World Domination: My Rise To The Top

James woke up early, going through his usual routine. He took a quick shower, dressed, and headed downstairs for breakfast. The smell of Patty's cooking filled the air, a comforting reminder of home.

As he reached the dining room, he noticed something off.

Patty was dressed for work as usual, but Leslie… she was also dressed up.

James frowned. Leslie wasn't a morning person. Even on days she had class, she usually dragged herself out of bed like a zombie. But today? She was fully dressed, alert, and looking a little… anxious.

"Good morning, Patty," James greeted, taking his seat.

"Good morning, honey. How was your night?" she asked, smiling warmly.

"Pretty good. Thanks."

James turned his gaze to Leslie, who was quietly eating her breakfast, barely acknowledging him.

"Hey, Les. You good? You look kinda… glum."

Leslie blinked, seemingly snapped out of deep thought. "Uh… Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about something. Don't mind me."

She forced a small smile, but James wasn't buying it.

She was hiding something.

Before he could press further, Patty spoke up.

"James, Leslie told me you already started working again." She sighed. "Honey, don't you think you should take a break? You just came back from a stressful quarter, and you need to rest. Why not wait a few days before jumping into work?"

James sighed internally.

He glanced at Leslie, but she was still avoiding his gaze. Normally, she'd back him up or throw in a playful jab, but today she was just… quiet.

Patty wasn't wrong. He did need rest. But he had bigger things to worry about.

"I get what you're saying, Patty. But I hate doing nothing. It just doesn't sit right with me," James explained.

"Besides, there are things I need to take care of."

He couldn't exactly say, "I have a system that gives me 10x rebates, and I need to flip cash as fast as possible."

Patty sighed but smiled softly. The truth is that she never intended to talk to James about this as she was fully aware of his character.

It was just as he said, he's always uncomfortable if he's not doing anything. He hates to be idle

"I know, honey. Just don't push yourself too hard, okay? Money is important, but so is your health."

"I won't. I promise."

She nodded, grabbing her bag. "Alright, I need to get to work. See you both later."

"Bye, Patty," James said, watching her leave.

As soon as the door shut, he turned to Leslie.

"Okay. Spill it."

Leslie looked up from her plate, confused. "Spill what?"

James narrowed his eyes.

"You're dressed up. You never wake up this early unless you have a reason. And you're acting weirdly quiet. What's going on?"

Leslie hesitated for a second.

Then, with a deep breath, she said: "I'm going to look for a job."

James blinked. "Huh?"

"I need to find something to do," Leslie repeated, her voice firmer this time. "I can't just sit at home doing nothing while you and Mom work hard every day. I want to help too."

James stared at her.

Something felt… off.

It wasn't that Leslie never wanted to work—she had mentioned it before—but there was something else behind this.

"You know you don't have to, right?" James said carefully.

"I know," she muttered. "But I want to. I can't just be a liability."

Liability.

That word made James pause.

Since when did Leslie think of herself as a liability?

She wasn't telling him everything. He could see it in the way she kept her head down, in the way she rushed her words like she wanted to end the conversation.

James thought about pushing her, but he knew better.

If Leslie didn't want to talk, she wouldn't.

Not yet.

"Alright," he said simply. "Just be safe. And call me if anything happens."

Leslie looked at him for a second, then smiled faintly. "I will."

She grabbed her things and left.

James exhaled slowly.

Something's up. But I'll figure it out later.

Right now, he had something else to take care of.

James stood up and went to his room, to pick up the GPU. He intends to return it earlier than agreed as he wants to get it over with, and move on to other things.

After grabbing the repaired GPU, James left the house and made his way to Da Vinci Electronics.

When he stepped inside, the shopkeeper—the same man from yesterday—looked up in surprise.

"You're here early," the man noted. "We agreed on 3 PM."

James placed the GPU on the counter. "Yeah, I finished earlier than expected. Figured I'd drop it off and get my money."

The man raised an eyebrow. "You already fixed it?"

He picked up the GPU, turning it over in his hands, inspecting it for any signs of tampering or damage.

Even after a thorough check, his skepticism remained.

"You sure it works?"

James smirked. "Why don't you test it and find out?"

The man gave him a long look before sighing. "Fine. Wait here."

He disappeared into a back room.

James waited, watching the minutes tick by.

After about five minutes, the man returned. His face was neutral, unreadable.

James, however, wasn't fooled.

There was a hint of satisfaction in the man's eyes—he knew the GPU was working perfectly.

Now came the hard part.

"How much?" James asked casually.

The man sighed dramatically, scratching the back of his head.

"$250."

James almost laughed.

He had seen this game too many times. The classic lowball tactic.

"Nope. $500."

The man pretended to be shocked. "$500?! That's too much!"

James leaned against the counter, unimpressed. "That's the price."

"Kid, that's almost what the GPU is worth."

"Then you should've bought a new one instead of bringing it here," James countered smoothly.

"You couldn't fix it yourself, which is why you needed me. And I did the job. So, $500."

The man's words confirm James thought of the GPU belonging to him, and not some made up girl. No matter how hard he thought about it, he found it hard to believe that a random girl would just walk into a store to have her GPU fixed.

The man squinted at him.

He was trying to size James up, see if he would break and accept a lower price.

James didn't budge.

Silence stretched between them.

Finally, the man sighed. A real sigh this time.

"Fine. You caught me," he said, shaking his head. "You're good at this, kid."

"Actually, the GPU belongs to my daughter. I tried fixing it on my own but I couldn't. Thank you for fixing it. My daughter will be very happy," he said, nodding in appreciation, as he took out a couple of dollar notes and gave it to James.

"Thank you. Pleasure doing business with you," James said, with a smile as he collected the money.

"The pleasure is mine. Thank you once again."

James nodded, pocketing the cash, before leaving the store with a bright smile on his face.

"$500 made. $5,000 in rebate waiting."