Michael couldn’t stop replaying Thomas’s words in his head.Again and again.

It wasn’t just one of Thomas’s usual rants, the kind of wild, half-baked theories he threw around like confetti. No, this time, his words felt heavier. There was a strange weight in them, something coded beneath the surface.

“They’re always watching.”

“You’re disturbing their system.”

“You’ve become prey.”

What did he even mean by that?

The way Thomas said they kept echoing in Michael’s mind. It didn’t fill him with fear exactly, more like confusion, curiosity… and something else he couldn’t quite name.

*****

By Monday morning, Michael found himself walking into Leonard Hunter’s office building again.

Only this time, something felt off.

He noticed it the moment he stepped through the doors.

The stares.

Not the usual polite or distracted looks he was used to, these were different.

It was curious.

People whispered as he passed. Some shuffled papers they weren’t really reading, pretending to work. A few even paused mid-conversation to glance at him like he was a riddle waiting to be solved.

As he walked past the glass-walled office of the marketing team, he caught a few words, just enough to sting.

“He’s definitely someone important… maybe the chairman’s son.”

“Nah, Mr. Hunter doesn’t have a son. Everyone knows if anyone’s taking over, it’s Philip Adams.”

Michael quickened his steps.

It didn’t feel flattering, it felt strange.

Like he’d been put in a box that didn’t belong to him.

When he reached Leonard’s office, he found him seated by the window, sunlight spilling across his desk. Leonard looked up, smiling slightly.

“You’re late,” he said, his tone half amused. “I was starting to think your curiosity had expired.”

Michael tried to smile back but couldn’t.

Leonard noticed. “What’s wrong?”

Michael didn’t answer right away. He stood there watching Leonard, not as his mentor this time, but as a man he wasn’t sure he fully understood.

“Is there more to all this?” Michael finally asked.

Leonard raised an eyebrow. “Define all this.”

“The system. The lessons. The money talk. You.”

Leonard leaned back in his chair, thoughtful. “Something happened?”

Michael nodded. “Thomas showed up. Out of nowhere. Said some things.”

“What kind of things?”

“He said I’m being watched,” Michael said, slowly taking a seat. “That if I keep meeting with you, I’m putting myself, and the people around me, in danger. That this place, this work, is pulling me into something I don’t even understand.”

Leonard said nothing. Just listened.

“He talked about markets,” Michael went on. “Said that’s how prey is tracked. It didn’t make sense at first, but… now I’m not so sure.”

Silence filled the room.

“He said they,” Michael added softly. “Like there’s a ‘they’ behind all this. That I’ve stepped into something bigger than I think. Is that true?”

Leonard was quiet for a long time. Then he said, “This friend of yours… Thomas Knox. What’s his story?”

Michael exhaled. “Thomas was one of the smartest people I knew growing up. He came from nothing, but he was brilliant, especially with computers. The kind of kid who could tear apart a broken radio and rebuild it into something better. I always thought he’d become something big.”

He paused, remembering the afternoons spent in Thomas’s cluttered room, circuits everywhere, the smell of metal and burnt wire, laughter mixed with ambition.

“But somewhere along the line, life happened,” Michael continued. “He disappeared. No calls, no messages. Years later, he came back… different. Flashy. Dressed like money. Always had a connection somewhere. But his eyes, they changed. Like something in him broke and never healed.”

He hesitated. “There’ve been whispers that he’s tied to some financial crimes in the city. Nothing proven, though. It’s like someone keeps cleaning up after him.”

Leonard tilted his head. “And you told him about me?”

“Yeah,” Michael admitted. “I thought he might help me figure things out. I mentioned your name, the market training, the journals… and that’s when everything about him shifted. Like I’d touched a nerve.”

Leonard turned to the window. The sunlight hit his face, but his expression was unreadable. When he spoke again, his voice was calm, too calm.

“Forget Thomas.”

Michael blinked. “What?”

“Forget what he said. The paranoia. The theories. If you keep chasing shadows, you’ll lose sight of the real thing you’re learning.”

“But…”

“Michael,” Leonard interrupted gently. “You’re finally beginning to see how the world really works. Don’t let fear drag you back into the dark. Just keep going. Step by step.”

Michael glanced at his journal, the scribbles, the strange notes that had begun to make too much sense lately.

Leonard added softly, “The truth has layers. You’ll understand when it’s time.”

Before Michael could respond, a knock sounded on the door.

“Come in,” Leonard said.

A young man entered, clean-cut, confident, dressed in a sharp navy-blue suit. He carried himself like someone who already knew how much power he had.

“Mr. Hunter,” the man greeted.

“Peter,” Leonard replied warmly. “Right on time. Michael, meet Peter Adams, our youngest director and, arguably, the sharpest strategist here.”

Peter extended a hand. “I’ve heard a few things about you,” he said with a smirk. “From the boss… and the staff. The rumors are interesting.”

Michael shook his hand cautiously. “Good to finally meet you.”

Peter's smile barely touched his eyes. “Let’s see if you live up to the stories.”

Something about him made Michael uneasy, not fear, but recognition. Like Peter understood things he wasn’t supposed to.

Leonard nodded. “Peter will be leading a new project. Michael, you can shadow him, observe, learn.”

Peter frowned. “With all due respect, sir, even the directors don’t have access to that project yet.”

“He’s just observing,” Leonard said with a small smile.

Michael looked between them. “What kind of project?”

The two men exchanged a look.

Peter finally answered.

“One that tests how far people will go to turn numbers into survival when the margins close in.”

Michael frowned. “I… don’t follow.”

Leonard’s expression hardened. His next words came low and sharp.

“It means we have six months to pay the bank three billion dollars.”

Michael froze. “And if you don’t?”

“They’ll start tearing the company apart,” Leonard said simply. “Piece by piece. Until they get what they want, or until there’s nothing left to take.”

He turned to Peter. “So whatever we’re buying, selling, or building… we’d better figure it out fast.”

A chill ran through Michael’s spine.

Whatever he’d stepped into, it was too late to turn back now.