I locked the office behind me, letting the click fade into the hallway.

Since the area took up most of the floor, I only ever shared it with a handful of executives.

I even managed to hire my legal counsel as full-time employees, a deal they would never have agreed to without my influence.

To make their transition worthwhile, I gave them a signing bonus of 50 to 100 million depending of seniority.

I might be ruthless, but I'm fair; I could see how hard each of them had worked to reach this point in their lives.

"Mr. Mercer, are you heading out?" one of the junior associates inquired.

"Yeah, I've got a personal meeting. Why—do you need something?" I replied, already reaching for the elevator's button.

"I just need you to sign this. It's about your request to try raiding that new tower." He held out a slim stack of documents.

I took it, flipping through them quickly. The clauses were standard, nothing out of place, so I signed.

There was nothing urgent demanding my attention after it.

The guild ran itself now—smooth, efficient, almost frighteningly so.

Every employee was locked in, driven, their productivity sitting comfortably at more than double the norm.

My ability to Influence their mind helped, sure, but I didn't rely on that alone. I made sure they enjoyed the work through my suggestions.

No burnout. No corporate rot. No dead-eyed staff counting the hours until freedom.

As I walked through the halls, heads turned. Smiles followed.

They were happy. Well paid. Secure. Their families were taken care of. If that was evil, then the rest of the world had set the bar in hell.

That alone said everything.

At this rate, I would probably win some ridiculous "Best CEO" award.

Most pro-employee. Five-star satisfaction rating. A shining example plastered across business magazines.

I almost laughed at the thought. If only they knew what really kept the machine running.

Upon reaching the cubicle floor, I raised a hand.

"Good work, everyone. Order whatever you want for lunch. It's on me."

For half a second, there was silence. Then it exploded.

"YES!"

"NO WAY—FOR REAL?!"

"I'M GETTING THE STEAK PLACE."

The room lit up instantly. Chairs scraped back. Phones were already out. Someone actually fist-pumped like they just won the Olympics.

I swore the noise could've been heard from outside.

Shaking my head, I watched them laugh and shout across the cubicles, like kids let out early from school.

If this was what loyalty looked like, I would happily buy lunch every day.

What was the point of hoarding all that money, anyway? It wasn't like it would elevate a life that was already drowning in comfort.

By the time I stepped outside, the sun hung high in the sky. I pulled my black coat tighter around me and slid into the passenger's sit of my SUV.

"Hotel Rise ," I said.

The driver nodded, and soon a convoy fell in behind me—purely for show.

In the eyes of many, I was just a D-Rank, so having guards around at all times made sense.

In addition, now that we had Seekers, I decided to assign C-Ranks to guard me. They were more than happy to take the job, considering it was a much safer gig.

"Boss, where are we going?" asked a young man with a crew cut and slanted eyes.

He looked timid on the outside, but his ability was useful to me despite having to combat ability.

During the Tower Echo, he had been part of my group, though he didn't take part in the boss battle—assigned instead to the team that discovered the entrance.

"I'm meeting a woman," I replied, keeping my gaze on the road.

"Is she a model, boss?" he asked, striking up a conversation.

"Lee. You don't have to know. What you need to focus on is keeping that ability of yours active at all times."

He scratched his head, and his eyes glowed yellow. His ability was related to sensing danger—specifically for the person he was looking at.

As long as he kept his eyes on me, he would know the instant an assassin set their sights on my neck, or if danger crept anywhere near.

It gave me another layer of protection.

The abilities of the Seekers were wildly varied, each one stranger than the last. It reminded me of that prison like arena.

To think humans were only being handed crumbs, fragmented powers of the beings sealed there.

Soon, we reached a more crowded, ordinary part of the city. The buildings rushed past in streaks of neon even in under the sun light.

Since I got some time to kill, I figured I would grab a gift—hadn't seen her in ages, and she deserved it.

Next, I waited as one of my drivers brought around a white supercar. Its design mirrored the machines from my old world, proof that technology would converged at some point.

In this case, it was aerodynamics that made that similarities very obvious.

"You don't need to guard me," I commanded. "Except you, Lee. Keep your distance, watch me at all times, and report anything you sense."

"Yes, boss." He snapped a salute, grinning wildly. The guy was annoyingly positive. Not like I hate it.

When I reached the hotel, I stopped a short distance away. A crowd already gathered outside, dressed in formal attire. The event was scheduled to begin at four p.m.

My eyes narrowed, and then I saw Claire. She wore a white dress, standing among a crowd who brought their partners along—a tasteless choice.

Why do that? To brag about landing a doctor? A lawyer? A rich guy?

Frankly, reunions were built on an idea: make those who'd "made it" feel good about themselves at the expense of the less fortunate.

VROOOOM!

My engine roared, and every head snapped toward me as I exited the car.

Conversations died down—until someone recognized me a little too quickly. Cons of being too popular.

"Oh my god… isn't that Ace Mercer? The billionaire who just founded his own guild?"

"What's he doing here? Don't tell me one of the people from our year is dating him."

"Dating him? Please. He's way out of anyone's league. No one here could land someone like that."

"You're right. Bet he owns this place."

Good. Keep feeding my ego like that, and maybe I'll donate a little more money later to their so-called cause.

Claire spotted me and smiled, but didn't call out my name—too much attention was already on me. Money was a fast track to popularity, after all.

A gorgeous woman with orange hair and bright blue eyes approached.

"Mr. Mercer, my name is Lina. I'm a manager at Johnsons Pharmaceutical, and this is my husband, Gerald—he's an A-Rank Seeker from the Phoenix Guild."

I offered them both a practiced, businesslike smile. Gerald's jaw tightened. Clearly, he didn't appreciate my casual demeanor.

Did he really think I would fawn over him just because he belonged to the city's top guild?

Pathetic. I got so many A-Ranks in my own guild that most of them barely registered in my mind.

Sensing the tension, Lina clasped her hands together. "May I ask, Mr. Mercer, what brings you here?"

"What do you mean?" I raised my eyebrow, and feigned ignorance. "What else would I be here for if not to accompany my girlfriend to her reunion?"

The news that I was dating one of their old classmates spread through the air like wildfire.

Heads turned, whispers erupted. Eyes flicked toward the women without partners, a mix of envy and curiosity painting their faces.

Finally, Lina broke the silence. "Oh… she's not here yet?"

Her words made sense to the others. If that wasn't the case, I would have already called out my supposed girlfriend.

I smiled, ready to make my way toward Claire, when the chatter and stares turned toward a car that just pulled up. Naturally, my gaze followed.

Click!

The door swung open, and a woman stepped out, every inch of her adorned in luxury brands from head to toe. Stunning, without a doubt—but there was something unbearably pretentious about her.

She looked like one of those typical types—using her looks to snag a rich man, divorce him for half his assets, then remarry another wealthy husband. Rinse and repeat.

I wasn't saying it without a good reason. It was obvious she got enhancements—the size and perfect shape of her chest and hips gave it away. Nothing like Aunt Ellie's natural curves.

She smiled at the crowd, and then the crowd look at me,

"Mellissa!" one of the girls bumped her shoulder playfully.

"You sly fox—I didn't know you snagged yourself such a young, valuable man." the loud girl gestured toward me.

The gorgeous woman with the obvious enhancements glanced at me, confused. "I'm not with him."

Another big revelation, and I have to stop myself from laughing.

"I think there's been a little misunderstanding," I said, raising my voice as I strode toward Claire.

My hand landed on her shoulder, letting everyone see. "This is my girlfriend."

They stared, unable to process it, and it wasn't until a faint murmur floated through the crowd that I understood why they were so shock.

Hint: it wasn't exactly because I'm the city's biggest catch.

"So it's true! Claire cheated on Lance."

"Really? I thought they had been a couple since college. Oh my god… money can really buy anything—even loyalty,"

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Author's Note:

Can't let Claire disappear into the background—she deserved a a screen time before things get serious again.

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