World Domination: My Rise To The Top

James stood at the front door of Ralph's house and pressed the doorbell. A familiar chime echoed through the house, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching the entrance.

A second later, the door swung open, revealing Ralph, standing there in a plain white T-shirt and a pair of loose joggers, looking like he had just rolled out of bed.

"Hey, man. You're back," Ralph said, flashing a lazy grin.

"Hey, Ralph," James greeted back, stepping inside without hesitation.

"Come on in. I thought you just got back from college?" Ralph asked as he led the way into the living room, plopping down onto the couch.

"Yeah, I just did," James muttered, rubbing his temple as a small frown creased his face.

He already knew where this conversation was going. Ralph said the same thing every time he came home for the holidays, like clockwork.

"You say this shit every time I come back. You really gonna keep rubbing it in?" James asked, shaking his head.

Ralph shrugged, an amused smirk tugging at his lips.

"It's not even me, man," he said, stretching his arms behind his head.

"It's just that every time you come back from college, you look like you've been through hell. Like you just came back from a damn warzone."

James rolled his eyes. He knew Ralph wasn't just messing around—there was always a hint of something deeper behind his words.

And just as expected, Ralph wasn't done.

"Seriously, bro, why are you still wasting your time with that college shit?" Ralph continued. "Like, be real with me. You think that paper's gonna change anything? Jobs are dry as hell out here.

The market is trash, and half the people with degrees are out here stacking shelves at Walmart. And don't even get me started on the ones that got jobs. All they did was trade in their time for a paycheck and a miserable ass life."

James let out a sharp breath and leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling. He didn't want to admit it, but Ralph had a point.

He had asked himself the same damn question a thousand times. Was all of this really worth it? College, the sleepless nights, the stress—was it going to get him anywhere?

Still, hearing it from Ralph always hit differently.

"Look, man. I didn't exactly have a choice," James finally said, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know why I went to college. It wasn't about some dream of landing a high-paying job or whatever. It was just… the only path I had."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Ralph said with a sigh, waving his hand dismissively. "Your situation was different. You had people looking out for you, and college seemed like the safest option.

But you already see how the game is rigged. The system isn't built for people like us. They don't teach you how to make money—they teach you how to be a better cog in the machine."

James exhaled sharply through his nose, feeling a flicker of frustration bubble up. Not at Ralph, but at how much truth there was in his words.

Ralph was his only real friend. The one person he could talk to about shit like this without getting some sugarcoated, feel-good answer. And maybe that's why their bond was so strong—because, in a way, their lives weren't all that different.

Just like James, Ralph had lost his parents at a young age. But unlike James, Ralph and his little sister, Natasha, had no one. No family willing to take them in. No safety net.

At thirteen, Ralph had to figure out how to survive on his own while raising his sister. He did anything and everything to make money—some legal, some not-so-legal.

And through those struggles, he had stumbled into trading, gambling, and crypto. It wasn't an easy path, but it had worked for him.

That was why James respected him. Because Ralph had built something from nothing.

James let the conversation hang in the air for a second before sitting up, his expression growing serious.

"Alright, man, spill it," Ralph suddenly said, eyeing him with a knowing smirk. "What do you want? I know you. You only pull up when you need something. And don't try to hit me with that 'Natasha called me for help with her PC' bullshit. I'm not buying it."

James chuckled despite himself. Ralph wasn't wrong.

"Alright, alright," he admitted. "The PC is part of the reason I came, but I do need your help with something else."

Ralph leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Go on."

"I need a way to make quick money. Easy money," James said, rubbing his hands together. "And I was thinking… crypto. You know, memecoins and all that shit."

Ralph let out a long sigh, shaking his head.

"Bro, if you're trying to throw your money into memecoins right now, you're gonna lose it. Straight up," he said.

"The market is volatile as hell right now. Prices are jumping all over the place, and unless you got insider knowledge, you're basically gambling."

James frowned. He had expected this answer, but it still sucked to hear.

"So there's nothing?" he asked, his voice laced with frustration.

Ralph scratched his chin, thinking for a moment. Then, he sighed again, this time in defeat.

"There is something," he admitted. "It's actually how I bought Natasha her new PC. But you're not gonna like it."

James raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

Ralph hesitated for a second before leaning back against the couch.

"Gambling," he finally said.

James blinked. "Huh?"

"There's this strategy I found online," Ralph continued. "I gave it a shot, and it actually works. Like, I made over three grand in two hours. Started with eight hundred bucks."

James' eyebrows shot up.

"The hell? You serious?"

"Dead serious."

James stared at him, trying to process the information. Ralph wasn't the type to bullshit about money. If he said he made that much, then he did.

But gambling?

James had sworn off anything that relied on luck. He had already lost money chasing crypto hype—he wasn't eager to repeat that mistake.

"You sure it's not just dumb luck?" James asked skeptically.

"Nah, man. It's a system. Not foolproof, but it tilts the odds in your favor," Ralph explained. "Look, it's still gambling, yeah. There's always a chance of losing. But the success rate is over fifty percent, which is better than playing blind."

James rubbed his jaw, thinking.

Every fiber of his being was telling him to walk away from this. To stick to something safer, something he had control over.

But at the same time…

Nothing in life was guaranteed.

Not college. Not jobs. Not anything.

Ralph had a point—if James wanted to make real money, he had to be willing to take risks.

James leaned back, tapping his fingers on his knee. He hated this. Hated that he was even considering it.

But what other option did he have? Jobs wouldn't pay enough. Crypto was too risky. And time? Time wasn't on his side.

Finally, he exhaled sharply through his nose and looked back at Ralph.

"Alright," he said. "Teach me how it works. I won't try it yet, but I wanna know how it's done."

Ralph grinned.

"Bet. I'll send you a tutorial video that explains everything."

"Cool," James said, pushing himself up from the couch. "Now, let me go set up Natasha's damn PC before she starts calling me again."

Ralph laughed, waving him off.

"Yeah, you better. She's been hyped about that thing all week."

"Fuck you. You bought her a PC but didn't get someone to help her set it up." He raised a middle finger to him.

"And it gave you a perfect excuse to come over." Ralph smiled.

James shook his head and made his way toward Natasha's room.

As he walked, his mind lingered on Ralph's words.

If this method really worked… It might just be his way out.

But that would have to wait. Right now, he had a PC to set up.