The clock on the wall of the "Insight Tech" sales department ticked loudly. It was 4:50 PM. Ten minutes before freedom.
The office was dead silent. Everyone was keeping their heads down, terrified of drawing attention to themselves.
Manager Wang, known as "Fatty Wang" behind his back, was patrolling the aisles like a prison warden. He held a half-eaten donut in one hand.
"Work faster!" Wang shouted, spitting crumbs. "If you don't hit the quota, you'll end up like that loser Alex! Fired and starving on the street!"
The employees flinched. They all remembered Alex getting kicked out this morning. It was brutal.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Distinct, rhythmic footsteps echoed from the hallway. Expensive leather shoes hitting the cheap tile floor.
The glass doors pushed open.
Alex walked in.
The office went silent instantly.
He wasn't the hunched-over, sweating boy from this morning. He was wearing a midnight-blue custom suit that shimmered under the fluorescent lights. His hair was styled back. On his wrist, a platinum watch caught the light.
But it wasn't just the clothes. It was the air around him.
[Passive Skill Active: Tycoon's Aura]
A wave of invisible pressure washed over the room. The employees felt their throats go dry. It was the kind of pressure you felt when a billionaire CEO walked into the room.
"Who... who is that?" a female intern whispered, her face flushing red.
"Is that... Alex?"
Manager Wang squinted his beady eyes. He dropped his donut.
"Alex?" Wang marched over, his face turning purple. "You? What the hell is this costume? Did you rob a theater?"
Alex didn't stop walking. He walked straight toward his old desk.
"I'm talking to you!" Wang screamed, waddling faster to block Alex's path. "You think wearing a fake suit makes you a man? You're still a fired dog! Get out before I call security!"
Alex stopped. He looked down at Wang.
With the +15 Charm and the Tycoon's Aura, Alex's gaze felt like a physical weight.
"Move," Alex said. One word. Soft, but cold as ice.
Wang flinched. For a second, he felt genuine fear. But his ego quickly took over. He was the manager!
"You dare tell me to move?" Wang reached out his greasy hand to grab Alex's lapel. "I'm going to rip this cheap rental off your—"
[Stats: Speed +10 active.]
Before Wang's dirty fingers could touch the $5,000 fabric, Alex moved.
It was a blur.
Alex's hand shot up and clamped around Wang's wrist.
"Don't touch the suit," Alex said. "It costs more than your life."
Alex squeezed.
"Argh!" Wang shrieked. He felt like his wrist was in a hydraulic press. "Let go! You're breaking it!"
Alex shoved Wang backward casually.
THUMP!
Wang tripped over his own feet and fell onto a pile of file boxes. He lay there, wheezing like an overturned turtle.
The entire office gasped.
Alex ignored him. He walked to his old desk. He picked up the cardboard box containing his few personal items—a photo of his parents and a cheap pen.
He looked at his former colleagues. They were staring at him with a mix of fear and awe.
He saw the intern, Lisa, who had once given him half her sandwich when he was broke.
Alex smiled at her. It was a dazzling, movie-star smile.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of cash. $10,000. He had withdrawn it at the hotel lobby ATM earlier.
He tossed the stack onto Lisa's desk.
"For the sandwich," Alex said.
Lisa's jaw dropped. "Alex... I..."
"Hey! That's company property!" Wang screamed from the floor, struggling to get up. "You can't just throw money around! I'll sue you!"
Alex turned back to Wang.
"Sue me?" Alex laughed. It was a dark, mocking sound. "Wang, pray that I don't buy this company tomorrow just to fire you again."
[DING!]
[Hidden Mission Complete: The King Returns.] [Reward: +500 Tycoon Points. +1 Lottery Ticket.]
Alex adjusted his cufflinks, turned on his heel, and walked out. The glass doors swung shut behind him.
The office remained silent for a full minute.
Finally, someone whispered.
"Did... did he say he was going to buy the company?"
Manager Wang sat amidst the scattered papers, holding his bruising wrist, staring at the door with terror in his eyes. He realized he had made a very, very big mistake.