Chapter 33: Custom Made Car

The heavy double doors clicked shut behind them, leaving the boardroom completely silent.

Tiana stood at the head of the table, her shoulders back, her posture commanding, and her eyes sharp with newly awakened power. The hesitation that used to hold her back was completely gone. She looked every bit like the unstoppable CEO of a global powerhouse.

Right on cue, a golden, glowing system prompt expanded across my vision:

[ Quest Complete: Tiana’s Executive Glow-Up ]

[ Management Potential Unlocked: 9.5 / 10 ]

[ Zenith Operational Bottleneck: ELIMINATED ]

[ System Reward Unlocked: $35,000,000 Direct Cash Transfer ]

[ Controlling Stake Finalized: Absolute Corporate Ownership ]

Chloe let out a long breath and flashed a brilliant smile. "Clean, legal, and completely lethal. Zenith is officially yours, Tiana."

Tiana turned to me, a radiant, triumphant grin breaking across her face as she looked around her clean boardroom. "We just cleared the path. Now... let’s show the world what Zenith can really do."

I pulled out my phone, tapping into my private banking app to verify the system transfer. The screen loaded, flashing a single, staggering number across the encrypted display:

[ Account Balance: $38,323,000 Liquid ]

Seeing those eight digits lined up in black and white hit different. I wasn’t just holding baseline capital anymore; I was a fully cemented multi-millionaire with absolute financial immunity.

"Looking at the scoreboard?" Chloe asked, stepping up beside me and glancing at the screen with a knowing smirk.

"Just confirming the ammo," I replied, locking the phone and sliding it back into my jacket.

With $38.32M liquid sitting ready in my account, the scale of what we could do with Zenith had completely shifted. We weren’t just launching an athletic line anymore—we had the capital to build out private manufacturing hubs, lock down global distribution channels, and sign elite athletes out from under the old-money corporate brands before they even saw us coming.

Tiana joined us by the floor-to-ceiling windows, holding a newly drafted organizational chart. Without Yaga and his cronies leeching off the top, her brand-new executive team was already taking their seats downstairs, running operations with military precision.

"We have full operational clearance now," Tiana said, her eyes burning with ambition. "With your investment backed by total controlling equity, Zenith can hit the global market at maximum velocity."

"Then let’s blow the roof off this industry," I smiled.

Bright and early the next morning, Zenith’s headquarters was buzzing with a completely different energy. The chaotic friction from the previous board was gone, replaced by Tiana’s sleek, high-efficiency executive team executing her directives without a second of hesitation.

While May worked with the creative team finalizing the high-performance designs, Tiana ran the floor like a seasoned mogul. Her 9.5 management potential was on full display—delegating logistics, securing premium retail spots, and prepping the global campaign.

By late afternoon, Tiana called me into her office. She had financial projections spread across her main display, her expression focused rather than stressed.

"The rollout plan is massive," Tiana explained, pointing to the international distribution maps. "May’s star power is driving insane demand. To lock down exclusive manufacturing lines and handle the worldwide order volume on day one without supply delays, we need an immediate capital expansion."

"How much do we need to drown out the competition?" I asked.

"Ten million," she replied directly. "It guarantees total global coverage right out of the gate."

Without batting an eye, I authorized the transfer.

[ Capital Injected into Zenith: $10,000,000 ]

[ Remaining Liquid Balance: $28,323,000 ]

I knew another system cashback would hit once the launch went live, but even beyond the system rewards, the math was simple. With 50% controlling equity in a company about to dominate the global athletic industry, this $10M injection was going to multiply into generational wealth. When Zenith blew up, I was going to be stinky rich.

Tiana stared at the confirmed transfer on her screen, then looked up at me with a breathless smile. "You didn’t even flinch."

"I invest in winners," I said with a smirk. "Now go dominate the market."

With May locked in design meetings, Tiana commandeering the new executive suite, and Chloe buried under a mountain of restructured corporate filings, the penthouse was quiet for the first time in weeks. I finally had a moment to breathe.

I took myself out for a solo drive, soaking in the feeling of having absolute financial freedom and over $28 million sitting comfortably in my account.

Eventually, I pulled into the lot of an ultra-exclusive, high-end hypercar dealership on the edge of the luxury district—a completely different tier from where we bought Chloe’s ride. The showroom was a massive glass temple housing multi-million-dollar carbon-fiber beasts, custom one-offs, and engineered art.

I parked, stepped out, and straightened my jacket as the heavy glass doors glided open.

The sales floor was practically empty, save for a few polished floor managers in bespoke suits chatting near the private lounge. The moment I walked in, taking a casual look around at the row of exotic vehicles, a senior salesman glanced over at my low-key style, assessing me from head to toe.

He didn’t know I had just cleared out a corrupt board, backed a global brand launch with ten million in cold cash, and had enough liquidity to buy out his entire floor twice over.

I stopped right in front of a aggressive, sleek matte-black hypercar resting under the spotlights in the center of the floor—an absolute masterpiece of horsepower and engineering.

The salesman slowly walked over, a polite but noticeably patronizing smile on his face.

"Beautiful machine, isn’t it?" he said, holding his hands behind his back. "That one is a limited production model. Very rare. Most people just like taking pictures with it."

I looked at him, then back at the car, a slow smirk playing on my lips.

The salesman’s patronizing smile wavered slightly as I gave a casual nod toward the VIP driveway outside.

He glanced through the glass facade, his eyes landing on the custom luxury machine sitting out front—the kind of ride that doesn’t just cost money, it requires an invitation to buy. The color drained from his face in an instant, his hands coming out from behind his back as his posture snapped straight.

"I... ah, I see," he stammered, his smooth sales pitch completely evaporating as he cleared his throat. "My apologies, sir. I didn’t realize..."

"Relax," I chuckled softly, looking away from the matte-black hypercar. "I’ve already got speed covered. Today, I’m looking for class. Something refined, heavy, and comfortable. Ultra-luxury."

"Right away, sir! Absolutely," he said, instantly dropping the act and bowing his head slightly. "Follow me to the private elite lounge in the back. We have our flagship executive collection—hand-stitched leather, bespoke V12 engines, handcrafted build quality. Only available for top-tier clientele."

He led me through a set of frosted glass doors into a secluded, dimly lit showroom. Resting under warm ambient lighting was a stunning, dual-tone ultra-luxury limousine coupe—a true flagship vessel. Deep midnight blue on the lower body, polished silver along the top, with a custom interior that looked like a private jet on wheels.

It was the ultimate statement piece. The kind of car you take when you’re arriving at high-society galas, signing billion-dollar corporate deals, or riding through the city like royalty.

"This is our pinnacle model, sir," the salesman said respectfully, keeping a proper distance this time. "Handcrafted elegance. Perfect for someone who has already mastered speed."

I walked around the long, commanding hood, trailing my fingers over the immaculate finish.

"I like the profile," I said, running my hand along the polished silver trim. "But if I’m driving this, the inside needs to feel like mine. Swap the standard trim for a handcrafted, bespoke mint blue leather interior with custom contrast stitching."

The salesman’s eyes went wide, his mind rapidly running the numbers on a full factory re-trim.

"Mint blue leather... that’s an exquisite choice, sir," he said, pulling out an encrypted tablet. "It will require a direct order to the custom atelier in Europe to hand-stitch the hides. We can have it finished and delivered within two weeks. To lock in the bespoke allocation, we just need a deposit—"

"I’ll pay for the entire build outright right now," I interrupted smoothly

Before he could even process the words, I tapped my card onto his reader, authorizing a full $1,500,000 transfer straight out of my balance.

[ Bespoke Vehicle Purchase: -$1,500,000 ]

[ Remaining Liquid Balance: $26,823,000 ]

The machine chimed with a crisp, instant green checkmark.

The salesman stared at the approved receipt in complete disbelief, his hands shaking slightly as he printed the paperwork. He had gone from trying to give me a lecture on photography to holding a clear 1.5-million-dollar transaction in under ten minutes.

"Consider it handled, sir," he said, bowing low as he handed over the signed build sheet. "Your custom mint blue flagship will be prepped, detailed, and delivered straight to your garage the second it touches down."