Darren stared at the clothes in the bag for a long time.
They were pristine. Perfectly folded. No brand logo — but the quality was undeniable. He ran his fingers across the jacket's inner lining. Soft, expensive. It didn't feel real.
He checked the hallway.
Still empty.
Back inside, he locked the door and sat on the floor.
His phone screen lit up again.
[Tip: First-Time Rebate Boost Active]
Spend anything using the system card within 24 hours to receive 10x cashback.
Note: Spending must be personal, not gifted. No refunds allowed.
"Ten times…?"
Darren swallowed hard.
He tapped the banking app again. £10,000.47. Real money.
He wasn't dreaming.
His hands trembled.
For a moment, all he could think about was food — real food. Something warm. Something they hadn't tasted in months.
The next morning, he walked into the bakery down the road, dressed in the premium outfit. It wasn't flashy, but it fit like it had been tailored for him. Heads turned when he stepped in.
He ignored them.
The system card felt weightless in his pocket.
Aria had left early for school. His mother was still asleep — and warm, for once. He'd turned on the heater without worrying about the electricity bill.
The shopkeeper — usually gruff, always impatient — looked startled when he walked up to the counter.
"You new in town?" the man asked, eyeing his clothes.
Darren didn't reply. He just pointed.
"That whole shelf. The meat pies, sausage rolls, croissants. I'll take them all."
The man blinked. "All of them?"
"Yes."
"You sure?"
"Bag them."
It cost £42.80.
Darren paid with the system card.
[Ding! Rebate Received: £428.00]
He nearly dropped the bag.
He didn't go home right away.
Instead, he stopped by a shop he usually avoided — a proper supermarket. He bought proper groceries, toiletries, pain meds for his mom, and two boxes of Aria's favorite cereal.
Total: £312.67
[Rebate: £3,126.70]
By the time he got home, his account balance had exploded to £13,900+.
He stood in the kitchen, unloading bags, still processing everything.
His mom walked in slowly, still wrapped in her blanket. "Darren… where did all this come from?"
He looked up.
And smiled.
"I got a raise."
She stared at him, unconvinced.
But then she saw his eyes — how alive they looked for the first time in years.
"…Good," she whispered. "You deserve more."
By afternoon, Darren sat at the local café with a notebook and a cheap pen.
He wasn't there for the coffee.
He was planning.
Because if the system gave tenfold returns on spending… then what if he spent smarter?
Not on food. Not just clothes.
But on assets?
The screen buzzed again.
[New Function Unlocked: Asset Rebate]
Invest in property, business, or stock to receive Passive Cashback Bonuses.
Example:
Buy failing business: receive 50% rebate
Turn it profitable: unlock x2 revenue multiplier
Upgrade it: unlock hidden rewards
His heart pounded.
No limits. No rules. Just one law: Spend and earn.
This was no ordinary system.
This was a blueprint for empire-building.
He flipped the page and began listing possibilities.
Small failing shops
Used vehicles
Abandoned buildings
Second-hand tech
But more than that…
He started to think like someone who owned the world.
"I don't want revenge," Darren thought, tapping his pen.
"I want power. Quiet power. The kind that never gets kicked out again."
He wrote one final line at the bottom of the page:
Phase One: Spend smart, build quiet.
Back home, Aria stood frozen in the kitchen doorway.
"…Darren?" she asked, eyes wide. "Where did all this come from?"
He looked over, holding a plate of fresh-baked meat pies.
"I bought them."
"You… bought all this?"
She picked up the cereal box. Then the fruits. Then the medicine.
"You bought real medicine?"
"Yeah."
Her voice cracked. "Did something happen? Did someone—?"
He reached out and ruffled her hair.
"No more questions."
"But—"
"From now on, you just focus on school. Let your big brother handle the rest."
Aria looked at him for a long time.
And then, for the first time in years, she smiled.
That night, Darren checked his balance one more time.
£17,321.87
[Daily Check-In Available – Check in now?]
He tapped Yes.
Reward: 1x Mystery Luxury Item. Delivered within 30 minutes.
He raised a brow.
Then leaned back against his mattress, feeling something new rising in his chest — not greed, not rage.
Control.
And this time, he welcomed it.