Morning light poured through the tall glass windows of Bellemere Mansion, glinting off polished marble and the silverware set neatly on the breakfast table.
Liam sat alone at the head of the table, enjoying a calm breakfast. The food was simpleâeggs, toast, and freshly brewed coffee.
Today was the day before his second weekly sign-in and the day heâs to use his accumulated sign-ins, but he decided to delay it and not sign-in in the morning, as he wants to focus on the travel.
Evelyn had already packed his things earlier that morning. The Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge was already waiting outside, gleaming under the morning sun. Nick was already in the driverâs seat, with that carâs engine humming quietly, while Mason stood near the front door.
When Liam finished eating, he rose from his seat and walked toward the main hall. Mason straightened immediately and opened the door.
"Good morning, sir," he greeted.
"Good morning, Mason," Liam replied with a small nod and a light tone.
The air outside was crisp, filled with the faint scent of wet pavement from last nightâs drizzle. Liam adjusted the cuff of his jacket as he walked toward the waiting car. Mason followed two steps behind, his movements perfectly measured.
Mason opened the door for him, and Liam slipped inside and the door closed with a soft thud.
Mason took his seat beside Nick in the front, and the car began its smooth roll down the driveway. The iron gates of Bellemere slid open automatically as they approached, and the world outside welcomed them. The quiet streets of Holmby Hills stretched ahead, lined with palm trees swaying gently under the clear sky.
***
Half an hour later, the Rolls-Royce glided through the private access road leading to LAXâs elite hangars. Their destination: Liamâs personal hangar.
Nick slowly steered the car into the hangar. Inside, the Black Titan, the Flying Palaceâthe private A380âwaited like a sleeping giant, its sleek black fuselage gleaming under the floodlights. Ground crew members moved around it in coordinated silence, finalizing preflight checks.
Nick stopped beside the boarding lift. Mason got out first and opened the door for Liam.
The moment Liam stepped out, a chorus of greetings broke out nearby.
"Finally!" Matt exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. He, Kristopher, Harper, and Alex were all waiting just a few meters away. They looked relaxed but excited, and they each were dressed casually.
"Good to see you, man," Kristopher said, pulling Liam into a quick hug.
"You too," Liam said with a warm smile.
The girls approached nextâStacy, Kristy, Lana, and Eliseâeach looking effortlessly composed, though their eyes gleamed with excitement.
Elise waved, "We were starting to think youâd make a dramatic entrance by landing your chopper on top of the hangar."
"Tempting. But Iâll save that for another day," Liam replied, smiling.
They all laughed. There was an ease between them, a natural rhythm that came from shared history rather than circumstance.
"Come on," Liam said, motioning toward the boarding lift. "Letâs get onboard. Weâve got a long flight ahead."
The lift lowered smoothly to meet them. The group stepped onto it and rose toward the aircraftâs entryway. The massive jet felt more like a palace in the sky than a planeâtwo decks, custom interiors, and every luxury imaginable.
Inside, Liam took his usual seat near the forward lounge. The others settled around him.
Matt dropped into one of the couches with a sigh of pure contentment and muttered, "I swear, every time I get on this plane, it still feels unreal. Likeâhow are we even friends with the guy who owns an A380?"
"Youâre not the only one thinking that. Every time I see it, I have to remind myself this isnât a dream," Kristopher chuckled, stretching his legs.
"Oh, please. You think thatâs surreal? Try wrapping your head around the fact that heâs got a meeting with Gulf royals. Real-life princes, Kristopher," Stacy smirked.
Her tone was teasing, but her words carried a hint of awe. The others turned toward Liam, who simply smiled.
"Itâs just a meeting," he said lightly. "Donât make it sound dramatic."
Elise raised a brow. "Youâre meeting three royal families. Itâs dramatic by definition."
Liam just laughed. "Alright, fair enough."
As the ground crew finished loading their luggage, the plane was towed out of the hangar and it began taxiing down the runway.
Within minutes, the A380 lifted off, climbing through the morning haze and Los Angeles receded into the distance, with their destination being Dubai.
Liam had arranged for them to stay for a week in the Middle East, basing themselves in Dubai at the Burj Khalifaâs private residential floorsâan entire level reserved for them.
The Bellemere Family Office had already handled the logistics. Two representatives had flown ahead yesterday to coordinate everything with the royal aides and manage the schedule for Liamâs meetings.
For now, though, there was nothing to do but enjoy the flight.
It was a sixteen-hour journey, and boredom wasnât an option.
"So what do we do for sixteen hours?" Harper asked, glancing around the lounge.
"Movies?" Kristy suggested.
"Boring," Matt said. "We should watch the Lucid streams."
That caught everyoneâs attention.
"Lucid again?" Elise laughed. "Youâve been talking about that thing nonstop."
"Because itâs insane," Matt said, eyes lighting up.
"The VR gameplay is so real itâs scary. I was watching that guy, Phil Aiken, last night and I almost cried when he died in-game."
"Iâll admit, thatâs wild," Kristopher nodded. "But how does an unknown company outdo literally every major tech firm on the planet?"
"Exactly!" Matt said, sitting forward. "Itâs not just the tech. Itâs everything. Neural link? Perfect. Local AI processing? Perfect. Real-time adaptive environments with emotional AI? Perfect. You realize no oneâs ever done that before?"
"You sound like the companyâs spokesperson," Harper shook his head.
Matt ignored him. "You donât get it. The craziest part isnât even the techâitâs the games. They built, like, eight AAA-level VR worlds, all alive, all reactive. Thatâs impossible. Even the biggest studios take years for one!"
The group exchanged amused looks.
"Out of everything you mentioned," Stacy said dryly, "you think the biggest achievement is the games?"
"Absolutely," Matt said without hesitation. "You guys donât understandâbuilding a game that feels real is way harder than building the tech. Even the kidsâ games on Lucid are better than half the AAA titles weâve got now!"
He leaned forward, completely animated now. "Itâs not just graphics or realismâitâs life. The NPCs react differently every time. They think, they argue, they adapt. Theyâre not just lines of code."
"Spoken like a true addict," Harper teased.
Matt ignored him again, clearly too deep in his excitement.
Kristopher smiled faintly. "Too bad we canât even buy one yet. The company made sure Lucid canât be resold. No black market, no scalpers. Totally locked down."
"Thatâs what makes it so mysterious," Lana said quietly. "They built the most advanced tech in the world, and no one knows who they are."
Liam, who had been listening quietly the whole time, smiled slightly.
"You might get lucky," he said.
Matt perked up instantly. "Waitâwhat do you mean by that?"
"You might get the device," Liam said, his tone teasing.
The boys cheered, laughing, while the girls shook their heads. It wasnât that they didnât believe him but they felt it would be next to impossible, with how little the units Nova Technologies intends to release monthly.
Liam actually intends to give his friends a Lucid unit each on the day of the launch.
"Iâm serious," Matt said, grinning wide. "If I ever get one, Iâm not leaving my house again."
"You said that about your last console," Harper said. "And you still left for free food when we called you."
"Yeah, well, priorities change," Matt shot back, earning another round of laughter.
Then Lana, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, spoke up softly, "If I do get one, I want to play Frontline: Starfall Dominion."
"You?" Liam looked at her in mild surprise.
He had never taken her for a girl that love guns, especially with how quiet she usually is.
"I like strategy. And good weapons," Lana smiled shyly. It was as if she had revealed her darkest secret.
The others burst out laughing. Elise nearly choked on her drink.
"Sheâs been secretly watching gameplay videos for days," she said between laughs. "She knows the weapon names better than Matt."
"Thatâs a lie," Matt protested, but the laughter only got louder.
The rest of the flight was filled with easy chatter, laughter, and light teasing that drifted through the cabin like background music.
Liam smiled as he enjoyed the moment with them.