Nathan was still buzzing from the market win.
But now it was time to focus on the next move.
He sat on the edge of his bed, holding the small paper Evelyn gave him. The name "Daniel" written on it in neat handwriting.
"Alright. Let's do this."
He grabbed his phone and dialed the number.
After two rings, a rough but calm voice picked up. "Yeah. Daniel speaking."
"Uh—hi. My name is Nathan. I got your number from Evelyn Moreau. She said you could help me with transport-related stuff."
There was a small pause.
"Evelyn, huh? Alright then. What do you want to talk about?"
"I wanna meet. In person. It's about… buying a fleet of vehicles."
Daniel chuckled. "Fleet? Now that sounds interesting. Come to my office. Texting you the address."
Seconds later, Nathan's phone buzzed with the location.
He got ready fast, wore a casual blazer to look a bit more serious, then hopped in a cab.
The address led him to a small office building at the edge of the industrial side of the city. It didn't look fancy. But something about it felt… real.
Nathan walked in and a young assistant led him to a room where Daniel was already waiting.
"Welcome," Daniel said with a friendly nod. He looked like a man in his 40s, sharp eyes, sleeves rolled up, and strong hands like he worked with machines once.
"Thanks for meeting me," Nathan said.
A minute later, someone brought two cold drinks. Probably tea or coffee, but cold. Nathan didn't even care what it was.
"So," Daniel said, leaning back, "Tell me what you got in mind."
Nathan took a sip, then straight up said it.
"I wanna buy 100 taxis."
Daniel blinked once. "100? You trying to start your own Uber or something?"
"Sort of," Nathan said. "I want to rent them out and take 50% daily from the drivers. I don't need a huge brand… just something that works."
Daniel was quiet for a bit. Thinking.
"That's a serious thing, kid. You're talking about a full-scale fleet management operation. You'll need permits, insurance, maintenance team, and of course, drivers."
"I'm ready," Nathan said, trying to sound brave. "I'll sign whatever you need. Just tell me how much. Give me the whole number."
Daniel scratched his chin, picked up his calculator, typed in fast.
"100 cars… licenses… legal stuff… basic startup fuel and payment to get drivers onboard…" He looked up.
"1.1 million dollars."
Nathan's throat went dry. That was… way more than expected.
He gulped once. "Okay."
Daniel raised a brow. "You serious?"
Nathan stood up and extended his hand. "Done."
Daniel smiled. A real one. "Alright then. Lemme get the agreement draft."
He walked out and came back with a folder. Inside was a printed agreement. Nathan read every line—carefully. It looked clean. Legal.
He signed.
Daniel shook hands again. "Congratulations. You just became a fleet owner."
Nathan couldn't stop smiling. He just… did it.
"Oh—also," he said, "Do you know someone who can manage this whole thing? Like… operations and daily stuff?"
Daniel nodded. "Yeah. I got a guy. His name's Joe. Good with numbers. Real loyal. Here's his number."
He scribbled it down and handed it to Nathan.
Nathan thanked him and walked out. His legs felt light. His chest felt full. Like a feather floating.
Ping!
[Congratulations! You've started a new business – Taxi Fleet]+100 Tycoon Points Earned!
Nathan smirked. "System really be watching everything, huh?"
He called the number on his way back.
"Hello? This is Joe."
"Hey, Joe. I got your number from Daniel. I just bought a taxi fleet. 100 units. I need someone to manage it. Are you interested?"
"Sure," Joe said. "When can we meet?"
"Tomorrow. I'll text you the place."
"Alright. Looking forward."
Nathan ended the call and leaned back in the seat.
He stared out the window, watching the traffic.
In the past few days, he made over $1 million… got a system… hugged Evelyn… and now owned a business.
It felt unreal. Like life was finally moving.
Then—his phone buzzed again.
[Evelyn: Wanna go out for dinner tonight?]
Nathan blinked at the message. Then read it again.
Dinner?
He quickly typed back.
[Yeah why not. Location?]
She replied instantly.
[Don't worry. I'll pick you up. Send me your location.]
Nathan sent his address fast. Then stared at the phone like it was a miracle machine.
Another text came a second later.
[Be ready in 30 minutes.]
"Shit."
He jumped off the bed and ran to the closet.
"What do I even wear? What if this is… like, a date?" he mumbled.
He picked a dark blue shirt. Casual, but clean. Some cologne. Brushed his hair five times. Checked himself in the mirror like twenty times. Even fixed his collar twice.
His heart was thumping again.
Not like the stock market thump.
This one felt… deeper.
He didn't know if tonight would be just a dinner.
Or something more.
But one thing was clear.
Nathan Cole… was no longer the loser from last month.
He was building something.
Something real.
Next chapter: Dinner with Evelyn – and the night gets... interesting.