The meeting ended without ceremony.
Anthony and Adaora walked out together.
At the entrance, they paused briefly.
“No calls,” Adaora said calmly.
“I’ll reach out when I’m ready.”
Anthony gave a slight nod.
“I’ll be expecting it.”
That was all.
No handshake.
No smile.
Just understanding.
Then they went their separate ways.
Outside, Lagos breathed differently.
The late afternoon sun stretched across the skyline, painting the city in gold—traffic humming, horns layering over distant ocean winds, and ambition hanging thick in the air.
Anthony stepped toward his car, and paused.
A sharp sound echoed in his mind.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
A faint blue interface flickered into existence before his eyes.
[Hidden Mission Completed]
Title: Alliance of Value
Condition: Successfully secure the interest of a high-level strategic asset (Adaora).
Status: Completed.
Reward Processing…
Anthony’s mouth opened wide.
Hidden mission?
How?
So even that meeting… Was being evaluated?
[Reward Granted]
Random Asset Allocation Initiated…
Allocating…
Beep…
Target Company Identified: HelixCore Analytics Group
Sector: Financial Intelligence / Market Prediction / Corporate Data Infrastructure
Acquisition Result:
38% Direct Share Control
12% Proxy Voting Rights (Undisclosed Channels)
Total Effective Control: 50% (Controlling Stake Achieved).
Anthony’s breath slowed.
That wasn’t just a reward.
That was leverage on a completely different level.
[HelixCore Analytics Group – System Summary]
Provides predictive financial models to top-tier corporations.
Maintains private data pipelines across multiple industries in Lagos.
Supplies intelligence used in high-stakes acquisitions and hostile takeovers.
A faint smile touched his lips.
Now that…
That was dangerous.
With HelixCore under his control, Anthony wouldn’t just react to the market—
He could anticipate it.
Shape it.
Exploit it.
The system flickered once more.
.
.
.
He was still smiling about his latest acquisition.
He drove out of the parking lot.
Eyes glinting.
But the system wasn’t done for the day.
Lady luck was still smiling on him.
[Side Mission Unlocked].
.
.
Title: Debt of Survival
Objective: Rescue a target from imminent financial destruction.
Target: Unknown male.
Threat Level: Moderate.
.
.
Reward:
°Talent Acquisition Opportunity
°+5 Influence Points.
°Hidden Bonus (Conditional)
°Time Limit: 2 Hours
Anthony exhaled slowly.
“Loansharks…” he muttered.
Lagos had plenty of those.
That brought a memory though.
He brush it off.
The old him is left in the past.
But the system never chose randomly.
Which meant one thing—this “target” mattered.
A lot.
[Location Pinged: Mushin District]
Anthony’s expression hardened.
He call his villa to send some of his security personnel.
Lagos Loansharks can be dangerous.
No hesitation.
He stepped on the pedal.
The engine roared to life.
Mushin – 47 Minutes Later.
This wasn’t the Lagos of glass towers and champagne meetings.
This was raw.
Crowded.
The other side of the golden city.
Alive in a different way.
Narrow streets.
Rusted roofs.
The sharp scent of survival.
Anthony stepped out of the car, instantly drawing attention.
Which made him visible.
And in places like this—visibility could be dangerous.
A commotion broke through the noise.
Shouting.
Anger.
Pain.
Anthony turned the corner.
He follow the system arrow.
And saw him.
A man on his knees.
Blood at the edge of his lips.
Three men standing over him.
Cold.
Impatient.
Dangerous.
“Please… just give me time…” the man begged, voice shaking.
“Time?” one of them laughed, kicking him hard in the ribs.
“Time doesn’t pay interest.”
Anthony’s eyes narrowed.
[Target identified]
Name: Babajide Nelson.
Age: 29
Occupation: Data Analyst (Unemployed)
Skill Rating:
Numerical Intelligence: 9.5/10
Predictive Analysis: 9.2/10
Financial Modeling: 9.0/10
Status: Critical Asset.
Anthony’s lips curved slightly.
Jackpot.
“Let him go.”
The words cut clean through the chaos.
All three men turned.
Slowly.
Sizing him up.
Then laughing.
“Inu iho wo ni gigolo yi tí jáde?” ( in Yorùbá dialect).
Meaning.
which hole did this gigolo crawl out from?.
“And who the hell are you?” Another one asked.
Anthony stepped closer, unbothered.
“The man who just bought his debt.”
Silence.
Then—
Laughter again.
“Bought?” the leader smirked.
“You think this is a supermarket?”
Anthony reached into his pocket.
Pulled out his phone.
Tapped once.
Within seconds, one of his men stepped forward with a sleek black case.
Opened it.
Stacks.
Clean.
Organized.
Real.
The laughter died instantly.
“How much?” Anthony asked.
The leader’s eyes flickered.
Greed replacing arrogance.
“…Five million naira.”
“That’s a lie” The man pinned to the group shouted.
Anthony didn’t blink.
“Take ten.”
Now the silence was different.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
“But,” Anthony added calmly, “you walk away. No interest. No tracking. No coming back.”
The men exchanged glances.
Money like that… wasn’t something you argued with.
They took it.
And they left.
Just like that.
Anthony crouched in front of the man.
Nelson Babajide.
Bruised.
Broken.
Breathing hard.
But his eyes…
Sharp.
Still calculating.
Even now.
“Why?”Nelson asked weakly.
“Why help me?”
Anthony tilted his head slightly.
“Because you’re valuable.”
Nelson blinked.
Confused.
Anthony’s men had arrived earlier.
And one of them stepped forward.
Handing a document to Nelson.
Anthony stood and adjusted his cuffs.
“I don’t do charity,” he said.
“I make investments.”
He extended his hand.
“Work for me.”
A pause.
A long one.
Then—
Nelson went through the document.
Breath hurried.
His major.
Expertise.
And an offer he can never let go.
[Mission complete]
Reward:
°Talent Acquisition Opportunity
°+5 Influence Points.
°Hidden Bonus : talent eye.
°Bonus: increase in talent (business expert).
°Wealth: ₦299,999,999.
Anthony’s gaze lingered on the notification this time.
Not just the reward—
But the currency behind it.
His phone beep.
Additional ₦299 million received.
And the influence points.
That’s new.
He read it slowly.
[Influence Points – System Function]
Used to unlock high-level opportunities and hidden missions.
Increases negotiation advantage in critical deals.
Grants access to restricted intelligence and elite networks.
Can trigger rare system interventions during high-risk situations.
Anthony smiled faintly.
So that was it.
Power… quantified.
Not just money.
Not just control.
Leverage.
The kind that shaped outcomes before they even began.
°°°° °°°°
The board was experiencing an undercurrent.
Later That Night – Victoria Island
High above the city, lights flickered across glass walls.
Power gathered in silence.
Not in the open.
But in rooms where decisions shaped empires.
A group of men sat around a long table.
Expensive suits.
Measured voices.
Dangerous intentions.
“He’s growing too fast,” one of them said.
“Too unpredictable,” another added.
A third leaned forward.
“Then we don’t stop him…”
A pause.
“…we control him.”
A file slid across the table.
Inside—
Profiles.
Candidates.
Loyalists.
Spies.
“We are planning about placing our people inside his circle,” the first man continued.
“Advisors. Analysts. Assistants.”
Another smirked.
“By the time he realizes…”
“…we’ll already own him.”
Everyone with their own plan.
The room fell into agreement.
Silent.
Decisive.
°°°°°°°
Anthony’s villa – Same Night
Anthony stood by the window.
Looking outside in thoughts.
The city pulsed beneath him.
Alive with opportunity.
And danger.
Behind him, Nelson sat quietly, now cleaned up, dressed, but still absorbing everything.
The luxury.
The shift.
The second chance.
Anthony didn’t turn.
“Tomorrow,” he said calmly, “you start working.”
Nelson nodded.
“What exactly will I be doing?”
Anthony’s reflection stared back at him from the glass.
Sharp.
Focused.
Unyielding.
“Helping me win.”
He paused.
“Familiarize yourself with the document I sent to your email ”
“On it…”
“Good.”
A faint flicker crossed his eyes.
His phone beep…
Direct email from the corporation.
To all shareholder
He smile.
He was eager.
As if… anticipating something bigger.
Because the real game…
Hadn’t even started yet.
Happy Sunday!
I dropped a long chapter because, I am dropping only one chapter today.
…
And …
have a blast!