Chapter 20: The Shadow in the Arcade
The PC cafe at night was a different world a neon cathedral where the only religion was skill and the only god was victory. April had never been to this particular establishment before, though she'd heard Jaden mention it in passing during their late-night conversations at the convenience store.
Now, standing in the entrance at 1 AM, after her restaurant shift had finally ended, she understood why he loved it.
The booths were separated by soundproof glass, creating private islands of competition. The hum of mechanical keyboards, the soft click of mice, the barely audible whisper of headsets it created a symphony of focus. The lighting was mostly darkness punctuated by RGB lighting from gaming rigs. It smelled like expensive electronics and energy drinks and the faint residue of late-night ambition.
Jaden was waiting for her at the back, in a private booth that was noticeably better equipped than the others. Professional-grade monitors, a custom-built PC with a black chassis, a chair that probably cost more than a month of April's salary. He looked nervous as she approached, like he was showing her something sacred and hoping she wouldn't judge it.
"This is where you come," April said, sliding into the seat across from him.
"This is where I breathe," Jaden corrected quietly. "April, something happened tonight. Someone found me."
He told her about Kai Park. About the man's unsettling knowledge of their lives. About the tournament. About the money. About the way Kai had appeared like a ghost and disappeared just as mysteriously.
April listened without interrupting, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. By the time Jaden finished, her hands were clenched so tightly her nails were leaving marks in her palms.
"He's manipulating you," she said finally, her voice steady despite the alarm bells ringing in her head.
"I know," Jaden replied, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "But he's also offering a solution to a problem we don't have a solution for. April, your father needs that money. We need that money."
"The only solution he's offering is leverage," April said, standing up and pacing the small booth. She needed to move, needed to think. "Kai Park doesn't help people out of kindness. People like that don't work that way. He invests in people he can control, people he can use."
"What if he's not trying to control me?" Jaden asked, desperation creeping into his voice. "What if he actually just saw potential and wants to develop it? What if this is legitimate?"
"Then why did he know about your father's medical bills?" April countered, spinning to face him. "Jaden, he researched us. He dug into our personal information. He found our weaknesses, and he's using them against us like weapons. That's not coincidence. That's strategy."
Jaden stood up abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Maybe. Or maybe he saw an opportunity to help and took it. April, your father needs that money. The hospital is calling constantly. Your mother is falling apart. And this tournament... it could be real. It could actually lead somewhere."
"At what cost?" April asked, her voice rising slightly before she caught herself and lowered it. They were in a private booth, but sound carried. "Your father will find out. The school will find out. Your mother is already suspicious about your grades. And then what? You're expelled, your family disowns you, and for what? A gaming career that might not even materialize?"
"At the cost of finally being honest about who I am!" Jaden said, his voice tight with emotion. "April, I'm tired. I'm so tired of pretending. I'm tired of being the Golden Boy, the perfect son, the heir to an empire I never asked for. I'm tired of hiding in soundproof booths like JD-Zero is something shameful instead of something real. If there's a chance even a small one to pursue something I actually care about, don't I owe it to myself to take it?"
April stopped pacing. She looked at him this boy who had fought so hard to keep his two lives separate, who was now standing at a crossroads that was forcing him to choose.
"You're right," she said quietly. "You deserve to be honest about who you are. But not like this. Not at the mercy of someone like Kai Park."
"Then what?" Jaden asked, exhaustion evident in every line of his body. "What do we do? Because I don't see another option, April. I don't see a way out that doesn't involve either watching you destroy yourself with three jobs or taking help from someone who might have ulterior motives."
April sat back down, her mind racing. "We need to know what he really wants," she said finally. "Before we accept anything. No more surprises. We get answers, real answers, and then we decide."
Jaden nodded slowly, relief washing over his face at the prospect of having a plan, any plan. "Okay. I'll call him tomorrow. We'll set up a meeting. We'll get answers."
They stood in the quiet of the booth, surrounded by the ghosts of a thousand competitive matches, by the ambient hum of gamers chasing dreams and ranking points, and April wondered if they were about to make the biggest mistake of their lives.
Neither of them noticed the figure at the edge of the cafe, obscured by the dim lighting and the maze of gaming booths. Neither of them saw Marcus Thorne lower his phone, a perfect photograph of Jaden and April at the PC cafe lighting up his screen.
Marcus smiled to himself a cold, calculating expression. The King wasn't as careful as he thought. And April Mendoza wasn't as innocent as she pretended. Whatever they were doing here at 1 AM, it was something they wanted to keep hidden.
And Marcus Thorne had just found his most valuable leverage yet.
He pocketed his phone and disappeared back into the darkness, leaving only the faint echo of his presence behind.