The café was almost empty.
Late-night crowd. Dim lights. Soft music meant to calm people who had already lost their day.
Leon sat alone at a corner table, coffee untouched, posture relaxed.
He hadn't chosen the place randomly.
In his past life, this was where Xu Kai came whenever he needed to think—when confidence cracked but pride refused to show it.
Some habits never changed.
The door chimed.
Leon didn't look up.
He felt it first.
That slight shift in the air.
The hesitation.
Xu Kai spotted him instantly.
For half a second, Xu Kai froze.
Then he walked over.
"Leon," Xu Kai said, forcing a smile. "Didn't expect to see you here."
Leon lifted his eyes slowly.
Calm. Flat. Assessing.
"Neither did I," Leon replied.
Xu Kai pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down without asking.
In the past, Leon would have tensed.
Now, he didn't move.
Xu Kai studied him.
Different clothes. Different posture. Different presence.
Uncomfortable.
"You've changed," Xu Kai said.
Leon shrugged lightly. "People do."
Xu Kai leaned forward. "You've been sending messages."
Leon didn't deny it.
"You're walking close to fire," Xu Kai continued. "Horizon Group isn't a playground."
Leon took a sip of his coffee.
"You're right," he said. "It's a slaughterhouse."
Xu Kai's smile thinned.
"You think this is funny?"
"No," Leon replied. "I think it's overdue."
Xu Kai's gaze sharpened.
"So it is you."
The system pulsed.
[Direct Confrontation Detected.]
[Risk Level: High]
[Reward Multiplier: x2]
Xu Kai's voice dropped.
"You're trying to ruin me," he said. "Why?"
Leon met his eyes.
"Because you ruined me first."
Xu Kai scoffed. "You ruined yourself. I just didn't stop you."
That line would have broken Leon once.
Now?
It confirmed everything.
Leon stood.
The movement was slow, deliberate.
Xu Kai instinctively leaned back.
He noticed.
Leon noticed that he noticed.
Power was quiet like that.
"You borrowed money from me," Leon said calmly. "You used my connections. You stepped over me and called it growth."
Xu Kai stood too.
"Don't rewrite history," he snapped. "You offered. I took. That's how the world works."
Leon nodded.
"Exactly."
The system chimed.
[Mental Dominance Established.]
[Authority Points +6]
Leon leaned closer.
"This world rewards those who take," he said. "And punishes those who hesitate."
Xu Kai's jaw tightened.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
Leon smiled faintly.
"I want you to make a choice."
Xu Kai frowned. "What choice?"
Leon straightened.
"You can wait," he said. "Let the review play out. Stay clean."
Xu Kai's eyes flickered.
"Or," Leon continued, "you can force things."
Xu Kai laughed sharply. "You're giving me advice now?"
"I'm predicting you," Leon replied.
Xu Kai stared at him, then scoffed.
"You think you're important," he said. "But you're still nothing. No backing. No name."
Leon tilted his head.
"That's where you're wrong."
Xu Kai's phone vibrated.
He glanced down instinctively.
Leon watched his face change.
Confusion.
Relief.
Then tension.
Xu Kai stood abruptly.
"Enjoy your coffee," Xu Kai said coldly. "This isn't over."
Leon sat back down.
"No," he agreed. "It's beginning."
Xu Kai turned and left.
The door chimed behind him.
Leon exhaled slowly.
The system interface flashed urgently.
[Rival Decision Imminent.]
[Projected Action: Unauthorized Influence Attempt]
[Warning:]
Rival is about to cross a red line.
Leon smiled.
Because this was the mistake.
Xu Kai didn't wait.
He never did.
Xu Kai's car sped through the city streets.
His phone was pressed to his ear.
"I need the appointment confirmed," Xu Kai said tightly. "Yes. Tonight."
A pause.
"No," Xu Kai snapped. "I don't care how. Use whatever channels you have."
Another pause.
Xu Kai's face darkened.
"I owe you," he said. "Just make it happen."
He ended the call.
The city blurred past his windshield.
He didn't see the black sedan behind him.
Didn't notice when it slowed.
Didn't realize—
He'd just been recorded.
Leon's phone vibrated.
A message.
Unknown:
He took the bait.
The system chimed.
[Critical Error Logged: Rival Overreach]
[Next Objective Unlocked.]
Leon stood, sliding his hands into his pockets.
"Good," he murmured.
Because once a man crossed the line—
There was no going back.