Chapter 88 Horror Themed Bar
Amber asked Jonathan, “What’s going on?” Her own flashlight illuminated the female ghost before them, but she remained admirably calm.
The female ghost shot them a hostile and spiteful glare that could send chills up one’s spine. Amber would have been petrified had she not become emotionally numbed toward paranormal occurrences. Jonathan replied, “Let’s talk inside.” He led the way deeper into the place, even greeting the ghost with a friendly wave.
Surprisingly, the ghost returned his gesture.
The three of them entered the warehouse.
Then, the female ghost peeled off the intricate mask she had been wearing, revealing her true identity.
“Polly?” Amber recognized the famous businesswoman. Oh my goodness! The ghost was Polly all along! I was just wondering why she didn’t show up today.
Polly smiled sheepishly and explained, “That rascal Jonathan forced me to help out.”
Amber returned her smile. “Thank God you’re here today, Polly. Someone might’ve seen through our plan if not for your appearance. How embarrassing that would be!” She paused before addressing Jonathan, “Had you been expecting trouble?”
“I’m not Gabriel, and I can hardly see into the future. I just thought it was prudent to prepare for the worst,” Jonathan replied.
Amber’s esteem for Jonathan grew. He may look unreliable, but he’s a meticulous planner.
Afterward, Jonathan said to Polly, “We can’t go out like this, Polly. We need to make this place look like it’s been through massive destruction. Amber, you should fire a few shots. If the media asks, we’ll say that this place isn’t haunted. The magnetic field around here has been quite chaotic, and it’s been causing hallucinations. As for the mess, we’ll leave it up to the public’s speculation. In any case, we’ve cracked the mystery here.”
Polly acknowledged his instructions with a nod. She grinned and replied, “You never know, but your horror-themed bar may well become the most famous bar in the country. You’ll be raking in a lot of money! I guess I made the right decision to invest in this place.”
Chuckling, Jonathan responded, “That’s a given! Would I introduce my investors to losing ventures?”
After the three of them finalized their game plan, Jonathan and Polly began to wreck the place.
They stomped their feet on the ground, producing rifts in the ground as tall as a human. Cracks snaked across the ground at an alarming rate.
Meanwhile, Amber fired her gun haphazardly in all directions, using up all her bullets.
The commotion convinced the reporters camped outside the bar that an intense battle was happening inside the establishment.
The gun shots did not seem to end. Reporters and police officers surrounding the bar broke out in a cold sweat.
Approximately half an hour later, the roller shutters opened, revealing Jonathan and Amber.
Both were covered in dust and debris, looking as though they had rolled across the floor. Sweat beaded on Jonathan’s pale face.
The man fainted the minute he stepped out of the place.
Amber was dumbfounded. He’s shirking his responsibility! Do I have to do the interview alone now? She wished she could faint then, yet the success of their plan now depended on her.
The reporters surged forward to interview Amber.
She appeared drained as she replied curtly, “We’ve resolved the situation inside the bar. You may go in and see for yourselves. Can we leave the details for another day? My master and I are exhausted. Thank you.”
The police held the reporters back, allowing Polly and Jonathan to enter the police car.
The car sped off as the reporters squeezed into Golden Years to obtain firsthand information.
Curious members of the public, however, were not allowed to enter.
That night, a slew of theories about Golden Years shook the city of Horington.
Talk about Golden Years dominated the headlines of every newspaper the next day. The incident was even published in newspapers in other cities.
Both print and digital media reported heavily on the degree of destruction and depth of the cracks on the floor of the bar. The damage appeared manmade. Footprints around the cracks made breaking news.
The paranormal incident in Golden Years spread like wildfire.
Numerous experts were interviewed about the incident. They pointed out the curious incident and debunked its paranormal activity with science.
Videos of the police officers clearing the bar made the rounds. All evidence pointed to a single conclusion — there was no paranormal activity in Golden Years.
Amber accepted an interview three days after the incident.
She looked into the cameras and repeated everything Jonathan had said. In other words, she firmly denied the existence of ghosts in the establishment.
Of course, the speculation surrounding the incident continued. However, like every other sensational incident, it was bound to lose steam and become water cooler gossip in time. Perhaps several versions of the incident would end up circulating among the public.
Jonathan promptly became the new owner of Golden Years after Dilbert had transferred ownership of the bar to him. The process had been a smooth one thanks to Amber’s involvement.
After the high-profile conclusion to Golden Years’ rumored haunting, Jonathan locked himself in his room and got to work. Jennifer visited him the next day with breakfast. Jonathan happened to be scribbling and sketching a blueprint. She was surprised that Jonathan knew how to design a blueprint.
Jennifer knew he had been busy working on Golden Years. She was incredibly touched that he was doing all of this for her. She ensured that she would not disturb him as she quietly saw to his everyday needs.
On the third night after the incident, Jonathan finally completed the draft for his plans. He summoned Polly, Jessica, Yasmin, Jennifer, and Amber for a meeting. They met at Polly’s coffee house.
Opening a bar was initially an impulsive decision on Jonathan’s part. He was determined to see things through now that he had decided to go for a horror-themed bar. Jonathan was optimistic and driven. He had the perfect location, timing, and network to execute his plans.
The meeting took place in a brightly lit room at the coffee house.
Jessica and the others had been dying to know about the Golden Years incident for days. They called Jonathan persistently. He claimed that he had been too busy, but he promised to explain everything in detail two days later.
The highly anticipated day had arrived. Before Jonathan could say a thing, Jessica blurted, “Darn it, Jonathan. What the heck happened? I’ve heard about Golden Years’ alleged haunting for years. What on earth is going on?”
Jennifer, Polly, and Yasmin shared her curiosity. Polly was especially eager to know the truth. She had been to Golden Years several times, but she had never dared to stray past its entrance. She was well acquainted with the unspeakable horrors within the bar. Jonathan’s resolution of the incident impressed her a great deal. He’s an extraordinary man!
The only people who knew what really happened were Jonathan and Amber.
Realizing he could not sidestep the issue, Jonathan told them all about Felicia’s spirit. He talked about the Crimson Onyx Sect, including how he and Amber had gotten rid of Felicia’s murderer, Gabriel.
However, he left out his discovery of the Great Tribulation and his identity as the Chosen One. Jonathan kept his description brief.
Jennifer, Yasmin, and Jessica gaped as he told his story. Their hearts leaped to their throats. They thought the incident was fantastical enough to go down in the legend books. The harrowing parts of the story were even more exhilarating than those carefully choreographed scenes in blockbuster films.
Polly fell into deep thought. She was an intelligent woman, and she had immediately surmised that Jonathan was hiding some things from them. She kept her suspicions to herself. She decided to interrogate Jonathan in private. At her core, Polly was different from Jessica and the rest.
After he explained everything, Jonathan added, “Over the past few days, I’ve drawn up a proposal. Here are copies for everyone. Let me know if you think it’s feasible.” He picked up the proposals on the table and gave each of them a copy.
Jonathan typically maintained a devil-may-care attitude to life. When he got down to business, however, it was impossible to nitpick about his work.
The proposal he shared detailed the development plans for Golden Years.
His first suggestion was to reopen Golden Years as a horror-themed bar.
He then addressed the layout of Golden Years. It comprised two floors, spanning an area of close to two thousand square meters.
Fifteen years ago, the place cost Dilbert just shy of three million to build.
As Horington’s tourism boomed, the city had been attracting various development projects over the years, causing property prices to skyrocket. Golden Years was now worth about ten million.
Like all buildings near the sea, Golden Years was restricted to a maximum height of two floors. Typhoon risks prevented the construction of tall buildings along the coast.
The present net worth of Golden Years was a mere ten million because of its rumored haunting. Even after its resolution, no one dared to invest in the business. Jonathan outlined his plan to turn the bar’s crutch into an advantage by operating on a horror theme. Once they cemented the horror theme as the bar’s selling point, the building could easily be worth over thirty million.
Real estate cost a pretty penny in Horington, and Golden Years belonged to a commercial estate. If the government or other developers eventually planned to revamp the area, it was hard to imagine the astronomical price that Golden Years would command then.
Jonathan stressed from the very beginning that Golden Years was company property. It did not belong to a particular individual.
Simply put, everyone’s investment had produced a handsome return even before the bar reopened for business.
His proposal was both insightful and rational, reassuring Jennifer and the others.
The proposal moved on to elaborate on the designs for the horror-themed bar. Jonathan planned to revamp the first floor into a professional bar. Additionally, he would feature the best bands to perform live music in the establishment. Once a month, the bar would organize a masquerade ball to attract more clientele.
The first floor would ultimately be converted into thirty-six luxurious private rooms, equipped with state-of-the-art sound systems and appliances.
Jonathan wanted the best service for their future clients. He stressed that they would never provide unsavory or illegal services on the premises.
Such practices were rampant in the industry, and would hardly increase the appeal of Golden Years.
Jonathan declared, “We’re going to turn this horror-themed bar into a trustworthy establishment. I want every man and woman to feel at ease even if their spouses visit our bar. People should feel proud to visit an honorable establishment like ours! We’re going to revolutionize the bar industry and become the best of the best!”
It was a bold ambition.
Jessica, Yasmin, Jennifer, and even Polly were amazed. Their eyes brightened at the idea.
They initially assumed that Jonathan was pulling their leg when he announced his intention to open a bar. The women were pleasantly surprised to realize that he had identified a solid business opportunity for their investment.
They unequivocally agreed that it was a good project.
The proposal had not left the second floor out. It described plans for a mysterious, ghostly garden on the top floor of the building. He wanted to install a pneuma wishing well, using it to retell Felicia’s story as a beautiful tragedy. The story would conclude with Felicia becoming the God of Love. Bar visitors could then pray for her blessings at the wishing well. It would look just like the wishing well in Gregan.
