They cleaned the offices when they were empty, they emptied the trash cans full of shredded documents; they heard the whispers in the hallways that the executives ignored. If he blended in with them, he would become truly invisible. People already suspect him; blending with them will make him look even more ordinary."Alright," Adrian said, a determined glint in his eye. "Lead the way. I could use a drink."The group cheered, ushering him out of the basement and toward the bar.The bar was a low-ceilinged, smoky hole-in-the-wall called The Rusty Anchor. It was tucked away in an alley three blocks from the Global headquarters.Inside, the air smelled of stale beer and cheap tobacco.Adrian sat at a scarred wooden table, a glass of cold, amber liquid in his hand. Around him, the janitors were finally relaxing, their shoulders dropping as they escaped the suffocating pressure of the corporate tower."So," Adrian began, leaning in and lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "If

The movement was like a signal. The entire archery team stood up at once, scraping their chairs back. Xavier marched over, his face purple with rage. He pointed a finger at the floor by Adrian’s boots."Get on your knees," Xavier demanded. "Get on your knees right now and apologize for insulting a national champion, or I will make sure you never walk again."Jake was trembling now, his voice a frantic whisper. "Michael, please, just apologize! They’ll kill you!""Why should I apologize for my opinion on a terrible shot?" Adrian asked, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed.The bar manager, seeing his VIP guests reaching the breaking point, rushed from behind the counter. He pushed his way through the crowd, his face sweating with panic."What is going on here?!" the manager cried out, looking from the furious champions to the calm janitor. The tension in the bar was thick. Xavier, his face contorted with arrogance, turned to the manager and pointed a trembling finger at Ad

Gerald took a deep breath. His hands were sweating as he struggled to notch the arrow. He pulled the string back, his muscles trembling under the tension. He squinted at the target, focused all his energy, and let go.Thwack!The arrow flew through the air, but it didn't fly straight. It wobbled and struck the very outer edge of the board, landing seven circles away from the center.The archery team erupted into cruel, booming laughter. "Pathetic!" Xavier shouted, clutching his sides. "See? This is why you are all bottom-feeders! Zero talent! All you can do is talk and mock your betters while you scrub our floors."The employees stood in stunned silence. The 50,000 dollars felt like it had just vanished into thin air. John laughed as he stepped forward, snatching the stack of cash back off the table and tucking it into his pocket. Then, his face turned cold."Now," John said, stepping into Gerald's personal space. "Pay up. You owe us fifty thousand dollars.""What?!" Gerald blurted o

"That is impossible!" John gasped, his face pale as he stared at the arrow still quivering in the center of the board. "You must be using some trick! A charm? A hidden magnet? Only Xavier can make a shot like that under pressure—that’s why we won the national cup in the first place!"The bar was so quiet you could hear the drip of a leaky faucet behind the counter. Jake turned to Adrian, his eyes wide in shock. "Michael... how? If you’re really this good, you should have been on the national team years ago! Why are you scrubbing floors?"Adrian casually lowered the bow, his expression unbothered. "I trained a little bit back in the day. Nothing much," he said. He stepped toward the table and held out his hand. "The hundred thousand. Hand it over."John looked utterly defeated. His hand trembled as he reached into his bag and pulled out the thick, banded stacks of cash. The sight of the money made the janitors gasp in unison."Adrian! Wow!" Gerald exclaimed, his voice cracking with pur

A collective gasp ripped through the bar. People in the dark corners stood up from their stools, their eyes wide."What?!" Jake shouted, clutching his hair. "Michael, have you lost your mind? You are already on the brink of killing him! Blindfolded? That’s not a test, that’s an execution!"Xavier stared at Adrian, trying to see if he was joking. When he realized Adrian was serious, his eyes filled with a sadistic glee. "Blindfolded? You really are an arrogant fool. Fine! If you hit that apple while blindfolded, I will add another hundred thousand. That’s three hundred thousand dollars on the table."The janitors looked at Adrian with pure hatred. "The money isn't worth it!" Bill yelled. "At least with your eyes open, you have a chance! The chance of hitting that blindfolded is zero! Even these champions couldn't do that! Please, Michael, don't kill our friend just to prove a point!""Why should we turn down three hundred thousand?" Adrian asked calmly. "Give me the blindfold."John pu