Ultimate Cash System
Chapter 168: Le Château de Clairmont.

Chapter 168: Le Château de Clairmont.

Lukas returned to Philadelphia late in the afternoon, the sunlight mellow as it filtered through the towering buildings around the hotel. The ride back had been quiet. Even Jay and Roy, who usually cracked jokes or argued over music, remained thoughtful after the visit to the orphanage. Something about that morning had shifted the mood.

Once inside his hotel suite, Lukas dropped his coat and shoes near the door, stretched a little, and headed straight for the couch. He didn’t switch on the TV or even check his phone. The calm from the church still lingered inside him, and for the first time in weeks, he let himself truly rest.

He woke up a few hours later to the sound of the doorbell. Still in his joggers, Lukas walked over and opened the door to find Henry standing there, holding what looked like an armful of folders and documents.

"Took you long enough," Lukas said with a tired smirk.

Henry grinned. "Well, I didn’t want to interrupt your little Sunday spiritual journey. I heard the whole town followed you to an orphanage. You just had to become a folk hero, huh?"

Lukas chuckled. "Come in. What’s all this?"

Henry stepped in and dropped the folders on the coffee table. "You said you wanted to move to Princeton, right? I started the search. Found a few listings you might like. Ranging from small estates to mansions. Some are pretty quiet; some are practically fortresses."

Lukas sat down, flipping open the first folder. There was a wide two-story colonial-style home surrounded by tall trees. Clean white fencing. Price tag: $2.4 million. He nodded slowly.

"Looks like something my mom would love," he said.

Henry pointed to the next. "This one’s more modern. Open glass walls, a big kitchen, a full gym, and a home theater. It’s listed for $5.8 million. Gated, comes with a pool."

Lukas turned the page and saw another listing—a stone-built estate with five bedrooms, a long driveway, and an enormous garden that looked like it belonged in a magazine. $7.9 million.

"Looks... peaceful," Lukas murmured.

"It is. There’s even space to build your own baseball practice field in the backyard," Henry added with a grin.

Lukas raised an eyebrow. "Now that’s tempting."

Henry sat across from him and leaned back. "You think you’ll bring your family here?"

Lukas nodded slowly. "Yeah. That’s the whole point. I want them to be close. Safe. Comfortable."

He paused for a moment, his thoughts going back to the little church, the quiet children, and Keem’s smile when the donation was handed over.

"Feels weird though," he admitted. "Spending this kind of money on a house when there are places like that orphanage falling apart."

Henry looked at him carefully. "You gave ten million to them this morning. That wasn’t nothing. And moving your family here doesn’t mean you can’t help others too. You just have to choose your balance."

Lukas didn’t reply right away. He flipped through a few more listings quietly, taking in the photographs and imagining what life might look like there—his parents in the garden, his brother finally having his own room, peace and laughter in the halls.

"Alright," he said finally, tapping the $5.8 million modern home. "Let’s schedule a visit. I like this one."

Henry smiled. "I thought you might. I’ll make the calls tomorrow."

Lukas leaned back into the couch and let out a breath. "Thanks, Henry."

"Just doing my job. And hey... next time you visit that church, maybe invite me. I want to see what a ten-million-dollar miracle looks like."

Lukas grinned. "Deal."

Just as Henry was collecting his folder and straightening the scattered pages, a thick, slightly glossy sheet slipped from between the files and fluttered to the floor. It landed face-up by the leg of the coffee table.

Lukas, who had just been finishing a sip of mineral water, caught the corner of it out of the corner of his eye. The design, the colors, the framing—it didn’t look like the other listings. It had a weight to it, a presence. He leaned down, picked it up, and turned it over in his hands.

It was a printed brochure, thicker than standard paper, almost luxurious to the touch. At the top in embossed lettering were the words:

"Le Château de Clairmont—Princeton Estate"

The image below those words stole his breath.

A fortress. No other word fit.

It wasn’t just a mansion; it was a private kingdom. Wide stone walls, aged with ivy, framed three massive wings of the estate that spread like arms across a perfectly manicured hilltop. A fountain the size of a public plaza gleamed under a rising sun in the foreground, and tall, ornate windows stretched three stories high, reflecting a mixture of European grandeur and American excess. Lukas couldn’t tell if it was a royal palace or someone’s home.

"What’s this one?" he asked, his tone shifting.

Henry, who had already zipped up his bag, paused. "Oh. That one. It’s... not on the primary list. That’s more of a trophy property, you know? Just for fun. The price tag is twenty million."

Lukas ran his fingers over the thick edge of the brochure. He turned to the next page. Indoor marble courtyards, gold-inlaid spiral staircases, a private library with stained glass domes, and a rooftop garden that overlooked the Delaware River.

"Fun, huh?" Lukas muttered.

Henry chuckled. "It’s built like a fortress, literally. Imported limestone from France, iron-clad gates, five acres of surrounding woods, and even a helipad out back. I didn’t bring it up because, well, it’s more of a fantasy pick. Most people want modern. Simple. You said you needed space, not a kingdom."

But Lukas wasn’t listening anymore. He kept flipping.

Private gym.

Soundproof music hall.

A pool shaped like a crescent moon, half indoors, half extending out beneath the stars.

"It says here it’s been empty for three years?" Lukas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. The last owner moved to Dubai. The place has been maintained, but no one’s lived in it since."