Ethan practically fell into the Sovereign Loft. The luxury of the Obsidian Heights felt weirdly fake after the dirt and the literal bone-cracking force of the street fight. As soon as the elevator doors hissed shut, he leaned his head against the cool metal wall and let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding since that morning. His side was throbbing where Mark's hook had connected, and his knuckles were stinging. He had pulled a hard, stoic face for Mark to see earlier, but now that he was alone, he was feeling the dull, radiating pains all over his body.
He wasn't a "Sovereign" in that moment; he was just a guy whose adrenaline was crashing hard.
Elana was in the kitchen, tapping away at a tablet. She looked up, her eyes narrowing as she took in his disheveled hoodie and the way he was favoring his left side. "You look like you went twelve rounds with a freight train," she said, her voice dropping the usual professional sheen for a second. "Do I need to call a private doctor?" Her voice carried a slight, genuine worry.
"No," Ethan grunted, limping over to the kitchen island and slumping into a chair. The leather felt too expensive for someone as sweaty and battered as he was. "Just a... misunderstanding on the street. I'm fine." As he sat, he recalled all of Mark's moves—the precision, the raw power. A slight worry showed in his face as he realized how much pain he'd be in right now, offending someone like that, if he hadn't had the power-up from the System.
He didn't want to explain that his "body" was currently a Peak-Human machine that was already knitting the bruises back together. He just wanted to sit still and let the room stop spinning.
"The meeting?" she asked, sliding a glass of ice water across the marble toward him.
"It went... well," Ethan said, taking a long gulp of water. He thought about the Apex Club, the terrifying weight of that room, and the title of Provincial Overseer. He didn't want to tell her the name of the club; it felt too big, too much like a "secret society" for a Tuesday afternoon. "I met some people. Powerful people. They gave me the green light to move some serious capital in the Provincial City. It's official. We're in the room now."
And then he looked at her, his eyes regaining some of that sharp focus despite the fatigue. "But we can't just be 'the guy with the money' anymore, Elana. We need a face. A name. Something that sounds like it's been here for a hundred years even though we're building it tonight."
"I've been waiting for you to say that," Elana replied, leaning her elbows on the counter. "So, what's the play?"
"Black Global Holdings," Ethan said. He'd been chewing on the name the whole walk back. "I want it to be a holding company. We start by buying up chunks of the boring stuff—logistics, power, the things that keep the city running. But the real goal? I want to find the people like... well, like me. The ones with talent but no cash. The ones the big families ignore. We're going to buy their shares, fund their dreams, and make them so big the old guard can't ignore them."
However, as he explained the vision, he felt a bit of a stutter in his voice. He was a student talking about global disruption, and for a second, he felt like he was playing dress-up.
"I'm going to use my new... status," Ethan continued, carefully avoiding the word 'Overseer.' "To push the registration through. They won't block me. They can't. I'm going to set the headquarters up in the Golden Dragon Hotel once the payment clears tomorrow, but it will be moved to the Provincial City when everything has been set up. I've already got a guy—Mark—who's going to handle the security. He's... intense, but he's the best I've seen. He's coming with some of his friends; they will be in charge of security in the Provincial City and some will be stationed at the hotel too."
Elana watched him, her expression a mix of concern and genuine intrigue. "You're moving fast, Ethan. Moving into the Provincial City is like jumping into a shark tank. I'm worried you'll become a target for those people in power. Don't you think you should move slower?"
"I know," Ethan said, his hand straying to his sore ribs. "But I didn't get this... this opportunity just to sit in a loft and watch the sunset. If I'm going to do this, I'm doing it all the way. Besides, with my new status, I don't have to worry about being a target. Rather, I'm waiting for them to target me."
And for a few minutes, they just sat there, the silence of the loft heavy with the weight of the billion-dollar moves they were planning. Ethan felt the 145 points in the back of his mind, a silent, digital itch. He was still so far from the 1,000 he needed. Every move he made felt like he was balancing on a tightrope.
The quiet was broken by his phone buzzing on the counter. Ethan grabbed it, his heart skipping a beat when he saw the caller ID. He cleared his throat, trying to force his voice to sound normal, like the Ethan who didn't have a quadrillion dollars.
"Hey, Sarah," he said, his voice instantly softening.
"Ethan! Oh my god, I'm finally done!" His sister's voice exploded through the phone, so loud Elana could probably hear it. "I just turned in my last exam. I feel like my brain is literally leaking out of my ears, but I think I passed!"
Ethan felt a massive, genuine grin break across his face, the stress of the fight and the company vanishing for a second. "That's my girl. I knew you'd crush it. You always were the one who actually studied. And how do you think you passed when you just turned in your exams? Don't you need to wait for a while before the results are out?"
"Shut up," she laughed, but he could hear her breathing hard, the post-exam high still hitting her. "But listen, everyone is going out to celebrate, but I'm already looking at these university sites. It's... it's a lot, Ethan. The one in the Central District is beautiful, but the tuition... I don't know if we can even get a loan for that much."
Ethan felt a lump in his throat. He looked around the Sovereign Loft—a place that cost more than a thousand tuitions—and then down at his scuffed sneakers.
"Don't... don't worry about the loans, Sarah," he said, his voice cracking just a tiny bit. "Seriously. I've been, uh, doing some really high-level consulting. Like, big stuff. Also, I won a lottery of ten million, so the money isn't an issue anymore. Just pick the school you actually want. Not the one you think we can afford. Okay?"
"Consulting? Ethan, what kind of consulting pays for a Central District University?" She sounded suspicious, her voice high-pitched but happy. "And ten million?"
"Yes, ten million," Ethan replied, "but don't mention it to mom and dad yet. It's meant to be a surprise. And the consulting is... just tech stuff. Financial structures. It's complicated." Ethan lied, his face heating up. He was a terrible liar to her. "The point is, you did the hard work of passing the exams. Let me do the work of paying the bills. Pick your top three. I don't care if they're the most expensive in the country."
"Are you serious? You're not just messing with me because you're bored?"
"I'm serious, Sarah. I've never been more serious about anything. You're going to be the best doctor—or architect, or whatever you choose—in this city. Just pick."
"I... okay. Wow. I'm going to go get a drink with my friends before I faint. I'll send you the links tonight! I love you, Ethan!"
"Love you too, kid. Have fun. And I'll send you a 'congratulations fee.' Use that for fun with your friends. I should be home in a couple of days to visit."
He hung up and stared at the dark screen for a long time. He felt a weird pressure in his chest. The billion-dollar company, the fight with Mark, the Apex Club—it all felt like a movie. But Sarah going to university? That made it real.
However, the reality also meant he had to stay alive. He had to make sure Black Global Holdings became a fortress. He couldn't afford to be "just a lucky student" anymore. He had to be the man who deserved the power he'd been given.
He looked over at Elana, who was pretending not to have listened to the whole conversation. Secretly, she was surprised. She wondered how someone of Ethan's status—someone who could pay forty billion for the acquisition of the Golden Dragon Hotel—could get so excited about winning a ten million lottery. She kept this to herself, her face remaining a professional mask. She knew that anything he didn't mention wasn't her concern. She understood that if she tried to know more than she should, she'd likely be outcast from Ethan's life. She didn't want to lose the opportunity she'd just gained because of a bit of curiosity. Being the head of a global holding company was a lot better than being a nobody.
"She's going to the Central District," Ethan said, his voice firm now.
"Then we better make sure Black Global is ready to protect that investment," Elana replied, her eyes glinting with a bit of the fire Ethan had. "I'll have the incorporation papers ready by dawn. You should get some sleep, Ethan. Tomorrow, you have a long day."
Ethan nodded, his side still aching, but his mind already moving toward the Golden Dragon. He stood up, his 100-point body finally starting to fully process the day's damage. He walked toward his bedroom, Elana following a few steps behind to ensure he made it safely.
As the lights dimmed in the Sovereign Loft, the only sound left was the faint, distant chipping of late-night birds outside the obsidian glass, a quiet prelude to the storm coming tomorrow.