Horizon Group moved fast.
By noon, an internal memo circulated.
Carefully worded. Legally sterile.
Due to organizational restructuring, several departmental adjustments have been made…
No names.
No blame.
But everyone in the building understood what it meant.
A seat was empty.
And empty seats attracted attention.
Leon didn't rush.
Power didn't belong to those who reached first—it belonged to those who arrived necessary.
He sat in a café two blocks away, watching Horizon's glass tower reflect the sky.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
He answered.
"This is Liu Wen," a voice said. Calm. Controlled. "From Horizon Group."
Leon straightened slightly.
"Yes?"
"There's been an internal recommendation," Liu Wen continued. "Your name surfaced."
Leon said nothing.
Silence was leverage.
"We'd like to invite you for a conversation," Liu Wen said. "Off the record."
Leon smiled faintly.
"When?"
"Now," Liu Wen replied. "If possible."
Leon glanced at the tower.
"I'm nearby," he said. "Give me ten minutes."
The meeting room wasn't formal.
No nameplates.
No assistants.
Just two people.
Liu Wen, mid-forties, sharp eyes, composed posture.
And Leon.
"You understand why you're here," Liu Wen said once they were seated.
Leon nodded. "You need stability."
Liu Wen raised an eyebrow. "You think in systems."
Leon didn't deny it.
"You surfaced twice during the Northshore situation," Liu Wen said. "Not publicly. Internally. Quiet signals."
Leon leaned back. "Signals tend to rise when there's noise."
Liu Wen studied him.
"People like you usually want something," he said.
Leon met his gaze.
"I want proximity," Leon said simply. "Influence comes later."
Liu Wen chuckled softly.
"Honest," he said. "Rare."
He folded his hands. "We're offering you a contract role. Advisory. Limited scope. No title worth mentioning."
Leon understood immediately.
A test.
A leash.
"And the downside?" Leon asked.
"You'll be watched," Liu Wen said. "Closely."
Leon smiled.
"That's fine," he said. "I prefer light."
Liu Wen laughed once.
"Good," he said. "Then welcome."
The system interface ignited.
[New Status Acquired:]
Corporate Insider (Probationary)
[Authority Cap Increased.]
[New Influence Path Available:]
Institutional Control
Leon felt it.
Not power.
Access.
Doors didn't open outward.
They opened inward.
Elsewhere in the city, a man watched the same tower from a higher floor.
Zhao Ren.
Board member.
Legacy blood.
He held a tablet displaying internal movement logs.
One name caught his attention.
Leon Zhao
Too new.
Too clean.
Too fast.
"Interesting," Zhao Ren murmured.
He tapped the screen.
"Find out who recommended him," he said.
"Yes, sir," an assistant replied.
Zhao Ren smiled faintly.
"People who rise quietly," he said, "either serve the system…"
His eyes narrowed.
"…or intend to own it."
Leon exited Horizon an hour later.
No badge.
No announcement.
But the city felt different.
Not louder.
Sharper.
The system chimed softly.
[Phase Two Initiated: Expansion]
[Next Objective:]
Establish independent leverage within Horizon.
Leon looked up at the sky.
This wasn't revenge anymore.
It was construction.
And now—
He was building inside the world that once erased him.