Ghost Billionaire
Chapter 65: Errand Boy

Chapter 65: Errand Boy

"Hey, slow down!" Dean called out behind him. "Slow down, will you?"

Adam didn’t stop. He shoved the glass door open and stepped out of the dealership, the heat outside doing nothing to cool him off.

Dean jogged to catch up, with Marc following behind. "Don’t walk off like that. You’re being impulsive."

Adam turned on him. "Impulsive? Are you serious? We just handed over fifty grand each. Fifty. And for what?"

Dean threw his hands up. "It’s not like we knew he could actually pay!"

Adam scoffed and kept walking. "You’re the one who pushed for the damn bet. You and Marc wouldn’t shut up about it. You were practically drooling for the chance to humiliate him."

Marc shrugged. "You were in too."

"Because you dragged me in!" Adam snapped. "You think I would’ve joined if you didn’t keep insisting he was broke? Now look at what happened. Not only did I lose money, but Young Master Keller was right there. He watched the whole thing."

Dean opened his mouth, but Adam cut him off. "And he made us pay. Immediately. I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life."

"You can just ask your dad for more," Dean said.

Adam stopped walking. He looked at Dean like he couldn’t believe he just said that.

"It’s not about the money, Dean," he said. "It’s the fact that we got played. In front of someone like Frank Keller. Do you even get how bad that looks?"

Marc scratched his head. "Okay, but... something’s weird."

Adam turned to him. "What now?"

Marc glanced at Dean, then back at Adam. "From the start, Matthew was too calm. Like, weirdly calm. He wasn’t even pretending to look nervous."

Dean blinked. "So?"

Marc pointed vaguely in the direction of the dealership. "So... maybe he already had the money. Maybe he was just waiting for one of us to open our mouth."

There was a long pause.

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Wait. Are you saying he... baited us?"

Marc nodded. "He baited us. Think about it. He immediately picked that car despite the attendant talking about other cars.The attendant was showing him another car when we arrived! He just pointed and said he’ll take it. No negotiation. No questions. Then boom! He fucking paid the whole thing!"

Dean’s face twisted. "He knew he could pay from the beginning."

Adam stared at the ground, realization slowly setting in.

Marc continued. "He wanted us to think he was bluffing. That whole poor-boy act? He played us."

Dean ran a hand down his face. "He actually cheated us out of our money."

"Not cheated," Marc corrected. "Just outsmarted us."

Adam clenched his jaw. "He baited us. On purpose."

Dean let out a bitter laugh. "I cannot believe we fell for it. He sat there, looking like some broke scholarship kid, and we fell for it like idiots."

Marc muttered, "We are idiots."

Adam gritted his teeth. Then he took his phone from his pockets and said, "Since he dares cheat on us, let’s just make him spit that money out!"

"What are you planning to do?"

Adam snorted. Then he dialed a number. A voice answered after two rings.

"Hey, Adam..."

"Hey, Catherine, when will you pay us the money that you owe us?" Adam asked.

There was a pause on the other line.

"What? Are you deaf? I need my money. You owe me something, you need to pay it back or else..."

"I will pay," Catherine said. "It’s just that my mother– "

"Hmph! Who cares about your mother? You borrowed that money for that cousin of yours! Don’t forget that we signed a contract and you are supposed to pay me back!"

"But you said– "

"No buts, you owe me two hundred grand and I need my money tomorrow or I will tell the school about what your cousin did!" Adam ended the call without waiting for Catherine to respond. He smirked at the phone, satisfied.

Dean’s eyes lit up. "That was brilliant. I’m sure Matthew’s going to help Catherine pay it back."

Adam put his phone away. "Of course. I’m always smart."

Marc hesitated. "But I heard Matthew and Catherine had a falling out."

Adam waved him off. "Matthew’s been following that woman around for years. Do you think he’d give up that easily? Please. He’s just playing a tactic. You know, the whole ’ignore her and she’ll come crawling back’ move. He’s probably hoping she realizes she likes him."

"So, he’s playing hard to get?" Marc asked.

"Exactly," Adam said. "It’s textbook. Same stunt guys pull when they’re desperate."

Dean nodded. "Adam’s right. Whatever Matthew’s doing, it’s for attention. He just wants people to look at him. Sure, it’s the wrong kind of attention, but it’s still attention."

Adam didn’t say anything at first. He stared off in the direction of the dealership. Then he spoke. "He had the money to buy that car. What if it wasn’t even his money?"

Marc frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What if the car was Young Master Lenox’s?" Adam said. "What if Lenox just asked Matthew to pick it up for him?"

Dean blinked, then nodded quickly. "That makes sense. That would explain why Matthew had access to that kind of money. It wasn’t his. He was just the errand boy."

Adam’s mouth curled. "Then wouldn’t that mean this whole bet was a setup? Maybe he knew we’d fall for it. Maybe his real plan was to get some cash out of us."

Marc looked uncertain. "You think he tricked us on purpose?"

Dean stepped forward. "It adds up. He baits us into a bet he knows he won’t lose, takes our money, and then probably runs straight back to Lenox like some loyal mutt. We should go after Catherine directly. Force her to pay what she owes. And Matthew? He needs to be punished."

Adam clenched his jaw. Frank’s words echoed in his head—"Then I’ll have to deal with you. Personally. And call your uncle while I’m at it."

His hands curled into fists.

"He’s not getting away with this," Adam muttered. "We’ll serve him at that stupid gala, fine. But after that? We’re making sure he pays. I don’t care how. He’s not walking away without consequences."

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