Ashburn left early the next morning, long before the streets of his town were fully awake. His car rolled through the cool morning air, Aisha sitting beside him with her tablet while Kainat sat in the back seat quietly reviewing district maps. Today wasn't just another routine check. This was the first step toward expanding into the district's biggest and busiest city—Bhawal Nagar. A city that acted as the central hub of goods transport, distribution, and wholesale trade. A city where the energy never dropped.
It was also the same place where, many months ago, Ashburn had received his very first big wholesale order—the order that had given him confidence, pushed him forward, and proved that his products could compete with giants. Returning now felt symbolic, like walking back into a battlefield stronger, sharper, and prepared to conquer.
As soon as they entered Bhawal Nagar, the atmosphere changed. Trucks loaded with crates moved in long lines, shop shutters clattered open, and men shouted prices across the streets as if the entire city was negotiating with itself. The smell of spices, diesel, fresh vegetables, and dust mixed into one familiar scent—the scent of commerce.
Ashburn walked through the crowded market, analyzing everything with calm eyes. His Risk Mapping and Quick Evaluation skills activated silently in the background, giving him insights that no ordinary businessman could get. He noticed which shops had genuine customers and which were pretending with hired crowd. He spotted areas with unstable rent patterns, risky landlords, and unreliable suppliers. He even sensed which parts of the city had growing future populations and which were declining.
Aisha kept taking notes beside him, occasionally pointing out things she noticed—delivery access routes, possible freezer installation issues, and suppliers they could talk to later. Kainat, on the other hand, focused on people. She watched customer behavior, the age groups, the flow of families versus individuals, and which items were selling faster. This silent division of responsibilities had become natural between the three of them.
After nearly four hours of walking, talking, observing, and calculating, Ashburn had a clear map in his head. A medium-sized warehouse near the main transport road would be perfect for an office and cold storage. The access road was smooth, the rent reasonable, and the area had enough space for vans to load and unload without disturbing local shops.
For the first shops, he selected two prime locations. The first was deep inside a residential colony—clean, organized, and filled with middle-class families. The footfall was steady throughout the day, and he could already imagine one of his stores glowing there. The second was near the old bazaar, the part of the city where time moved faster. People rushed, shouted, bargained, and bought in a hurry. A shop there would be chaotic, but profit would be good.
He also noted four additional locations mentally, places where shops could open in the coming months once the first two stabilized. Bhawal Nagar was big, and if they wanted real presence, they had to spread out evenly.
By late afternoon, the sun had softened and the crowds thinned a little. They finally returned home, tired but satisfied. Ashburn didn't even rest. He went straight to the meeting room where the senior team was already waiting. Everyone knew today was important.
He laid out the entire plan on the table—starting with why Bhawal Nagar was the right first major hub, how the warehouse would function as the backbone, how the delivery vans would run fixed routes tested through his Quick Evaluation skill, and how the shops would open two per month until the city had 6 to 8 in total.
Aisha immediately confirmed that the warehouse rent was below market rate and strategically perfect. Kainat added that once the office was stable, coordination with Horizon Group would become extremely efficient, cutting unnecessary delays. Other team members provided small insights: one advised hiring a special maintenance team just for the expansion cities, another proposed adding a dedicated HR person for Bhawal Nagar, while someone else pointed out security concerns.
Then the discussion moved to something crucial—who would lead the city? Ashburn had already decided. He called in a man who had been working with them for months: Faraz Murtaza.
Faraz entered the meeting room a little confused. He wore simple clothes, his posture steady but humble. He had always been reliable, arriving early and staying late, working without noise or complaints. Before joining Ashburn's company, he had worked in Multan for a logistics chain as an assistant manager, and his experience in transport, supplier dealing, and procurement was solid.
Ashburn told him directly and with confidence that he was now being appointed as the Regional Head of Bhawal Nagar. Faraz blinked, genuinely stunned. For a moment his lips opened but no sound came out. Then, slowly, gratitude filled his expression. He promised with a shaking voice that he would not disappoint.
Ashburn smiled and said he believed in him. The team nodded in agreement. Aisha added that Faraz had shown consistent dedication, while Kainat reminded him that the new role came with high responsibility—but also high trust.
Over the next few days, Faraz travelled to Bhawal Nagar with a small, temporary team. He worked tirelessly. He negotiated the warehouse rent, ensured installation of racks and freezers, contacted electricians, arranged water supply, and managed paperwork for licensing. He visited the two shop locations Ashburn had marked, finalized the rent, and began arranging renovation.
He also interviewed dozens of candidates to build a starting staff—cashiers, storekeepers, drivers, cleaners, and assistant managers. Slowly, the skeleton of the new city operation began to take shape.
Meanwhile, Ashburn handled the financial side from the main office. He organized budgets, planned timelines, communicated with suppliers, arranged meetings, and designed training modules for the incoming staff. He also coordinated with Horizon Group for bulk product supply for the new shops.
Every night after finishing work, Ashburn found himself thinking of Bhawal Nagar. A strange excitement had settled inside him, not wild or uncontrolled—but firm and steady. It felt like his business had entered a new stage, like everything so far had been preparation for this moment.
One evening, standing outside on the balcony, he looked towards the dark horizon where Bhawal Nagar lay miles away. The city lights weren't visible from here, but he knew they were burning—bright, restless, hungry. He felt that hunger too. This was the first step toward something much larger. Toward becoming not just a regional businessman, but a powerful network builder. A person who shaped the market instead of following it.
The next morning, he went through Faraz's updates—warehouse contract signed, equipment installation in progress, shop renovations started, staff interviews ongoing. Everything was moving exactly as he had hoped. For the first time in many days, he felt truly satisfied.
Ashburn stayed in the office for a while longer, reviewing the latest messages from Faraz and the project team. Every figure, every location photo, every timeline update showed progress that felt solid and real. He leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping lightly on the table, a quiet satisfaction settling in his chest. Bhawal Nagar was no longer just a plan on paper—it was a movement already in motion, and the momentum around him kept building, steady and controlled, exactly how he wanted it.