From Fat to Untouchable: The System's Billion-Dollar Payback

Thorne Global's loan

Chapter 4

~ Thorne Global's loan ~

"If you don't finish arranging those drinks stacks, and carton of wines into the van, I will be 20 dollars from your paycheck!" Elijah Noah barked, his feet hitting loudly against the floor as he walked past the open loading bay.

Asher Reed did not offer him a reply, he swiftly lifted three stacked crates of cartoons of wine effortlessly.

The strain that used to ache at his lower back now felt like a minor stretch to him, his muscles no longer ached, as the internal energy that ran through his veins and nerves burned away every trace of fatigue beneath his hoodie.

Over the past three weeks, his routine has been shifts at the warehouse, intense System mandated workouts in his tiny mould apartment, and silent digital maneuvers executed entirely on his burner smartphone.

Using the advanced technical mastery unlocked through the System, Asher routed his growing capital through untraceable digital accounts, quietly acquiring corporate real estate notes linked to local businesses in the city.

He leaned against a pillar during his ten-minute break, pulling out his burner phone to check the financial data feeds flowing across the screen.

A bold red flag highlighted a massive credit request filed by Thorne Global, the luxury real estate and development firm owned by Caelum Thorne's arrogant father.

The firm was desperately trying to secure a five-million-dollar emergency loan extension to finalize their high-profile bid for the city hospital network expansion project, and feed their ego like they are the richest family in Danvile City.

He wasn't going to refuse the request, Asher used his phone to execute a series of covert transactions, acquiring five million dollars worth of debt notes issued by the primary lending bank.

With three just taps on his screen, Asher anonymously approved Thorne Global's loan extension, feeding them the exact capital they needed to push their company far beyond its safe operational limits.

He pocketed the phone, a cold expression settled on his sharp face as he walked back to his shift, knowing that the higher Caelum's family climbed on borrowed money, the harder their fall would be.

When the sun rose high, Asher clocked out of the warehouse, drove his car across the city, and parked in the quiet shade near the hospital.

He walked up the side staircase to the third floor, slipping silently into Lila's private room while the hallway remained calm.

Lila lay asleep in her clean hospital bed, her color restored and her breathing smooth following her successful surgery the previous week.

Asher placed a soft, newly teddy bear on the chair beside her bed, along with a stamped paid-in-full receipt for her entire post-operative rehabilitation package.

He leaned down, brushing a stray strand of hair from her forehead with a gentle touch before turning silently toward the exit door.

As he reached the hallway entrance, the sound of loud, boasting voices echoed from the main waiting area, forcing him to step back into the doorframe.

His father, Albert Reed, was walking alongside two senior hospital doctors, his face flushed with excitement as he gestured happily with his hands.

"I always knew Thorne Global was a class act," Albert declared loudly, his voice echoing off the walls. "Mr. Caelum Thorne himself must have arranged that anonymous charity grant for my Lila's treatment after he heard about her condition from the university!"

"The Thorne family certainly has deep pockets, Albert," one of the doctors replied with a polite nod of agreement. "That five-million-dollar expansion deal they just closed will secure this entire facility for the next decade."

Asher stood perfectly still in the corner, watching his father praise the very man who had beaten him bloody and left him in the pool of his blood to freeze on the ice.

His jaw twitched with an unwavering fury, clenching his fist, a pang brewing through his chest, but he kept his breathing calm.

He did not step out to correct the delusion in his father's mind or demand credit for saving his sister's life. He simply pulled his hood lower over his face and slipped past them down the exit stairs.

His phone buzzed once in his jacket pocket as he stepped out of the hospital, the morning breeze brushing at his face, displaying a fresh gold interface notification.

[Strategic Position Established: Thorne Global Capital Exposure Reached 60%.]

[Next Objective: Maintain Concealment and Await the Gala Event.]

Asher looked up at the towering skyline of the city, his voice barely a whisper in the wind. "Enjoy the loan, Caelum. You are going to need every penny to save yourself."

“You will be shocked when you realise who that money came from,” he muttered, hopping into his car, and drove back toward the university campus, parking near the main library to review the final data structures before his afternoon classes.

The campus was buzzing with students preparing for the upcoming alumni party scheduled for the end of the week.

Posters for the event were pasted on every pillar, featuring Caelum Thorne and Chloe smiling side by side as the guest co-hosts of the evening.

Asher walked up to one of the steps of the library, his feet making a thud on the floor as he entered the hall.

He pulled his hood backwards, found an empty study seat in the back corner, and sat down and placed his phone on the table.

The screen flickered with a notification, displaying a tracking map of Thorne Global's corporate accounts moving millions of dollars into fake real estate acquisitions.

They were overextending themselves on every front, blindly trusting the anonymous capital that Asher had sent into their hands.

A student walking past his desk glanced down, whispering something to her friend before snickering loudly at the sight of Asher's worn clothing.

"Isn't that the guy Caelum tossed behind the rink last month?" her friend whispered back, thinking Asher could not hear them. "I heard he still lives out of his broken car."

Asher did not even look up at them, he grabbed his phone and slid back into his jacket pocket, and stood up from the wooden desk.

As he turned to walk toward the exit, a familiar voice stopped him in his steps.

"I'm telling you, Caelum, my dad says the new hospital development deal makes us practically untouchable on this campus," Chloe's voice echoed with excitement.

"Untouchable is just the starting point, babe," Caelum's arrogant laugh, brushing a strand of her hair away from her face. "Tomorrow night at the party, everyone is going to see who really runs this city.”