CHAPTER 54: TAIL 2

After a couple more minutes of waiting, Maximus stepped out of the pillow truck first, his shoes thudding softly against the pavement.

Dressa followed close behind, tugging her hoodie down as her eyes scanned the street. But the sharply dress men were nowhere in sight. The street had returned to its normal chaos— honking horns, flashing neon signs and Central City civilians weaving through traffic like it was a game of chance.

"They’re gone," Dressa said quietly, more surprised than relieved.

"Yeah," Maximus muttered, his tone guarded. "For now."

They started walking. Neither of them said much at first, the earlier adrenaline still burning faintly in their blood. But the danger had passed, and in its absence came something else— an awkward silence, humming with unsaid thoughts.

After a few blocks, Dressa glanced sideways at him, her eyes wide with realization.

"Wait... were close to my place," she said with a light laugh. "Like, two streets away."

Maximus raised an eyebrow. "That so?"

Dressa nodded, "Mhm. So are you gonna be a gentleman and walk me home?"

He shrugged. "Lead the way..."

Dressa’s building was impossible to miss. A towering, high rise luxury complex with tinted glass, sleek silver trims and digital security that scanned ones retinas before letting you breathe near the lobby. The front entrance shimmered beneath soft floodlights, and the curved modern design screamed expensive.

But even more, on getting to her apartment, it said something different— Athlete. Posters of her past races lined the private corridor wall. There were dumbbells neatly tucked by the front door, a yoga mat rolled beside them. Trophies and medals gleamed behind glass shelves inside her foyer.

"Home sweet home," she said, opening the door wider, the door sliding ajar with a quiet hiss.

Maximus smiled faintly. "Nice place you’ve got here..."

Dressa turned to him, her body half blocking the door, she hesitated, her eyes softening. "Don’t tell me you’re just gonna leave...not after a day like this?"

He shrugged again, hands shoved deep in his pockets. "It was a hell of a day. You okay?"

"yeah, I’m okay..." she said, biting her lower lip. "But... I don’t want you to go. Not yet at least."

He blinked, caught very much off guard.

"I mean... I had a really good time today," she said, her voice quieter, almost shy. "Even the scary parts. Its weird but... I liked being with you."

Maximus met her gaze. "Dressa..."

She stepped closer and gave him the most lethal look in her arsenal— big, vulnerable puppy dog eyes. "Just... come inside. Stay a night... please?"

He exhaled slowly, "Dressa, I—"

But she didn’t let him finish. She reached for his shirt, pulled him inside and the door slid shut behind them.

In a heartbeat, she was on him, hands gripping his shirt, lips crashing against his. It was messy, desperate, heated. Her fingers tangled in his hair as her body pressed against his.

Maximus let it happen, for a moment. His hands rested on her waist, unsure. But the more she kissed him, the harder it was to think. Her touch was electric. Her lips tasted like sugar and danger.

"I don’t care if you have a ’fiancee’..." she whispered against his mouth. "I wanna be yours just for tonight."

His body tensed. The words stabbed through the fog of lust like a blade.

Still, he didn’t pull away. He kissed her back— once, then again, before lifting her off the floor and carrying her to the wide, plush living couch. They collapsed onto it, tangled in each other as heat built up like a wildfire.

But just when she reached for his crouch area, he stopped and pulled back gently, breathing hard.

"We... we can’t do this..."

Dressa’s eyes opened slowly. "Why not?"

"I’m sorry," he said, standing up. "I just can’t..."

She sat up, brushing her hair out of her face. She looked disappointed, but not angry. "its okay." she said quietly. "I’ll try again some other night.

Maximus smiled at that, shaking his head. "You’re trouble."

"Only the fun kind."

He turned and made his way to the door. Dressa watched him go, arms folded under her breast, her gaze burning into his back with longing and something else, something deeper.

The door opened and shut quietly.

Outside, the night had deepened. Maximus walked down the sidewalk slowly, his hands buried in his pockets as the city’s glow casted long shadows on the ground. He didn’t look back.

But Dressa was now at the window watching him fade into the noise and lights of the city.

He walked till he arrived at the point they had hid inside the truck stacked with pillows, then skewed his mind into summoning the Investment God System.

"Come Forth..."

Tiring!

~The One Who Overcame~

"Wanna check the progress of all my investments..."

Tiring!

~MOBILE KITCHEN INVESTMENT~

~Functionality Running at 100% efficiency~

~ROI 80%~

~Investment is several times above the profit margin~

~Business Partners 0~

~Business Affiliations 3 hired staff members~

~REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT~

~Functionality Running at 80% efficiency~

~ROI 100%

~This investment is the most profitable so far and account for 70% of The One Who Overcame wealth~

~Business Partners 0~

~Business Affiliations 1 hired staff~

~The One Who Overcame Has successfully closed down three real estate deals and the next one is well on the way~

~RESORT JOINT INVESTMENT~

~Functionality Running at 0% efficiency~

~ROI 80%

~This investment is still in its developing phase and yet to receive and profit.~

~Business Partners 1~

~Business Affiliations 1 HIRED STAFF~

~The One Who Overcame XP earnings from this investment will be proportional to the investment percentage owned~

~Therefore, you reap what you sow~

~Percentage stake on investment 80%~

~Your influence is limited based on controlled percentage. However, rapid wealth accumulation is likely to be achieved due to strategic negotiation~

~ANTIQUE INVESTMENT~

~Functionality Running at 50% efficiency~

~Level 3~

~XP LEVEL 95%~

Maximus was now walking beneath the golden glow of streetlights, hands shoved deep in his pockets, his footsteps echoing softly against the sidewalk. The cool night breeze brushed past his face, but it did little to calm the whirlpool in his mind.

His gaze dropped, and with a casual flick of his fingers, he swiped away the investment god system interface still hovering faintly in front of his vision. It vanished with a soft shimmer— like it had never been there.

"Phew..." he exhaled. "What a fucking day."

He shook his head slowly, his thoughts racing.

This morning, he was hooping at the beach. Just playing ball like it was another the Saturday. Then came the spontaneous swim in the ocean with dressa- her laughter, that teasing glint in her eye. The heat between them in that moment.

Then bam! A high speed car chase, signal jammers, cia looking men hunting him down like he was the rogue character from vector 2. It was straight out of a spy thriller.

And then, to top it all off? Nearly getting pulled into dressa’s bed, his lips still tingled form hers.

He stopped walking for a moment, rubbing his face with both hands.

"jesus, Max..." he muttered. "You’re life changed so much all because of one fucking pill."

His phone buzzed in his pocket. A short, precise vibration, no call, just a message.

He slid the device out and raised a brow when he saw the sender.

Valerie sawyer.

He unlocked the screen and tapped the thread.

A fresh set of texts had come in- five of them, stacked back to back, sent within the last few minutes. They were clean, well punctuated, and came with attached PDFs and high resolution image files. Classic business information feedback. No emojis. No typos. Just pre elegance.

Maximus scrolled slowly through the messages, skimming them without diving in. A few phrases caught his eyes- "Event itinerary", "exclusive bidder list." "dress code enforcement" "Artifact preview" and something labeled "priority access pass."

His eyes gleamed.

"Oh...this is gonna be good," he said under his breath, a slow grin stretching across his face.

He tapped open a single PDF file and saw a flash ancient gold and a long list of event sponsors before he locked the screen again.

"If I can invest in the right pieces and resell..." he said to himself, gears already turning, "I’ll definitely hit level 4."

He looked up at the moonlit city skyline.

Big money, bigger risk and possibly even bigger enemies. But to Maximus that only meant opportunity.