Chapter 99: How Much Money? The students couldn’t stop commenting on how run-down the gym looked. Some openly questioned if there was any real benefit to being there at all. But before their complaining could get out of hand, Jay’s voice cut through the noise. "Everyone, shut it and move!" he barked. "Put your stuff over there and get changed, PE uniforms, same ones you wear for school. Now!" It became immediately clear: these students listened to Jay. Maybe not as much as they had listened to Dipter, but it was close. Once they returned, now in uniform, Steven gave a few quick instructions to Joe. "Start them off with a warm-up. Ten minutes of running laps, then some basic hand-eye coordination drills." Steven watched them for a moment, then gave Joe a pat on the back before walking off. He was leaving the warm-up to him, at least for now. Joe had trained with Steven a few times, and that made him the best option for the beginning stages. But not everyone in the group was on board. "What the hell? Why should we listen to him?" one of the students muttered, eyeing Joe. "Isn’t he just another delinquent from class? How’s he supposed to teach us anything about fighting?" Joe spun around, instantly fired up. "Oi!" he shouted. "Show some respect! Don’t forget, I’m the guy who bested Ko!" He jabbed a thumb proudly at himself. "Who?" one student asked. "I think he was the head of one of the classes... part of that Power Ranger trio or whatever." "Shut up!" Joe snapped. "Look, I know I was weaker than Ko, but because of this place, because of the training, I managed to beat him. So if someone like me can do that, then every one of you can too. So listen up!" Behind Joe, Jay stood silently with his arms folded, watching. The students noticed, and quickly started to straighten up. If Jay was backing Joe, then maybe it was time to stop complaining. Meanwhile, Steven had retreated into the back office. There was one old computer there, sitting on a dusty desk. Steven sat down and dropped his head into his hands, fingers tangled in his hair, looking like he was one frustrating breath away from ripping it out. "What’s wrong? Is it because none of these guys are paying?" Max asked, leaning against the doorframe. "You know how much I pay for a membership, right? It’s more than enough to cover all of them. In a regular gym, what would they be paying, thirty a month? You’re still doing better than most." "I know, I know..." Steven sighed. "You’re paying me enough. And honestly, this whole setup would’ve been fine, if this had all happened when I first bought the gym. But..." His voice trailed off. The truth was, Steven’s debts had spiraled out of control. He’d taken out one loan to cover another, and the interest from all of them had stacked on top of each other like a crushing weight. Now, just barely scraping by with minimum payments on each one, it was a miracle he was even still standing. "I’m worried about what comes next," Steven admitted, eyes heavy. "I found out recently that this building? It’s been bought out by a new landlord. And you know what usually happens next, they raise the rent. I’m already hanging by a thread here. If they increase the rent, then that’s it. This place goes under... even with everything you’ve been paying me." Max listened carefully. He knew the amount he was giving Steven, especially with the bonus for taking out Dipter’s crew, should’ve been more than enough. Which meant there was only one possible reason why even a rent increase would be a disaster. Debts. Even with the bonus I gave him, Max thought, he’s still in deep. They must be massive. But there was another reason Max wasn’t rushing to pay off Steven’s debts. Control. Those debts were the only reason Max could keep Steven loyal. Without that leverage, without that pressure, Steven never would have agreed to fight by his side against Dipter and the others. Steven wasn’t loyal to Max. He was loyal to the money, and because of his situation, that loyalty came with limits. Max understood that. Which was exactly why it was best to keep things the way they were. Max reached out and placed a hand on Steven’s shoulder. "Don’t worry about it," he said with a calm smile. "I won’t raise the rent. I’ll just take it out of your paycheck instead." With that, Max turned and walked away, leaving Steven frozen in place. Still tugging at the sides of his head, Steven blinked as the realization started to hit him. "Wait... raise my rent? What’s he talking about?" he muttered aloud. "That can’t be right. Hold on, does that mean... Max is my new landlord?!" Meanwhile, Max strolled back onto the gym floor, watching the students go through their drills. Some were already throwing sharp punches, others shadowboxed with intensity. They had always enjoyed fighting, but now, with proper training, they wouldn’t just be brawlers. They’d become feared. This is it, Max thought, pulling out his phone. The true beginning, the foundation of the Billion Bloodline. He opened his finance app, reviewing his recent spending and overall situation. I get a $20,000 monthly allowance. Right now, the group costs me $8,000, and the gym another $10,000. But I’m now getting $2,000 back as rent. That just about balances things out for the month. Then he scrolled through his one-billion-dollar fund, the pool of resources he was pulling from for his grand plan. I spent $500,000 bribing the school board, enough to put the principal in my back pocket. Another $500,000 went into greasing the palms of key police officials. Everything else was handled by Aron, and thankfully, that came at no extra cost. Then there was $10,000 to cover hospital bills, another $10,000 to legally set up the Billion Bloodline Corporation. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞 After that, I bought fifty percent of Curt’s Boba Tea business for $8 million, along with a $2 million line of credit. And lastly, I bought this commercial building for $480,000. He sighed, scrolling down. And don’t forget the bonuses I handed out, and the payment to the Pit. Altogether, let’s round that off at about $120,000. Then there was the gift to Sam’s Parents. Out of all the money... I still have plenty left. [987,380,000] The number flashed on Max’s phone screen, an amount so large it didn’t even feel real. It was more money than he could truly comprehend, and the craziest part was, nothing had gone wrong since he started spending it. The commercial building, Curt’s Boba Tea business, all of it had been purchased through the Billion Bloodline Corporation. Now that everything was in place, Max could finally spend freely. No more careful tiptoeing. Things were going to change. Oh... and there it is. His phone buzzed with a fresh notification. [-3,000,000] My latest purchase just went through, Max thought, eyes gleaming. How exciting. He slipped the phone back into his pocket, a small smile forming on his lips. This is going to be the start of something... very interesting.