Fortune Nexus: My Wealth, My Rules, My Harem

Ryan Cole woke up feeling... different.

It wasn't the usual exhaustion that greeted him every morning, nor was it the sluggish weight of stress that usually sat on his shoulders. Instead, his body felt light, steady, and unnervingly calm. His heartbeat, always erratic from anxiety, beat at a slow, rhythmic pace. His breathing was deep, even—almost too controlled.

His mind was clear. Too clear.

Ryan sat up in bed, rubbing his face. The dim light of early morning filtered through the cracked blinds of his tiny apartment, casting uneven patterns on the peeling walls. The same place. The same problems. The same struggles. Nothing had changed.

And yet, something had.

He could feel it.

Shaking the unease from his head, he got up and padded toward the tiny kitchenette. His bare feet pressed against the cold floor, a reminder that his landlord had yet to fix the heating. Not that he ever would.

Ryan reached for a chipped mug and filled it with hot water, tearing open a cheap instant coffee packet. He stirred absentmindedly, his mind wandering back to last night's conversation with Emily.

> "We were going nowhere."

"Maybe instead of being bitter, you should take notes."

His jaw tightened. Screw that.

He wasn't some loser who wanted to be stuck in this cycle forever. He wasn't content with scraping by, surviving paycheck to paycheck. But wanting change and getting it were two different things.

He exhaled and took a sip of his bitter coffee. Same routine. Same struggle. Same—

A sharp tingle ran down his spine.

Ryan froze.

Goosebumps.

The tiny hairs on his arms stood on end, his entire body suddenly hyper-aware of... something. It was as if the air had changed—charged with a strange energy, like the moment before a lightning strike.

A cold shiver ran through him.

Slowly, his head turned.

And then—he saw it.

Hovering in the middle of his tiny apartment was a screen of pure golden light.

Ryan's breath hitched. His fingers nearly dropped the coffee mug.

> What the hell...?

The screen was floating. Not attached to anything, not projected from anywhere. Just there. Suspended in the air, thin and rectangular, about the size of a laptop monitor.

It glowed faintly against the dull gray walls, its surface smooth and slightly reflective. Ryan could see a faint outline of his own face staring back at him.

His first instinct was that he was hallucinating. Maybe he was too tired, too stressed, too broke—his brain was finally giving up on reality.

But the screen remained, solid and unmoving.

Ryan took a slow step forward. Then another.

The moment he got close, golden text began to appear.

> [Welcome, Ryan Cole.]

His heart pounded.

The words glowed softly, shifting slightly as if responding to his presence. He swallowed hard, resisting the urge to rub his eyes and make sure he wasn't dreaming.

> This isn't normal. This isn't real. It can't be real.

His mind screamed at him to ignore it, to pretend it wasn't there. But deep down, something else whispered: This is real. This is happening.

Hesitantly, Ryan reached out a hand.

The moment his fingertips brushed against the glowing surface, a sudden warmth spread through his body—a pulse of energy surging through his veins, like a second heartbeat awakening inside him.

More text appeared.

> [The Fortune Nexus has chosen you.]

[Your path to wealth begins now.]

Ryan's throat went dry.

His pulse pounded in his ears as he pulled his hand back, staring at the screen like it might explode at any second.

What the hell was this?

A dream? A prank? Some kind of tech he didn't understand?

No. None of those explanations made sense. This was something else. Something beyond logic.

The air around him felt heavier now, like the space itself had shifted. A part of him wanted to run—to pretend this wasn't happening. But another part of him, a part that had been beaten down by years of failure, refused to look away.

Because if this was real...

Then maybe, just maybe—

Ryan's breath came slow and controlled, but his pulse pounded in his ears.

The golden screen hovered silently before him, its surface pulsing faintly, like it was alive. The words "The Fortune Nexus has chosen you" still glowed in the air, sharp and surreal against the dull backdrop of his tiny apartment.

He had seen weird things before—crazy news articles, conspiracy theories, even some strange dreams—but this? This was different. This was real.

He clenched his fists. Should he touch it again? Should he ignore it? What if it was dangerous?

His rational mind screamed at him: This isn't possible. Screens don't just float in the air. This has to be some kind of trick.

But no projector, no tech, no logical explanation could account for what was happening right now.

After a moment, new text slowly formed on the glowing display.

> [First Command: Spend $100 in a meaningful way.]

[Time Limit: 24 Hours.]

Ryan frowned.

That made no sense. Spend $100? What kind of ridiculous demand was that?

More importantly, he didn't even have that kind of money.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Maybe this was some kind of test. Maybe if he ignored it, it would just disappear, and life would go back to normal.

But before he could step away, his phone buzzed violently in his pocket.

Ryan's stomach tightened.

With hesitant fingers, he pulled it out and glanced at the screen. His banking app had opened by itself.

His balance, which he was damn sure had been $73.42 last night, had changed.

> $100.00

Ryan's breath hitched. No way.

He stared at the number, his mind racing for an explanation. He hadn't gotten paid. No one had sent him money. And yet—there it was.

Exactly $100.

A chill ran through his body.

This wasn't a coincidence. It wasn't a joke. Something was happening.

His eyes flickered back to the floating golden screen, where the message still glowed patiently.

> [Spend $100 in a meaningful way.]

Ryan swallowed hard.

It wasn't asking. It was telling him.

What Happens If I Don't?

Ryan's first instinct was to ignore the command. No one tells me how to spend my money.

But a gnawing feeling in his gut warned him against testing whatever force was behind this. He didn't know how this system worked, what it could do, or what the consequences of refusing might be.

His gaze flickered around his apartment.

He could just blow it on junk food and drinks to see what happened. Maybe buy a new hoodie since his current one was falling apart.

But something about the wording stuck in his mind.

> "In a meaningful way."

What did that even mean? Was it charity? Investment? Would the system judge his choices?

Ryan exhaled slowly. If this was real, if this was some kind of chance... then he couldn't waste it.

He needed to think.

With a deep breath, he grabbed his jacket, pocketed his phone, and stepped out of his apartment.

The sun was rising over the city, painting the streets in soft gold. Somewhere out there was the right way to spend that $100.

He just had to find it.

And he had 24 hours to do it.