Chapter 40: Spotted Another Potential.

"Hey, Ruby," I said, leaning back against the terrace railing. "I’m ready to buy a permanent place. I’m moving out of the rented penthouse near campus. I want something private, modern, and completely mine. High security, great views, and enough space for a full home gym and office setup."

Ruby didn’t even hesitate. "I have the exact property for you. A private, ultra-modern cliffside estate that just hit the off-market list this morning. The owner is actually in town today. If you’re free, I can set up a private meeting with them at the estate in an hour."

"Send me the address," I told her. "I’ll be there."

I grabbed my keys, threw on a fresh jacket, and headed downstairs to my car. It was time to upgrade.

I drove down the private, winding drive leading to the estate and parked out front. Ruby was already waiting near the main entrance. She looked effortlessly elegant, her short brown hair catching the sunlight, every feature sharp and poised. Every time she spoke, she added a smooth, respectful "sir" to the end of her sentence, keeping her posture completely professional.

The moment I stepped out of the car and looked around, I fell in love with the environment. The property was set high on a quiet ridge, surrounded by clean air, total privacy, and a panoramic view of the skyline.

I focused my eyes on her for a split second, and my system overlay instantly flickered into view:

[ Ruby — Current Status: 2.5 / 9.1 Potential ]

She was nowhere near where she could be, but the latent potential was massive.

"Welcome, sir," Ruby said with a polite smile, gesturing toward the sleek glass-and-stone entrance. "The owner is currently waiting for us in the main lounge upstairs. I can walk you through the primary living spaces first, or we can go straight to discuss the purchase terms, sir."

I took one last look at the pristine grounds, feeling the quiet power of having $43.75 million in the bank and the capital to buy whatever I wanted.

Ruby led me through the grand entrance, taking me on a full walkthrough of the property. The attention to detail in every single room was next level—floor-to-ceiling glass walls, smart automated lighting, custom Italian marble, and a private infinity pool that looked like it poured straight off the edge of the ridge.

Then she brought me to the lower level, where the high-tech garage was built.

"And this, sir, is one of the estate’s finest features," Ruby said, stepping onto a sleek metallic platform set into the floor.

It was a custom car elevator system. With a touch of a panel, a glass-walled lift seamlessly transported high-end vehicles directly from the subterranean garage up into a clear display showroom right beside the main living area upstairs. Everything about the house screamed pure luxury, privacy, and cutting-edge tech—a perfect match for the head of Zenith.

"The security grid is entirely private, and the soundproofing across the master suite is military-grade, sir," Ruby added, turning to me with that calm, polished smile. "The entire layout was designed for high-profile owners who value absolute discretion."

I ran my hand along the smooth metallic frame of the elevator shaft, already visualizing my car collection sitting up here.

"It’s perfect," I said, turning back to her. "Let’s go upstairs and talk to the owner. I’m buying this today."

Ruby’s eyes widened slightly in pleasant surprise, her professional composure holding firm as she bowed her head politely. "Right this way, sir."

Ruby led me up the sleek glass staircase to the second-floor lounge where the property owner, a distinguished and remarkably kind-looking older gentleman named Travis, was waiting with a portfolio of documents.

"Ah, you must be the young man taking over the ridge," Travis said with a warm, genuine smile, standing up to shake my hand. "Ruby tells me you’ve taken a real liking to the place."

"It’s an incredible piece of architecture, Travis," I replied, shaking his hand firmly. "Everything I’ve been looking for."

We sat down at a minimalist marble table overlooking the valley. Travis didn’t play any hardball developer games; he explained that he was scaling back his real estate portfolio to travel full-time, which was why he wanted someone who would actually appreciate the engineering and privacy of the estate.

When we got down to the numbers, Travis named a baseline asking price of $12 million. Given my $43.75 million balance, I could easily write the check right now, but I still leaned into a clean negotiation.

"Twelve is fair for the baseline build, Travis," I said smoothly, sliding the folder slightly forward. "How about we lock it in at $11.2 million, all-cash wire transferred within the hour, and you let me keep the custom security terminal and lounge sound-system setup?"

Travis chuckled softly, running a hand over his chin. "You drive a hard bargain, son. But seeing as you’ll appreciate the tech I put into the walls... deal."

I pulled out my phone, authorized the wire transfer through my secure banking app, and signed the final acquisition documents alongside Ruby and Travis. Within minutes, the estate officially belonged to me.

Travis handed over the heavy, matte-black master key card with a warm smile, and Ruby offered a crisp, professional bow. "Absolute pleasure doing business with you, sir."

Once they cleared out, I stood alone in the massive glass lounge, looking out over the entire ridge. It was mine, but it still felt a little too clinical—too much like a luxury hotel. I pulled out my phone and dialed a high-end local contractor.

"I bought the cliffside ridge property," I told him the second he picked up. "I want to gut and rebuild the lower subterranean wing. Turn the extra guest storage space into a full custom setup: a high-end massage room for recovery, a private gaming lounge with dual sim racing rigs, and a full entertainment arcade. Spare zero expense."

The contractor agreed to start tomorrow morning.

I dropped my phone on the table and let out a long breath, staring at the vast, empty space. A sudden, slightly amused thought hit me. I was twenty-something years old, sitting on over forty-three million dollars in cash, running a global athletic giant, and here I was stressing about architectural layouts like a retired corporate executive.

I wasn’t old yet. I needed to actually enjoy the lifestyle I was building, not just turn every square foot into a fortress or an office.

Weeks later, while the contractors were still hammering away downstairs framing out the new arcade and massage lounge, Chloe walked into the estate carrying a stack of final visa paperwork and a plane ticket.

She dropped her bags by the entrance and looked around at the glass-and-stone interior, letting out a bittersweet smile.

"Well, the paperwork cleared," Chloe said, holding up her passport with the student visa stamped inside. "My flight leaves this weekend. I’m officially heading abroad for the master’s program."

A quiet stillness settled over the room. Even though we knew it was coming—funded completely by her own hard work and the bonus from the launch—it hit hard knowing our core team was about to scatter across the globe.

"I’m going to miss you guys like crazy," Chloe admitted, her voice dropping a little as she looked at me and checked her phone for last-minute flight details. "Running the servers, dealing with Apex’s bot nets, watching May shatter world records... it’s going to be weird just staring at textbooks and lecture halls."

I walked over and handed her a fresh coffee, giving her a solid nod of respect.

"You earned every bit of this, Chloe," I told her. "Go crush your master’s. The systems here will keep running just fine while you’re gone, but this house—and this team—will always have a spot waiting for you when you get back."