NOVPUBPerhaps Darren was starting to regret the path he had taken...
It was too lonely, too quiet. Darren had always been a fan of the cold but never to this extent.
When he woke up, the morning air was cool, crisp with the quiet that only the first day of a new month could carry. March had arrived in Los Alverez with no fanfare —just a sky of cloudless blue stretching under the heavens.
Inside the private villa nestled in the exclusive curve of Greenbaby estate, Darren got up from bed, took a bed and dressed with silent precision.
The routine was muscle memory now. He fastened the final button of his black fitted shirt, then tightened the slim silk tie around his collar, the knot sharp and surgical. A platinum watch with a dark obsidian face slipped onto his wrist. No rings. No excess.
Darren's style was a clean, precise elegance. That didn't change.
He reached for his coat and slid it over his shoulders like a mantle. He stood by a memory, no smile on his face. He hadn't even smiled in weeks.
Months?
There were no unnecessary movements. No idle hums. Just the practiced ritual of a man who had no time for comfort. Power didn't wear leisure well, and Darren had long abandoned the illusion of ease.
He stepped out of his bedroom and walked down the marble stairway.
In the kitchen, his mother sat sipping tea by the wide windows, the soft morning light falling across her modest sweater and greying hair.
A ledger sat open on the island counter— Heirloom Whisper, her boutique business, was doing well.
Darren had made sure of it. Artisans, suppliers, contracts— he had built the network around her like armor. Not because she needed the money, but because she needed something to pour herself into. Something to distract her from the man her son had become.
"You're up early," she said, glancing over the rim of her cup.
Darren paused only briefly to meet her gaze. "It's the first. I shouldn't be late on firsts."
She gave a gentle, tired smile. "I suppose not. Have a good day at work?"
He nodded his head. "Thank you, mum." Then he turned, heading toward the door.
Once outside, he got into his new 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost and turned the car on. The engine murmured to life, silent and regal, like a lion yawning.
And after glancing at his home one more time, Darren turned the steering wheel and drove.
Through the hills of Blackridge, down the empty morning roads that curved like marble veins through the city.
He didn't turn on music. He didn't make a call. The world passed in motion outside the glass, and he stared through it like one might study a chessboard already halfway won.
Months of this straightforward routine had turned Darren Steele into a man of movement.
Stillness was only ever a prelude to the next strike.
He arrived at Mauravard some moments later as the car coasted into the underground entrance of the Steele Complex. The first rays of morning sun kissed its curved surface, refracting across the steel framework like a web of molten silver.
Inside, the complex was waking up.
Security staff rotated shifts in clean formation. Lights flickered on across departments. Coffee stations hissed as the first wave of early arrivals filtered through sleek corridors, badging in with practiced efficiency.
"Good morning, sir," one person greeted.
"Good morning, Mr. Steele," another said with more enthusiasm.
Darren only nodded his head in response to them.
— Real Estate: Greenbaby mansion, Blackridge Villa, Vermillion Hill Estate, Tuscan Montelago Vineyard Estate
— Luxury Vehicles: Ferrari Reventón, Rolls-Royce Ghost (2011), Aston Martin One-77
┏Liabilities:
— Debt Free
┏Net Worth (Assets Minus Liabilities):
— $1,079,326,300 – $0.00 =
$1,079,326,300┛
┏Active Investments: BTC, Apple, Trendteller, Delverate, Castle Cottage, Warehouses, Horizon Strategies (Silent Partner)┛
┏Businesses Owned:
— Trendteller Inc. (45%)
— Delverate Technologies (31%)
— Castle Cottage Restaurants (10%)
— Heirloom Whisper (40%)
┏Portfolio Summary:
— Stocks: Apple (Sold), Strategic Holding Portfolio under Stealth ETF Management
— Cryptocurrency: Company: 29,780 BTC (~$6.00 each = $178,680)
Personal:
— Business Assets: Trendteller AI Engine, Delverate Nyros IP Stack
— Physical Assets: Real Estate x3, Vehicle Fleet, The Steele Complex HQ
┏Expenditure Log┛
┏Monthly Ledger:
— Money Gained: $1,942,117,000
— Money Spent: $1,122,334,800
┏Reputation Tracker┛
— Public Reception: Titan of Trendteller / Young Visionary
— Rivals' Fear:
• Moon Wealth Management – Disrupted: Passive Aggression Suspected
• Franchise Casinos – Collapsed
• MWMO (Under New Leadership – Neutral, Unpredictable)
— Allies' Loyalty:
• Grant Hayes (A+)
• Leonard Holloway (A)
• Tamara Johnstone (A)
• Olivia Sinclair (B-)
• Arnold Castle (A+)
• Lila Torres (A+)
• Ethan and Jonah (A)
┏Financial Milestones┛
— First $1B Net Worth: Unlocked!
— First Profitable Investment: Unlocked
— First Business Acquisition: Unlocked┛
┏Legacy Counter┛
— Jobs Created: 182
— Companies Disrupted: 3
— Rivals Defeated: 3
┏Quests┛
┏Weekly Quest:
— Reinforce the Wall
Reinforce the structural and legal integrity of your empire by acquiring a new patent or legal protection to secure your business IP.
Reward: +5% Market Resistance Shield for one product.
┏Monthly Quests:
— King of the Block
Reach a mining milestone of 32,000 BTC before the month ends. Every block matters. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝔠𝔬𝖒
Reward: Passive Mining Efficiency Boost (10%)
— Enemy of My Enemy
Forge a strategic temporary alliance with a former rival's contact. Survival is often about knowing when to let the snake bite another.
Reward: Access to Hidden Network Node (1-time lead bonus)
┏Congratulations, You Have Unlocked New Achievements!┛
┏Achievement Unlocked: Market Warlord
— Your rival didn't just lose. His legacy, his name, and his empire were burned. You turned public opinion, legal networks, and business currents against him like a true tactician.┛
┏Achievement Unlocked: Digital Heir
— With Trendteller dominating multiple sectors and BTC holdings nearing legendary levels, you've established yourself as the heir to the digital throne.┛
┏Achievement Unlocked: Eyes Like Fire
— Your cold, calculating streak has not gone unnoticed. Allies fear you, rivals dread you, and every action you take feels inevitable. You are no longer building a company. You are building a kingdom.┛
--------------------------
Darren let out a sigh, a mixed reaction from the fellacio and the new quests. Then his head snapped to his door when it opened and Rachel stepped in.
