Chapter 7 - Three Moves Ahead

📍10:47 A.M. – Crane Dominion Holdings (Front)

To the world, it was an upstart investment firm.

In truth, it was Ethan's war room.

Inside, six handpicked employees worked tirelessly—recruited by the System's Talent Filter. They weren't just analysts. They were future billion-dollar architects, chosen for their loyalty, IQ, and isolation from old-world finance circles.

"System," Ethan said quietly, "activate Black Tier Strategy Mode."

[System Notice – Black Tier Activated]

All future moves will now generate long-term traps, hidden plays, and social engineering webs.

A holographic map of Seoul appeared before him, flashing red across three names:

David Langford – Finance Kingpin. Ethan's ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. Ruthless. Greedy. Unaware of what's coming.

Joey "Street Prince" Han – Illegal crypto empire. Involved in Ethan's hospital bill being denied last year.

Lila Kim – The girl who said, "You'll never be more than a broke boy with dreams."

Step one: Sever the roots.

Step two: Burn the garden.

Step three: Build a throne on the ashes.

📍David Langford's Office – 3:02 P.M.

His phone rang.

"Talk."

"Sir, problem. We were about to acquire Deukjin Electronics. At the last minute, someone outbid us."

David clenched his jaw. "Who?"

"A shell company. Proxy of… Elijah Crane Investments."

Silence.

He pulled up the news. His jaw tensed harder.

"Deukjin Electronics' shares spike 200% after anonymous buyer confirmed to be Elijah Crane."

He tossed his phone across the room.

Who are you?

How are you taking my moves before I make them?

📍Back at Crane Dominion

Ethan reviewed the day's financial traps.

[Profit Earned: ₩3.2 Billion]

[Public Interest Level: Moderate]

[Threat Detection: Lila Kim – 68% Suspicion]

Ethan leaned back.

"Send Lila an offer."

"What kind of offer, sir?" his AI secretary asked.

"An internship."

A pause.

"Anonymous sender?"

"No. Make sure she knows it's me."

📍Lila's Apartment – 4:17 P.M.

She opened her email.

"Internship Opportunity – Executive Assistant to Ethan Vale"

"Office: Crane Dominion Tower."

She dropped her phone.

Ethan Vale…?

It couldn't be.

The loser? The guy who wore the same jacket every day? The one she laughed at behind his back? The one she dumped to be with a future CEO?

She opened her group chat. Her friends were already buzzing.

"Did u see? ETHAN is Elijah Crane?"

"Bruhh he GLOWED UP"

"He lowkey fine now ngl"

"Imagine leaving that 💀💀💀"

Her stomach dropped.

Suddenly, she didn't feel so powerful anymore.

📍Joey's Underground Office – 9:08 P.M.

A laptop screen flickered to life.

"Password?"

"Y0UR-D0WNFA11"

Joey stared at the hacker-style text flashing across the screen. Then his account balance hit zero.

₩0.00

A new message replaced the login.

"You built an empire on theft. Let me return the favor. — EC"

Joey punched the wall until his knuckles bled.

📍System Notification – 10:00 P.M.

[Major Threat Neutralized – Joey Han's Empire Collapsed]

[New Trait Gained: Digital Overlord]

+50% hacking efficiency | Access to financial backdoors globally | Passive income doubled

📍Crane Penthouse – Midnight

Ethan stared at the Seoul skyline.

Three enemies.

One was broken.

One was boiling.

And one was… intrigued.

"System," Ethan whispered, "initiate next phase."

"Codename?"

He smiled.

"Codename: The Ex Sees the King."