Leo remained standing in the empty corridor, the white envelope still in his hand. The message inside seemed heavier than paper should be: 'I want you to get to the top as quickly as you can, Leo. I'll be waiting for you.' He read it one last time, then carefully folded it. For several seconds, he simply stood there. His father had been here—not years ago, not somewhere on the other side of the world, but here. Tonight. At this summit. He had been close enough to see him, close enough to leave a message, but not close enough to meet him. Why? The question repeated itself inside his mind. Why leave another letter? Why not speak to him? Why keep waiting? Leo didn't have any answers. For the first time in a long while, he felt completely lost. He exhaled slowly, then slipped the letter into his pocket. He needed to think. Back inside the keynote hall, the event had ended. Guests were leaving, and conversations filled the room. Meanwhile, Samuel, Lena, and Ethan looked confused. "Where

The rest of the morning passed peacefully. For once, there were no shocking revelations, no enemies appeared, no one challenged Leo, and no System missions suddenly popped up. It was... nice. The exhibition hall remained lively. People walked around discussing ideas, exchanging contacts, and exploring the latest technologies while Leo and his group continued moving from booth to booth. Samuel, however... was nowhere to be seen. Leo frowned. "Where did he go?" Lena looked around. "He was here a minute ago." Ethan suddenly pointed. "There." They followed his finger several meters away to where Samuel stood beside another snack station. He was eating. Again. Leo sighed. "Of course." Lena burst into laughter. "I swear he can smell free food." Ethan nodded seriously. "I think it's a superpower." A few moments later, Samuel returned looking completely satisfied. "What?" Leo blinked. "You disappeared." "I was networking." "You were eating." "I was networking with food." Lena la

The next morning arrived peacefully. Sunlight reflected across the lake outside the hotel, turning the water into a sea of gold, while the mountains in the distance stood proudly under the clear blue sky. Switzerland was beautiful—maybe too beautiful. For the first time in a long while, Leo wasn't rushing to attend a meeting or answer business calls. He simply stood on the balcony of his suite, quiet and thinking. His hand slipped into his pocket; the folded letter was still there. He had read it again before sleeping, and again after waking up. 'I want you to get to the top as quickly as you can, Leo. I'll be waiting for you.' His father. The thought still felt strange. It wasn't impossible or mysterious, just... strange. The man wasn't gone; he was alive, and somewhere out there, he was waiting. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Leo! Breakfast!" Samuel. Leo smiled. Some things never changed. After breakfast, the group split up. Samuel and Ethan wanted to visit anot

The sun had begun setting over the lake, casting a warm, golden light that reflected across the rippling water as tourists walked along the shore. For a few moments, nobody spoke. Leo simply looked down at the heavy black folder resting in his hands, its title practically staring back at him: 'GLOBAL ASCENSION PLAN: PHASE ONE'. Even now, the words sounded entirely unreal. Samuel peeked over Leo's shoulder at the folder, then looked up at Leo, and finally drifted his gaze over to Adrian. "I still think this sounds like a blueprint for world domination." Leo laughed, shaking his head. "It isn't." "That's exactly what someone planning world domination would say," Samuel countered completely seriously. Lena burst out laughing, and Ethan grinned. Adrian, however, looked utterly unamused. "It is not world domination. It is a highly calculated sovereign expansion framework." Samuel looked surprised, blinking at the suit. "Wow, you actually answered." "I do not tolerate the spread of st

The hotel suite fell dead silent. Adrian's analytical eyes rapidly scanned the glowing document, his jaw tightening as his usual calm expression hardened. At the bottom of the official regulatory filing, one name stood out in bold, crisp lettering: 'Helios Global Holdings' Directly below it sat another line that made the room feel instantly colder: Chairman and CEO: Stephen Reinhardt. Leo read the name twice, his brow furrowing. He had never heard of the man before. Adrian, however, clearly had. "That's... problematic," Adrian murmured, his voice dropping an octave. Leo looked up from the screen. "You know him?" Adrian nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the corporate seal. "Everyone in international enterprise knows him." Lena frowned, leaning closer over the desk. "Who is he, exactly?" "Stephen Reinhardt built one of the largest technology investment groups on the planet," Adrian explained, his posture rigid. "He doesn't just buy companies; he absorbs entire market se