Meeting people from The List was not as easy as Noah thought.
He needs to visit any place in the city that might lead him to them — a club, a fine restaurant, a sports center, a casino, or any party that Matthew offers him to attend.
Still, Zoe or his system has never once triggered their presence.
A few times, Noah even wondered if his father had already handled everyone from this city, and he asked Zoe whether he should fly to another city.
However, Zoe mentioned that the city is still unclean. The people from The List are still outside, hidden from him. He was too weak to find them.
Just like previous nights, tonight they’re eating out once more. But this time, Noah asks Matthew to reserve a restaurant or bar by the beach, away from the bustling downtown area they usually go to.
After driving for one and a half hours, they finally arrived at the massive structure by the beach, featuring a golden sign: The Pearl Bar & Resto.
Noah looked at the parking lot, which already seemed crowded despite the early hour of nine. The place becomes even livelier at midnight when it stays open until 3 AM.
Matthew chose this place because it’s a popular hotspot that’s been trending lately as a hangout for wealthy people. The table is always packed. For walk-in customers, they rarely get a table. But they don’t need to worry because Matthew has already reserved one for them.
"Have you ever been here before, Jason?" Noah asked, without taking his eyes off the main entrance.
"Nope, this place wasn’t around back when I was working in the city. But I’ve heard from the news that they serve delicious food and have a great drink selection!"
"Yeah, that’s what I hear, too..." Noah commented briefly. He makes sure all his senses are alert so Zoe can find his target, and he didn’t realize that Jason had stopped just before the main entrance.
A staff member at a bar and restaurant, dressed in a dark suit, approached Jason.
"Excuse me, sir, you can’t enter without a reservation..."
"We have already reserved a VIP room under the name Jasson Sullivan," Jason replied calmly, but the staff member appeared skeptical after he saw the reservation list.
The staff turned to see Jason, "Sir, sorry, but we don’t have that name on the list..."
Jason was surprised.
’Did Matthew actually make the booking under Noah’s name? It was impossible—Noah had specifically instructed never to use his name when booking a place,’ Jason wondered, turning to look behind him.
Noah finally caught up and asked, "What happened, Jason? Why did you stop here?"
"I think Matthew has not yet made a reservation for us, or he is not putting my name on the waiting list."
"Did Matthew make a mistake? It feels impossible for a person like him to do that."
"I know, right. Or, maybe he uses yours?" Jason asked.
"Ah, perhaps..." Noah silently chuckled before turning to the staff. "Can you please check the name, Noah Morgan...?"
The staff seem somewhat surprised as he reviews the waiting list in his hand, again.
After a few more minutes, he looked up and told Noah and Jason, "We have the name listed, but that person is already inside."
Instantly, Noah and Jason exchange a glance.
They were both shocked to hear that someone had come and claimed their table.
Who?
Noah felt a flutter in his stomach, both excited and worried that the person was the one he was looking for from The List.
He hurriedly asked his system, ’Zoe, check who claimed my table?’
It didn’t take long, Zoe’s voice echoed in his mind, ’Your beloved cousin, Jeremy Morgan!’
Noah nearly choked when he heard that name. He couldn’t believe that shameless bastard dared to claim his table in this restaurant. Silently, he cursed Jeremy in his mind.
"Sir, are you Mr. Morgan’s friend? I will escort you to his room," the restaurant staff offered.
Jason, upon hearing that, felt a surge of anger rising inside him. He wanted to slap this man hard. He couldn’t understand how this man gave those people their table.
"No! We’re not friends with him, but you’re giving another person our table. How do you explain that to us?" Jason asked quietly, but his tone was enough to send shivers down the staff’s spines.
The restaurant staff was surprised to hear that. Worrying he had made a mistake, he rechecked the list, but what he found was correct; it was Mr. Morgan’s name written there, and the person inside was their regular customer, Mr. Jeremy Morgan.
"I’m sorry, sir, but the person was indeed Mr. Morgan. We didn’t make any mistakes," the restaurant staff said while offering Jason to check the reservation list. "Sir, you can see Mr. Morgan’s name written there, and the person inside was Mr. Jeremy Morgan, our valued VIP customer."
Jason was once again surprised to see the list only mention Mr. Morgan, leading him to suspect that the person inside was Noah’s cousin.
"I can check on him again, whether he orders under his name or someone else’s..." The restaurant staff was about to leave, but Noah stopped them.
"No. You don’t have to!" Noah didn’t want to alert Jeremy or make him happy, because no matter what his plan was, he wouldn’t fall for it.
Still, Noah has a plan in mind; if he saw Jeremy again, he might break his other hand—definitely.
Jason looked at Noah, "Do you want to move to another bar?" he asked.
"Nope!" Noah replied before turning to look at the staff. "Do you have any VIP rooms available?" he asked.
The restaurant staff rechecks the reservation list, and before long, he returns to Noah, "We still have one VIP room. Someone just canceled it. If you want, you can use this..."
"Yes, please go ahead and arrange the new room for us," Noah replied quickly, eager to stay on track with his original plan to find his target.
As they enter the restaurant, Noah feels uneasy, a strange feeling he’s never felt before.
’Zoe, I feel danger looming! Did you detect anything threatening?’