The office was quiet that morning.
Too quiet.
Arthur stood in the 52nd-floor corner of the Vander & Wiles building, staring out at the vast concrete jungle. Below, the world moved like clockwork — people hurrying into subways, Ubers lining up in silence, stock tickers rotating endlessly on street-level digital banners. A city designed to never sleep, powered by ambition and caffeine.
Inside, the silence didn't belong.
He could feel it.
No clicks of keyboards. No water-cooler talk. No casual chatter of analysts comparing their portfolios or interns whispering about office gossip. Even the espresso machine at the common bar had gone silent.
He glanced behind him.
A young woman in a grey suit — one of the junior analysts — passed him with her head bowed, avoiding eye contact. A man he often shared an elevator with turned the other way when he approached. Another glanced up from a document and froze when he saw Arthur, then quickly looked down again.
Something had shifted.
They knew.
Two hours earlier, he had clicked the "Confirm" button on his Rich Empire System.
Mission 001: Cut TiesStatus: ConfirmedDeadline: 24 hours
Penalty for failure: System freeze for 90 days
Arthur had smirked at the fine print. Whoever designed the system clearly wanted action — not hesitation.
He liked that.
Just before dawn, he drafted his resignation letter. It was clean. Cold. Unapologetic.
He addressed it directly to Morgan Wiles — one of the two founders, and the man who had once promised Arthur a partner track within five years.
"Dear Morgan,I appreciate the opportunities this firm has provided. However, I've reached a point in my personal and professional development where I can no longer contribute effectively within its framework.
Effective immediately, I am resigning from all positions at Vander & Wiles Holdings.
Sincerely,Ethan Lennox."
Then he printed it. Signed it with a fountain pen. Walked into the office.
And left it on Morgan's desk.
No dramatic exit. No confrontation. Just quiet certainty.
That was six hours ago.
Now, standing in the firm's lobby for what would be the last time, Arthur felt nothing but clarity.
Not regret. Not fear.Just… space.
The kind of space required to build something new.
He walked past the company logo — V&W etched in glass — and out the revolving doors.
Into sunlight.Into traffic.Into freedom.
He didn't go home.Not yet.
Instead, he went straight to his bank.
As he stepped into the private wealth division of Langmore Trust, the receptionist looked up and smiled politely. Arthur was dressed clean but simple — black slacks, white shirt, and a long grey coat.
He didn't look like someone with seven figures in assets under management.
But his name held weight.
"Mr. Lennox, we have your portfolio report ready. Would you like a printed copy or digital access?"
"Both," Arthur said.
She handed him a sleek black folder and ushered him into a conference room. Within minutes, his relationship manager — Lana Grieves, a sharp and well-kept woman in her thirties — joined him.
They reviewed everything.
Equity in Blackwell Holdings. Options in North Asia shipping. Ownership in five coffee shops under a shell company named Morning Dominion. All clean. All discreet.
Then Lana leaned forward.
"There's been something... unusual."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Define unusual."
"Your account linked to foreign passive flows — the one seeded with $25K last year — has shown irregular growth. Tiny, but persistent. Literally one dollar per second. Deposited every second since 6:43 AM this morning."
She paused.
"That's... not normal."
Arthur smiled to himself. "Maybe the algorithm finally likes me."
Lana blinked, clearly uncomfortable. "We've frozen the inbound until we verify the source. Are you aware of what's causing this?"
"Yes," Arthur said simply. "Don't touch it."
She hesitated. "It could raise flags—"
Arthur met her gaze.
"I'm aware of the risks. This account will soon handle transactions in the mid-eight figures. Prepare it accordingly."
Lana stared at him.
Then nodded. "Understood."
Back at his penthouse, Arthur took off his coat, poured a glass of mineral water, and sat by the window.
The Rich Empire System flickered to life the moment he blinked.
Mission 001: Complete
Reward Unlocked: ROI Vision
View real-time Return on Investment for people, decisions, and assets.
New Ability Unlocked:
Passive: $1 per second (Investment stream; tax-free, undetected)
Net Worth: $2,278,400Status: Knight Rank Achieved
Another panel slid open — sleek and vertical.
Titles🛡 Knight – Net Worth: $1M+
Next Rank:Baron – $10MRequirement: At least one Dame-rank concubine
Empire Domains: 1
Food & Beverage: 5 café branches
Concubines: 0
Warning: To ascend further, begin recruiting trusted companions with skill and ambition.
Arthur stared at the words.
Concubines?He smirked.
He had read webnovels before. Systems. Harem empires. All fiction. But this — this was real. The $1-per-second passive income was already hitting his accounts. The ROI Vision shimmered faintly whenever he looked at anything for more than a second. Even now, the screen hovered over his espresso machine:
ROI: -82%(Replace with commercial-grade, rentable café unit. Break-even in 6 months.)
Arthur leaned back and exhaled.
This wasn't just a game.
It was a blueprint.
He began immediately.
That night, he spent $750,000 in rapid micro-investments — rebranding the five cafés, optimizing logistics through the system's automated backend (which used "auto-bots" to manage infrastructure), and acquiring property leases across three more second-tier cities.
With each click, he saw future profits.He felt the rise.
And in less than three days, his net worth soared to over $9.3 million.
But he needed more.
To ascend to Baron, he needed his first ally. Someone capable. Loyal. Fierce.
And she had to meet a condition: she must become a Dame — someone who could manage her own empire division under him.
Arthur opened his contacts.
And smiled at the name glowing on the screen:
Bella MerrinWaitress. Columbia Business School alumna. Hidden talent. Untapped ambition.
ROI Potential: 348%Compatibility Score: 87%Loyalty Probability (with system aid): 100%
A date appeared beside her name.
Suggested Route: Casual encounter.Introduce opportunity.Build trust.Activate "Unbreakable Vow" once verbal commitment is made.
Arthur whispered under his breath:
"Time to begin."