The First Step

I turned to see a familiar face staring at me incredulously.

"Hey Matt." I greeted him with a small smirk on my face.

Matthew Hardin. He was my best friend and confidant. We'd attended the same high school and followed tradition, enrolling in the same university.

"Don't you 'hey Matt' me." He stepped towards me, his face snapping from me to the direction Mila's car had gone and back to me again as if he had no idea what to think. "That was Mila Devon, wasn't it?"

Where I was tall, Matt was of average height. While he wasn't bad looking, he also couldn't really be called handsome. But he had the brightest green eyes and a smile that could melt hearts.

He was the optimistic friend between us, always trying to push me to be more social. Matt was aware that I was Nico Voss' son and gladly kept my secret like the loyal friend that he was.

"Yes, that was Mila Devon." I answered him. "And she spilled her coffee all over my shirt."

"And you just... got her card?" Matt stared at me, not knowing whether to be in shock or admiration.

"Yep." I said, pocketing the card. I looked around the street, searching my memories for the nearest boutique. I needed to replace my shirt.

Matt shook his head, still in awe. "I can't believe you just casually ran into one of the most famous influencers around and even got her number."

I chuckled and began walking in the correct direction, Matt walking beside me.

"You know what?" He asked. "I'm impressed. Didn't think you had it in you, boyo."

"Trust me. There's more where that came from."

Matt stumbled before recovering, frowning at me. "Wait a minute. There's something different about you today. Normally, you'd be slinking around like a quiet mouse, dragging the dark clouds around with you."

"True." I nodded. There's no way Matt wouldn't notice the change in attitude, so there was no need to hide it. It wasn't like I wasn't Nico Voss. Besides, I have a very good reason to explain the change.

"I've decided, Matt." I turned to him even as we walked. "I'm going to inherit my father's empire."

Matt stumbled again, this time, choking on his own spit. This was my plan. Keep him in shock, until enough time passed for him to get to the new me. Before long, he wouldn't even find my behavior strange.

"What?!" He asked as he recovered his footing. "You want to-" He cut himself off, looking around to ensure nobody was listening in and lowered his voice like he was discussing the end of the world. "You want to inherit your father's empire?!"

"Yes." I nodded, pushing open the door to the boutique and making my way to the men's section.

"Dude! That's.... that's..." He struggled to find the correct words before giving up. "Are you sure, Nico? You know what this means. You'll be going against not just your sisters but also your father too."

I picked out a gray t-shirt that was my size, stopped and turned to look at Matt, meeting his eyes.

"Yes, Matt. I know exactly what this means." I held his gaze for a second, showing him exactly how serious I was.

He must have seen something in my eyes because he blinked, whispering, "damn."

I turned, walked to the checkout counter and paid for the shirt. Matt was silent, thinking about what had just happened.

I used the opportunity to head to the boutique's fitting room and change into my new shirt.

I walked out and motioned to Matt. I just made a split second decision. "Come on. Let's find somewhere to discuss this. We'll be missing class today."

He followed me without a word and in a few minutes time, we were sitting in a cafe, sipping coffee. Or at least I was. Matt was drinking Chai Latte.

"Okay." He finally spoke up. "You want to become the next king? What's your plan?"

I leaned back in my chair, placing my coffee on the table. "First, I'll seduce Mila Devon."

"What?" Matt frowned. "What does seducing Mila Devon have to do with taking over your father's empire?"

Of course, I wasn't going to tell him about the 10x cashback system. The part of me that was Nico Voss trusted him but the part of me that was just Nico knew I'd be stupid to not take this secret to the grave.

But don't worry. I had an actual explanation for my actions.

"Do you know the most important part of being rich?" I asked Matt.

"Having money?" He said the answer like it was obvious.

"No." I smiled. "It's knowing the right people."

He frowned but didn't say anything, letting me speak.

"The poor know no one but the rich know the right people to help grow their wealth. Knowing the right people means getting the right information and getting the right opportunities."

"A poor man won't have info on a company's merger and won't be able to take advantage of it to generate wealth but the rich can get access to that information and use it."

"The law calls it insider trading but the rich call it making money."

Matt nodded along in understanding. He knew exactly what I was talking about. The rich get richer by knowing when to enter and when to leave, all by knowing the right people.

"I've lived in the dark all my life, Matt. What I need right now is to know the right people. I can't rely on my family and nobody else knows who I am. There's only one way to enter high society at this moment."

Matt's eyes widened and he whispered. "Mila Devon."

"Exactly." I grinned. "Mila Devon is my ticket to getting in with the right people."

"And now, you have her number." Matt grinned. "Wow. Starting at a disadvantage and you're already two steps ahead. Damn, bro. I should be learning from you. So, when will you contact her?"

"That's the thing." I grinned. "I won't."

"What? Why?" Matt asked, frowning.

"Simple." I answered, my grin widening. "I won't contact her. Instead, I'll make her contact me. And you, my friend, will help me make it happen."