Arnold woke up with a smile on his face and a refreshing feeling inside of him. He reached out toward Lisa, but felt only space and empty sheets. He opened his eyes in a flurry."Lisa?" he called out.He'd not expected to wake up to an empty bed after the kind of night they'd had. It had been all fire and passion and her screaming had suggested that she had enjoyed it as much as he did.He stood up from the bed in all his bare skin glory and found his boxers on the floor. He put it on and shuffled out of the room to find her.He went towards the kitchen counter to find that she'd cleared the dishes. He grinned wide as he recalled just what they'd done on the counter before moving to the room to continue.There was a stirring in his groin. He wanted her again. Badly."Lisa?"No answer.He went round every part of his apartment, including his balcony, and found it empty.She was gone.He'd never expected that she would be the kind of woman to disappear the morning after."Shit," he cur
Arnold clutched the business card in his hand. He looked up at the building, then back at the address scribbled on it. He was ready to walk in there and shock the hats off Mr Xiu.He'd woken up that morning with a certain refreshing feeling, no longer held down by whatever shortcomings he'd been consumed by in the past. He was dressed in a dapper blue suit and a red checkered tie, with a pristine black shoe to top it off.He'd not expected this building before him. It was way bigger than he'd imagined. Going by who Mr Xiu really was — which was the Ghost of Wall street — he knew he would be big, but he'd just not expected him to be this big.There was a bold sign in front of the countless storey building that said XIU'S EMPIRE.Typical.There was no trace or proof that Mr Xiu was the Ghost of Wall Street, however.He walked into the building. The security guard stopped him at the entrance and just like he'd seen in the movies, he lifted his card and said, "I'm here to see Mr Xiu."T
Mr Xiu's eyes were so wide, it looked like it would soon pop out. Arnold completed the shock factor by bringing out the last proof: a big wad of 20 dollar bills packaged in small bundles. He placed it on the desk."Hmmm." Mr Xiu scratched his chin and watched how Arnold stood.He exuded confidence as he waited for Mr Xiu to respond. It was blinding. It was a huge contrast from the doubting Arnold that had sat opposite him in that cafe and examined the coins for so long without finding an iota of value in them.Had he, perhaps, cut through corners to get the 500$? Maybe he'd found a way to do that and cleaned his track so neatly. Maybe that was why he looked so confident.Of course, he'd used vague terms to explain to Arnold just how valuable the coins were, but the fact that Arnold had found the value and gotten the money was one for the books. The coins were one of the rarest types of lead ever. He'd not told Arnold that fact because it would have been like handing him the answers
The system activated in Arnold's head and his current values were displayed on the screen, moving slowly to show all the values.The voice accompanied the display.'Congratulations, Arnold. You have successfully passed both of the quests in the chain quest and you've finally unlocked the class - investor.'[NEXUS SYSTEM] Host name: Arnold StoneAge: 31Level: 006 Class: Investor[Skills]- Class skillsInsight- Common skillsAppraisal[Stats]Strength: 15Speed: 10Stamina: 15Charisma: 5Intelligence: 30Mental Fortitude: 3Wisdom:15[POINTS]Nexus points: (locked)Lavish points: 599,000Stats points: 100 stat pointsLEVEL - + 2 levelsArnold took a few minutes to revel in the joy that came with this recent accomplishment. Everything was in place and he could quite literally see his accomplishments."Arnold?" Mr Xiu called him out of his head.Arnold shook his head and blinked. He found Mr Xiu standing in front of him and holding out a glass of champagne."You didn't drink the whis
The next day, Arnold woke up earlier than his alarm. It was the first great feat for him that day. There was certainly much more to come and he chose to take everything he experienced to heart. To soak it all in.He was moving fast, accelerating towards the dream life faster than he could say fly.Two to three months ago, his life had been miserable. And, now, here he was. In his own apartment and about to go sign his first business with his mentor.If this wasn't a miracle, he didn't know what was.A few hours later and he was in the office he'd gotten his huge dose of ego booster from the day before.Arnold sat on the fancy office chair directly opposite Xiu on the oak desk."We'll begin in a short while," Xiu said. "I'm just waiting for the contract to get here."As if on cue, the door opened. Arnold turned around to see who it was. His mouth opened as a lady walked in. She was tall and regal. Her hair moved as she walked, the golden locks catching the light so much so that he was
The next few weeks, Arnold mastered a routine. It built up slowly over time. At first, he felt overwhelmed by his two new positions. He was Xiu's mentee and Xiu always wanted to see him and teach. He was also trying to run a business that demanded his presence. After thinking it through one evening, his journal/planner in front of him, he decided to share it.He'd work as Mr Xiu's mentee during the weekdays and he'd be his own boss during the weekends. It made sense that way and the burden of constantly juggling two thing as once eased.One particular day, Mr Xiu had given him a rather tasking assignment. He'd told him that he had taught him enough and he wanted to see him put in the work. Kind of like a practical work to see if Arnold understood all that he had been feeding him with throughout the week. It was a Thursday night and the deadline for the assignment was the next morning which was Friday morning.No one was around the office. The tenth floor was empty. Even the strict
It was a hot Sunday night. Arnold had spent the first few hours of his day at the gym. It was quite shocking that what he had started in order to get Lisa Daniel had turned into something he actually loved. It was so refreshing to be able to sweat away all his worries and intrusive thoughts. After he came back from the gym, he’d dressed and gone straight to Lincoln’s forge, ready to continue what he had started the day before in order to reach his weekend target.Now that he was back, he needed to rest. He was looking forward to a long night rest to get ready for his investor prediction work week days with Mr Xiu.He’d just come out of the shower and his body was still wet. He toweled himself down and put on a boxer brief with his favourite faded t shirt. He sniffed it before he put it on. Sometimes, he forgot to properly sort his laundry, often mixing the clean cloth and the dirty clothes due to his busy schedule.He brought out his laptop from the portable office bag he had bough
When Arnold opened his eyes the next morning, Lisa was there, sprawled out on his bed. She was rubbing his chest and getting comfy with him. He stared at her and turned to look at the time. It was still early.He was surprised she hadn’t left him and disappeared like the stunt she’d pulled the first time they'd slept together. Also he was suddenly feeling irritated. What he’d once longed for now disgusted him and he found himself wondering what ulterior motive she had to make her stay.Lisa Daniels opened her eyes and stretched. She yawned and murmured, “Morning, Arnold.”He grunted and got up, untangling himself from her without saying a word.She watched him as he stood, giving her a vantage point of his firm butt.“Come back to bed,” she whispered, reaching out to touch him. “I want you.”Arnold moved away from her, cringing visibly. He didn’t even turn to look at her when he said, “I’m tired. You wore me out last night.”She could sense the coldness in his words. The way he refu