"Table twelve. VIP suite. Don't be late."Jake Morrison stared at his phone screen, rain hammering against the cracked glass. The message from his dispatch manager glowed in the darkness. Another delivery. Another five dollars. Another night of getting soaked to the bone while rich people stayed dry.He wiped the water from his face and kicked his beat-up scooter to life. The engine sputtered twice before catching. Twenty-eight years old and this was his life. Delivering overpriced food to people who wouldn't even look him in the eye.The Grand Meridian Hotel rose ahead like a golden castle. All glass and marble and the kind of money Jake would never see. He'd driven past it a hundred times. Never imagined he'd be going inside.He parked in the delivery zone and grabbed the bag. Thai food. Probably cost more than his weekly rent. The rain had soaked through his jacket ten minutes ago. Now it was working on his bones.The lobby doors slid open with a whisper. Warm air hit him like a

Marcus stood with his phone pressed to his ear, eyes locked on Jake like he was watching a potential shoplifter."Yeah, security? We need someone at Elite Motors. Guy refusing to leave the premises."Jake didn't move. Water pooled around his shoes on the pristine tile. His heart hammered, but he kept his face neutral. He'd been pushed around enough for one night.Marcus ended the call. "Security will be here in five minutes. You can leave on your own, or they'll escort you out. Your choice.""I told you. I'm buying a car.""Right." Marcus's laugh was sharp. "And I'm the Pope. Listen, buddy, I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but this is a place of business. We serve millionaires. Actual millionaires. Not..." He waved at Jake's soaked clothes. "Whatever this is."A voice cut through the tension. "Marcus, what's going on?"A woman approached from the other side of the showroom. Late twenties, professional but warm. Her nameplate read Lily Chen. Jake recognized her immediatel

Rebecca stared at Jake like he'd just spoken a foreign language."You'll pay a fifty percent rush fee?" Her voice came out flat. Disbelieving. "On top of two hundred thousand dollars worth of merchandise?""That's what I said." Jake pulled out his phone. "Ring it up."The saleswoman at the register looked between them. Her finger hovered over the scanner, waiting for permission.Rebecca's professional mask cracked completely. "This is ridiculous. You walk in here looking like you've been sleeping under a bridge, and now you're telling me you can spend three hundred thousand dollars?""More like three hundred and ten with taxes." Jake kept his voice level. "Are we doing this or not?"A customer near the window whispered something to her companion. They both stared.Rebecca's jaw worked. She was trapped. If Jake actually had the money, turning him away would cost her the biggest sale of the year. Maybe the biggest sale the boutique had ever seen.But if he was bluffing, she'd look like

The courtroom erupted.Patricia was on her feet. "Your Honor, this is clearly fraudulent. There's no possible way...""That's not real!" Elena's voice cut through. High. Panicked. "He was broke! He was delivering food a week ago!"Victor stood behind her, face red, hands gripping the gallery railing. "Where did you steal that money, Morrison?"Judge Anderson's gavel came down hard. Once. Twice. Three times."Order! I will have order in this courtroom!"The noise died down to furious whispers.Jake stood calmly at his table. Hands in his pockets. Watching.Judge Anderson fixed Elena with a sharp look. "Mrs. Morrison, sit down."Elena sat. But her eyes never left Jake. Wild. Desperate.The judge turned to Patricia. "Ms. Hastings, what exactly are you claiming?"Patricia's professional composure was cracking. "Your Honor, my client's husband was employed as a minimum wage delivery driver as of last week. There is no legitimate explanation for how he could acquire over ten million dollar

Jake stared at his phone screen.**NEW TASK: DESTROY VICTOR STEELE'S COMPANY****TIMELINE: 90 DAYS****REWARD: $100,000,000 + ADVANCED BUSINESS INSIGHT**Ninety days to tear down an entire company. A company worth hundreds of millions. With employees, contracts, infrastructure.The System wanted him to destroy all of it.Jake slipped the phone into his pocket and walked to his Bentley. The parking lot had emptied. Everyone back to their lives. Their normal Friday routines.His life wasn't normal anymore.He climbed into the car. The leather seats were soft. The dashboard gleamed. A week ago, he couldn't have afforded the floor mats.Now he was planning corporate warfare.Jake pulled out of the lot and drove. No destination in mind. Just driving. Thinking.Victor Steele. CEO of Steele Industries.Jake didn't know much about the company. Elena had worked there as a marketing manager. Talked about it sometimes. Big deals. Important clients. Victor's office had a view of the whole city.T