Anya Sharma's mind, a place of logic, data, and rational conclusions, was failing her. Before her stood a boy. Yet, her instincts, her senses, and a primal part of her brain she didn't know existed were screaming that she was in the presence of immense, undeniable power. His Sovereign's Aura was a gravitational force, bending reality around him, making the impossible seem plausible.
"You... you're a child," she finally managed to stammer, the words sounding weak and foolish in the cavernous lobby.
Raj's expression didn't change. "In age, yes. In capability, no," he stated simply. "Your report was the first to notice my... operational methods. No one else at Nexus AI, a company filled with geniuses, saw anything. That makes you valuable."
Anya's analytical mind latched onto the logic, a lifeline in a sea of absurdity. "What are you? How is any of this possible? This building, the companies..."
"Anya," Raj said, using her first name with an easy authority that felt entirely natural. He began to walk, and she found herself falling into step beside him. "Can you accept that there are prodigies in the world? A Mozart who composes at age five. A Ramanujan who re-imagines mathematics. I am a prodigy of a different sort. My field is systems. Data. Efficiency."
He led her to the center of the atrium, gesturing at the empty space around them. "I designed an AI. A predictive, logistical, and financial system that operates on a level beyond current understanding. It analyzes the market, it finds weaknesses, and it acquires assets. I am its architect and its human interface. This building, the companies... they are the results of its operations."
It was a partial truth, but it was packaged in a way her logical mind could begin to process. It framed him not as a boy with a magic video game, but as the creator of the most advanced technology on Earth. His Absolute Comprehension allowed him to discuss the theoretical aspects of such an AI with a depth that left her breathless. He understood her work better than her professors ever had.
"This entire tower will be our headquarters," Raj continued, his voice resonating with purpose. "I am consolidating my assets under a single holding company. It will be called 'R-Corp'. Titan Security will be our shield. Apex Media, our voice. Global-Trans Logistics, our reach. And Nexus AI," he paused, turning to face her fully, "will be our brain."
As he spoke, he felt the familiar chime of the system, a private notification of his daily reward.
[ Daily Check-in Complete. ]
[ System Upgrade: Subordinate Management Interface Unlocked ]
[ A new tab has been added to your System panel, allowing you to view the status, skills, and loyalty of key personnel. ]
He filed the information away, his focus entirely on Anya.
"The system I built—the AI—can manage digital assets perfectly," Raj said. "But the real world requires a human touch. It requires a leader. I have been watching you, Ms.Sharma. You are brilliant, ambitious, and you are not afraid of things you don't understand. You are intrigued by them."
He stopped, his gaze direct and piercing. "I need a CEO for R-Corp. Someone to run the physical empire while I direct the overall strategy. Someone to be the public face of this enterprise. I am offering you that position."
Anya was stunned into silence. CEO. Of a multi-billion-dollar shadow empire. It was an insane, impossible offer. A career pinnacle that most people never reached, being handed to her in an empty building by a teenager. It was a fantasy.
But the power radiating from him was real. The opportunity was real. The challenge... the challenge was the greatest of her life.
"Why me?" she whispered.
"Because you were the only one smart enough to see the ghost in the machine," Raj replied. "And you weren't afraid of it."
She looked around the vast, empty lobby, at the limitless potential it represented. She looked at the boy in front of her, a figure who defied every law of nature she knew. Her logic told her to run. Her ambition, her pride, her sheer, unadulterated curiosity, told her to kneel.
Taking a deep breath, she straightened her posture and met his gaze. The decision was made.
"I accept the position, Mr. R," Anya Sharma said, her voice clear and firm.
A smile, genuine for the first time, touched Raj's lips. He mentally opened his new System interface. A new panel glowed before his eyes.
[ Subordinate Management ]
> Vikram Singh | Role: Financial Proxy | Loyalty: 85% (Professional/Grateful)
> Anya Sharma | Role: CEO, R-Corp | Loyalty: 92% (Committed/Awed)
He had his ghost in the machine. Now, he had his general in the field.
"Good," Raj said. "Your first task is to liquidate all of the Mathur Group's major corporate partners. We're moving from sabotage to open warfare."