Now Parker looked at his real estate portfolio with mixed feelings. It was now $4.211 billion, a nice chunk, but it was still just a tiny fraction of the $100 billion he needed to hit his goal. A long way to go, sure—but hell, there was no rush. He had ti on his side.
Of the 1000 steps he had taken the tenth step!
For now, he'd just chill. Wait until the next set of properties rolled around. Klein would give him the heads-up when they were ready. It was a waiting ga now, and Parker was okay with that.
But even with all this, the reality was hitting him: With his $4.211 billion portfolio, the managent company, Sophisticated Space, was gonna take 2% annually for running the whole show. That's $84.22 million in managent fees.
Damn, these guys were making real money. And that was just for the basic service. If he kept building his empire, he was looking at paying them a billion at so point.
He smirked, shaking his head. Just him, one person, paying that much. That was nuts. And that was all before he even hit his $100 billion mark!
Parker leaned back in his chair and let out a quiet chuckle. This was crazy. But it wasn't over. Not even close.
He stood up, his fingers sliding across the papers as so of the final contracts were signed. His work here? Done. Ti to wrap it up and keep building.
He had a whole damn empire to make.
****
The eting was finally wrapping up. So contracts signed. Deals closed. Sophisticated Space's team was already buzzing, packing up their files like they'd just secured the damn Holy Grail.
Kane stepped forward, all firm handshakes and polite smiles, exchanging contacts with Parker.
Smooth move. Parker didn't even find it weird—of course, Kane wanted to stay tight with the guy who could casually drop hundreds of millions, no, billions—like lunch money. Who wouldn't want a slice of that?
Ava, anwhile, was off in her own zone flipping through docunts with the real estate team.
She looked sharp, serious—probably swapping contacts or locking in details. Parker caught her throwing a subtle nod here and there, her lips tight, all business.
Parker exhaled. Shit, he almost forgot.
These people crushed it today. And in his world? That kind of loyalty deserved reward—or control, depending on how you spun it.
Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his phone and, with a few taps, discreetly wired $1 million each to the four mbers of the team. No speeches, no grand announcents—just results. The notification hit their phones, and the reaction was imdiate.
The team went silent.
One of them blinked at their screen like they'd just seen the number wrong. Another literally stumbled back a step, face pale, like the zeroes were ssing with his brain.
"Is…is this for real?" soone whispered, voice cracking.
"Bro. Is this legal?"
Kane, sharp as ever, wasn't missing a beat. But even his professional mask cracked when Parker locked eyes with him and casually sent another $2 million straight to his account.
Buying the mind was such a easy thing with money. Swift than building it for years. How far will he be in years? Literally owning them!
They will only be close to him for his money? Big ti! He only needed their feeble and money grabbing mind too!
Kane's mouth opened like he had sothing deep and wise to say—but all that ca out was a stunned, "Thank you, Mr. Black. I… I won't let you down."
No kidding. Dude looked like he'd just been kissed by fate. Explore more stories at empire
The others? Yeah, they were practically ready to start a fan club. Hell, one of them whispered, "Who even tips a million? This is nuts. Unreal. Crazy stupid rich."
Little did they know, for every million Parker dropped, he was getting ten tis back. This wasn't generosity—it was a leash. And they were all firmly tied to it.
****
Klein finally wrapped up, collecting the last of the paperwork while the team was still ntally glitching over their bank balances.
They headed out together. The air felt heavier now, like everyone knew they'd just brushed against sothing… different.
Parker slid into Klein's Lamborghini, the leather seats cool against his back. Outside, the city lights blurred as the car purred to life.
She glanced his way—just a flick, but he caught it. Eyes lingering, curious.
[Ding! Individual Ava Klein's AP has reached 25!]
The system's chi echoed in his head.
Parker smiled. Calm. Controlled.
"You're my driver today, rember?" he said, voice low, teasing but direct when he felt her gaze was lingering more on him than driving the hell out of here.
Klein blinked, snapping out of whatever zone she was in. "Right… yeah, of course."
The car eased forward, Klein's hands steady on the wheel, but her eyes? Yeah, they kept drifting back to him like she was trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
Parker rested his head back, exhaling slowly as the city drifted by. He had one more thing to handle tonight—sothing he'd been putting off way too long.
Parker leaned back in the plush leather seat, eyes closed, head tilted like he was about to pass out. But sleep? Nah, sleep was nowhere in the damn picture. His mind was buzzing.
He'd just dropped $4 billion in a single day. Not just in the U.S., either—his na was now stamped on pri real estate across multiple countries. And those properties? Already making him money. His money.
Yeah, Parker had cash—billions chilling in his accounts like it was no big deal. But still, that $4 billion in properties felt...different. Significant. Like the first brick of a fortress finally being laid. It reminded him of how a mom never forgets her kid's first step. Because this? This was his empire's first damn step.
And yet, despite the ntal confetti popping in his brain, his face stayed stone cold. Blank. Chill.
anwhile, Ava Klein couldn't stop shifting in her seat like she was about to say sothing but kept swallowing it back down. Maybe she was overthinking shit again. Or maybe she was just trying to figure him out.
Parker didn't ask. Hell, his eyes were shut. If she had sothing to say, she could spit it out. If not? Her problem.
"Don't get too curious, you might fall for and that... It's a mistake!" He said cooly.
Ava laughed at his joke and she shook her head eventually, biting back whatever curiosity was eating at her. Probably smart.
Then ca the system's chi in his head.
[Ding! Total Portfolio Value Updated: $4 billion.]
Another $60 million casually stacked on top like loose change after the cashback from the tip. His total? $42.17 billion.
And the crazy part? Soon, he might stop even noticing numbers this small. The thought alone almost made him choke.
If that smug bastard Robert Blackwood ever heard Parker calling millions "small"...man, the dude would probably keel over coughing blood.
Whatever. Not Parker's problem.
For now, he let himself sink further into the seat, quiet, calm, but wired underneath. He'd check the rest of the notifications when he got back to the hotel.
Tonight wasn't just about money. It was about montum.
And Parker wasn't slowing down anyti soon.
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