CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER .30 JASON

Jason stretched his arms overhead as morning light filtered through the penthouse blinds. The city below was already awake, buzzing with movement, headlines, and ambition. He slid out of bed, padded barefoot to the kitchen, and poured himself a black coffee. No sugar. No distractions.

He brought the mug to his lips, took a sip—

"Hawk—disgusting," he muttered, grimacing as he set the mug back down. Bitter. Stale. He made a mental note to change the supplier.

His phone buzzed on the counter.

Notification: Trending Topics

– "C&B’s Grand Opening Still Dominating Local Buzz!"

– "What’s Next for NovaForm Studio Under Mysterious New Leadership?"

– "Long-Time Antique Scam Ring Brought Down in Surprise Bust. Several High-Value Victims Speak Out."

Jason raised an eyebrow at the last one.

About time.

He didn’t need to read further. The timing lined up too well with the mess from the night before.

Either way, it wasn’t time to worry about that. Not yet.

He opened the Software App—Version 2.

The moment it loaded, the soft blue hue of its UI felt warmer, more alive than before.

"Good morning, Jason."

"Status report."

"Momentum is holding. Four critical pillars have formed: Media, Branding, Internal Control, and Product Innovation. Fifth is in flux: Network Expansion."

"Keep monitoring."

"Of course. A reminder: others are waking up. Some will crawl. Some will sprint. But all will notice eventually."

Jason smirked.

"Let them."

By 10 a.m., he was back at NovaForm headquarters.

The atmosphere inside had shifted. Lang’s regime left behind tension, micromanagement, and people pretending to work while watching their backs. Now, that fog was lifting. Not completely, but enough to breathe.

Inside the executive meeting room, Hendricks and Daisy were already waiting.

Hendricks had ditched his stiff collar for a looser-cut suit, more at ease now that Lang was behind bars. Daisy looked the same as always—overworked, sharp-eyed, dressed like someone who could spin an entire press cycle on two hours of sleep.

Jason sat at the head of the table.

"Talk to me."

Hendricks clicked a remote, pulling up a clean, black-and-white slide deck.

"Internal restructuring’s about halfway done. We cleared out Park’s loyalists. The rest are being reassigned or retrained. Product-side’s already running smoother."

"Any pushback?"

"A little," Hendricks said, shrugging. "Nothing serious. Most people were just waiting for someone to clean house."

Daisy slid a tablet across the table. "C&B’s still trending. We’ve crossed 1.2 million organic views across platforms. All that without tapping the influencer circuit."

Jason skimmed the numbers.

"We’ve also had early interest from two mid-tier investors," Daisy added. "Trying to buy in before we scale."

"Tell them to wait," Jason said.

Daisy blinked. "Wait?"

"Let them think they’re too late. Then we talk."

Hendricks chuckled. "Old money hates missing the boat."

Jason leaned back. "Exactly. I want them thirsty before they get to sip."

He turned to both of them.

"Now it’s time to build out the fifth pillar—the network. I want names. Café influencers. Underground stylists. Niche skincare brands. Anyone with a following. Anyone making noise. Not the obvious ones. The ones who haven’t blown up yet."

Hendricks nodded, already taking notes.

Daisy tilted her head. "How aggressive?"

Jason didn’t blink. "Get to them before anyone else does. Quiet partnerships. Limited collabs. Buy their silence with opportunity."

The room fell quiet for a moment.

He wasn’t just building a business.

He was building a kingdom.

Later that afternoon, Jason made an unannounced visit to a small logistics warehouse on the edge of downtown. The building was plain on the outside, tucked between a shuttered repair shop and an old noodle factory. Inside, it was spotless—rows of organized shelves, whiteboards with inventory flow diagrams, and a quiet rhythm of steady work.

He was here for one person: Jessy.

She was stacking boxes, dressed in worn cargo pants and a zip-up hoodie. One of the few former staff from the NovaForm team who hadn’t buckled under Lang and Park. She’d refused to lie, refused to fold. Jason remembered that.

She looked up and froze mid-motion.

"Jason? Didn’t think I’d see you here."

He gave a small nod. "Got something for you."

Jessy narrowed her eyes, curious but wary.

"C&B’s expanding," he said. "I need someone to manage logistics—inventory, vendor coordination, movement between sites. It’s not a desk job."

Jessy wiped her hands on her pants, thinking.

"I’d need my own people," she said.

"Fine," Jason replied. "As long as they can move."

She studied him a second longer, then gave a short nod.

"I’m in."

Evening settled over the city. Long shadows stretched over the sidewalks, and the glow of streetlights flickered on across the skyline.

Jason stepped out of the warehouse and into the thick hum of the city—commuters, vendors, bikes weaving between cars, delivery drivers rushing past with barely a glance.

He was sliding into the back of his car when someone crossed the road in front of him.

A delivery guy.

Tired. Uniform wrinkled. Hair flattened to his forehead. Two heavy bags hung from his shoulders, dragging him down like weights. He moved like he hadn’t slept in days.

Jason wouldn’t have looked twice—except something about the guy caught his eye.

For half a second, the driver looked up. Their eyes met.

No recognition. Just a flicker of something. A quiet awareness.

Jason’s phone buzzed.

He looked away, checked the screen, and stepped into the car. The door shut behind him.

The driver disappeared into the crowd.

Another thread was weaving itself into the city.

He just didn’t know it yet.