Aaron Reynard woke up from a nightmare just as the clock struck eleven.

“Why have I been dreaming about my late parents so much lately?” he murmured softly while wiping the sweat from his forehead. His phone vibrated exactly at eleven.

“Come on, Jimmy, you're calling me this late?” Aaron grumbled, annoyed.

“I’m sure you’ll like this—come to the Catalyst Club now,” said Jimmy on the other end of the line. He was five years older than Aaron and had been a close friend for a long time.

“I can’t. You know I have work tomorrow,” Aaron replied firmly.

“You need a little fun every now and then. Besides, you work for your uncle—don’t be too diligent. Hurry up, drinks are on me.” The call ended. After thinking for a moment, Aaron got up and grabbed his brown coat, thinking that Jimmy had a point; he did need to have some fun.

Under the glittering lights in a corner of Berlin, Aaron got off the bus and walked toward the grand building labeled Catalyst Club, an upscale nightclub he wouldn’t have been able to visit if not for Jimmy.

“What the hell!” shouted a woman around twenty-five years old. Aaron had bumped into her as he entered the club, causing the champagne she was holding to spill on her red mini dress.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Are you alright?” Aaron asked.

“Can’t you watch where you’re going? My dress is ruined! How are you going to make up for it?” the woman snapped. Aaron scratched his head, searching for a way out. A moment later, someone tapped him on the shoulder—it was Jimmy.

“What’s going on?” Jimmy asked, but he quickly understood when he saw them.

“Sorry, Miss, he’s my friend, and this is his first time here. I’ll take responsibility for your dress,” Jimmy said.

“Forget it.” The woman staggered out of the club.

“Do you know who she is?” Aaron asked.

“Her name’s Natasha. She comes here often. Now forget about that and let’s get a drink.” Jimmy led Aaron to the bar and ordered beer, but Aaron’s thoughts were still on the woman.

“She seemed really drunk. Is a girl as pretty as her going to be okay getting home alone? There have been a lot of stalkers lately,” Aaron said.

“Natasha is the daughter of a tycoon; her bodyguards are everywhere. Don’t worry about trivial things,” Jimmy said, laughing, and Aaron nodded in relief.

“By the way, there’s some good news for you tomorrow. Be ready,” Jimmy added.

“What is it?” Aaron asked, sipping his drink.

“It seems this young man doesn’t realize he’s a hot topic at Alpha Black Real Estate Company,” Jimmy said, folding his arms.

“You mean me?” Aaron pointed at himself, still confused.

“Yes, who else? You’ve been working so hard these past two years. Mr. Robert must be proud to have such a diligent nephew,” Jimmy explained. Hearing this, Aaron smiled happily, feeling even more motivated to do his best at the company.

“Consider it a debt of gratitude. Uncle Robert has taken care of me since my parents passed away twenty years ago, so this is the only way I can repay him.” Aaron stared straight at the rows of bottles at the bar.

“I thought you were smart, but you’re so naïve,” Jimmy teased. Aaron punched his arm hard enough to make Jimmy wince.

“Don’t call me that.” Aaron glared at him.

“How could I not? Think about it. Since your parents died, Mr. Robert took over all their mansions while you had to struggle to pay for school on your own. What debt of gratitude?” Jimmy shook his head in disbelief that he had to explain this to someone as brilliant as Aaron. Aaron didn’t respond, suddenly at a loss for words.

The next morning, dressed in a black suit, Aaron walked confidently into Alpha Black Real Estate Company, drawing a lot of attention because he had achieved so much at work.

“My goodness, there’s a new star in the marketing team that’s become famous across divisions. I should learn from you,” said Lucas, who suddenly appeared. Whether it was a compliment or just sarcasm, Aaron responded with a thin smile.

“Are you busy?” Lucas asked.

“Yes, I’m responding to emails and auditing data,” Aaron replied curtly, returning his focus to the computer screen.

“My father wants to see you in his office,” said Lucas.

“Alright.” Aaron got up and headed to his uncle’s office while Lucas grinned.

“Good morning. What’s up, Uncle?” Aaron asked politely.

“There’s a board meeting this morning, and you need to attend,” Robert said without looking at him.

“But Uncle, I’m just a regular staff member. Is it okay for me to join?” Aaron asked, confused.

“Of course. Now go and get ready.” Hearing this, Aaron bowed and left.

At ten in the morning, the boardroom was filled with members, including Aaron, who, sitting with the executives for the first time, couldn’t hide his excitement.

“They might think you’re crazy if you keep smiling,” Jimmy whispered.

“I’m just excited because this is my first time being around such amazing people like you all,” Aaron said enthusiastically.

“You’re going to jump for joy when you hear the other news.” After saying that, Jimmy, who was the marketing director, started the meeting.

“As everyone knows, Alpha Black Real Estate Company has been growing rapidly lately, even able to compete with foreign companies, thanks to all of our hard work,” Jimmy said.

“Aaron, as part of the marketing team, has helped us sell many real estate units very well. So, his hard work deserves recognition,” Jimmy continued. Everyone applauded for Aaron, except for Robert and Lucas, who remained silent.

“Thank you very much,” Aaron said, bowing respectfully.

“Aaron, the reason we invited you to this meeting is to announce something,” Jimmy said. Aaron started to feel nervous but tried to stay calm.

“You’ve always exceeded targets, making us proud. Thank you for all you’ve done for the company. As a token of appreciation, your position will be promoted to supervisor and….”

“Wait!” Lucas suddenly interrupted.

“What’s the matter?” Jimmy asked.

“Aaron doesn’t deserve a promotion. I found something.” Lucas held up a memory stick, connected it to the projector, and turned it on.

“Look at the screen. A gigabyte of confidential documents has been leaked, and this person even dared to hack data to embezzle company funds,” Lucas explained.

“What does this have to do with Aaron?” Jimmy asked. Lucas smirked and casually showed more evidence.

“There’s a suspicious account named Sirius that hacked the data, and when I traced it, the account belonged to Aaron,” Lucas explained. The entire boardroom was shocked.

“Please explain, Aaron. Is this true?” Robert immediately stood up, his face showing restrained anger.

“No, Uncle, I couldn’t possibly do that.” Aaron shook his head vigorously, looking shocked and confused.

“Even though you’re just a regular employee, you’re skilled in programming and could easily be a hacker. I can’t believe you’d do this to your uncle’s company,” Lucas said. Aaron’s face turned pale as he looked at the board members, who now doubted him.