From Suffering To Power System

8. This is power

Owen woke up to silence. The drive through the night had been very long, and he genuinely had not trusted the man he was in the car with, but the system had insisted that he stayed until they arrived at what appeared to be an estate.

Through the gate, he had been greeted by a luxurious mansion, guided inside the building by a security guard, and then a maid had led him to the room where he had spent the night.

The ceiling above him when he woke was elegant; he

had not quite taken in the scene the night before. The windows were draped with silk curtains, and the wooden floor glistened in its polished state.

Just before he sat up, there was a slight knock on the door before it opened without a sound.

“Good morning, Mr. Owen. I trust you slept well?” the man who stepped in said with a slight bow.

He was tall, elderly, and dressed in a black suit with white gloves. His gesture was calm and professional, and Owen seemed to recognize him from the night before.

“You served me tea last night, yeah?” Owen asked, ignoring the greeting.

“Yes,” the man nodded. “I noticed you did not even touch it.” His gaze fell on the ceramic cup resting on a saucer atop the side table. “Anyways, I am the butler of this estate. You can call me Alfred.”

Owen nodded. “Alfred. Where am I?”

“The Hudson residence,” Alfred answered. “Breakfast has been prepared for you. You can change.” He gestured toward a nearby chair where a neatly folded set of clothes had been placed. They looked expensive. “I will wait outside.”

Owen dressed and followed Alfred down a long marble corridor furnished with abstract art lined in rows, and window draped with silk cotton. Everything about the place screamed wealth and power, as expected of the richest man in the city.

[ High-Influence contact arranged ]

‘I have no idea what is going on, Owen thought,’ but he trusted that it was for his good.They entered a grand dining hall where a single man in his early fifties sat at the head of a long table, calmly stirring his coffee. He wore a relaxed smile, like someone who had never

worried about money in his life, but the moment he saw Owen, he stood.

“Owen,” he said, extending his right hand. “Hudson Kane, CEO of the Hudson Empire.”

Owen forgot to breathe for a moment. Hudson Empire was not just a company, it was an institution. Tech, logistics, data, real estate, private security and its influence even reached the government

“U-uhm,” Owen stuttered as they shook hands. “It is such a pleasure to meet you, sir… I don’t even know what to say.”

Hudson laughed. “Sit down.” He gestured to the table, and Owen sat carefully, wary of the man before him. “Please eat, and we will talk like civilized men.” Hudson added and returned to his coffee.

“You had a rough day yesterday. Prison, a manhunt, media circus, and being wanted by the

police for murder.”

“Yet I’m here,” Owen replied, avoiding the food as he looked at Hudson. “Why?”

“Luck,” Hudson said. “It’s crazy how people from two separate worlds can meet. My assistant was returning from dinner last night when he spotted you, and… he called me. I don’t know why, but I asked him to bring you to me. And here you are.”

Owen felt perturbed. He tried not to shift in his seat or appear nervous. One thing he knew about invitations like this was that they often came with a price.

“I won’t insult you by pretending this is charity,” Hudson continued calmly, confirming what Owen already suspected. “I need something done for me. Something very delicate. Something that someone not attached to me can do. Someone wanted by the police.”

Owen’s eyes widened. He could no longer maintain his calm demeanor. “I’m sorry?”

“You heard me right.” Hudson smiled and took a sip of his coffee. “You know how powerful I am, don’t you? I can make all your troubles disappear in an instant. The police will no longer bother you, regardless of what you do. As for the Luthersons… they are nothing but specks

of dirt before me. I will take care of them.”

“And what if I refuse?” Owen asked, partly out of curiosity.

“Then the police will find you within twenty-four hours, and I can make your pain worse than it already is.” Hudson looked away briefly, then leaned forward. “And in return, I will make you the CEO of Hudson Empire while I step back and take a long vacation, from which

I won’t return for a very long time.”

What the hell? Owen held back from swearing. The deal was laid before him on a platter of gold, and he felt the urge to say yes immediately. Still, doubt crept in. What if Hudson had a heir? What if this was a trap?

[ Ask him what the task is ]

“What is the task?” Owen asked.

Hudson chuckled, shaking his head. “I can’t do that. Either you agree to it, or you don’t.” Before he finished speaking, Owen stood up, heart racing

“Sit down, Owen,” Hudson warned. “I don’t want to be upset with you.”

[ Sit down ]

Owen slowly sat back down, keeping his eyes on Hudson the entire time.

[ Accept ]

Owen’s pupils shrank. He couldn’t believe what the system was asking him to do. He might be digging his own grave.

[ Accept ]

“I accept,” Owen finally said, though the words felt too heavy on his lips.

Hudson smiled broadly and took another sip from his mug. “Here is what I want you to do, Owen. And no matter what I say, you cannot back out now.”

Owen’s heart pounded. Heat rose from his feet, his stomach churned, and he waited with anticipation and fear.

“Brad Lutherson isn’t dead,” he said calmly. “The public believes he is. The police believe he is. But he’s very much alive.”

Owen raised a brow, he was not quite sure what was going on.

“I don’t want you to kill him,” Hudson continued. “That would be crude.” he leaned forward. "I want you to drag him into the open.”

Owen played along, believing the system would explain later. “You want him arrested?”

Hudson shook his head. “No. Arrests can be negotiated. Trials can be delayed, I want him exposed, broken and confessing on camera. I want his allies to abandon him. I want his family to cut him loose to save themselves.”

"Did they do something to you as well?" Owen asked, "That's why you want to revenge?"

“This is not revenge,” Hudson smiled. "This is power, and I am teaching you how it works."