Liam dropped his phone onto the nightstand with a soft clink, exhaling deeply as the last call ended.
His face was still fixed in the polite smile he had worn for the past half hour, though now it lted into sothing of a grimace.
The Investor Relations departnt of the latest company whose shares he had received had just finished their courtesy call.
It had been the sa as all the others before it: warm congratulations, polite probing questions about his intentions, carefully phrased suggestions about engaging their private client services.
He had also said the sa thing which at this point seems to have beco his rehearsed lines. He laughed at their carefully moderated jokes, and deflected their questions with the kind of bland professionalism that gave them nothing while leaving them satisfied enough to report "positive engagent" in their internal mos.
It was boring, monotonous, redictable, but necessary.
Liam wasn’t naïve. These companies weren’t calling out of kindness. They were assessing him, testing him and probing the mind of the young man who had suddenly beco one of their largest shareholders.
They wanted to know what kind of player he would be. A passive one? A compliant one? Or soone who would eventually push against them?
"Done for today," Liam muttered to himself, stretching his shoulders as he leaned back on the bed.
The thought should have relaxed him, but instead his mind imdiately drifted to tomorrow.
Tomorrow wasn’t just another day. It was the first day his sign-ins would no longer be bound to Earth. Because from this point onward, he would be claiming rewards in the cultivation world or the magic world. And these rewards would be things that defied the natural order of Earth entirely.
Just the thought of it sent a thrill through him.
What would tomorrow bring?
His imagination was already painting wild possibilities when his phone buzzed again.
He frowned, glancing at the screen, and he smiled when he saw that it was a notification from the group chat.
The ssage was from Kristopher, tagging everyone.
Kristopher: Guys, reminder that our monthly et-up coming soon. Ti to start planning.
Liam smiled when he saw this. He was imdiately interested in the et-up as it falls under his plan to develop himself.
He typed back quickly, replying to the ssage.
"Where are we hosting it this ti?"
The chat, which had been dormant for days, suddenly sprang to life as though Kristopher’s ssage had blown dust off old gears.
Kristopher: Haven’t decided yet. Waiting on everyone’s input first.
Harper: What are we even celebrating this month?
The replies ca in a wave, almost simultaneously.
All: Liam.
Liam blinked at the screen, then burst out laughing. He sent back a shocked sticker, a cartoon character with wide eyes and flailing arms, capturing his mood perfectly.
Kristopher: Who else? I an, look at you. A mansion, one-off car, yacht, chopper... the list is endless. We’ve never had the chance to properly celebrate any of it. This ti, we will.
Liam shook his head, still laughing softly. His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a mont as his smile turned more thoughtful.
Friends.
It was only now that he realized how little he actually knew about them. He had been part of this group for over a month, chatting daily or whenever he could, joining calls, even laughing at their inside jokes. But when he thought about their lives, their families — he knew almost nothing.
Before they ca along, his circle had been nonexistent as circumstances had made it that way. People ca and went, most leaving scars rather than mories. But these people seed different. At the very least, they had shown him nothing but positivity.
And that was worth nurturing.
He made a decision as his thumb hovered over the screen. He made a decision get to know them better. And not just as casual acquaintances, but as people.
The conversation continued, shifting naturally to where the et-up should be hosted. They all made suggestions — private villas, exclusive lounges, resort clubs. But the idea that gained montum, unsurprisingly, was Liam’s yacht.
Matt: Why not host it on your yacht? We’ve all been waiting to board it again.
Kristopher: Agreed. No better place. Besides, it’s poetic. We’re celebrating you; we should do it on your turf.
Liam stared at the stream of agreent that followed, then chuckled, shaking his head.
He typed back: Fine. The yacht it is. A couple of days from now. I’ll handle the arrangents.
The group exploded with celebratory stickers and gifs. The decision was made. The et-up would happen soon, and he would host.
An hour passed before the conversation shifted to casual chatter. They bombarded Liam with questions, complaining good-naturedly about how absent he had been online lately.
"Busy," he typed back with a smile.
Really busy.
And that wasn’t even a lie. A lot has happened during the week. It has been a whirlwind—sign-ins, system revelations, travels between worlds. He had lived a month’s worth of events in just a handful of days.
He was still trading ssages when his phone rang again and it was a call from Daniel
"Daniel," He answered imdiately.
"Mr Scott, I just wanted to give you an update. The raw materials will be arriving today and they will be stored in a warehouse close to the Nevada site."
Liam nodded, even though Daniel couldn’t see him.
"Good. How soon until construction is complete?"
"A week. Maybe less. But it won’t take more than a week," Daniel replied without hesitation.
"Perfect.You’ve been working hard," Liam said, in satisfaction.
Daniel gave a short laugh when he heard this.
"Hard? Mr Scott, I should be thanking you. You’ve given an opportunity most people only dream of. I won’t disappoint you."
"Don’t feel too pressured. You’re already doing great as you are," Liam replied warmly.
"Understood. I’ll keep you updated."
"Do that," Liam said, before they ended the call.
When the line went silent, Liam lowered the phone slowly, with a satisfied smile on his face.
Piece by piece, everything was falling into place. Not as quickly as he sotis wished — patience had never been his strongest trait — but steady enough.
And that was enough.
He stretched his arms over his head and let out a long breath, letting the tension roll out of him, before reaching for his phone again.
He scrolled through his contacts until he found the number he was looking for. He tapped it, held the device to his ear.
"I need to speak to the yacht’s kitchen staff...."
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