The rain in Silver City didn't wash things clean; it just turned everything to gray. Arya stood on the sidewalk outside Vane Conglomerate, clutching a soggy cardboard box. Inside was a chipped mug, a stapler, and the remains of a three-year career she had built with blood and late nights.
Ten minutes ago, she was the most reliable assistant in the building. Now, she was a ghost.
"I expected better, Arya," Kael had said. He hadn't even looked at her. His eyes were glued to Lily, who was trembling in the corner of his leather-scented office.
Lily was the office "Sweetheart." She always smelled like vanilla and wore white lace that made her look like a fragile doll. It was a perfect mask for a viper.
"How could you steal the launch codes?" Lily had sobbed, her voice small and breaking. "I saw you, Arya. I didn't want to tell Kael... I tried to stop you, but you just pushed me aside."
"I didn't do it!" Arya's voice had cracked. "Kael, check the logs. I've never even taken a sick day. Why would I ruin the project I helped build?"
But Kael was already at Lily's side, his hand on her shoulder in a way he had never touched Arya. "The logs were wiped. Lily found the USB in your desk. Your 'quiet' personality was just a cover, wasn't it? You're lucky I'm not calling the police. Get out. If I see you in this district again, I'll make sure you never work in this city again."
The elevator ride down felt like a drop into a grave. In the lobby, she saw Reid, her boyfriend. He was a rich heir to a real estate fortune, the man she thought was her future.
"Reid!" she gasped, rushing toward him. "You have to help me. Lily framed me. Kael—"
Reid stepped back. He didn't reach for her. He looked at her thick, heavy glasses and her baggy gray suit, now damp from the humidity.
"Lily told me everything," Reid said, his voice flat and bored. "And I believe her. She's too kind to lie about something this serious."
"She's a liar, Reid! I'm your girlfriend!"
"Were," Reid corrected, checking his watch. "Honestly, Arya? I'm tired of dating a girl who looks like a librarian. You're boring. Looking at you is like staring at a blank wall. Lily is exciting. She's beautiful. You're just... bland. Don't call me."
He walked away without a backward glance. The security guards grabbed Arya's arms and shoved her out into the downpour.
Arya walked back to her tiny apartment in the "Silt," the city's poorest district. She dropped her box and caught her reflection in a cracked mirror. She looked exhausted, her hair matted, her clothes hanging off her like rags.
"Is this it?" she whispered. "I was perfect, and they threw me away like trash."
Suddenly, the air in the room grew heavy. The digital clock on her bedside table flickered, the numbers spinning until they turned into glowing gold text that floated in mid-air.
[Status: Betrayed. Assets: ₵12. Potential: Infinite.]
"What is this?" Arya stepped back, her heart racing.
[The Sovereign Wealth System is Online.]
The voice in her head was cold and smooth. "Why cry over men with no taste? You hide a goddess under wool and a genius under silence. It is time to collect the debt."
"Am I going crazy?"
"No, you're getting even. In Silver City, money is the only god. I am here to make you its master. But first, you must save a soul as broken as yours."
[Mission: Save the Fallen King.]
[Target: Silas Vance. Location: The Velvet Grotto Club.]
Silas Vance. The "Blood Merchant." The billionaire who was bankrupted and humiliated by Kael and Lily's friends only a month ago.
"He is at his breaking point. If he falls tonight, your revenge ends. To help you, I am granting a credit."
[Ding! ₵100,000,000 deposited.]
"Go to the club, Arya. Stop hiding. Buy the man who will help you burn this city down. You have 50 minutes."
Arya looked in the mirror again. The sadness was gone, replaced by a cold, sharp hunger. She ripped off her glasses and threw them in the trash. She shook out her hair and looked at the curves she had hidden for years.
"Alright," she whispered. "Let's go shopping."