The Unwanted Son's Millionaire System-Chapter 104

The wild, hectic pace of the last two days had finally calmed into something more purposeful. The office of Miller Holdings was no longer just a place of business; it had transformed into the busy command center for a new kind of spy agency. At his desk, Kaito's array of computer screens now showed a live, digital map of the city. Colorful streams of data flowed across it like veins, making the metropolis look like a living, breathing creature they were just starting to understand.

While Kaito worked his digital magic, Silva was their man on the street. He moved like a shadow through the city's roughest neighborhoods, quietly talking to his contacts. He wasn't just collecting gossip; he was carefully building their web of influence, offering a small favor in one place, sharing a useful piece of information in another.

Meanwhile, Evelyn stood before a large whiteboard that was quickly filling up. It was a tangled web of lines, names, and photos, connecting criminals, businesses, and politicians. It was a hand-drawn picture of the city's secret relationships, and it grew more detailed by the hour.

Ace studied her whiteboard, his own unique mental abilities—the Corporate Espionage module—comparing her hand-drawn connections with the digital map on Kaito's screens. In his mind, hidden patterns began to click into place. He could see that a failing shipping company was secretly a front for a new drug smuggling operation. He noticed a city councilman who had suddenly started voting in favor of a wealthy property developer, right after that developer had quietly paid off the councilman's massive gambling debts.

Their concentration was broken by a sharp buzz from the office intercom. Evelyn, who was nearest, answered in a polished, professional tone. "Miller Holdings."

The voice that replied was not fearful or pleading, like their first client. It was clear, confident, and carried the weight of someone who gave orders for a living. "This is Anya Sharma, executive assistant to Councilwoman Isabel Shaw. The Councilwoman would like to meet with the owners of Miller Holdings. Today, if you're available."

A shocked silence fell over the room. Councilwoman Shaw was not just any politician. She was the head of the city's Public Safety Committee, a hugely powerful figure known for being brilliant and brutally effective.

Evelyn pressed the mute button. "What do we do?" she whispered, her eyes wide.

Kaito swiveled in his chair, a grin spreading across his face. "This is it! Our network is working already. We didn't have to find her—she found us."

Ace felt a jolt of excitement, immediately tempered by caution. This was their entry into the world of real, legitimate power, exactly where they needed to be. But he knew it was also a world full of dangerous, cunning people. "Schedule it," he told Evelyn, his decision made. "Tell her one hour."

Sixty minutes later, the elevator doors opened and Councilwoman Isabel Shaw stepped into their office. She was a woman in her late fifties, dressed in a sharp, no-nonsense navy blue suit. Her dark hair, streaked with silver, was pulled back into a severe bun. Her eyes, keen and intelligent, scanned the room in an instant, taking in every detail—from their new furniture to the way Silva stood, tense and watchful.

"Councilwoman," Ace said, stepping forward to greet her. "Welcome to Miller Holdings. I'm Ace Miller."

"Mr. Miller," she replied, her handshake firm and over in a second. She gave the others a brief, acknowledging nod. "A pleasure." The way she said it made it clear the feeling would only last if this meeting went her way.

They sat down in the conference room. Shaw placed a thin tablet on the table but didn't turn it on. She rested her folded hands in front of her.

"I'll be direct," she began, cutting straight to the point. "The city is on shaky ground. The fall of OmniCorp and the Vincenzo gang has left an empty space where power used to be. My police commissioner is a good man, but he only acts after a crime has already happened. He puts out fires. I need someone who can smell the smoke before the fire even starts."

She looked straight at Ace. "Your company has come to my attention. The way you handled the Carter Tech situation was… elegant. Quiet. Effective. You solved a problem without involving the police or the newspapers. Right now, we have too many headlines. I need fewer headlines and more solutions."

"What is it you believe we can do for you, Councilwoman?" Evelyn asked, her voice respectful but confident.

"I'm starting a new, confidential program," Shaw explained. "An urban intelligence initiative. I need an outside consultant to give me a… wider view of the city. I want you to provide me with a weekly report on potential threats. Not just yesterday's crime statistics. I want to know which local business is about to be shaken down for money. I want to know which community leader is being threatened. I want to know the name of the new gang moving into a neighborhood before they even make their first move."

The offer was staggering. It was almost exactly the mission the System had just forced upon them. This was their golden ticket to legitimacy—a direct line to the city's highest levels of power.

"That's a very large request," Ace said, keeping his voice steady and neutral. "The amount of information we'd need to gather would be enormous. And the risk for us, if something went wrong, would be significant."

"The payment for this service will be very generous," Shaw countered without missing a beat, her tone smooth and assured. "And as for the risk, your work would be officially classified as 'executive branch security consultation.' That's a fancy way of saying your reports would come only to me. They would be a secret, off-the-books arrangement, completely hidden from public view."

As she spoke, Ace felt the familiar, cool sensation of his internal System activating. It was analyzing Councilwoman Shaw, breaking her down into a list of cold, hard facts that only he could see.

<<<>>>

SUBJECT: ISABEL SHAW.

- PRIMARY MOTIVE: POLITICAL STABILITY. Her power and position are threatened by the city's chaos. She needs order to maintain control.

- SECONDARY MOTIVE: LEGACY. She wants to be remembered as the leader who saved the city, cementing her place in its history.

- VULNERABILITY: Her adult son is a struggling drug addict, a deeply embarrassing secret she has spent a fortune to keep hidden.

- ASSESSMENT: A DANGEROUS ALLY. She sees people as tools. She will use you until you are no longer helpful, then discard you without a second thought.

<<<>>>

The message was clear. She wasn't offering a partnership; she was offering a transaction. She planned to use them for her own goals. But Ace realized they could use her right back. Her "urban intelligence" project was the perfect disguise for the city-wide spy network the System was forcing them to build.

"We're interested," Ace said, his voice calm. "But we'll need to start with a trial run. A test of what we can do for you, and equally, a test of your promise to be… discreet."

Shaw's eyes narrowed just a fraction, a spark of interest igniting in their cool depths. "What kind of test did you have in mind?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Ace gave a slight nod to Evelyn. She immediately understood, tapping a few keys on her laptop. A file appeared on the large screen mounted on the conference room wall. It was a detailed profile of another city politician, Councilman Riggs.

"This is a small sample of our analysis," Ace began, gesturing toward the screen. "Councilman Riggs, a member of your own Public Works committee, is currently a major security risk to your government. He has massive, secret gambling debts. And the people he owes money to are connected to the leftover members of Vincenzo's old gang."

Ace let that information hang in the air for a moment, watching Shaw's carefully composed face. "The crucial vote on the new docklands zoning law is next week. Based on his financial pressure, we predict Councilman Riggs will suddenly and unexpectedly change his long-standing position. He will vote in favor of the 'Northgate Development Group'—the very company that now, effectively, owns him."

Councilwoman Shaw's face became an unreadable, stony mask. But for just a single, fleeting moment, a spark of pure shock in her eyes gave her away. This wasn't just a good tip; this was deeply buried, explosive intelligence. This was the kind of information that would take her own team of investigators weeks to find, if they could find it at all.

Her voice dropped to a hushed, almost threatening whisper. "How did you get this information?"

Ace didn't flinch. "We have our methods," he replied calmly, leaving the mystery hanging in the air. "The more important question is, what will you do with it? We can give you all the proof you need. Delivered quietly. This allows you to deal with Councilman Riggs before his secret becomes a public scandal that tears your committee apart."

Shaw leaned back in her leather chair, her gaze fixed on Ace as if she were seeing him clearly for the very first time. She had walked in expecting to hire a useful firm. She was now realizing she was dealing with a force of nature.

"This," she said, choosing her words with extreme care, "is precisely the kind of... forward-looking insight I was looking for." She made her decision. "If you can deliver the full evidence on Riggs to me, with absolute discretion, you have your contract. A six-month trial, with a budget large enough to fund your 'data gathering' operations."

They had done it. Not only had they received the offer, but they had already begun the very work the System demanded, using the city's own government as their first and most powerful client.

"You'll have the complete file by the end of the day," Ace stated.

Shaw stood, the meeting clearly over. "I look forward to our partnership, Mr. Miller," she said, her tone making it sound like a warning. "Don't disappoint me."

The moment the elevator doors closed behind her, the team gathered in the conference room, the air thick with a mix of victory and fear.

"This is huge!" Kaito burst out, barely containing his excitement. "We're on the city's payroll! We're official!"

"We're on Shaw's payroll," Evelyn corrected sharply, her practical mind seeing the trap. "There's a big difference. She's not our friend; she's using us to make herself more powerful. The second we cause a problem or stop being useful, she'll throw us to the wolves."

"But she's also handing us the keys to the kingdom," Ace countered. "This gives us legitimacy, a major budget, and a perfect excuse to build our network. We can now officially request police reports, access city databases, everything. This just moved our timeline up by months."

He walked to the window and looked out toward the distant towers of City Hall. They were no longer just a suspicious new company in a random office building. They had just been given a seal of approval from the highest level of power. The path to building their influence was now wide open, paved with government money and official permission.

But as he watched Councilwoman Shaw's black sedan disappear into the traffic, Ace felt the weight of their new reality. They were no longer just playing their own, private game. They had been promoted to a much bigger, much more dangerous league—the league of city politics.

The reward for winning was real power. But the penalty for a single mistake was no longer just losing their money. It was total political destruction, a fate that would make being hunted by a gangster like Sterling seem simple. The game had changed, and the players were now more cunning and ruthless than ever before.