The Business School Alumni Mixer was held in the Grand Hall, a space usually reserved for board etings and gala dinners. Tonight, it was filled with the city’s future elite—seniors who had already secured offers at Goldman and McKinsey, alumni who were five years out and driving Porsches, and professors who held the keys to the kingdom.
Ethan tugged at the collar of his suit. It was ill-fitting, a little too loose in the shoulders, but he had polished his shoes.
"Dude," he whispered as we approached the check-in desk. "Are you sure about this? They check the list twice."
"Relax," I said, my voice steady. "We’re on it."
The girl at the desk looked bored, scrolling through her phone. She glanced up as we approached.
"Na?"
"Jake Hart," I said. "And Ethan Miller."
She typed it in, her eyebrows knitting together. "I don’t see... oh. Wait." She looked up, her expression shifting from boredom to surprise. "You’re on the VIP guest list. Under... Aldridge Holdings?"
Ethan choked on air.
"That’s right," I said smoothly.
"Here are your badges," she said, handing them over with a new level of respect. "Enjoy the evening."
We walked in. The room was a sea of expensive suits and cocktail dresses. The air slled of ambition and expensive cologne.
"Aldridge Holdings?" Ethan hissed, grabbing my arm. "Jake, what the hell? How do you have pull with Sofia Aldridge’s company?"
I looked at him. I couldn’t tell him everything. Not yet.
"I did so consulting work for them," I said. It wasn’t a lie. "They owed a favor."
Ethan stared at , wide-eyed. "Consulting? You? When?"
"Recently. Now co on. Don’t waste the opportunity."
The System chid in my ear.
[Mission: Social Hierarchy Ascension]
[Objective: Network with High-Value Targets]
[Target 1: Professor Vance (Dean of Business)]
[Target 2: Marcus Thorne (Vanguard Recruiter - Rival)]
Marcus Thorne.
The na triggered a mory from the dossier I had built for Sofia. He was the guy who had tried to kill the Singapore deal. The guy Sofia had crushed because of my intel.
And he was here.
"Grab a drink," I told Ethan. "Mingle. Don’t look desperate. Just listen."
"Right," Ethan said, straightening his tie. "Listen. I can do that."
I scanned the room. I saw Brad, the lacrosse captain, standing near the bar with a group of seniors. He looked comfortable here, in his elent. When he saw , his eyes widened. He nudged the guy next to him, whispering sothing.
I ignored him. I had bigger fish to fry.
I found Professor Vance near the buffet. He was a short, balding man with a reputation for destroying students’ GPAs. He was currently lecturing a group of terrified sophomores.
I walked up, waiting for a break in the conversation.
"Professor," I said, stepping in smoothly. "I read your latest paper on market volatility in erging Asian economies. Fascinating perspective on the Singapore sector."
Vance turned, surprised. "You read the journal?"
"I did. Though I think you underestimated the impact of the new regulatory shifts in the tech corridor."
The sophomores looked at like I was speaking Greek. Vance’s eyes narrowed, then lit up.
"An astute observation," he said. "Most students don’t look past the abstract. What’s your na, son?"
"Jake Hart."
"Hart," he repeated. "I don’t believe I’ve seen you in my advanced seminars."
"I’m in Micro," I said. "But I like to read ahead."
Vance chuckled. "Well, Mr. Hart. Perhaps you should stop by my office hours. We could discuss the Singapore market in more detail."
[Social Rank Updated: Noticeable -> Promising]
[Respect Gained: 10]
[Network Connection: Dean Vance (Unlocked)]
"I’d like that," I said.
I moved on, leaving the sophomores staring at with open mouths.
I found Ethan by the bar, talking to a girl in a red dress. He looked terrified but was holding his own. I nodded at him—keep going—and turned toward the back of the room.
That’s when I saw him.
Marcus Thorne.
He looked exactly like his photo—slicked-back hair, shark-like grin, wearing a suit that cost more than my tuition. He was holding court with a group of alumni, laughing loudly.
The System flashed a warning.
[Target Detected: Rival]
[Threat Level: High]
[Objective: Assert Dominance]
I took a breath. This was risky. Sofia had warned about him. He was dangerous.
But I wasn’t just Sofia’s secret weapon anymore. I was building my own kingdom.
I walked over to the group. Thorne was in the middle of a story.
"...so I told Aldridge, ’Good luck with the regulators.’ And two days later, she pulls a miracle out of her hat. I still don’t know who leaked the debt structuring to her."
The group laughed nervously.
"Maybe you just got outplayed," I said.
The laughter died instantly. Thorne turned slowly, his eyes landing on .
"Excuse ?" he said, his voice dropping.
"I said," I repeated, stepping into the circle, "maybe you underestimated her. Or maybe your debt structuring was just sloppy."
Thorne’s smile vanished. He took a step toward , looming. He was tall, broad-shouldered, used to intimidation.
"And who are you?" he sneered. "So intern fetching coffee?"
"I’m the guy who reads the footnotes," I said calmly.
Thorne froze. His eyes searched my face, recognition dawning slowly. He didn’t know my na, but he knew sothing. He knew soone had burned him.
"You," he whispered.
"Enjoy the mixer, Mr. Thorne," I said, raising my glass. "I hear Vanguard is hiring, for now."
I turned and walked away.
The silence behind was deafening.
[Social Rank Updated: Promising -> Contender]
[Reputation: Dangerous]
[Bonus: Intimidation Skill Unlocked]
I found Ethan near the exit. He looked flushed, excited.
"Dude," he said. "I just got a number. From a senior. She works at Deloitte."
"Nice," I said.
"And I saw you talking to Vance. And that guy in the suit. Who was he?"
"Nobody," I said. "Just old business."
We walked out into the cool night air. The adrenaline was fading, replaced by a steady, burning confidence.
I checked my phone. A text from Sofia.
My spies tell you’re making waves at the mixer. Thorne looked like he’d seen a ghost.
I smiled.
Just expanding the empire, I typed back.
Co over, she replied. I want to hear every detail.
I looked at Ethan. "I gotta run, man. You good?"
"I’m better than good," Ethan said, grinning. "I’m inspired. Go get ’em, tiger."
I hailed a cab.
The campus was sleeping, but I was wide awake. The System humd in the back of my mind, satisfied.
I had just started climbing the ladder, and I knew that I still had a long way to go.
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