Charles sat in the backseat of a sleek black Maybach, the kind of car he used to dream of from behind greasy diner windows. Now, the scent of Italian leather mixed with the crisp air conditioning and the faint whiff of Lila’s perfu beside him.
She looked stunning. Not the business-stunning from their usual etings, but dangerously feminine in a crimson silk dress that clung to her curves. Her legs were crossed elegantly, and her eyes were unreadable.
"Are you sure you want to et him?" she asked, not looking at him. "People don’t walk out of dinners with Elias Moretti the sa."
Charles’s phone buzzed.
> [System Notification: Hidden Objective Triggered – "The Devil’s Table."]
"Survive a high-stakes negotiation with Elias Moretti. Reward: Strategic Investnt Network (Passive). Failure Penalty: Credit Score Freeze."
Charles’s lips thinned.
"I’ve made it this far, haven’t I?"
Lila glanced at him then, searching his face. "Just don’t try to outplay him. He’s not soone you play. He is the ga."
The car pulled up in front of a private restaurant nestled behind the marble lobby of a luxury tower—La Caelum, one of the most exclusive dining spots in the city. No sign. No nus. No guests without bloodline or billion-dollar net worth.
Charles adjusted his cufflinks. They were fake gold—but no one here needed to know.
---
The dining room was quiet.
One long table. One man at the end of it.
Elias Moretti.
Mid-fifties, silver hair combed back, eyes like twin shards of ice. He didn’t rise as Charles approached, only motioned lazily to the chair across from him.
"Charles Manson," he said, voice silky with boredom. "The na sounds like a scandal waiting to happen."
"I get that a lot," Charles replied, pulling out his chair.
A waiter appeared instantly—silent, professional, pouring wine that probably cost more than Charles’s entire first job salary.
Moretti leaned back.
"You’ve been making noise. Very public noise. Dismantling Kairo Corp’s holdings. Gaining assets in industries I own shares in. Why?"
Charles didn’t flinch.
"I don’t like being underestimated."
Moretti smirked. "Neither do I. But I don’t threaten empires unless I want war."
> [System Alert: Caution—Negotiation Entering High-Risk Zone. Bluff Limit Reached 45%. Proceed with Strategic Confidence.]
Charles placed both palms on the table.
"I’m not here to threaten. I’m here to join."
That made Moretti raise an eyebrow.
"Join?"
"You have infrastructure. I have drive. You have connections. I have montum. And from what I’ve seen, your son is a disgrace to your legacy."
Silence fell like a blade.
The air grew cold.
Lila’s fingers tensed beside her wine glass.
Elias Moretti leaned forward, and for the first ti, there was no smirk—just the weight of a king ready to pass sentence.
"You think you can replace him?"
Charles stared back. "No. I think I’ve already begun."
> [System Notification: Negotiation Milestone Achieved—"Dare to Challenge Bloodlines." Bonus: Charisma 3 for 48 hours.]
A mont passed.
Then Moretti chuckled.
It wasn’t amusent—it was interest.
"Confidence. That’s rare in n your age. More often than not, it’s insecurity wearing a suit."
He gestured, and the waiter brought a small black box.
Inside—was a contract. Real estate titles. Bank shares. A 15% stake in a new logistics firm rumored to be the next Amazon.
"This is yours. But it cos with three conditions," Moretti said, voice calm. "You don’t cross . You don’t outshine . And when I ask for sothing, you deliver."
Charles didn’t touch the paper.
"I’ll sign if you remove the second condition."
Moretti blinked.
Lila’s breath hitched.
> [System Event Triggered – "The Lion Bites Back."]
You challenged a King in his own court.
Result: Personality Trait Unlocked – Fearless Negotiator.
Perk: All business-related persuasion chances increase by 25%.
"You want to outshine ?" Moretti asked, eyes now gleaming with a new kind of edge.
"No," Charles said. "But I don’t intend to dim my light for anyone."
The silence that followed stretched long. Then, Moretti let out a sharp laugh—this ti, genuinely amused.
"You might get yourself killed soday," he muttered. "But it won’t be today."
He pulled out the second clause, crumpled it, and handed Charles a pen.
Charles signed.
---
Later, as they exited into the midnight city glow, Lila remained quiet.
He turned to her.
"What?"
She looked at him—seriously, deeply, as if seeing him for the first ti not as a hustler clawing his way up, but as sothing more dangerous.
"You impressed him. That’s rare."
"I wasn’t trying to."
"That’s why it worked."
They stood close. Too close. The city buzzed behind them, traffic a blur of red and gold lights. Her voice dropped slightly, a whisper now.
"You know this path ends badly, right? n like Moretti don’t form alliances. They build leashes."
Charles didn’t respond.
Instead, he reached forward and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I don’t wear leashes."
Lila’s breath caught. Just a second.
Then she smiled faintly—half warning, half invitation.
"If you fall, don’t expect to catch you."
"I’d rather you fall with ."
---
They rode back in silence, but sothing had shifted. Lila sat closer. Her hand brushed his once, and neither pulled away.
As they neared his apartnt complex—still the sa ratty building he hadn’t moved out of—Charles’s phone pinged.
> [System Upgrade Unlocked: Strategic Investnt Network (Passive)]
You now gain access to insider data on all investnts you’re involved in. Portfolio recomndations will appear daily.
Congratulations, you’ve entered Tier 2 Wealth Managent.
New Goal: Reach $10 million net worth in 90 days.
Reward: Authority over Minor Corporate Boards.
Charles stared at it.
His fingers curled tight.
The ga had changed again. From cash to corporations. From hunger to hunger with fire.
As he stepped out of the car, Lila rolled the window down. She looked at him, then said softly—
"Don’t beco him."
And then she was gone.
---
Back upstairs, his apartnt felt smaller. Tighter. Like it no longer fit him.
Charles stood by the window, staring out at the city skyline—the lights, the towers, the endless possibilities.
His phone buzzed again.
A ssage.
Unknown Number:
> "You’ve made your first real mistake."
"You signed with a devil. Let’s see if you survive."
Attached was a photo.
Lila.
At her office. Today.
Taken from a sniper scope.
Reviews
All reviews (0)