The grand hall of the Ritz-Carlton still shimmered with a raw, nervous energy. William's allies, corporate titans and hidden family heads alike, were clustered in small, tight knots. Their usual boisterous laughter was gone, replaced by hushed words and cautious gestures laced with a new, terrified reverence.
The VR pods hadn't just shown them illusions; they had shattered their reality. The experience was viscerally, terrifyingly real. Men who once controlled billions were now pale and trembling, their eyes fixed on Karma as though he held the keys to creation itself.
One older magnate leaned forward, voice hoarse. "Young Lord… what I saw in there—mountains that bled light, skies with two suns—it cannot be a dream. Tell me, was it truly… another world?"
A woman draped in jewels clasped her hands together, her composure cracking. "If such power exists… if mortals can even touch a fraction of it—our entire civilization will change. What must we do?"
"Nothing rash," Karma replied evenly. "You don't need to abandon what you've built. Technology, wealth, influence—those are yours, earned by yourselves. What I ask is that you support the vessel I am creating. A place where mortals can learn and prepare. In time, when the heavens open wider, you will already have taken the first steps."
Murmurs rippled like waves across the hall. Greed burned in some eyes, awe in others, fear in the rest. But none dared voice dissent.
William stood beside him, smiling faintly. "Ladies and gentlemen, you have your answer. Our young lord is generous. He does not demand, only guides. Remember this moment well—you will not see its like again."
They bowed. Some whispered vows of loyalty, others promised resources, all too eager to tie their fates to the mysterious youth who had turned illusion into reality.
Karma accepted it all with quiet composure, offering only a few calm words in return. Yet his eyes lingered on the staff moving silently in the background. They poured wine, cleared dishes, and reset settings with flawless precision. Their gazes were lowered, their motions careful. Professional to the last, but Karma could feel the tension in their breath. These were no ordinary guests. The staff knew it.
When the last toast was made and William's allies departed to begin their preparations, Karma remained behind. William turned to him with a slight bow.
"Young Lord, shall I arrange transport back to the mansion?"
Karma shook his head. "No. I will stay here a while. This city is where the company's headquarters should be. It is central, accessible, and well-suited for growth. Make the arrangements. I will remain at the Ritz until everything is prepared."
William's eyes gleamed. He bowed once more. "As you wish. I'll begin at once." With that, he departed with Anna and the remaining aides, his mind already racing through plans.
The hall grew quieter. Chandeliers dimmed, and the echo of power faded into ordinary silence. Only the staff remained now, working briskly to clear tables and reset the room for the next day. Chairs scraped softly against carpet. Silver trays clinked together. The pop of corks, the clatter of cutlery, and the rustle of linen folded into neat squares created a rhythm of closure. Relief drifted in the air—the guests had left, and the staff could finally breathe.
Karma stood by the side for a moment, watching them. The uniforms, the quiet chatter, the rhythm of service—it was a world he knew intimately. A world he had once belonged to. He remembered polishing wine glasses with Sajid until midnight, sneaking jokes in the pantry, the laughter of Kiki when a tray nearly toppled. Now, seeing them again, bent under the weight of duty, stirred something deep in him.
Taking a step forward, he crossed the hall.
The first to notice was Sajid, a senior staff member who had joined around the same time as Karma. A friend. He froze, a stack of chairs half-balanced in his hands, as the young man from earlier—the one the VVIPs had bowed to—walked straight toward him.
Sajid quickly set the chairs down and stepped forward, bowing slightly. "Sir… is there something I can help you with?" His voice was polite, but a nervous tremor edged his tone.
Karma said nothing.
The silence stretched. The scrape of chairs halted. A spoon clattered against a tray and rolled across the carpet before someone snatched it up with trembling fingers. Sajid's palms grew slick with sweat. The other staff had stopped moving now, their gazes flicking nervously between him and Karma. Why was this man, treated like a deity by the most powerful guests, approaching them without a word?
Sajid cleared his throat, his voice tighter now. "If—if you require assistance, I can fetch my supervisor—"
Before he could finish, Karma suddenly stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him in a firm embrace.
"I missed you, Sajid," Karma said softly.
He froze, eyes wide, utterly speechless.
The hall went dead silent. Even the air seemed to hold its breath.
Someone whispered, "How… how does he know his name?"
Another muttered, "What's going on? He—he hugged Sajid!"
Then Karma moved to another staff member—a young woman stacking glasses. "Kiki," he said warmly, hugging her before she could even react. Her jaw dropped, the glass in her hand nearly tipping over. One by one, he moved through the room, greeting each familiar face by name. To the newcomers, he simply nodded with a smile, but to those who had once worked alongside him, he gave an embrace.
By the time he was done, the entire staff stood frozen, a mix of shock and bewilderment painted across their faces.
One of the younger staff bolted toward the doors and returned moments later with two supervisors. They came running, faces tight with panic. "What happened? What's going on here?"
Before anyone could answer, Karma turned toward them with an easy smile—and pulled them both into a hug.
The supervisors stiffened in shock. The staff gaped. This was madness.
Then Karma stepped back, laughter bursting from him like a flood. "What's wrong? You all look like you've seen a ghost. Don't tell me you've already forgotten about me."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, magnetic name tag. With a slow, deliberate motion, he clipped it to his shirt. The black letters on the silver metal caught the light, gleaming:
Karma.
A collective gasp echoed across the floor. Sajid's hands, still trembling from the hug, went slack. Kiki stared, the glass slipping from her fingers and shattering against the carpet, though no one even flinched at the sound. It wasn't just a name; it was his name—the one they had called him every day, the one that had vanished with him.
"You—you're our Karma?" Sajid stammered, his voice a disbelieving whisper. "But… how is this even possible?! How did you even transform into a model! And now… you're with them?"
Kiki's eyes welled with tears, her voice breaking. "We thought you were just gone! You totally disappeared! Where have you been all this time?"
The supervisors, usually so composed, looked utterly lost. "What happened to you? Who were those people who took you?"
The questions came flooding out, disbelief mixing with relief.
Karma's smile softened. "It's a long story," he said gently. "But those people… they're my family. They found me here, working as a server, and took me back. My cousin… she wouldn't let me stay away any longer." The words slid from his tongue smoothly, almost too smoothly. A lie, perhaps—but one the staff would believe.
The staff exchanged stunned looks, whispers hissing through the room. A family. A cousin. It made sense, at least on the surface.
Sajid still stood rooted to the spot, his hands trembling. "You've got to be kidding me. All this time, you were rich and still worked as one of us? And now…" His voice broke off, thick with emotions he couldn't name.
Karma placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't let appearances fool you. I was one of you, and I haven't forgotten who I am—or where I came from. Things were just… different back then."
The weight of his words settled over them, a mix of heavy truth and profound comfort. For a moment, they weren't servers and he wasn't a guest of gods. They were just colleagues, reunited against all odds.
As he turned to leave, whispers rippled through the hall.
"If he's really our Karma…" one voice trembled, "then what… what is he now?"