10x Cashback: Your Wealth Is Mine

Chapter 76 Confidence, Not Delusion

76 confidence, not delusion

with the meeting i'd had, i've gotten to know elsa a little more.

if i use romance, i'll probably never be able to have anything romantic with elsa. but that doesn't mean there wasn't a way. there was and i had it.

competence.

i just needed to display ultra-competence and i'm halfway there.

after my meeting with elsa, i drove down to cafe de la paix. i'd be meeting matt there.

the moment i walked through the doors of the establishment, i was greeted by the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

i made my way to a table near the window, slipping off my jacket and draping it over the back of my chair. it didn't take me too long to order an espresso and i leaned back, taking in the view of the street.

i could see that the cafe was busier than usual, with large groups of patrons sitting around tables or working quietly on their laptops.

was the cafe quickly becoming a hotspot? did someone point out the establishment on social media?

if it became too rowdy, the former patrons will probably have to find somewhere else. the rich do love their exclusivity.

even i do. this place had slowly become my haven. my resting place away from the financial battles i fought daily. but today, as i stirred a packet of sugar into my coffee, my peace was shattered.

"fancy seeing you here, voss."

that smug, irritating voice. i didn't even need to look up to know who it was.

"relationships, trust, authenticity. that's what eidolon is looking for. not some soulless tech gimmick."

wang stared at me, his mouth opening and closing as he searched for a retort. before he could speak, the waiter arrived with my second espresso. i picked it up, savoring the first sip.

"you talk a big game, voss." he finally said, his voice low, like he was trying to act dangerous. "but we both know you're nothing without your connections. how long do you think you can keep playing pretend before everyone sees through you?"

i smiled at him over the rim of my cup. "long enough to beat you."

wang stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "we'll see who's laughing when eidolon announces their decision."

he turned and stormed off, leaving me with a sense of satisfaction sitting with the coffee in my gut. there was something deeply gratifying about getting under wang's skin.

if he was also rattled by my words and tried to pivot into creating experiences with his ai, that's even better.

i watched him leave and as he passed through the door, matt walked in, his usual easygoing grin in place. he spotted me and made his way over, taking the seat wang had vacated.

"did i just miss something?" he asked, glancing toward the door.

"nothing important." i said, waving it off. "just a little spat with wang."

matt raised an eyebrow. "you mean the guy you're competing with for the eidolon deal?"

"yeah, that wang." i grinned. "he's convinced he's already won."

matt leaned back, folding his arms. "and you're not?"

"oh, i've already won." i said confidently. "he just doesn't know it yet."