Ryan looked at Michelle.
"Well, good news."
Michelle stared at him for a few seconds.
Then she sighed.
"You really like saying things that make people more confused," she just didn’t know when she said that.
Ryan smiled. "Do I?"
"Yes."
She pulled a chair and sat opposite him.
"So, what exactly is this place going to be?"
Ryan leaned back in the chair.
That was the question he had been waiting for.
He looked around the office.
The building was still the same old business facility he had bought earlier that day.
But Ryan wasn’t looking at what it was.
He was looking at what it could become.
"A company."
Michelle raised an eyebrow.
"I figured that much."
Ryan smiled.
"I want to build the first proper Time Selling company."
The amusement disappeared from Michelle’s face.
She sat up straight.
"You mean..."
"Exactly what you’re thinking."
Ryan placed both hands on the desk.
"I wan an organisation this big and classic. I don’t want one where everything could risked falling apart in disorganisation and unprofessionalism."
Michelle nodded slowly.
"That makes sense, sir."
"I need a system. The kind that people can understand."
"We need structure. Employees. Departments. Rules. People who handle applications. People who investigate clients. People who manage contracts. People who protect confidential information."
Michelle listened carefully.
Ryan could see that she wasn’t merely listening.
She was thinking.
He had expected her to agree.
Instead, she suddenly asked, "What happens when someone walks into this building and asks to buy ten years?"
Ryan paused.
"Depends on who they are."
"That’s exactly the problem."
Michelle leaned forward.
"If we don’t have a proper system, everyone will eventually have access to you."
Ryan nodded.
"Go on."
"First, there should be a reception level."
Ryan remained silent.
"Not everyone who comes here should be allowed anywhere near you. The ordinary person shouldn’t even know where your office is."
She pointed toward the door.
"Someone comes in, explains why they’re here, and they’re directed to the appropriate department."
Ryan nodded.
"That’s one."
"Second..."
Michelle thought for a moment.
"We need levels."
Ryan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"What kind?"
"Client levels."
She looked directly at him.
"Not everyone should be treated the same."
Ryan leaned back as he nodded, but he still wanted her to explain more.
"Explain," he said.
"Imagine a normal person comes here because they have a terminal illness and need five years."
Ryan nodded.
"Now imagine a billionaire comes here asking for fifty years."
She raised one finger.
"Then imagine a government official, celebrity, royal family member, or someone with enormous influence comes here."
She raised another.
"These people shouldn’t go through the same process."
Ryan’s expression became more interested.
"Why?"
"Because the risk isn’t the same."
Michelle’s voice became more confident.
"A poor man asking for five years may only be a financial transaction. But a powerful person asking for fifty years could affect an entire organization, family, company, or even a government."
Ryan stared at her in amazement, and Michelle continued.
"So we need different levels of access."
Ryan smiled slightly. "You’re getting somewhere."
Michelle smiled.
"I know."
Ryan laughed.
"Alright. Let’s hear it."
Michelle stood up and walked toward the whiteboard mounted on the wall.
She picked up a marker.
"Level One."
She wrote. "Basic Clients."
Ryan nodded.
"People who need small amounts of time. Ordinary citizens. Their applications can be handled by regular staff."
She wrote beneath it.
"Level Two."
"Premium Clients."
"People who can afford larger amounts. Business owners, wealthy individuals, executives, celebrities."
She turned around.
"They receive more privacy and faster processing."
Ryan nodded.
"Level Three."
Michelle wrote.
"VIP Clients."
"People whose identities alone require additional security."
Ryan’s eyes narrowed.
"Politicians?"
"Among others."
Michelle continued.
"Government officials. Major corporate executives. International figures. Extremely wealthy families. Anyone whose association with this company could cause public attention."
Ryan nodded slowly.
"And Level Four?"
Michelle looked at him.
"That’s where you come in."
"Me?" Ryan smiled and asked.
"Yes." She wrote one final heading.
"Direct Clients."
She turned toward him.
"Anyone you personally approve."
Ryan stared at the board.
That was actually good... Very good, and Ryan himself couldn’t deny that!
But Michelle wasn’t finished.
"There should also be a separate classification based on the amount of time requested."
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "You’re not done?"
"No," she continued.
She happened to smile, while Ryan laughed softly, already enjoying the small plan lecture she was giving him.
"Go ahead."
"For example, someone asking for one or two years isn’t the same as someone asking for fifty."
She began writing.
"Small contracts."
Then another.
"Large contracts."
And finally...
"Exceptional contracts."
Ryan stood up.
"Exceptional?"
"Anything that requires an unusually large amount of lifespan."
She looked at him.
"Imagine someone offers you a billion dollars for a thousand years."
Ryan’s expression changed, as he gave a nod.
"That would be exceptional."
"Exactly."
Michelle put down the marker.
"And those contracts should never be handled casually."
Ryan nodded.
"And who decides?" He asked.
"Of course."
She crossed her arms.
"You’re the Time Seller."
Ryan smiled. "I like the sound of that."
"You should."
Michelle returned to her seat, as Ryan remained standing for a moment, looking at the board.
It was simple, but it had structure.
And structure was exactly what he needed.
"There’s another problem."
Michelle spoke again.
Ryan turned around.
"What?"
"Employees."
Ryan nodded.
"I already left the job for you."
"I know," She shook her head.
"I mean the employees themselves."
Ryan looked at her as she continued.
"We can’t just hire random people because they need jobs. Because of what this company does," she said.
Her expression became serious.
"We’re going to be dealing with people’s lives."
"That’s true, Miss Michelle. That’s really on point," Ryan nodded with an impressed look on his face.
"If someone here leaks information about a client, it could become a disaster."
Michelle leaned forward.
"If an employee tells the media that a billionaire bought twenty years from us, what happens?"
Ryan didn’t answer as he could only shrug.
"The public finds out. Other billionaires panic. Governments become interested. Competitors appear. People start trying to find this building."
She paused.
"And eventually, someone will try to force their way into the company without proper interests."
Ryan stared at her, his face forming a glare.
"Isn’t it not going to be a good thing to find the company after creating awareness?" He asked.
"It depends, sir," Michelle responded. She had understood the problem almost immediately.
"We need confidentiality agreements."
"Strict ones... Very strict."
"Background checks, obviously, and financial records."
"And why?" Ryan decided to ask.
Michelle answered without hesitation.
"Because desperate people are dangerous."
Ryan’s eyebrows rose as the interest on that particular topic grew.
"Explain," he said.
"If someone is deeply in debt and we give them access to information worth millions or billions, what stops them from selling that information?"
Michelle shook her head. "Money changes people."
She shrugged.
"So we need to know who we’re hiring."
Ryan slowly smiled.
"You’ve thought about this."
Michelle gave him a look.
"You asked me to manage your company."
"I didn’t expect this," Ryan genuinely had to say, judging how prepared she must have been to deliver this speech and plan.
"What did you expect, sir?"
Ryan smiled.
"I expected you to tell me where the chairs should go."
Michelle rolled her eyes.
"I’m not decorating your office, sir. Sorry to say," she forced a slight smile.
Ryan laughed.
"Fair enough."
Michelle smiled.
Then her expression became serious again.
"There should also be departments. Five at the beginning and it can be expanded in the future."
Ryan gestured for her to continue.
"Client Relations."
She counted on her fingers.
"Contract Management."
Another finger.
"Finance."
Another.
"Security and Confidentiality."
And finally...
"Administration."
Ryan nodded, and Michelle didn’t hesitate to continue.
"Client Relations handles everyone who wants to contact the company. They receive applications, answer questions, schedule consultations, and determine which level the client belongs to."
"Contract Management?"
"They make sure every contract is properly documented. Amount of time purchased. Price. Duration. Client identity. Payment. Everything."
"Finance?"
"Money."
She smiled. "That one should be obvious."
"Security and Confidentiality?"
"Protect the company. Protect the clients. Protect you."
She looked directly at him.
"And Administration handles the people working here, supplies, internal operations, records, and everything else that keeps the company functioning."
Ryan nodded slowly, as he didn’t know when he began to clap his hands.
"This is good... Very good."
He had to praise her for the wonderful revelation of her plan, as it was indeed perfect.
His decision to let her bring out her own ideas hadn’t ended in regret, and truly he was glad that he might have chosen the right person for the job.
’My instincts truly never fails me.’
******
By the time Ryan returned to his apartment, the sun had already begun to disappear beyond the buildings.
He walked into the apartment and tossed his keys onto the table.
It had been a long day.
A very long day.
He had bought a building, created the foundation of his company, and had officially put Michelle in charge of managing it.
And now he had an entirely new problem.
To make sure the renovation of the building was completed soon, and then there would be an official rebranding.
He sat down on the couch and sighed.
’Things are moving quickly.’
But then, at that time, his phone suddenly rang.
Ryan opened his eyes, reached into his pocket and looked at the screen.
The name immediately caught his attention.
Tony Lincoln.
Ryan glared slightly as he picked the call
"Hello?"
Tony’s cheerful voice immediately came through the phone.
"Congratulations, Mister Ryan!"
Ryan sat up.
"Congratulations?"
"Yes!" Tony sounded unusually excited.
"We have finally come up with a date for your wedding with our beautiful daughter!"