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Chapter 2 - Keep It a Secret

The following morning, Leo woke up with a pounding headache—not from lack of sleep, but from the surreal weight of what happened the night before. For hours, he had combed through the documents sent to him: bank statements, offshore accounts, land titles in Makati, Tagaytay, even Tokyo.

It wasn't a dream.

He really was the richest man in the country.

But as he sat on the edge of his creaky bed, surrounded by the peeling paint of their small apartment in Tondo, reality pressed down hard.

His mother was in the kitchen, humming softly while cooking rice and scrambled egg. She didn't know a single peso had changed.

He hadn't told her.

And maybe, for now, that was the right thing to do.

Leo stepped out, and his mom smiled, placing a warm plate on the table.

"Eat before it gets cold," she said. "I still have to mop the third floor before the manager arrives."

He nodded and sat. "Ma… if we suddenly had more money, like… a lot, what would you do?"

She paused mid-step and chuckled. "Hijo, if I had more money, I'd stop worrying if the rice will last till next week. Why?"

Leo shook his head. "Just wondering."

He took a bite of the egg, savoring it. Same food, same small kitchen, but everything felt different.

"Don't worry," she said, ruffling his hair. "You'll graduate soon. You'll get a good job. Then maybe we'll finally buy that old house your papa always talked about."

Leo swallowed hard. "Yeah... Maybe sooner than you think."

By 10 a.m., Leo was back on campus. The halls buzzed with gossip as usual. Only now, some of it was about Belle and Miggy—how they were seen driving off in a black SUV after she broke up with Leo.

"She really dumped him in the rain?" someone whispered near the vending machine.

"Savage, but smart," another said. "Miggy's loaded."

Leo kept walking, head down. He didn't speak. He didn't retaliate. Let them talk.

He reached the back of the campus library—a quiet spot where he usually studied. But today wasn't for studying.

He pulled out his phone, opened the new app that had appeared on his screen the night before: GWIP – Global Wealth Inheritance Program.

It wasn't downloadable on Play Store. No logo. No update history. But when he tapped it, everything was neatly organized.

[Overview]

Total Assets: ₱176.9 Billion

Liquid Cash: ₱1.4 Billion

Daily Passive Income: ₱18 Million

Companies Owned: 49 (Local & International)

Hidden Identity: Enabled

There was even a toggle switch to reveal or hide his net worth publicly.

He smirked.

"Let them think I'm broke."

Scrolling further, he saw a task menu.

[Starter Task Unlocked]

Task: Make one meaningful, low-key investment in someone who deserves it.

Reward: Unlock "Influence" Skill Tier 1.

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Is this a game or real life?"

Still, the system hadn't failed him yet.

He thought about it as he walked across campus. That's when he saw Martin, a fellow student, limping slightly while carrying a huge box of donated books.

Martin had always been kind. Quiet. Top of the class. But he came from a poor farming family, even poorer than Leo's. He often skipped meals just to afford photocopies.

Leo approached him.

"Need help?"

Martin smiled sheepishly. "You sure? You've got your own problems."

"Not today," Leo said, taking half the load.

As they carried the box toward the student affairs office, Martin glanced over.

"Hey… you okay after what happened with Belle?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah. I'm starting to see things more clearly."

Martin gave him a quiet nod. "She doesn't know what she lost."

Leo felt the system buzz.

Task Completed.

Reward Unlocked: "Influence" Tier 1 Activated.

You now passively gain reputation and silent respect from interactions. Future connections will be easier.

Leo blinked at the notification. "That's... weirdly useful."

He opened his banking app and quietly transferred ₱100,000 to Martin's GCash account. No name. Just a message:

"For books, food, and a little rest. Someone believes in you."

Later that day, Leo sat at the back of his class. Miggy strutted in with Belle on his arm like nothing had happened. Belle caught Leo's eye once—just once—but his expression was unreadable.

No anger. No sadness. Just calm.

And that unnerved her more than any outburst would have.

After class, Leo was about to leave when he overheard Miggy and his friends talking by the parking lot.

"Bro, that loser's still walking around like he owns the place. I bet he cried all night."

Belle giggled beside Miggy. "Let him. Maybe he'll finally realize love doesn't pay rent."

Leo turned the corner silently, not bothering to confront them.

They had no idea the man they were mocking now had more power than all their families combined.

And he wasn't done growing.

That night, back at the apartment, Leo stared out the window.

He didn't want instant revenge. He didn't want to flaunt money. He wanted to build. Learn. Grow.

But he would never forget how they treated him.

And when the time came…

They'd all know who he really was.

But by then?

It would be too late.

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