That night.
Portland Heights, Building 8.
Zoey Parker sprawled on a plush sofa, head against the cushions, binging a TV series on the laser projector.
A long straw stretched from a Coke can on the coffee table to her mouth.
Her chip-crusted hands dug into a snack bag, mechanically feeding her face.
Crunch—crunch—
Slurp—
"Ahh—"
After a swig of soda, Zoey sighed:
"This is the life."
Pure bliss!
Ding—
The small elevator in the hall chimed.
The doors slid open, revealing a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair, tall and sharp.
His steps were steady, his vibe commanding.
"Back already? Not crashing at your penthouse tonight?"
Walter Parker stepped out, handed his coat to the nanny, and raised an eyebrow at Zoey.
Before he finished, Zoey popped up, hands on the sofa's backrest, flashing a grin:
"Missed you, Papa Parker!"
Nice!
The man from the garage elevator was none other than Zoey's dad—Walter Parker!
"Missed me? Ha!"
Walter snorted, smirking:
"No cash."
"Tch! Dad! That's… that makes us sound like strangers!"
Busted, Zoey panicked. She hopped off the sofa, barefoot, and scurried to Walter.
She massaged his shoulders, nudging him to the sofa:
"Come on, sit, let's chat!"
The nanny brought brewed tea. Zoey grabbed it, offering it to Walter:
"Here, dear ol' dad, have some tea."
Walter eyed her fawning smile, instantly suspicious. He pushed the cup away:
"Last time you handed me slippers and charged me $38,000. This tea's gonna cost six figures, right?"
"No way!"
Zoey shook her head, waving the teacup:
"Not six figures, chill."
Walter squinted, took the cup, and sipped the perfectly warm tea.
Zoey pounced:
"Eight figures! I need a $10M loan. You always said to thank those who help you!"
But—
Walter scoffed, setting the cup down:
"Thank who? When did I say that?"
And then—
The tea hadn't moved. Not a drop gone!
Holy crap! He faked the sip!
Zoey's jaw dropped:
"Dad! You scammed me?!"
"Hey—"
Walter waved her off, correcting:
"It's called street smarts."
"You… I…"
Zoey was speechless, floored.
Her hustle flopped. Pouting, she fake-cried, muttering:
"I know I'm not good enough for you. Other kids inherit empires early, but I'm just a girl, dragging you down…"
"If that's how it is, I'll leave, so I don't bug you…"
She sniffed, shuffling toward the door.
Walter's voice cut through: "Lock it on your way out."
Zoey: …
"Dad, you're brutal!"
Zoey stomped, defeated by her stubborn dad:
"Fine, don't lend it! Stingy jerk!"
She flopped back onto the sofa, legs crossed, fuming.
Walter chuckled, sipping his tea.
"You're a company boss now. Why run to me every time?"
"Besides, you only see I'm not giving cash. Ever think I'm helping other ways?"
"Helping?" Zoey scoffed: "If you wanna help, cough up $10M. Nothing else matters."
"Nothing else…"
Walter nodded slowly:
"Alright, I'll lend you $10M."
What?!
Zoey's eyes lit up, sparkling!
"For real?"
"For real," Walter nodded, pulling a stack of documents from his briefcase, tossing them on the table:
"But you gotta recruit new talent. Your game director, art director, and programming director? They're all headed to Radiant Games."
"Now, tell me what you're doing with that $10M."
Walter leaned back, arms crossed, ready for Zoey's pitch.
"Uh… what?"
Zoey blinked, thrown off.
She grabbed the documents, scanning them.
Her face froze—
Headhunter reports on Gus Harper, Jake Rivers, and Luke Bennett from over a dozen firms.
Job offers, salary analyses, the works.
Someone was gunning for WindyPeak, trying to poach her core team!
But—
Walter had shut it down before it started!
Zoey stared at the files, then at Walter, replaying his question—
Even with $10M, what could she do?
That quirky Stray?
The wild Who's Your Daddy??
The time-sink Vampire Survivor?
The trendsetting Phasmophobia?
Or Left 4 Dead 2, screaming "MFGA" across the gaming world?
She didn't know.
Because Gus Harper made them all. Only he could.
Zoey's heart raced.
She'd almost lost Boss Harper, her company's backbone.
A chill hit her palms.
Not just because Gus was her system's anchor.
There was something else—something she couldn't name.
"Sweetheart…"
Walter's voice broke her trance, calm and earnest:
"Business ain't a game. You and your crew are young, driven, full of dreams. I love that."
"But a company can't run on vibes alone."
"Ideals are great, but you need bread too."
"I've watched Gus's talks. He's sharp, articulate. Every company's gunning for him."
"Don't let him slip."
"Otherwise…"
Walter paused, eyeing Zoey's pensive look:
"WindyPeak's done in three months. Then it's back to inherit the family biz or marry Uncle Pierce's kid."
"Uncle Pierce's son?!"
Zoey yelped, bolting to the sofa's edge, trembling:
"That dude looks like he's half-evolved! I'd rather eat dirt than marry that clown!"
Walter laughed at her horror:
"Then figure it out…"
He drained his tea and stood.
"It's late. Rest up, and don't come back tomorrow."
"What?" Zoey's lips flattened: "You're kicking me out?"
Walter waved: "You only show up for cash. Stay clear."
Zoey: …
"Dad, you're savage…"
…
What now?!
Since sending off James Carver's crew yesterday, Gus Harper had been wrestling with this.
He'd dug into the Asian Esports Development Conference's history.
Over 20 years, five games snagged the Crown Award.
First was Death Fight by Tokyo Neon Studios, a fighting game that stole the show and dominated.
Second was Fire Assault by Korea Pearl Studios, an FPS that inspired CrossFire's "no economy, fixed weapons" vibe.
Third was League of Legends, crushing it with its "game-changing MOBA" style.
Fourth and fifth were racing games, Green Field and Global Formula, each pushing new gameplay twists.
Every Crown winner had groundbreaking mechanics.
Big or small, innovation was key.
For WindyPeak to win, they needed that edge.
Shooting, fighting, or racing—gameplay had to outshine the rest.
With just $50M, they couldn't match the $100M+ tech giants.
Gameplay was their shot.
WindyPeak's brand? The "second-generation FPS" they pioneered.
Leaning into that was the move.
But—
A plain second-gen FPS wouldn't cut it against Asia's top designers.
To win, they needed a fresh twist on the formula.
Gus's eyebrows twitched, a spark igniting:
"Second-gen FPS… esports… new gameplay…"
He scribbled in his notebook.
Knock, knock, knock—
The office door.
"Come in."
Gus's thoughts paused as he answered.
Zoey Parker slipped in like a sneak, clutching a file, peeking through the door: "Boss Harper? Got a sec?"
"Yeah… maybe," Gus shrugged, wary of Zoey's next stunt. "What's up?"
"Tch," Zoey huffed:
"Why're you and Papa Parker so guarded? It's good news!"
"Good news?"
Gus waved her in, setting his notebook down, curious:
"Did you score that cash from your dad?"
"Ehhh…"
Zoey hesitated:
"Kinda worked, but it's complicated."
Gus frowned: "Complicated how?"
Zoey pointed at him: "It's on you."
"What?!"
Gus leaned back, clutching his sides:
"No way! I've bled for WindyPeak, I've earned my stripes! You can't just sell me out!"
Zoey rolled her eyes:
"Your kidneys worth $10M?"
She pulled a document from her file, handing it to Gus:
"Here."
"What's this?" Gus glanced down.
"Profit-sharing deal," Zoey said:
"Papa Parker didn't give me cash, but he threw you—no, all three of you—a bone."
"With WindyPeak's current size, we'll carve out 10% of net profits by year-end for a bonus pool."
"You, me, Luke Bennett, and Jake Rivers—four execs, one share each."
"You and I get 40% each, they get 10% each."
"It's temporary," she added.
"As we grow, the pool expands, ratios shift."
Zoey tilted her head, smirking like a kid fishing for praise:
"Pretty sweet, right?"
Nice!
Since Papa Parker spilled about the poaching crisis he squashed, Zoey hadn't slept!
Her "Boss Harper's the backbone" line wasn't just talk.
Without Gus, WindyPeak was a bird without wings.
Without her, Gus was a fish without a bike.
So!
To keep the fish pedaling, Zoey upgraded the bike!
Added a fish tank to the frame!
Seeing Gus's shocked-but-thrilled face, Zoey grinned, satisfied.
The fish loves the tank—crisis averted.
Then—
Zoey's eyes caught Gus's notebook.
She tilted her head, squinting:
"Boss Harper, what's that doodle?"
"Oh," Gus said, "It's the game logo for the Asian Esports Development Conference."
"Logo?"
Zoey's jaw dropped:
"That's way too abstract!"
"What company uses a frying pan as a game logo?!"