Chapter 83: The Extortionist Blind Date

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the massive living room of the Peninsula penthouse, as Rick inspected the custom-tailored suit he had bought for the upcoming Vance family banquet.

He was just about to step into the glass shower to prepare for the high-society event, but his titanium phone vibrated on the marble counter, cutting through the quiet atmosphere of the room.

Rick picked up the phone, as his cold eyes softened for a fraction of a second, because the caller ID displayed the name of his father, Thomas Smith.

Thomas was a dedicated, hardworking man who had broken his back working grueling blue-collar jobs for decades just to provide Rick with a decent life, meaning Rick held unwavering respect for the man, separating his father from the violence he inflicted on the rest of the arrogant world.

"Hey, Dad," Rick answered, leaning his broad shoulders against the marble counter.

"Rick, my boy," Thomas’s rough, tired voice echoed through the speaker, carrying a heavy tone of genuine parental worry. "I know you just got that new kitchen job at the Peninsula, but you are getting older, and I really want to see you settle down with a nice girl before my bones give out."

Rick let out a low chuckle, because his father still believed he was just a lowly line cook barely scraping by, unaware that his son was a billionaire titan who practically owned the city.

"I arranged a blind date for you today," Thomas pleaded, hoping to secure his son’s future. "Her name is Jessica Harding, and her family seems very traditional and proper. They agreed to meet you at the Sterling Teahouse in an hour, so please, Rick, just go meet her for me."

Rick hated blind dates, and his harem was already growing with top-tier, jade-like beauties, but he simply could not bring himself to reject his hardworking father’s sincere efforts.

"I will go, Dad," Rick agreed, deciding to give the girl exactly one hour of his time before he had to leave for Elena’s banquet. "Don’t worry, I will behave."

Rick hung up the phone, ignoring his expensive bespoke suits, throwing on a plain black t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans, because he wanted to see exactly how this so-called ’traditional’ girl reacted to an average guy.

He took the private elevator down to the VIP garage, intentionally walking right past his thirty-million-dollar matte-carbon Koenigsegg and his Ducati, choosing instead to drive the unremarkable black rental sedan he had acquired a few days ago, specifically to keep his billionaire profile hidden.

Twenty minutes later, Rick pulled the sedan into the parking lot of the Sterling Teahouse, which was an upscale, traditional establishment heavily favored by the city’s middle-class elite.

He walked through the sliding wooden doors, as the polite hostess guided him down a quiet, bamboo-lined corridor, directly toward the private room his father had reserved.

Rick pushed the sliding shoji screen open, expecting to see a single nervous girl waiting for him, but his system-enhanced eyes narrowed into a cold glare, because the room was packed.

Sitting around the low wooden table was not just the blind date, but an entire family of judgmental, greedy-looking individuals.

Jessica Harding, the supposed traditional girl, was sitting in the center, as her face was caked in thick, low-tier makeup, looking nothing like the filtered, edited photos his father had sent him, while she tapped furiously on her smartphone with tacky acrylic nails.

Sitting right next to her was her mother, Martha, a sour-faced, arrogant middle-aged woman wearing a cheap dress that tried to look like designer fashion, and her older brother, Tyler, a thuggish-looking guy wearing a fake luxury watch and a tight shirt.

The second Rick stepped into the private room wearing his plain black t-shirt and jeans, all three sets of eyes locked onto him, as their faces twisted into masks of disgust, judging his cheap attire.

"You must be Rick," Martha sneered, looking him up and down like he was a piece of rotting garbage, not even bothering to stand up or offer a polite greeting. "You are exactly five minutes late, which already shows a lack of basic respect for our time."

Rick did not apologize, nor did he explain the traffic, as he simply walked forward and sat down on the empty cushion across from them, keeping his face dead and flat.

"I am here out of respect for my father," Rick stated, pouring himself a cup of steaming green tea, ignoring their hostile glares.

Jessica finally looked up from her phone, as she scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Your father said you just got a job at the Peninsula Hotel," Jessica noted with a grating, nasal voice, expecting him to brag about some executive position. "What exactly is your title?"

"I work in the kitchen," Rick answered honestly, as a dark, villainous smirk danced in his eyes, waiting for the frogs to jump out of the well.

Tyler let out a loud, obnoxious bark of laughter, slapping his hand on the wooden table, failing to see Mount Tai.

"A kitchen worker?!" Tyler mocked, looking at Rick with absolute disdain. "So you basically just chop onions and scrub greasy pans for a living? My sister is a sought-after beauty, so a broke peasant like you is lucky to even breathe the same air as her."

Martha waved her hand, silencing her arrogant son, as she took control of the conversation with the suffocating entitlement of a greedy parasite.

"Let’s skip the useless pleasantries, boy," Martha demanded, leaning forward, her eyes burning with pure greed. "If you want to marry my daughter and join our family, we have a few non-negotiable requirements."

Rick took a slow sip of his hot tea, entertained by the sheer delusion radiating from the table, as he nodded his head to let the old hag continue.

"First," Martha dictated, raising a stubby finger, "You must purchase a one-hundred-and-fifty-square-meter luxury apartment right in the center of the commercial district, paid in cash with zero mortgage, and my daughter’s name must be the only name on the deed."

"And since we are a close-knit family, Tyler and I will naturally be moving into the master bedrooms, so you will sleep in the guest room," Martha added, treating Rick like a disposable ATM.

"Second," Jessica chimed in, her fake eyelashes fluttering with greed, "I refuse to take public transportation, so you need to buy me a brand-new imported luxury car worth at least one hundred thousand dollars."

"And finally," Tyler sneered, crossing his arms to intimidate Rick, "You must pay our family a flat two-hundred-thousand-dollar bride price as a sign of respect, which my mother will keep in her own bank account."

The private room fell into a dead, heavy silence, as the Harding family stared at Rick with smug, expectant faces, believing they had trapped a desperate loser who would submit to their extortion.

Rick slowly set his ceramic teacup down onto the wooden table, as a dark, amused laugh escaped his lips, because the absurdity of their demands was hilarious.

"A luxury apartment in cash, an imported car, and a massive bride price," Rick listed lazily, calculating the numbers in his head. "That totals to nearly two million dollars."

Rick looked directly into Martha’s greedy eyes, as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"I just told you I work in a kitchen," Rick mocked, exposing massive holes in their logic. "Where do you expect a poor, onion-chopping peasant to pull two million dollars in pure cash from?"

Martha’s arrogant sneer mutated into a malicious, evil smirk, as she dropped her polite facade, revealing the disgusting, parasitic truth behind this blind date.

"Do not play stupid with me, boy,"