After a while, the system went quiet, so he dropped the phone on the center table and sank back into the couch.
The system had given him an alternative approach to his goal, but it still needed a lot of work, which he was willing to do.
He turned on the TV while lying on the couch, switching through channels until one channel drew his attention.
The morning news TV program showed a young man in a tailored suit and a deceiving smile sitting in a chair as the guest of honor.
His brain tingled as he paused, the man looking familiar... then he remembered the face from one memory.
This was his cousin, or at least the cousin of the original owner of his body, the one who planned the complete assault and stepped on him as he bled.
He bit his lower lip in anger, "Kieran," he muttered, his voice laced with detest.
Below the screen, the company's name and logo stood out.
Maddox Industries: Powering the Future
The host walked in with a smile, a well-designed tuxedo, and a Rolex watch that unknowingly stood out.
After he took his seat, he began the interview. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the interview of the new head of Maddox Corp. Please give a round of applause"
He waved his hand at the screen, and people cheered and clapped for him, but he only felt like ripping his throat out as he sat there.
"So, tell us, Mr Kieran. How does it feel being the new owner of a well-known establishment such as Maddox Corporation Industries?" he began.
He almost turned off the TV, but he wanted to see his reply, the lies he would boldly tell, blatantly on live television.
"I am more honoured to succeed my uncle Mr Smith Maddox than I feel, the sad passing of our beloved family member his son, was a terrible situation for all of us but a business has to run despite incurring such a loss," he said, playing with his words on screen.
"Yes, indeed, it was a sad passing," the interviewer said, his expression saddening a bit.
"But we all know, he wasn't business-inclined. Despite being the heir, he would have led the business down the drain instead of taking it to new heights," he spoke blatantly, aiming to overshadow Liam.
"Liam was a good guy, and being a bit too good doesn't profit well in business. You have to know when to say no and when to render charity," he continued.
Liam sat there, watching him slander his name. His heart was pounding in his chest, his bile levels rising as anger grew within him.
"Liar!" he shouted, as if he could hear him over the screen.
"With a capable owner such as myself, the Maddox Corporation is sure to soar to new heights," he added.
Out of anger, Liam immediately turned off the television, his brow furrowed.
"Such disgusting nature. I wonder how we're related," he said, subtly forgetting he wasn't the original owner of the body.
The television program had ruined his mood, and now he was too angry to do anything.
"I'll just grab some food from the fridge and warm it up," he said, standing up and limping towards the small kitchenette.
He opened the fridge and, surprisingly, it was filled with groceries, fruits, juice boxes, cake, and leftover food.
"Huh, this guy really got something going," he said, picking up the juice box and the cake.
He headed back to the couch, where he sat and slowly feasted on his meal.
"This is so good," he said, licking his lips while looking at the company name on the packet.
After he was done with that, he stood up and headed towards the room.
The room was neat, with air conditioners, a gaming PC at the end of the room, a few paintings hanging on the wall.
The bed was big-sized with tidied white sheets, "This is good," he said, jumping on the bed, it bounced softly as his weight pressed on it.
He laid there and drifted off to sleep.
After a few hours, he woke up "Damn, I slept off," he muttered, cleaning his eyes.
He stared at the time on the clock that sat above a drawer close to the bed, it told 7.45pm.
He slid his legs off the bed, sitting at the edge, pressing his palms over his face.
A familiar sound rang from the phone, he quickly stood up and limped to the sitting room, where he had left the phone.
On the screen of the phone, a couple of words were scribbled.
[System notice: New task available]
[Type: Investment
Objective: Invest in White Bunny's bakery
Reward: 20,000 coins]
He stared at the screen text, invest? And why did it choose White Bunny's bakery for the investment?.
[Would you like to proceed with current task?]
[Y/N]
He stared at the message for a while, the reward was 20k coins, but how would that help him?
He decided to trust the system, since it already said that it would guide him until he achieved his goal.
So, he tapped the yes option, and another text scribbled across the phone.
[20,000 has been credited to your trust. Good luck.]
"20,000 what, though?" He whispered, "And how would that be used in investing?"
The system didn't specify anything further, then, his phone began ringing.
He checked the caller ID, and it was from an unknown number, it took a while before he picked the call.
"Hello?" a male voice said.
"Yes?" he responded, trying to play it cool
"Are you Liam A. Maddox?" the voice asked
He hesitated for a while before responding, "Yes, I am, any issues?" he asked.
"No, sir, I called to confirm a $20k credit," he asked.
Liam's eyes widened in disbelief, $20k?
That meant 20k in-game coins were equal to $20K.
"Yes, it was under me," he responded, trying to hide his surprise.
"Okay, sir, thank you, and please continue banking with us," the voice said, then ended the call.
He opened his phone and received a credit alert.
[Transfer- credit
Amount- $20,000
From- Laundering
To: Liam A. Maddox
Current balance: $20,005]
He looked at the screen, he still couldn't believe his eyes or ears. This was the highest amount he had ever seen or been credited.
And it was given to him for one reason: invest in White Bunny's bakery. He didn't question the system's orders, he decided to trust it and believe it was leading him down the right path.