Chapter 6

"Are you kidding me right now?" Noah retorted boldly.

"No I'm not. I mean everything I say. You see my dear, my husband, the supposed founder of TechNova isn't as strong and mighty as your kind who are fresh and mighty... You know... I'm talking about down there," Celia's eyes went down to his groin region to demonstrate what she was trying to say and Noah found it incredibly funny that he almost burst out laughing.

Wasn't his day getting worse by each passing minute? He stood up from his seat and stared at her. He could see the longing and the want in her eyes but he wasn't interested in any of it in any way.

"If this is what you really want to say to me madam then I'm sorry but I have to leave," Noah wanted money and the fact that the money he was looking for was within reach pissed him off so much but he remembered the wise words his father told him when he was still alive. 

''_Success is not found in the bed of shortcuts, but on the rocky road of hard work."_

This saying emphasized the idea that success cannot be achieved through easy or unethical means. Instead, it requires determination, persistence, and the willingness to face challenges and overcome obstacles. By rejecting the woman's sexual advances in exchange for a job, Noah showed that he values his integrity and hard work over instant gratification or easy solutions. But there was yet another one his father used to say and it has helped him over the course of his moral upbringing.

"_An arrow shot without aim will never hit its mark."_

 Noah's father made him understand that he needs a clear sense of what he wants to achieve in his career, not willing to compromise his values or direction in order to get there. It was definitely an easy way out for him but he didn't want this type of success, neither did he want to come out of poverty in this form. Now he was going to make the ultimate decision of saying no to her and going back to the slums where he belongs.

"I am giving you another chance to make a decision, Noah. I am not desperate to have you. I have many sugar boys that are already conforming to my desires in return for a thing or two. Yours is different because you will be working with us and not for us. If I were you, I would grab this opportunity without wasting time," Celia turned and went back to her seat. Her demeanor was now serious like that of one who is strict and professional.

Noah took a deep breath and then he answered her. "No. The answer is no."

"Very well then. You just turned down a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's your loss. You already know your way out of this place. Follow that pattern and leave this place," she spoke so calmly but yet so rudely.

Noah bent to pick his properties -- stuffed the hardware of his app inside his backpack, alongside his laptop and as he was done with it, he turned and looked at Celia with a fake smile on his face. 

"Thank you for your time," and with that, he turned and left her office.

As he walked down heading straight for the elevator, he felt his heart break from the disappointment.

Noah stepped into the elevator, his mind reeling from the events of the last few minutes. He had been so close to achieving his dream of becoming a partner at TechNova, but it had all been snatched away from him because he refused to give in to Celia's sexual advances.

As the doors of the elevator opened, Noah stepped out into the lobby. His mind was a blur, and he could barely think straight. He could feel the stares of the other people in the lobby, but he couldn't bring himself to meet their gaze.

The pain he felt was palpable, a crushing weight on his chest that made it difficult to breathe. He couldn't believe that he had been denied such an incredible opportunity because he refused to compromise his values.

Noah stumbled out of the building, his feet carrying him towards the nearest park. He needed to clear his head, to try and make sense of what had just happened. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling of loss and rejection that had consumed him.

As he sat on a bench in the park, his mind began to drift. He thought about all the hard work he had put in, the sacrifices he had made, and the hopes and dreams that had been shattered in an instant. It was a painful reminder that sometimes, no matter how hard we try, things don't always go according to plan.

Noah knew that he would have to pick himself up and keep moving forward, but right now, the pain was just too much to bear. He sat there in the park, lost in his thoughts until it was late in the afternoon. As he recollected himself, he looked around him and surveyed his surroundings. He was surprised to see that the usually bustling streets of New York were deserted. There were no cars honking, no people rushing to and fro, no sounds of the city at all. It was as if the world had paused just for him.

The stillness was eerie, and Noah felt a shiver run down his spine. He looked around the park and realized that he was the only one sitting on the bench. There were no joggers, no families with children, no couples enjoying a lazy afternoon. It was just him, alone in a vast, empty space.

Noah stood up from the bench, trying to make sense of what was going on. But as he took a step forward, a loud blaring noise shattered the stillness of the park. The sound was jarring, he has never heard anything like it.

Noah looked around, trying to identify the source of the noise. As he did, he noticed something strange happening to the sky. The color was changing, shifting from the usual blue to a deep, foreboding red. It looked like the sky was forming a deep spiral in that specific part and he continued to stare at it in awe. 

Suddenly, a gust of wind picked up, blowing through the empty streets with a force that Noah had never felt before. Noah's heart raced as he tried to make sense of what was happening. The blaring noise continued, growing louder and more insistent with each passing second. He could feel his pulse pounding in his temples as he looked around, searching for some sign of what was coming.

Noah took a deep breath, his heart still racing from the strange and unsettling experience in the park. He decided to walk home, hoping that all of these things would return back to normal when he reached.

It was still the same as he trekked back home. There was not a single soul around. He was still reasoning these things when something caught his eye - a small, shiny object lying on the ground with a red light which constantly flickered. Curiosity piqued, he approached it and picked it up, and to his surprise, it was a small device with a glass screen.

Noah turned the device over in his hands, examining it closely -- The back was also made of glass like the front. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, there were no buttons on the sides just like in phones, it was just sleek and smooth to the touch. The screen was dark, but as he tapped it experimentally, it lit up with a brilliant, glowing display. Strange symbols and shapes danced across the surface, accompanied by a soft, chime-like sound before it finally settled and formed a word. UNVEIL.

Noah scoffed, finding the device in his hand interesting. "UNVEIL? That's funny," he was about to toss it back to the ground when he heard a smooth, robotic voice emanating from it.

"My name is Iris. I am an advanced wealth system designed to help individuals like you achieve their dreams and rise above their circumstances. May I have permission to establish myself in you?"

Noah chuckled before he burst out laughing. That was the most ridiculous thing that he has heard in his life. 

"Did a kid produce this or what? This is hilarious." He cleared his throat and continued. He was willing to play with it since he had a bad day already "Well... You are free to establish yourself in me," he said casually.

A rush of warmth coursed through Noah's body, and he felt a subtle shift in his mind, as though a new part of himself was awakening.

 The device disappeared from his hand, and he felt a shock like electricity coursing through him causing him to groan and his body to convulse. The experience stopped after a few seconds but he felt different. He wasn't sure what to make of it all, his mind raced with many questions.

"What just happened? What is happening?" He stared at his hands and looked around him. He watched the device disappear from his hands but he didn't understand.

"You have been chosen, Noah. You are now one of the Unveiled."

He looked around, wondering where the voice was coming from. But there was no one in sight. The voice continued, "There are rules that you must follow in order to unlock your full financial potential. These rules must be adhered to, failure to do so results in dangerous consequences including losing your life. Now you live as part of the system. Whether you live or die depends on you, Noah."