The next morning, Vera arrived at Charles’ mansion when he was having breakfast. She looked excited as she walked in and greeted him. “Good morning, Charles. I hope you had a great night.” She said, plopping down on a chair beside him. “Good morning,” his eyes narrowed. “Is everything ok? You look like you have something to say.” “Yes I do.” “Well, go on. Tell me all about it.” “When I went home yesterday, while checking out some places to hire security details for you, I found out there’s an auction happening at the Royal Oak Hotel today by 3pm.” “What kind of auction?” “There’s going to be a lot of things on sale but I think you would be interested in the high-tech machines that would auctioned. Every businessman in the city has their eyes on them because it will definitely improve efficiency in their companies. I think we should attend this auction.” “Hmmmm,” Charles stroked his jaw. “That’s an interesting idea. Does this auction require an invitation or something? I would love to go and check out these high-tech machines you’re talking about.” “There’s no invitation but anyone interested in the auction has to buy a ticket. The ticket cost $10000 per individual. You won’t be allowed into the building without a ticket.” “The money is not my problem. I can pay for our tickets.” “That’s great.” Vera beamed. “If you can buy those machines, you’ll spend less on hiring more workers in your hotel. Also, you’ll be respected by everyone in the city for beating the highest auction price.” Charles nodded, agreeing with Vera’s ideas. The auction was a way to push himself into the business world. Just then, the system screen popped up in front of Charles. [New Mission: You have 24 hours to spend $40 million dollars.] Charles smiled, knowing that he now had enough money for the auction. [Transferring funds to bank account number] Immediately, his phone dinged and he received a notification from the bank that 40 million dollars had been deposited in his account. He turned to Vera with a smile on his face. “Did you say that many important businessmen will be there? Do you know how many?” “Yes.” She replied. “I was able to check the list of those who have purchased the ticket already. They are high class businessmen and I’m sure the auction will be quite competitive. As a matter of fact, some people are saying that businessmen who are not able to attend will be looked down on.” Charles nodded. “You’re right. Such an auction will be competitive but we have to attend it. But first, I’ll hire bodyguards for my protection before we head over to the hotel. Since it starts by 3pm, we should be able to do everything before that time.” “Sure. That’s a good idea.” Quickly, Charles dressed up, wearing one of the expensive suits he bought from Celio fashion house. He drove Vera to Secure Security House where he could hire bodyguards. Secure security house had the best security guards in the whole city. Charles had made some enquirers and discovered that they were extremely dedicated to their jobs. Knowing that his list of enemies were increasing, he needed that dedication from the body guards. As they walked into Secure security house, they were welcomed by the manager at the lobby. Charles had called earlier to inform him that he would be visiting to hire body guards. Now the CEO of Golden State Hotel, his rank in the city had drastically skyrocketed. In fact, he was now recognized in public places by some businessmen who heard about him and his success. “Welcome, Mr. Charles.” The manager, Mr. Smith extended his hand to him. “I’m so pleased to see you here.” “Thank you.” Charles said. “This is Vera, my person assistant and friend.” He introduced Vera to Mr. Smith who welcomed her too. “Come with me.” Mr. Smith led them to a room where all the body guards for hire were assembled. The room was filled with men of different sizes, age, weight, skin color, height and appearance. “These are our best men.” Mr. Smith said showing him around the room. “Most of them have years of experience and would provide you with maximum security and comfort. How many do you want to hire?” “Six should be nice for now.” Charles replied. “If there’s need for me to hire more, I will definitely do so.” Mr. Smith asked the body guards to match around the room so Charles would select his preference. After some minutes of examining them, Charles picked out six strong-looking men to be his bodyguards. “I can see you have good eyes,” Mr. Smith said when he saw Charles’s selection. “These are our very best men. I’ll prepare the contract for you. Come with me.” Mr. Smith led them to his office to prepare the contract. “Mr. Charles, our contracts usually lasts for a year and you’ll have to come back to renew them. The total cost of our services for six bodyguards is 2 million dollars, should I proceed?” “Yes.” Mr. Smith prepared the contract and after signing, Charles left with the six bodyguards. Outside the building, Charles decided to address them quickly. “Listen, I’ll need only two bodyguards to come along with me whenever I’m going out or have business to attend to. The rest of you will be stationed at my house in Diamond Homes. Your priority is my safety so that should come first to you in any situation. Do you understand me?” “Yes sir!” The chorused and bowed to him. “Now, two of you will come with me to Royal Oak Hotel for an auction. While the rest should book a cab to Diamond homes. My house is the only Condo in the residence.” Charles said before dismissing the remaining guards to resume duty. “Now, let’s go to Royal Oak Hotel. We will buy tickets there.” He told Vera. They arrived at Royal Oak few minutes later and Charles was surprised to see that the hotel was packed with nearly every businessman in the city. He realized that the auction was more important than he thought. “Isn’t that the latest Ferrari 250 Gt?” Someone asked amongst the crowd as Charles stepped out of his car. His car was definitely one of the most expensive cars in the lobby. “That car is worth 10 million dollars. Who is this man and how come I haven’t seen him till now?” The CEO of Bright Star Automobiles said to some of his friends. “I think that’s Charles Lincoln. He is a new businessman in the city but he’s rising too fast. He bought Golden State yesterday and I heard his net worth is rapidly increasing. I think we should be watchful of him before he dominates the city.” The CEO of Interswitch AI told his friends. Charles could hear them whispering and talking about him as he walked past groups of businessmen. He smiled within himself as he realized that he was now the talk of the city. “Hello, where can I purchase the tickets for the auction?” Charles asked one of the attendants standing at the door. The attendant showed him to the manager who was swiftly selling out to tickets to interested businessmen. He purchased two tickets for him and Vera. “Well, well, well.” Charles heard a voice behind him. “If it isn’t the lousy delivery man.” Charles turned to see Jefferson, eyeing him with disgust. “Jefferson, what are you doing here?” Charles asked calmly. “I should be asking you that. The last time I checked, you were running around the city with that stupid scooter of yours. Are you here to serve food or beg for tips? Come on, you should read the room and know you don’t belong here.” Vera whispered to Charles. “Do you know him?” “Yes. My ex-wife cheated on me with him.” He said, his voice clipped with bitterness. Charles turned to Jefferson. “If you really want to know, I’m here for the auction.” Jefferson burst out in laughter. “Of course, everyone is here for the auction. But what are you actually here for? You can’t deceive me with that suit you borrowed or the hungry looking body guards you hired.” Charles knew that exchanging words with Jefferson was not good for his status. “I don’t have anything to say to you. You’ll soon realize what I’m here for.” “I just want you to know that Angela is doing great with me. You should see how long we make love each night. I bet you never had that privilege.” Jefferson mocked Charles as he turned to leave. Filled with rage, Charles stormed toward him but stopped himself when he realized that people were staring. “If you think that bringing up my ex-wife will make me feel inferior, then you’re wrong. You can have her, after all, she gave herself freely to you. But don’t forget that no bad deed goes unpunished. I’ll see you inside the auction hall. May the best man win.” With that, Charles walked away majestically.