Heat, Stress, Burns, and Cuts Ch. 01

"Hello Mr. Vanderbuilt, the manager said to deliver this suit to you personally. He said it was for your fathers will reading today. I am sorry for your loss, sir." He said with the utmost kindness and respect.

"Thank you for your condolences, they are appreciated. Also, tell the manager I want a meeting today at 10:30." I said, seeing how far flexing my nuts could take me at this fine establishment.

"He will see you at 10:30 then sir" He said as he bid me goodbye and rushed off, most likely headed towards the manager's office.

It feels good to have this kind of power, I must admit. Considering that the manager's plate must be full today it is good to know that I can arrange a meeting with the snap of my fingers. It will be nice to find out why I hold all this power, hopefully it will be productive. I went back to my room and headed into the bedroom to hang up and check out this new suit. Unsurprisingly, it was an Alexander price, they aren't cheap. It also came with a French cuff shirt and a set of gold and platinum cufflinks that read 'V' on each one. Along with a set of dress shoes. The footwear I normally use is a bit different to what others around me normally wear. I usually wear a pair of Cowboy boots; they are of the most comfortable footwear to ever grace my feet, and however they aren't appropriate with the aforementioned attire. I decided to keep the suit reserved for the will reading and funeral; I changed into my normal attire of a pair of jeans, a tee shirt, and my boots. As ten o'clock rolled by Samantha woke up. I heated up breakfast for her as I was about to walk out of the door. I realize that I need to talk to Samantha about what went down after our romp last night but I was running late so I needed to wait until later. I kissed Megan goodbye and rushed down to the Managers office.

Upon getting off of the elevator he was there to greet me. He explained how he had gotten a table for us at the hotel's restaurant to get something to drink or eat while we eat. Bringing me into a restaurant is dangerous, and if the manager is as astute as I believe his is, and then he knows this, and is willing to take the challenge. With my years working for Aldrich I was quick to learn the in's and out's out restaurant work, both front and back end. Food cost, cooking time, freshness, along with decor, cleanliness, table setting, quality of dishes, glasses, and most importantly, quality of staff. All of these things, if brought together correctly, lay the foundation for a very well running, and profit turning restaurant.

As we walked through the restaurant, I became hyper-aware of my surroundings, I noticed everything. Layout, food quality, employees, and all improvements that could be made. When we made it to the table, we had some menus and water waiting. We began making small talk, I didn't want to spook him from the get go.

"So, I know you're a very skilled chef, and I also know you have been trained by one of the best chefs in the industry. Please, tell me what you think of our establishment, be honest." He asked. Well, if he wants it then he'll get it!

"Ok," I organized my thoughts and then I turned on critique mode "your staff needs to be better trained, as we were walking in I saw a fork on the ground to my left and a few shards of glass to my left from a glass breaking previously. Your food looked to be a bit dry as I was passing the buffet, most likely due to high heat, it you lower the temperature it will last longer and retain moisture. Table settings vary from one table to another, only slightly from table to table, a napkin here, a fork there, but it is noticed by the keen eye, nevertheless." I completed, holding back somewhat.

"Wow," He paused in astonishment "If you ever want a job, it could be arranged, head chef here isn't too bad, no? I doubt you have much time for little old us, eh?" He said, chuckling.

"Actually, I would gladly accept if I hadn't just recently been offered the position of Head Chef at L'Ambroisiea" I explained "I'm actually not that busy!"

"Really, I assumed running everything would leave you rather busy..." He said nonchalantly.

"Running what?" I asked curiously "Is this related to all of the special treatment I have been receiving?"

"You don't know?" He asked appallingly "Your father told you no? I thought it was tradition..."

"No, I left my home when I was 18 to go to Paris."

"Ahh, I see. Not to worry, dear friend, all shall be explained later today at your fathers will reading. Everything will become clear. Please come and talk to me after the reading and we shall talk more." With a shake of the hand he was gone; I was left to ponder what would happen later today.

I decided to return to the room for a bit of downtime and deep thought. Upon my return I found a note from the girls:

'Went Lingerie shopping, be back at 3:00.

Xoxo,

Sam and Meg'

I've never actually been happy to have to gorgeous, horny women out of the house, but this was the exception. I grabbed the French press and made some coffee, I tried to sit but I couldn't, there was too much in my head to just sit still. 11 o'clock rolled around and the will reading wasn't until 4:00, so I had time to explore my once loved city. I needed to become reacquainted with it, the best way I could think of doing that is the food scene. Aldrich taught me something very valuable, you can find good food anywhere, and you just have to look. So I ventured out in search of fish markets and local butchers. As I walked I couldn't help but stop at some food trucks and fast food joints to get some info on the recipes they had. Another habit picked up by Aldrich, as a chef, your always looking for new flavors, new ideas, as Aldrich once told me "A good chef is made up of 50% hard work, 50% creativity and, 10% insanity."

After stopping at three different food trucks, I finally reached the Farmers markets and butchers, I remembered some of the problems I saw at The Ritz's restaurant so I decided to jot down a few notes, a few notes soon turned into an entire menu change, and the time flew until 2:00 came around. I decided I have some time so I returned back to Ivan's tavern for a burger; they noticed my face and immediately cleared a table. After I finished my burger an old man, about forty years my senior approached me.

"Good afternoon Mr. Vanderbuilt, My name is Ivan Rusnov," He spoke in a light Russian accent "I run this establishment." He said smiling, with his hand extended.

"It is very nice to meet you Sir," I said grabbing his hand firmly "you run a great establishment here, it is one of the new found gems in this lovely city that I have been away from for so long."

"That is an extremely kind compliment coming from you sir. If I may ask, where you were if not in Boston." He asked, slightly confused.

"I have been in Paris since I was 18; I am currently a Sous Chef." I replied.

"Brilliant! You must have had some interesting stories from your time there, no?" He asked seeming genuinely interested.

"Too many to count, I'd love to come back here before I leave for Paris and grab a pint with you, I guarantee some good laughs!"

"That would be an honor sir; your Father was too busy to have any time with little old me"

"Wait, you knew my father?" I asked with surprise. Did everybody in this fucking city know my dad? What had happened after I left...?

"Yes. Mr. Vanderbuilt frequented my establishment for work meetings and the like. He was a great man and you have my deepest condolences."

"Thank you very much," I stopped to check my watch and it was already 2:45, I had to be home soon "I apologize but I have to get going. How about I come back here tomorrow night at 10, just after closing time, sound good?" I asked.

"Sounds great, I look forward to seeing you then. Is there anything else you need from us? We sell everything from Straight razors to scotch!"

"Actually, I do need a razor. How much would a Straight razor, shaving soap and a badger brush cost me?" I asked, practically knowing the answer.

"For you Mr. Vanderbuilt, it is on the house!" He said happily.

"Please, we are friends now, call me Danny."

"Okay Danny, I will get you're items for you and send you on your way." He said standing up and scurrying away. We said our goodbyes and I soon made my way back to the hotel. Once I was back at the hotel it was about 3:00. The girls weren't back yet so I had some time to myself; I decided to shave in solidarity.

Traditionally wet shaving teaches a lot of good qualities; patience, steady hands, sharpening skills, and much more. Ivan gave me the full treatment, in the bag I found an ivory-handled straight razor, a white tip badger brush, a bowl of shaving soap, and lastly, a razor strop. In layman's terms, I had some of the best equipment possible in my possession. I decided it would be best to start with a hot towel on my face while I soak the brush in warm water. I have always like the tradition of straight shaving, most likely due to my fascination with old things. Whether it is old cars, vinyl records, hell even fedora's, it's all one big attraction to old things. As I was about half way through my shave I heard the door open with a shriek, I made an involuntary jerking motion with my hand which preceded to knick my face with the incredibly sharp razor. I told them to shut up as I finished shaving and I walked into the living room to greet them.

"Hey gals" I spoke "you were too loud walking in and I cut myself with a straight razor. Anyway, how'd the shopping go?" I asked as they both turned to talk to me.

"OH MY GO- Very funny Danny" Megan said chuckling "Where's you're 'cut' then?" She asked.

"Its right here" I said putting my finger on the previously bloody spot, only to find it dry, with no cut present. "What the hell..." I rushed over to the mirror. The fucking cut was gone, no trace of it... "Well, I guess we can chalk that up to all the weird shit that has been happening lately" I completed while remembering what the manager had told me earlier.

The next hour was filled with all of us getting dressed and whatnot. It turns out that the staff had also brought Megan and Samantha designer dresses to where to the will reading and funeral. I had learned that it was a private event upon my father's request; Samantha and I were only supposed to be there, with the option to invite a significant other. We had a car waiting outside for us that took us into the financial district. Upon arrival at the building I saw Edward, the man who picked us up from the airport; I greeted him and shook his hand. He informed me that he was to be guarding me from now on. I agreed because I would only be here for a few days anyway and then it is back to the kitchen, even though all of this special treatment was great, I was happy to have this whole thing over and done with so I can go back to work. We were escorted to the 50th floor of the building were greeted by my father attorney, Steven Gariepy.

"Good Evening Mr. Vanderbuilt, Ms. Vanderbuilt, Ms. Gaulle, I'm sorry we need to meet on such sad circumstances..." He spoke with grace and wisdom in his voice. But I also was skeptical of him at the same time.

"Thank you very much Mr. Gariepy," I spoke for all three of us "It has been a rough few days but we are managing."

"Alright, well let's make this as painless as possible for you and yours. Please follow me."

He led us to his large office overlooking Boston harbor and we all sat down. He went about the normal procedures of giving requests our parents had. My father and mother put into the will that they would like to have the house kept up but they had already created a fund for it, and it specifically requested that we went back and took any belongings of theirs that we would like. There were also certain things that were specifically given to Samantha from our mother and father. Mostly it was little things, such as jewelry, and family heirlooms.

As for me, I wasn't expecting much as I had been pretty much disowned, but to my surprise, I received a box full of different things, it was written into the will to open it in private, so I needed to wait until I was free to do so. I was also given a bank account number that is registered in my name; it is only to be accessed after opening the box. Then we went over inherences. Samantha was utterly shocked when she heard the number.

"To my daughter Samantha, I leave a total inheritance of $50,000,000, with an additional $5,000,000 in investments for her to do what she pleases." The lawyer read as Samantha sat weeping, partly because of her loss and partially of her new found status as a millionaire. The lawyer continued to my inheritance, "And to our son, Daniel, we leave $100,000 for him to do what he pleases."

There was the slap in the face I was expecting. Good thing I had been prepared for that. It will get Megan and me a few good vacations, most likely a few would be back to here! We concluded with the Lawyer and we headed back to the Ritz. Samantha was constantly hugging me and apologizing on the way home; she felt guilty and was offering me some of her money, which I promptly declined. Besides, I still had the box to open so there was an upside...

Once home, I excused myself from the girls and went into our rooms office to open the box. The outside looked to be some sort of metal, but an almost ever-blackening color of metal, maybe it was just an illusion but it looked as though the metal was actually changing color. It was a smaller box, about one foot long, six inches wide, and six inches tall. I was trying to look for a latch or something but I didn't see anything. I then noticed a small pad on the top of the box; I placed a finger on it and felt a sharp pain. The box drew some of my blood and took my fingerprint, then proceeded to unlock.

Inside a found a letter, it read;

'Danny, if you are reading this then it means that I am dead, and your life has just gotten a lot more complicated. In order to find out what all of this means, I need you to go back to our house and find my safe; your fingerprint and blood have already been programed into it. Inside you will find a small block of metal and a leather bound book. Take both of those things and guard them with your life, it will explain everything.

With all of my love,

Frank.'

I put down the note and looked at the other things in the box. I found only three items, a watch, a ring, and a set of cufflinks, all made out of the same metal as the box. I took a closer look at the items. The watch seemed to be very old, the hands were made out of gold, the face was black, and the band was also black, it seemed very stealthy and I took a liking to it immediately. The ring was made of the same material; it was just a plain old ring, nothing too special. And last were the cufflinks, they were mad of the black material, but they had a gold 'V' imprinted in each one. I noticed a common theme in all of the items; they all had a depiction of a coin. Inside the coin showed a 'C'. Just as I put the watch and ring on I felt a euphoric, almost high feeling, like I had just had ten hours of sleep, sank into a hot tub, and had an orgasm simultaneously, it was awesome. The feeling soon went away and they were just accessories I wore now. I soon remembered that I needed to take a trip to my old house to get the book and chunk of metal my father told me about. With the amount of power I toted around here I decided to have a little fun. I made a call to the concierge.

"Good evening Mr. Vanderbuilt, what can I do for you this evening?" He asked happily.

"Good evening, I need a Ducati Diavel sitting outside and leather riding gear up to my room within twenty minutes, is that a problem?" I asked.

"Not a problem sir, very good choice of bike, shall I obtain a bike for Edward as well?"

"Yeah, might as well, he'd try and follow me in a car and, well, cars can't lane split!"

"Not a problem sir, your gear should be up in around fifteen minutes, have a lovely ride." He said as he hung up.

He wasn't lying, gear was at my door in ten minutes, and I was suited up and informed the girls that the contents of the box required me to take a road trip. Nobody objected so I was out the door pretty quick. As I arrived in the lobby, there was Edward, in his leathers, ready to ride. We made our way outside and hopped on the bikes.

Thankfully, at 1:00AM, there wasn't too much traffic in Boston. We were headed for Weston, it was a short ways away, but it seems as though Edward enjoyed riding as much as I did as we had turned a 30 minute ride into a 2 hour ride, most of this time was spent racing on the highways, doing burnouts at stoplights, or doing other sorts of tom foolery. Riding is a very freeing thing, there is a certain freedom to going 100mph+ while hanging onto a small metal chassis beneath you, there are very few things that make you feel manlier.

When we finally arrived at the house it was 3:00am, I told Edward that he could come in but he couldn't follow me upstairs. We let ourselves in and I let Ed go and raid the kitchen for some food while I headed upstairs. The bedrooms were so different, Sam had told me they had been remodeling, but this house was downright beautiful now. The master bedroom was pushed out, with brand new his and hers bathrooms and closet's. I went into my dad's closet and found the safe, with a prick of the finger the safe opened and I found the book and the metal. As I went to grab the metal, my ring started to glow, all of a sudden the block of metal shot up a beam of almost blinding violet light. It was a hologram of my father; he was sitting in a chair.

"Dad?" I said with pure horror in my voice.

"Hello Son, we have got a lot to talk about." He replied.

"Where are you? Are you alive?" I interrogated.

"I am afraid if you are seeing this then I am, in fact, deceased." He sighed. "I am me; this stone has collected all of my wisdom and knowledge for you to access, so I will always be here for you."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there..." I said as the tears started to form.

"No, no. It isn't your fault. I didn't give you any choice, I should have told you about all of this."

"What is all of this dad? I am scared; you and mom are now apparently extremely wealthy? Please help me understand!" I pleaded.

"If you wish" he said sullenly "As you may have noticed, you have been getting special treatment since you arrived. This is because the Vanderbuilt's have run the US from its inception and it has been passed down from each generation to the next. We run the US, while the Luc's run all of the European countries, and the Takida's run Asia. The reason why you were never given any special treatment in Paris was because of your low profile."

"What do you mean 'run' the Americas?"

"I mean we control everything. Since the beginning, all of the amendments, bills, polices, everything passes through us. The President consults us for wisdom and knowledge. Danny, we run EVERYTHING. Well, now you run everything." He said as I started my decent into a blissful stage of denial, my father was quick to snap me out of it. "Danny! Stay with me. If everything went according to plan the you should have stopped by Ivan's Tavern already, correct?"

"Yes... How did you...?"

"It was the plan from the beginning. Everything was set from the beginning, once you got off the plane you were given signs of Russian that only your subconscious would notice, such as your bodyguard speaking Russian, the assistant at the Ritz speaking Russian. You drove through most places in Boston except where Ivan's was. If you're subconscious didn't recognize all of the signs then the Cigars would have been delivered to the room. By now, if you have smoked more than two of them you should be noticing some signs. More muscle on your frame, quicker healing capabilities, feeling smarter, having better situational awareness, heightened reflexes, not needing to sleep, and soon you will notice more signs." That explained a lot...