A few days after the sale of the paper company the big three investors usually used to move gold, Arnold was holed up at his apartment, whiskey glass in his hand as he recalled the events of the last few days.If there was one peculiar thing about him, it was his ability to take inventory of what he'd done so far, so he could see how far he'd come and plan his future better.Arnold took life really seriously. Having tasted the harsh side of life before, he knew that if one got too comfortable with the frivolities, things wouldn’t end up looking good in the ledger book and he just couldn’t afford that.So even though his life was a bit more exciting lately, Arnold kept working like a horse and planning at the same time. He just didn’t want to get carried away. Not at this early stage even. He was yet to make his mark, or even if he had, he wanted to make more marks.He wanted to be at the top of the top. Not necessarily in the greedy way, but then he wanted to build a very solid reputa
Mr Kim, Mr Evans and Mr Cain all looked at Arnold in total shock. He could see the sweat trickling down their faces and necks through the video chat screen, as they mulled over what he’d just told him. They were shaking, floundering, looking for solid ground to hold on to and Arnold beat his chest slightly, proud that he’d done this. He'd made them feel that way, and it felt so damn good.Now they’d know just how it felt like to be helpless. All the times when they’d leeched and made innocent victims who fell into their traps suffer, and the agony and pain they’d caused innocent investors who’d then beg them for a way out. Now it was time for them to eat out of the pot they cooked, and Arnold watched with satisfaction in his face as they cowered.They needed a lesson. A really tough one. And Arnold had delivered ever so spectacularly.Oh, it felt good to be the one delivering this to them, and not the other way would. Usually they’d be the ones doing these things to someone else,
With his plan successfully executed, Arnold was now even richer than before. There was a pep in his step and a feeling of invisibility he carried with him from that day onwards. Like he was untouchable.He recounted the deals with the big boy investors, recalling how he had successfully passed the quest of dominating the gold market. He could still remember what the system had shown him on the screenThe reward he’d gotten, and just how proud Nexus had been off him—something that was strange but uplifting.The Quest details had went thus—[Quest to Dominate the gold market completed successfully!][Quest reward] - $40,000 in your lavish account and another $40,000 in your main account. Some extra dollars. That was just so sweet.The ringing of his alarm clock that early morning, was all it took for Arnold to snap out of his head and come back to reality."Oh, shit," He cursed as he began to get ready for his appointment, for the day.He was to meet up with a realtor for a tour of ano
Vera stepped out from the bathtub, soaking wet. She grabbed her towel and skimmed it over her body then wore her white bathroom robe before stepping out of the bathroom.Like a princess.She wanted to feel like a damn princess.Yes, her life after marriage wasn't the way she wanted it to be, but each time she could catch time alone, she always tried to spend it, imagining she wasn't so miserable. That she enjoyed this life even though it was currently far from what she'd initially wanted.The cold air from the air conditioning in the room caused her to shiver, and she pulled the bathroom robe tighter around her.Home alone, she didn't have to tiptoe around the house. No. Yet, she walked silently, though, already used to it. Her husband wasn't back from work and she surely did not miss him in his absence. Not when he now spent half of his time, trying to add more collection of scars to the ones he'd already created.She grabbed her fraying face towel from her pile of skincare things in
Arnold was a beast. An unstoppable one. He continued without a single break, making a mark on Wall Street — a mark that would not be so easily forgotten.This time, he was doing it singlehandedly. Not as a mere protege of Mr Xiu. But, as his own person, his own boss. And, damn, that felt so good.As time passed, his profit increased massively. His profit increased in such a way that he started a random investment company. It was a company that dealt mainly on investing in other conglomerate business in order to swallow them at their lowest point. He would buy their shares and earn management right, and when they were going through a low time, he would step in and buy the company. He'd gotten this idea after he successfully did the same with the big boy investors—the paper nylon company he'd bought from them—and he saw how profitable it was.Asides from the investment company, he also resumed stable supply of the metal bullets to his customer gang and they were paying him cool cash for
“Rocky?!” The name left Arnold's lips for the umpteenth time as he locked gazes with Lisa's supposed spouse. The burly-looking man gazed at him with fire in his eyes and jaw clenched, and Arnold knew if looks could kill, he'd have burned to ashes right there on the bed.What kind of insane position had he just gotten himself into? He was fucking his client's wife. Oh shit! Arnold couldn't get his head around it all, and with his teeth clenched, he wondered why Nexus hadn't told him Lisa was Rocky's wife the first time he’d appraised her.Did the system not know? Or was this part of a larger scheme in store for him? With several questions racing through his mind, Arnold remained transfixed on the bed as he continued to think. Also, why was Rocky living in a rented apartment? Arnold almost laughed at the rhetorical question, even though nothing was funny. Rocky was the leader of the gang for which he supplied bullets, and by all accounts, the man, or the group rather, had lots of mo
Arnold heaved himself up from the floor with a hefty grunt, his eyes flying about the room in search of his clothes. The first step in defeating Rocky, who was still yelling at Lisa, was to find his clothes and dress up. The second step was to seek assistance from the system store, as Nexus had advised, and the third step...? He had no idea what that would entail, but he’d have to figure it out, though.Right now, though, his utmost priority was getting dressed so he could get back on top of this mess he'd somehow created.Crawling about the room and picking up his clothes, Arnold let out a sign and an agonizing wince now and then.First, he wore his shirt. Then he put on his pants and socks. And soon, he was done dressing. Looking around the disorganized room, he noticed a towel and grabbed it to clean his bloodied face. His hands trembled too much to wipe away all signs of blood thoroughly, but he gave it his all. While he was cleaning himself, though, Rocky was still yelling at
Arnold listened as a bloodied and battered Rocky answered his questions about the gang, providing information as well as other interesting details about how they functioned. Despite how angry he was at the gang boss, Arnold was impressed by his resourcefulness and intelligence. But, well, he needn’t be surprised. After all, Rocky was the gang's leader, and it stood to reason that he should know everything. "...as you can see..." Rocky took a pause, coughing and wincing before continuing. "My gang is just a local gang that steals illegal goods from other gangs and profits from the sales."“Hmmm.” Arnold hummed, scratching the bridge of his nose in thought. He wasn't entirely convinced by this story. Because if Rocky's gang just stole illicit goods, why did they always demand additional metal bullets, and what about the fights they got into during those raids? Maybe he was telling the truth, and they required the bullets for defense and fortification of their base of operations. Th