Jake woke up at the motel, sitting up slowly as he looked once more at his plans. He picked up the pen and circled the word Capital.
"Time is running out and I haven't gotten anywhere yet."
He dragged his hand through his hair in frustration as he grabbed his phone and checked for news on Cronetech.
Cronetech to unveil new revolutionary product in a week
His jaw tightened. 'Time's running out. I need to find a way to get capital fast.'
He headed to the shower, stripping off his shirt. As the water hit him, he paused. He turned the faucet to cold and held his hand under the stream.
'Huh, nothing.'
Turning his hands, he felt no discomfort, just feeling the water on his palm.
"That's not right." Jake looked at his palm in confusion.
He pressed his palm against the shower wall, feeling the temperature. The water should be chilly, his brain knew. But his body wasn't registering it the same way anymore.
Jake wiped himself down and stared at his reflection in the mirror.
"More mysteries," he muttered. "First going back in time, Jules's connection to Nexus Corp, now this."
He dressed in a white windbreaker over black pants and left the room, stepping gently on the stairs as he walked down. Tracy was at the front desk with a cup of milk and a plate of cookies.
"Good morning, Jake. Hope you had a nice night." She waved, her smile bright.
"Morning Tracy. Yeah." Jake answered as he walked up to her.
Tracy pushed a plate toward him. "Here, have some cookies. I baked them myself."
Jake looked at the plate, then took one, not wanting to reject her kindness. "Thanks, Tracy."
He sat in the chair nearby, eating the cookie and drinking milk in silence while the TV played softly in the background. Tracy fidgeted with her cup, trying to break the awkward silence.
"The water heater should be fixed this evening. Sorry about the inconvenience."
"No worries, it didn't affect me much." Jake answered as he watched news on his phone.
She nodded, then tried again. "So are you going anywhere today?"
Jake looked up briefly. "Yeah, still got some business to finish."
"Business," Tracy repeated softly, her smile fading. "Right."
Jake stood up, feeling the weight of her disappointment but pushing past it. "Thanks again Tracy for the cookies. I have to go now."
"Okay, have a nice day," she said absently, her voice quiet as she watched him go.
As Jake stepped out of the motel, he walked slowly, taking time to stroll around the block. The morning was quiet as people moved past him in their usual routines. He suddenly sighed, looking around.
"If only it would last."
Ping. Ping.
His phone buzzed. Jake pulled it out of his pocket, smiling at the caller's name.
Jules
"Hey, Jules." Jake stopped walking as he answered.
"Hi, Jake. I am so sorry for suddenly leaving yesterday. Something came up at work and it was an emergency."
"No problem, Jules. I understand."
"No, it's not okay. Lunch is on me today. I'll text you the location so meet me there. Bye!" She said with a tone of finality.
She hung up before he could respond.
Jake shook his head, smiling slightly. "Same Jules. Always in a hurry."
He waved down a cab and climbed in. "Lux Hotel."
As the car moved through traffic, Jake pulled up information about the hotel on his phone. The photos looked professional grand lobby, elegant rooms. But the reviews were a different thing entirely.
Used to be amazing but management has really let it slide. — 2 stars
Needs serious renovation, what happened to this place? — 3 stars
He scrolled further and found a local business article from 2023: "Lux Hotel falls from Grace: Once Top-3 Destination Now Struggling."
As Jake scrolled through the reviews, he noticed that the decline in good reviews started in 2022. Jake's chest tightened. "Right after Dad died."
Closing his eyes and exhaling slowly, "I better go see things for myself. At least if I can secure Lux, I'll have a foothold before the apocalypse."
The cab stopped in front of a tall building with a silver sign: LUX HOTEL
Jake paid the driver and stepped out, staring up at the entrance. Memories flickered, a little vague. He remembered being here once before, years ago, with his father.
He walked inside, looking around. The lobby was large and magnificent high ceilings with a crystal chandelier, marble floors stretching toward the elevators. But Jake could still see the problems in the glamour. He spotted cracks in the walls, faded tiles, also three dead bulbs in the chandelier above. Even the front desk needed refinishing.
As Jake surveyed the lobby, a young man in a wine-coloured uniform approached him, bowing slightly.
"Hello, can I help you, sir?" he asked in a polite tone.
Jake turned to face him. "Yes. I'd like to meet your manager."
The concierge hesitated, looking Jake over. "Of course sir. If I may ask, who am I speaking with?"
"Just tell him Jake Carlson."
The concierge's expression shifted, recognition settling in his eyes. "Of course, sir. Please follow me."
He led Jake to an elevator which they rode to the third floor in silence, then he led Jake as they walked down a quiet hallway. Jake surveyed everything the worn carpet, the faint smell of cleaning solution masking something stale.
The concierge suddenly stopped at a door and gestured to a chair nearby. "Please wait here while I inform the manager."
Jake nodded, sitting down while the concierge knocked, entered, then emerged a minute later.
"You may enter, sir." He gestured to the door.
"Thanks." Jake nodded to him as he stepped inside.
The office was dimmer than the hallway, curtains half-drawn. Behind a heavy oak desk sat a man in his fifties, with grey threading through his thinning hair, deep lines carved around his eyes. He was writing something and didn't look up immediately.
When he did, his tired face softened with something Jake couldn't quite place.
"Mr. Carlson." He stood, extending a hand. "Edward Webb. It's good to see you here."
Jake shook his hand, frowning slightly. "Have we met before?"
Edward laughed quietly and sat back down. "You might not remember, but you came here once with your father, Jacob. You were probably too young back then."
Jake's expression faltered. "My father. Sorry, I don't remember."
Edward waved his hand. "That's all in the past. But what matters now is that you're here and just maybe Lux can be saved now."
"Saved?" Jake leaned forward. "What do you mean by that?"
Edward sighed, the exhaustion clear in his posture. "Lux is not as glorious as it was. With your father's death, Angela and Markus have been frequently withdrawing money from the hotel. And if it continues, it's only a matter of time before it closes down."
Jake's jaw clenched. "And my father left this to me."
Edward opened a drawer and pulled out a thick ledger. "He did. Full ownership, transferred two years before he passed." He slid the ledger across the desk. "But Angela Carlson has been withdrawing funds monthly. 'Management fees,' she calls them. And Markus too. Between them, they've bled this place for nearly eight hundred thousand dollars in two years."
Jake stared at the ledger, flipping through pages of transactions. He noticed every month, tens of thousands of dollars were taken from the hotel.
"I kept records," Edward said as he watched Jake. "Everything for a day like today. I knew someone would come eventually for it. I hoped it would be you."
Jake closed the ledger slowly. "Why didn't you stop them?"
"I tried." Edward's voice was bitter. "But legally, they had authority as your guardians, and they made sure I knew what would happen if I pushed back."
Jake stood, pacing to the window, deep in his thoughts. Outside, Palm City stretched in every direction. Somewhere out there, Markus was planning his next move. Angela was probably sitting comfortably in the Carlson house and they had no idea what was coming.