yours?”
“Veronica,” she said with a smile.
“You were right. Never meet your idols,” he said with a slight shake of his head.
She clicked her tongue and put the cups on the bar. The men took them, but couldn’t take their eyes off the exchange between Brayden and Veronica.
“Can I take you to dinner?” he asked.
She brushed her cheek against her shoulder before nodding at him. “Yeah, okay. When?”
“How about now?” he asked.
“I’m working now.”
“I’ll pay you for your lost wages. I just want to get out of here and have a real conversation.”
She beamed at him and then turned toward the men at the bar. She put a half-made drink on the bar before moving towards him. “Yeah, let’s go.”
The smile spreading across his face felt like the one he wore when his app first launched.
“He didn’t take your heart?” she asked.
“I sure hope not,” he said as he loosened his tie and unclasped the top button.
She lifted the bar at the hinge and walked out. He presented his arm for her to hold as if in a wedding procession, and the two of them walked to the exit.
Before leaving, he looked back at the ballroom. He might not find this kind of success again, but he wouldn’t cross the lines the people inside had.
He wanted to keep his humanity.
Leave a Reply