Chapter 72. Nicholas was in his hostel room, reviewing notes for Professor Beckham's class, when his phone buzzed.Unknown number.Nicholas frowned, staring at the screen.He'd been getting too many unknown numbers lately.He almost didn't answer.But he did because he could never tell. "Hello?""Nicholas Keiser?" A woman's voice floated over,familiar but not immediately placeable.Nicholas sat up straighter. "Who is this?""Melanie. From lost and found."Nicholas felt his stomach drop.Melanie.The woman who knew.Nicholas's grip tightened on the phone. "Melanie. It's been a while.""It has," Melanie said, her tone pleasant but professional. "I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time."Nicholas forced himself to stay calm. "What do you want?""To talk," Melanie said simply. "In person. Are you free today?"Nicholas hesitated. "About what?""Something important," Melanie said. "Something we should discuss face to face."Nicholas felt his pulse quicken. "Where?""The coffee shop on

Chapter 74. Nicholas's entire body tensed, his fingers gripping the phone so tightly the screen protested under the pressure.Kelly walked into Brews and Chews like he owned the place, his usual swagger intact, flanked by two of his friends.Nicholas watched through the grainy security footage as they moved to the counter, Kelly's mouth already moving, probably cracking some joke that made his friends laugh.Rebecca was behind the counter, her back to them as she finished preparing an order.Nicholas's heart hammered in his chest.She turned around, a polite smile already forming on her face,the kind of customer service smile she'd probably practiced in the mirror.And then she saw Kelly.The smile faltered immediately. Nicholas watched her face go through a rapid succession of emotions-recognition, confusion, then something harder.Kelly didn't seem to notice at first.He was still talking to his friends, barely glancing at her.But then he did a double-take.Nicholas could see th

Chapter 76.Nicholas was lying on his bed, staring at his phone, when his vision flickered.He'd been scrolling through nothing in particular,just mindlessly passing time after a long day of classes and research.But then the familiar shift happened.The interface appeared.. Colors bled into each other, the screen glitching in that distinctive way Nicholas had come to recognize immediately.His chest tightened.The system.Nicholas sat up quickly, his heart already pounding.[SYSTEM ALERT]The words appeared slowly, deliberate.Nicholas's jaw clenched.It had been weeks since the last notification.Weeks of relative peace.He should've known it wouldn't last.[NEW TASK ASSIGNED]Nicholas exhaled sharply, his hands gripping the phone he held tighter.Here we go again.[TASK 4:EXPENDITURE & INVESTMENT]Nicholas's eyes narrowed.Expenditure and investment.That sounded familiar.Too familiar.[Objective: Spend $50,000,000 within 30 days]Nicholas's breath caught.Fifty million dollars.

Chapter 78.Week one started with chaos.Nicholas had expected it to be difficult.He hadn't expected it to be overwhelming.It was Monday morning, barely past eight, and Agnes was already on her third phone call of the day.Nicholas sat across from her in the conference room she'd reserved, his laptop open, watching as she negotiated with a commercial real estate agent in Seattle."No, that's not acceptable," Agnes said sharply into her phone. "The lease terms need to be flexible for the first six months. This is a new market for us... I understand that, but…”She paused, listening.Nicholas scrolled through his own emails.Twelve unread messages, all flagged urgent.One from a contractor in Austin asking about buildout specifications.One from a property manager in Denver with questions about zoning compliance.One from TerraCycle's legal team asking for clarification on equity distribution.Nicholas opened the contractor email first.Subject: Brews and Chews Austin - Buildout Specs

Nicholas opened the door to his new room at Westwood Hostel.The room was supposed to be private. Single occupancy. That’s what he’d been given. That’s what the housing contract specified.But there was someone else inside.A guy about Nicholas’s age sat on one of the two beds, unpacking a duffel bag. Clothes scattered across the floor. Energy drink cans on the desk. A gaming setup already assembled in the corner.The guy looked up.“Oh hey, you must be my roommate. I’m David.”Nicholas stood in the doorway, confused.“There’s been a mistake,” Nicholas said. “This is supposed to be a single room.”David shrugged.“The housing office told me I’m in 307. This is 307, right?”Nicholas checked the number on the door.“Yeah, but…”“Then we’re roommates,” David said cheerfully. “Cool, man. I just transferred from Oregon State. Business major. You?”Nicholas set his bag down slowly.This wasn’t right.He pulled out his phone and opened the housing contract email.Room Assignment: Westwood