Ryan kept staring at the $247 left in his bank balance, and with each second that passed, he seemed to understand even more clearly just how fucked he was.
He worked three miserable years at Mediran Tech, three years of late nights and nonexistent appreciation, and all he could show for it in the end was 200 bucks.
Well, that and being completely humiliated at the company's gala.
He still had a vivid recollection of how it went down, his girlfriend, Emma, in the dress he had bought her, looking more stunning than she usually did, while being held by his boss - James, in ways that were anything but professional.
And as if that wasn't ridiculous enough, their announcement was the cherry on top.
"We're engaged!" Emma had announced shamelessly.
So Ryan had somehow managed to discover his girlfriend was getting engaged at the same time as everyone else.
She smiled at him after, a devious, evil smile that showed no regret or guilt, only cold satisfaction at what she'd done.
That was enough to throw Ryan over the edge, even though shocked at the atrocious display, he didn't stay silent.
He made sure to call her a gold-digging witch and tell his ex-boss and friend to go shove his job right up his rectum before security threw him out of the building.
Calling it just an embarrassing night was understating it.
Now he sat at the park, his cheap thrift-store jacket doing very little against the cold wind that assaulted him.
He wasn't a big fan of parks or the cold, but he had to leave after his apartment had begun to feel suffocating every time he remembered his situation.
He was unemployed and on a very fast track to homelessness.
He was, by all definitions - fucked.
His phone buzzed at that realization.
[System Activation In Progress]
[...]
[System Activated]
"What the hell?" Ryan tilted his head in confusion, looking around before looking back at the phone.
[Welcome, Ryan Russo]
[You Have Been Chosen For The Interest Protocol]
Ryan raised his head, looking around again, trying to figure out if this was some kind of prank, or if his phone had been hacked.
Was someone really evil enough to steal his last 247.32 dollars? Surely not, right?
He looked back down at the screen.
[Rules
1 - All expenditures made towards pleasure, seduction, and revenge will be doubled after 24 hours.
2 - Bold actions increase multipliers (Max 5x)
3 - Unless otherwise instructed, expenses that don't fall under the three requirements will never count to cashback. ]
[Current Balance: $247.32 ]
[Suggested: Buy drink for an attractive stranger to double expense. ]
Ryan looked away from the phone, then around him, and let out a laugh of disbelief. He looked down at the phone and laughed out loud again.
He's seen a lot of bullshit in his time, but this was really some elite bullshit, top tier even.
However, there was an unease, almost excitement lingering at the back of his mind. It knew his exact balance. What if by some impossible chance — this was real?
Fine, he'd humor it. Things could not get any worse than they already were.
It was then Ryan saw her – sitting on a bench, she looked in her mid-twenties with a professional appearance that made her seem all the more pretty.
She seemed oblivious to her surroundings, engrossed in the book she read.
[TARGET FOUND]
[Suggestion: Buy Coffee and Pastry ]
[Cost: $45 / Return: $90 ]
Ryan stared at the notification a while more. It still felt utterly ridiculous, especially considering this was the last bit of cash he had, but then the humiliation he endured flashed across his head again, and his mind was made up.
What do I have to lose?
He went to a nearby cafe and ordered a vanilla latte and a chocolate croissant. The cashier rang it up as $44. It was close enough.
He then took the order and went over to the woman, his heart pounding with each step closer he got.
"Hey, I was sitting over there and you looked like you needed some coffee," Ryan said, keeping eyes on her.
Her eyes went up, finding the coffee before settling on Ryan's face.
Her hesitation only made him panic — what was he thinking? Why would this beautiful woman take a coffee from a stranger? Now he just looked like a creep.
"Or if you — " Ryan began, but her words cut him off.
"Thanks! You know, I was actually craving one but was too engrossed in my book."
Her smile, bright and warm, made Ryan less nervous.
"I'm Sophie, by the way."
"Ryan." He stretched his hand. She took it, her soft hands clasping his in a handshake.
"Please, come sit." She cleared the space beside her. "I can't just take your coffee and send you off."
Ryan smiled and sat beside her, glancing at the new notifications on his phone.
[INVESTMENT SUCCESSFUL]
[Return Timer In Progress]
[Bonus Objective: Talk 10 Minutes for multiplier.]
That part was easy. Sophie ended up being quite chatty. She made it quite easy to talk to her.
"So what do you do?" Ryan eventually asked after a while of conversation.
"Freelance graphic design." She took a sip of the latte. "I left corporate work after the first year cause it felt so suffocating... limiting. I kept feeling like my creativity was trapped in a box."
"Mmm... I know the feeling."
"Yeah, although freelancing is not all roses and sunshine. Recently had a client tell me to work for free cause it's good exposure... like my landlord would take social media followers as rent."
She sighed, then turned to Ryan. "So what about you? What do you do?"
"Unemployed not too long ago after I told my boss to shove his job right up his ass."
She laughed, her hand covering her mouth as she cackled.
Ryan chuckled at the fact she found it funny.
"That's brave," she finally was able to say.
"Maybe, but I have a feeling I'll find it dumb when the bills start to pile up."
She gave him a light tap on the side of his arm. "I'm sure it'll work out."
They sat there and talked for almost an hour. She told Ryan how she moved to New York city from Portland to pursue dreams, and how she got addicted to reading.
She seemed like a really interesting person, someone who Ryan would never have walked up to if not for the system because he was too nervous or thought she was out of his league.
Which she probably was.
"Oh shit." Sophie looked at her watch. "I should have been home twenty minutes ago."
"Ah, sorry for taking up your time," Ryan apologized, but he wasn't sorry.
"Don't be. I enjoyed our chat." She pulled out her phone. "Let me get your number, perhaps I can buy you coffee next time."
Ryan took the phone, almost frozen in shock. This girl was actually asking for his number.
He typed it in, then handed it back to her.
She smiled. "Till next time, Ryan," she said and turned to leave.
Ryan watched her walk away, his chest tightening with excitement.
[Bonus Objective Completed]
[Multiplier Upgrade: 2.5x ]
[Projected Return: $111]
Ryan sat there, staring at his phone in complete disbelief. If this was real, if he woke up tomorrow and this was somehow true,
His life would change forever.
The notification came again:
[Tutorial Complete]
[Welcome To The Interest Protocol]
Ryan smiled at it and walked home, and felt something other than the despair that had plagued him.
Possibility.