Alexander Blackwood did not go home after leaving the tower.
He walked.
Canary Wharf at night was a different city. The glass towers reflected one another endlessly, a maze of money and ambition. Every lighted office told a story of deals being made, careers built, and people who believed they mattered.
For most of his life, Alexander had stood outside that world.
Now, the door had cracked open.
His phone vibrated again.
[Legacy System Update]
[Objective Active: Establish Independent Business Entity]
[Time Limit: 30 Days]
[Failure Consequence: Heir Authority Reduced]
Alexander stopped beneath a streetlamp.
"So it isn't charity," he muttered.
The system did not respond.
That was confirmation enough.
He opened his banking app again. £500,000 sat there quietly, unreal in its simplicity. Not enough to dominate anything, but enough to begin.
"This is seed capital," Alexander said. "Not a reward."
The system acknowledged him.
[Correct]
[Heirs who rely solely on inheritance stagnate]
[Dominance is earned through expansion]
Alexander exhaled slowly.
For the first time, the rules were clear.
Choosing the Battlefield
Back in his small rented flat in East London, Alexander sat at the kitchen table with his laptop open. The room was cramped, functional, and painfully ordinary.
It would not stay that way.
He listed industries on a blank document.
Finance
Real estate
Logistics
Automotive
Energy
Technology
Too big. Too visible.
The system intervened.
[Warning]
[Initial expansion should prioritize controllability]
[Recommended sectors: Support industries]
Alexander leaned back.
Support industries did not make headlines. They made money quietly.
"Logistics," he said aloud. "Fleet services. Vehicle leasing. Route optimization."
He had driven delivery vans during university. He knew margins were thin, but volume was king.
And England moved on wheels.
Decision made.
The First Entity
The paperwork took less than a day.
Hale Meridian Logistics Ltd.
Registered cleanly.
No Blackwood name attached.
Alexander watched the confirmation email arrive.
[Business Entity Recognized]
[Industry: Logistics]
[Initial Industry Authority: 0.2%]
A new interface unfolded.
[Industry Panel: Logistics]
[Current Influence: Negligible]
[Growth Conditions]
Fleet acquisition
Contract acquisition
Operational efficiency
Alexander's eyes sharpened.
"This isn't a game," he said quietly. "It's a blueprint."
The system responded.
[Correct]
[The Legacy System exists to accelerate dominance, not replace effort]
First Purchase
The next day, Alexander walked into a dealership in Stratford.
Not luxury.
Commercial.
Vans lined the lot. White. Unremarkable. Useful.
A salesman approached, polite but indifferent.
"Looking for something specific?"
"Fleet," Alexander replied. "Used. Reliable. Five vehicles."
The man blinked. "Cash or finance?"
Alexander smiled faintly. "Cash."
The system pulsed.
[Asset Acquisition Detected]
[Reward Unlocked]
[Vehicle Voucher Applied]
[Cost Reduction: 30%]
Alexander signed without hesitation.
Five vans.
Operational within forty eight hours.
As he stepped back onto the pavement, his phone vibrated again.
[Milestone Achieved]
[First Physical Assets Acquired]
[Reward: £200,000 Business Capital]
Alexander glanced at the notification, lips tightening.
"So the faster I move," he murmured, "the more the system accelerates."
[Yes]
[Momentum increases authority]
The Enemy Reveals Itself
That evening, a call came from an unknown number.
Alexander answered.
"You're moving quickly," a man said. Calm. Curious. Dangerous.
"Who is this."
A pause. Then a chuckle.
"Someone who advises your grandfather."
Alexander's gaze hardened.
"You should be advising him to mind his own business."
Silence stretched.
"You don't understand how fragile your position is," the voice continued. "Returning heirs rarely survive corporate reality."
Alexander smiled coldly.
"Then you should be careful," he replied. "Fragile things break loudly."
He ended the call.
The system reacted immediately.
[Threat Detected]
[Family Opposition Level: Low]
[Recommendation: Continue expansion before public confrontation]
Alexander set the phone down slowly.
"So it begins."
A City That Watches
From the window of his flat, Alexander watched London breathe.
He was still unknown.
Still underestimated.
But now, he owned something.
Tomorrow, he would hire drivers.
Next week, he would bid for contracts.
Next month, he would expand.
The Blackwood name had once erased him.
This time, it would have to answer to him.