Chapter 37: A Taste Of Luxury
"Money can’t buy happiness..."
For Nathan, a man who had spent most of his life without money, that statement was already beginning to look questionable. Especially after seeing what lay beyond the door.
A large living room sat ahead of him, furnished with leather couches, a glass table, and a massive television mounted against the wall.
Beyond it were floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.
Nathan stepped inside and the attendant followed behind. They placed his bags and turned to him. "Is there anything else you require?"
Nathan looked around. For a moment he almost said no, then he remembered something. "Actually, what’s the Wi-Fi password? And when does food get served?"
The attendant smiled. "The information is on the tablet beside your bed." He gestured to the bedroom.
"As for food, the hotel offers three standard meals and if you wish. You can make additional requests using the tablet."
"So I can just...ask for food? Any food?"
"Yes, sir. As long as it’s within the hotel’s menu."
He nodded slowly. "Got it."
Nathan tipped the attendant and closed the door behind them, locking it in place. He turned back to the suite.
"Wow!"
He walked deeper and found the bedroom. A king-sized bed dominated the room, covered in white sheets and an absurd number of pillows.
Nathan approached and pressed one hand against the mattress. It sank beneath his palm. He sat down and his body sank into it.
He took off his shoes and suit and threw himself on the bed, feeling his body press into the soft mattress. He grabbed a pillow, squeezed it then stared at the ceiling.
For a brief moment, he wondered what the night with Veronica might have been if they’d slept in a room like this.
He immediately shook the thought away.
"Focus."
When he was satisfied laying on the bed, he walked to the bathroom. It was larger than his bedroom. A bathtub sat in one corner and a glass shower in the other.
On one side of the wall, was a full-frame mirror where he briefly checked his reflection. He tested the shower mechanics with help from WeTube videos.
He opened a cabinet and found a collection of towels. Another cabinet featured rows of bottles.
He glanced through them. One was body wash, another was shampoo, and another was conditioner.
Nathan looked at the collection, wondering why anyone would ever need this many products. He recalled the days when all he had was one bottle that functioned for everything.
He walked to the bedroom and saw the tablet on the bedside table. He picked it up and took a glance.
First, he checked for the WI-Fi password then copied it. The screen also displayed several options. Room service, housekeeping, spa, fitness center, concierge services.
Nathan looked up what the last one meant. A minute later, he nodded. "Basically, someone who can go on errands for me."
He made a mental note to check the fitness center. He had to maintain his physique.
He tapped a button and the curtains slowly opened. A breathtaking view of Arkis appeared through the glass.
The sight was slightly shocking to Nathan, as he had never been this high up but the feeling passed quickly.
He spread his arms and stood before the massive windows, basking in the morning sunlight as the city stretched beneath him.
He walked over to the mini bar and opened it. Bottles, snacks and fruit juices filled the shelves. He picked up a bottle of wine then checked the price, frowning at how expensive it was.
For that price, it better make me fly.
He poured some into a glass and made a toast to himself.
"To...Uhm..." He struggled to find the words until he settled on something. "To being rich enough to buy WinRAR."
He took a sip then stared at the glass.
"Damn."
He took another sip, this time with his pinky raised. "Yes. I believe I’m beginning to understand the intricacies of fine taste," he said in a faux accent.
Minutes later, Nathan was doing impressions of how he imagined a distinguished gentleman behaved, taking exaggerated sips of wine and pretending to inspect the city like some aristocrat.
It reminded him of the times when he and his sister would buy fruit juice and pretend they lived in luxury. The memory brought a smile to his face.
Nathan eventually returned to the living room and pulled out the boxes containing the gaming laptop and phone.
He unboxed the laptop first, taking note of the chassis, charger and how sleek but heavy the device felt.
All through his life, he had never owned a gaming laptop. The ones he had used belonged to his friends.
His go-to device had been an old laptop that could barely support Windows 7. But he and Catherine had memories on that thing.
Catherine
An image of her hopeful expression appeared in his mind. There was no doubt she’d already sorted their father’s bills and was looking for a lawyer.
He sat back down.
Soon enough, she’d learn the news of his death. She’d cry and their father would comfort her.
Even knowing what both of them would go through felt like a knife through his heart. He picked up his phone, opened TiikTuk and checked her chat.
Sure enough, there was a message.
She had thanked him (Sir Platinum) for the money and sent a link to Boogle Drive. It opened to a work-in-progress image of what she was working on for him.
It was a half-drawn illustration of a metallic man extending a hand to a girl with dark hair.
The symbolism wasn’t lost on Nathan. He typed a response.
[This is really good. I’m anticipating the final piece.]
A response came back, almost immediately.
[Thank you so much. I’m glad you like it⭐]
Nathan smiled at the message. Catherine had a talent for art but she picked a different discipline to study in college.
He could remember her words on ’chasing the bag’ and how art wasn’t a profitable endeavor unless you were famous, well connected, lucky or Dobarro. An artist known to make paintings that forecasted future events.
Nathan typed a thank you response and closed the chat.
He booted the laptop and connected it to the hotel WI-FI, noting how fast the network speed was.
He completed all necessary setups for the device and opened the browser.
His expression gradually hardened as he pulled up the social media profiles of his former friends and displayed them side by side on the massive television.
Nathan leaned back and interlocked his fingers beneath his chin like a scientist studying an experiment.
Leon was the driving force, Jayden was the schemer but he usually followed Leon’s lead.
Zach was the weak link. The one who was most likely to object but still cave under pressure.
But that didn’t matter to Nathan. One by one, he intended to pay them back as he cleared his name.
As for how he would go about that, he still didn’t know. Which was why he had to do some research.
But first, he picked up the tablet and tapped a button.
[Room service]