Chapter 498 - Birthday Party

Dave looked up at the Don, he was in his home and everyone was a guest here, Dave didn't want to be antagonized if he were to blow up in the man's face. He never liked him in the first place but it was no place to make a scene.

Dave stood up, looked the man in the eyes, and said, "I guess it's your home, and your rules, I won't be rude not to say my greetings as you're the host, but you don't owe respect from me."

The don was taken aback, he didn't expect anyone to say these words to him right up his face.

Jenny was looking at the scene from the side, she grinned this was the chance Dave would kick the bucket he just told off the mafia boss right in his own home with so many people watching.

"Care to explain why?" the don said.

"Well, what did you ever do to me that makes me respect you? Your people here, they are definitely all related to you via business, the relationship of common interest. I'm not. I was invited to your birthday daughter, your daughter not you. She is my…friend, not you. So why should I give you my respect?"

Few of the men fidgeted around, some even had their hands on their pockets tapping menacingly on something Dave believed would be nothing but a firearm.

Jenny panicked, the idiot Dave should have kept his mouth shut, it was okay if he had humiliated himself at least she would feel better, but now he's just led himself to the guillotine. She didn't want to be a witness to a murder.

The don, against all expectation, broke up in a loud laugh.

He kept laughing until he wheezed then looked at Dave with watery eyes, "Damn son, it has been a long time since anyone from the younger generation stood up to me. Most would shake in their boots just as I looked at them. But not you, boy. You got guts, it could get you killed one day, but here, with our Familia, when you stick up for yourself, your worth respect.

The Don turned to the party and shouted "Everyone, here is David Ruster my daughter's friend, I hereby offer him my respects. If anyone has a problem with him, then that person has a problem with me, Capeech?"

Everyone nodded and they don clapped his hand, "Start the music we're on a birthday, not a funeral."

The don smiled nodded to Dave and walked away, happier than anyone ever believed the don capable of.

"Dave, you're playing with fire you know," Zoe said.

"What? Why? He came to me, I didn't provoke him or anything."

"Well yeah, but remember here, in this social circle it's all about power and influence, what the Don did to you was give you face, and thankfully the situation didn't escalate I thought you were going to blow up in his face the same way you did right after you were attacked in your home."

"Nah, I know where we are, I'm not dumb, but I won't accept someone asking me for this so-called respect if he did nothing to earn it from me."

"That was your saving grace, actually, if you did pay respects to him his opinion of you would have dropped severely, he would understand that you're influenced by the position and social status. So when you stood your ground you made yourself worthy of being an equal than a lesser person, that is due respect but that also means that you created a whole lot of conflict and problems for yourself from parties that don't like the don so much."

"What do you mean?" Dave asked.

"Well, not everyone likes the don you see, and he just made you a protégé, that means if someone wants his ass, he has a way to get to him by going through you."

"Oh, that's not nice." Dave thought the situation wasn't as good as he would hope.

"But don't worry, Daddy and Demitri have a lot of people keeping a watch on you, you won't be assassinated at least," Zoe grinned.

"I don't want to walk around with a target on my back, Zoe."

"I know, but this is the real truth of the world of the Elites, you're no longer David Ruster, the gas station boy, you're Mr.Skeletal, the world's number one player. You're a world pillar, even if it's very small compared to other world dominators, you're still a beacon to many others. You're rise and fall can affect a lot of people, even if you don't know it, you're holding a lot of power, use it wisely." Zoe said.

"You seem well versed in these," Dave replied.

"I've been playing the power game since I was born Davy, don't let it get to your head, stay the way you are and everything will be okay. The first to lose the race are the ones that think that their power is enough to dominate everyone until they find themselves in the shadows of another world pillar."

"The same way that happened with Douche Guy?"

"Yes, exactly, he thought that because he was the son of the CEO of some unknown company he could do whatever he wanted, look at where that got him. In jail, and his father kicked and removed all of his possessions. Use your wealth wisely, do what you want, but don't be c.o.c.ky and don't let people step on you, and you're set for life.

"Don't worry Z, I'll keep it in mind. Hopefully, I won't mess up."

"If you do, I'll bunk you on the head and straighten you up. Don't worry," Zoe grinned.

"Hye bud, you'll always wear that Jacket?" Ralph's voice came from behind Dave.

Dave grinned as he looked back at his friend, he was wearing a full tux. It was amazing how the stuff he wore managed to show the muscles under him without it looking too tight.

"Ralph is right Dave, we should go back to Armani's and get you more stuff to wear," Zoe said.

"Yeah, that's a date then. By the way, where is Caitlin?"

"Still at the entrance welcoming people, she had Mercy on me and let me leave," Ralph said.

Dave groaned at his lame jokes but that was Ralph. The big oaf didn't even sit down, he turned went to the buffet table, and began piling anything and everything he saw on his plate. Nothing escaped the clampers in his hand. Some of the people were horrified by his manners and left the big guy get his share of food first.

Mercy soon came, she had both brows tightly knit together and sat down in front of the group. "Good god that's annoying, I've had enough of small talks and saying hello to people.

"Price of being Don Tivo's daughter."

"Where's Ralph?"

"You should know by now where your boyfriend is," Dave said.

Mercy turned immediately to the buffet table, she smiled at Ralph's carefree attitude and turned back to say to Dave"You'd better not use that word a lot here, people from my family are still old fashioned. They don't believe in relationsh.i.p.s pre-marriage."

"Bruh, that sucks. Anyway, this party's gonna last long?" Dave asked.

"Why, you got something else to do?" Caitlin said, "The game is shut down for now."

"Hey, it's not like I only have games in my life," Dave replied.

Caitlin and Zoe both looked at Dave in a way suggesting that he really only had gaming to do.

"I need to go to the gym anyway," Dave said.

"At this hour? You must be kidding. Desmond's club is going to be packed, a lot of people have nothing to do without conquest everything is full even supermalls." Caitlin said.

"I actually just don't like it here. Too many people keeping a close eye on us." Dave replied.

"Well of course they would, you told dad off, anyway, the party's going to last for a while, you can go upstairs if you're not in the mood of staying here, Zoe can join you," Caitlin winked at Zoe who became extremely embarrassed.

"What's going on in here boyz!" Ralph said as he dropped his plat on the table loud enough that Dave thought it was going to break.

"You're gonna eat all of that?" Caitlin said.

"Yep, gotta keep my guns packed and protein ready," He said while kissing his biceps.

"You're an ogre," Caitlin replied.

"A very handsome Ogre," Ralph replied with wiggling his brows up and down.

Dave realized that Ralph was acting the same way he always did and his game was on all the time, while he on the other hand rarely interacted with Zoe in the same way, he loves her, indeed but actions speak better than thoughts or words. He promised himself that he will be a better company the next time the two of them go out together.

The sound of metal hitting glace resounded through the birthday party. The don was going to do a toast.

"Thank you all for being here, it means a lot to me that you all would come and witness my daughter's twenty fourth birthday, I welcome you all here and I wish you'll have a good enjoyable time."

Everyone raised their glace and drank to Tivo's toast. Then some people began moving and presenting gifts for the daughter of one of New York's most influential games.

Dave gawked at the stuff these people brought. Some brought keys for a sport's car. Diamond necklaces, Gold bars one person even gave a Yacht, a group offered the don a plot of land. And the gifts kept increasing in absurdity. This was Caitlin's party, and all the stuff was going to belong to her.

She didn't look happy with the gifts thought.

"You don't seem too happy with all this stuff you're getting for your birthday," Dave said.

"Why should I, most of these people are offering expensive stuff to appease to my father. What will I do with a plot of land or that Maybach, I had a better car," Mercy said

"Yeah, you had. Too bad it ended up ramming into poor ol me."

"Hey, I didn't do that on purpose, someone messed with the breaks. I was going to die."

Dave shook his head at her. He didn't want to remember the old days after all everything turned up better than his wildest dreams.

"Anyway, I guess that I'll do something different just don't forget when it's my birthday," Dave pulled up his phone, logged onto his Conquest account, and sent an item from his inventory to Mercy in a game-mail.

Mercy received a notification and when she saw the item her eyes widened up.

"This Dagger! It's way too op!"

"Yeah, yeah, happy birthday." Dave smiled. He was going to try and sell the curved Dagger, the Grim Blade he obtained from killing the Chaos Centipede (Chapter 253).

But offering it as a birthday gift was not such a bad thing, after all she was his friend's girlfriend and he wasn't going to be a cheap person, after all, seeing everyone's extravagant gifts made him believe that this was only appropriate in the situation.

"Thank you so much! I really wanted a better secondary dagger and all I found on the market were crap weapons and really expensive, this is several times better than my secondary dagger." Mercy said.

"You'll use it as a secondary?" Dave asked.

"Yeah, my primary Dagger is my legacy item, I can't change it, it's a scaling weapon, and this one is petty good for its level, thanks a lot."

"No worries, I'm glad you like it."

"Hey, what you gonna give me for my birthday?" Zoe asked.

"Is it close?"

"Yeah, I never told you when it is. It's still several months away."

"Then I still have time to think of a good gift for you. Don't worry I'll make sure you'll like it." Dave grinned at Zoe and Ralph was nodding, his boy was starting to loosen up.

The party kept going, and the guests kept offering their stuff, but Mercy couldn't wait to log back in the game to try Dave's Dagger. Yet sadly the game was still off for two more days.