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60  Six Women For Salvation

"Six."

I blinked, pushing away the laptop. I stood from the chair, sifting through the endless profiles and photos I'd printed throughout the night.

It had taken an incredible amount of focus and willpower but I'd done it.

I'd managed to trawl through the host of women around Wang Tae Bin and narrowed down the potential stamp holders.

Right now, my eyes burned and my head throbbed but I couldn't stop. The image of the woman I'd seen outside Abstract Capital kept playing in my head on repeat.

Everything about her, her height, her body type, the way she'd tossed her hair before stepping into the car, I'd used it to select six possible women.

I arranged their pictures and every detail I'd been able to gather about them on the table. All I needed to do was commit the data to my memory but with the current headache I had, it'll take time.

I grabbed my cup of coffee and winced when I saw it empty. I moved to the kitchen counter, grabbing the jug of coffee and pouring myself a cup. I chugged the cold coffee, wiping my mouth after.

I had no time to waste. I had to fix things fast.

I dragged my chair closer and began studying up on the women. It was slow going and I had to reread sentences to understand them but this was my way forward. I just needed to figure out who the stamp holder was.

I had no idea how much time passed before the sound of the front door opening jarred me out of my focus.

"Nico?" Matt called out.

"In here." I yelled, my voice cracking. I coughed, taking another sip of coffee.

I heard footsteps and moments later, he walked in with a coffee cup in one hand. His eyes landed on me and his face morphed from concern to mild surprise and back to concern.

"Jesus, man. Have you even slept?" He asked, setting his coffee on the counter and walking toward me. "You look like hell."

"Thanks for the confidence boost." I muttered, rubbing my temples. "I've been working."

"Working? This isn't work. You look like one of those conspiracy theorists working his way to an early grave." He leaned over my shoulder, glancing at the photos and notes spread out in front of me. "What is all this?"

"Salvation." I replied curtly. "I think I've narrowed it down to six women."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Six women for what?"

"Like I said, Salvation." I said, distracted as I tried to recall what I'd just read. "I need them to fix this mess. I… I need them."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Matt frowned, somehow becoming even more concerned. "You're not making any sense."

"You…" I trailed off.

"What?" He asked, jarring me back to reality.

"You can't understand." I sighed.

"Shit, bro." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "With the way things are going, you're going to burn out. You need sleep."

"I'll sleep when-"

"No." He interrupted, dragging the page I was reading out of my hands. "You'll sleep now. Whatever you're chasing will still be there when you wake up. If you don't rest, you're going to miss something important."

"Give it back!" I stood to lunge towards him but stumbled instead, saving myself from falling to the floor by grabbing the table.

"You see!" He gestured at me. "Seriously, man. Go to bed. I've got this."

"Fuck." I cursed before sighing in defeat. "Fine. You win."

I didn't know how I stumbled upstairs into bed but all I remembered was getting into bed and everything fading away.

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I woke up, staring blankly at the ceiling. It took a moment before I remembered all that had happened.

With a sigh, I sat up, rubbing my face. Judging by the fact that sunlight was actually being held back by my curtain, it was either morning or noon.

I glanced at my bedside table but my phone wasn't there. I checked my pocket and it was there. I pulled it out to confirm that it was already noon. I slept through the morning.

I groaned as I threw off the covers and got out of bed. As one would expect, I felt better. My head was clearer and the pounding in my temples had subsided. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Stretching, I made my way downstairs.

The house was silent and Matt was gone, likely at his classes. I went to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. All my printed documents were still there where I'd left them but they'd been arranged.

I drank from the glass, mentally thanking Matt. I'd almost revealed the existence of the system to him by accident but he'd been more interested in making sure I had enough sleep.

I resolved to myself that when I got out of this situation, I'd make sure he never had to worry about money again.

I walked to the table and turned on the laptop. As soon as I opened my inbox, reality came crashing down.

Out of the long list of emails, two stood out and while most of them weren't good, these ones were bad. Very bad.

The first one was from one of the staff at Sunset Inn. The city council had informed the company that the building we'd bought for the first boutique hotel in Crownsborough was under investigation.

They'd somehow discovered multiple violations, ranging from zoning irregularities to outdated safety measures.

Construction had been halted and the delay would also result in increased costs. And worse, if the investigation gave the council what they were looking for, it'll result in hefty fines.

The system was not playing around.

The second email was from the bank and my heart sank as I read it.

By the time I was done, my fists were pale from clenching them too tight.

The bank was saying that due to some unforeseen market volatility and a triggered technical default, my loan is now due in full and they wanted to discuss the liquidation of my assets.

This was bad. Really bad.

I'd bet everything on Cooper Real Estate and Sunset Inn and now, both of them were hours away from crumbling into nothing.

The Sunset Inn delays would scare away investors and since it was currently being financed from my own pocket, it won't take long for it to collapse. Especially when the bank liquidates Cooper Real Estate.

In one fell swoop, I'd lose my assets and my credibility.

The system would wipe away everything I have, leaving me with nothing. Then, it'll pile debts on me using the fines and lawsuits that would come out of this.

"Shit." I cursed.

Time was running out. I couldn't afford to study profiles anymore. I needed to identify the stamp holder as soon as possible.

Closing the laptop, I stood up. It was show time.