Ultimate Cash System
Chapter 162: Party. (1/2)

Chapter 162: Party. (1/2)

The hotel room felt warm—not just in temperature, but in the way laughter bounced off its walls. Jay and Roy were busy dragging the mountain of shopping bags into one corner, muttering things about luxury brands they couldn’t pronounce. Bella was on the balcony, arms resting on the railing as she looked out into the city lights. Annie sat close to Lukas on the plush couch, one leg tucked under her.

Lukas, still wearing the navy hoodie Bella gave him, ran his hand over the embroidery absently.

"This... is the first time in a while I felt grounded," Lukas said, voice soft, almost like he was speaking to himself.

Annie nudged him with her elbow. "You’ve been flying all over the place, time to land."

"Yeah," Bella called from the balcony. "We had to schedule an intervention before you turned into a permanent suitcase."

Lukas chuckled and stretched out his legs. His body was still tired from the Japan trip, but his mind felt strangely light.

Jay plopped down next to Roy and began pulling out various clothing items from one of the bags. "Bro, this jacket is worth more than my rent."

"And you carried it like a loyal servant," Roy added with a grin.

Lukas leaned forward and grabbed a slim box from the table. Inside was a high-end fountain pen with gold trim.

"That one’s from me," Annie said, sipping from a wine glass. "Figured you needed something to sign your million-dollar deals with."

Lukas looked at the pen, then back at her, eyes softening. "You guys spoil me."

"You deserve it," Bella said, reentering the room and walking over with a small plate of chocolates. "You work hard. Even if you pretend like you don’t."

They all laughed.

The night settled in easily after that. Dinner was ordered—an outrageous spread that Roy insisted on managing like a five-star butler. Music played faintly in the background, and the room turned golden under the warm lighting.

At one point, Annie dozed off with her head on Lukas’s shoulder. Bella, sitting cross-legged on the carpet, was skimming a magazine until she looked up and met Lukas’s gaze.

"You’re happy, right?" she asked quietly.

Lukas looked at both of them, then the others, the opened gifts, the view from the window, and the soft hum of peace in the air.

"Yeah," he said, voice clear. "I am."

Outside, the city was loud, but inside that room, time slowed down just enough to make Lukas feel something he rarely allowed himself to feel: contentment.

He leaned back, closed his eyes, and let the moment stay a little longer.

Later that night, after Jay and Roy stepped outside to stand guard near the suite’s private hallway—cups of strong coffee in their hands and earpieces in place—the mood inside shifted.

The lights dimmed to a warm amber glow. Annie turned up the speaker volume, and soft pop music filled the space. Bella opened a bottle of champagne she had brought—something vintage and sparkly.

"We need to celebrate properly," she declared.

Lukas raised an eyebrow. "Celebrate what?"

"You," Annie said, clinking her glass against his. "For coming back. For surviving Japan. For being ours."

Lukas chuckled and clinked glasses with them both. "Then let’s party."

Within minutes, shoes were off, blankets tossed onto the floor, and the three of them danced around the living room like it was a private club. Bella swayed gracefully, her laughter light and infectious. Annie was more chaotic—spinning with wild energy, hair a mess and smile radiant.

Lukas joined in, half dancing, half watching them with a grin that never left his face. The music, the lights, the champagne—it all blended into a blur of joy.

Time slipped away unnoticed. The champagne disappeared glass by glass, replaced by soft giggles and the occasional teasing nudge. They switched between dancing and simply lying around on the carpet, watching the ceiling lights flicker like stars.

They shared small stories. Annie spoke about a mishap at a photo shoot, Bella about an awkward gala speech she had to give. Lukas didn’t talk much; he just listened, soaking in their voices like music.

At one point, Bella pulled out a mini projector and started playing a random slideshow of pictures from their past trips. Laughter filled the room again as memories flashed across the hotel wall—sunsets, hotel mishaps, badly posed selfies.

The mood mellowed further. Pillows were dragged to the floor, blankets wrapped around shoulders. Bella played with the ends of Lukas’s hoodie strings while Annie rested her chin on his knee, humming softly to the music.

No one said it, but they all knew it: these moments were rare.

When they finally collapsed into the couch, breathless and flushed, Bella laid her head on Lukas’s lap while Annie rested against his shoulder.

"This," Annie said between breaths, "should be illegal."

"What?"

"Three people being this happy," she replied.

Lukas didn’t say anything. He just pulled them both closer, eyes soft with something close to love. A part of him knew this wouldn’t last forever—but for tonight, it was everything.

Outside, Jay and Roy stood under the soft hallway lighting, chatting in low tones and keeping watch, their presence as steady as the night itself. Inside, the celebration continued in quiet waves, the kind only true closeness could bring.

And for Lukas, it felt like peace had finally knocked on his door—and decided to stay awhile.

The night wore on with a tender, unspoken rhythm. The hotel suite had fully transformed—no longer just a place to sleep, but a sanctuary carved out of neon skies and champagne-fueled laughter. Pillows lay scattered across the floor like soft landmines, empty glasses shimmered faintly in the amber glow, and the quiet hush of a distant cityscape pulsed through the glass windows like a heartbeat.

The music had slowed to a gentle lull, some forgotten playlist drifting into mellow instrumentals. No one bothered to change it. The three of them had burned through their energy, laughter fading into breathy chuckles, then into contented silence. Time had slipped its usual grip, replaced by something dreamlike.

Bella was the first to retreat, curling into a bundle at the edge of the oversized couch with a throw blanket draped lazily over her. Her eyes were barely open, but her smile lingered. Annie was slower to yield, still swaying faintly to the fading music, her fingers trailing over the edge of a cushion as though unwilling to let the night go.

Lukas remained still, legs stretched across the rug, head leaning against the back of the couch. He watched them quietly, his hoodie still wrapped around him like a second skin. There was something unshakably human about the sight before him—two women who knew him more deeply than anyone, asleep not from exhaustion, but from comfort. From knowing they were safe here.

Annie finally gave in, mumbling something incoherent as she slumped sideways, her head landing gently on Lukas’s chest. He didn’t flinch. His arm lifted instinctively, curling around her shoulder in response.

Bella stirred and reached out blindly until her hand found Lukas’s knee. She didn’t open her eyes, just held there, lightly, like grounding herself in the warmth of his presence. Her breathing slowed. The champagne haze, the laughter, the music—all of it now woven into the softness of sleep.

The city outside continued on, alive with traffic and neon and distant sirens. But in the suite, it was quiet. Not the kind of silence that demands attention, but the silence of people who no longer need to speak.

Lukas exhaled slowly, the kind of breath that came after months of holding one in. He looked around at the scene—the scattered gifts, the discarded shoes, the barely-touched dessert tray on the table. Chaos, in the most beautiful form.

His eyelids grew heavy.

In a rare moment of surrender, Lukas let himself go. The last thing he felt was Annie’s hair brushing against his jaw, Bella’s hand still warm on his knee, and the weight of peace anchoring him to the moment.