Still enjoying his little pun from before, Maluck stirred his coffee, a sly smile tugging at his lips as he eyed Cass over the rim of his cup. He took a slow sip, letting the anticipation build just to enjoy the moment.
“Alright, hit me. How much are we actually pulling in from Cars 4 a Better Future?”
Cass flipped open her laptop, scrolling through her files with practiced efficiency. “Well, now that you’ve got Dennis under control and we’ve started rerouting the money, we’re making significantly more than before.”
Maluck smirked. “I do love to hear that.”
Cass gave him a pointed look. “Yeah, but it’s not just you. The charity itself is actually getting more, too.”
Maluck raised an eyebrow. “Wait, really?”
Cass nodded. “Oh yeah. Before we took over, 90% of the money was getting lost in ‘administrative costs’ and fake shell accounts. Only about a million bucks a year actually went to people in need.”
Maluck snorted. “Right, real generous of them.”
Cass smirked. “Well, thanks to us, the split is now 50-50. Half of the money actually goes where it’s supposed to, and the other half? After we pay the bribes, the rest goes straight into Lucky Star’s pockets.”
Maluck set his coffee down. “Give me more specific numbers.”
Cass tapped a few keys and turned the screen toward him.
“Cars 4 a Better Future brings in about $14.8 million per year. Before, only $1.1 million actually reached the people it was supposed to. Now? We’ve shifted the balance.”
Maluck nodded. “How much are we skimming?”
Cass smirked. “$7.4 million per year. That’s about $616,000 per month in clean, steady income.”
Maluck whistled. “Not bad for a charity.”
Cass leaned back. “And ironically? You’re running it more ethically than the original owners.”
Maluck laughed, shaking his head. “Damn. Guess that makes me a saint.”
He clasped his hands together in mock reverence, lifting his gaze toward the heavens as if expecting divine recognition. His expression was the perfect mix of smug and holy, like he was waiting for a beam of light to shine down and bless him for his honorable deeds.
Cass rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. Patron Saint of Legalized Fraud.”
Cass was actually pretty proud of the good she was doing. Before, she’d track down corrupt billionaires, get a pat on the back, and maybe—maybe—a promotion. And the last time she’d wrapped up a case? Her whole department got fired.
So yeah, knowing she was actually bringing in seven million dollars for charity because of her work felt damn good. Sure, she wished Maluck would give up all the money completely, but she knew that wasn’t realistic… for now.
Maluck grinned, taking another sip of coffee. “Alright, so how long do we keep this going before someone realizes they’re missing their cut?”
Cass’s expression turned serious as she scrolled through her notes. “That’s the real question. Alan Trask might have been the one running things before, but the real boss behind all this is Harrison Lowell. And he’s not the type to just let money disappear without asking questions.”
Maluck’s grin faded. “How long before he catches on?”
Cass sighed, drumming her fingers on the table. “Short term? Three, maybe four months. Nobody notices anything. The money’s still moving, key bribes are still being paid, and it looks like business as usual. Trask might start getting nervous, but Dennis can keep him in check.”
Maluck raised an eyebrow, swirling his coffee. “And remind me—how exactly did we figure out who gets the bribes?”
Cass exhaled, pulling out her tablet and flicking through a spreadsheet. “It’s all in the records. The original owners weren’t exactly subtle. They had very specific payouts listed—who got what, how often, and how much was needed to keep everything running smoothly. Government inspectors, certain ‘nonprofits,’ a few politicians, some law enforcement officers looking the other way… all neatly categorized like some kind of corruption starter pack.”
Maluck smirked. “So all we had to do was keep greasing the right palms and no one notices?”
Cass nodded. “Exactly. As long as the right people keep getting paid, no one asks questions. To them, the business still looks the same.” She tapped her screen. “We even round up the numbers just slightly so it looks like things are improving. Helps keep everyone happy.”
Maluck chuckled. “And here I thought bribery was a shady, unpredictable business.”
“Oh, it is—if you don’t keep track of it properly,” Cass muttered.
He leaned back, setting down his cup. “So, if we’re paying out all these bribes… how much is Lucky Star actually keeping?”
Cass’s expression flattened. “Not as much as you think.”
She pulled up another chart, flipping the screen toward him. “Out of every dollar that comes in, at least thirty cents go straight into bribes. Another chunk gets washed through operating costs—rent, salaries, maintenance, making sure the place doesn’t look like a front for money laundering, even though it is.”
Maluck raised a finger. “Technically, it’s not money laundering if the money is actually going to charity.”
Cass gave him a look. “Sure, saint Maluck.”
He grinned, unbothered. “So, bottom line. How much do we actually get?”
She scrolled down. “After all the bribes, overhead, and ensuring Cars 4 a Better Future actually donates enough to stay credible?” She paused. “Lucky Star clears about fifteen percent.”
Maluck blinked. “That’s it?”
Cass shrugged. “That’s still over a million dollars. Not great, but it keeps everything running smoothly.”
Maluck sighed, rubbing his chin. “I was hoping for a little more breathing room.”
Cass smirked. “Oh, we could absolutely pull more, but then someone would notice. You wanna explain to a pissed-off official why his usual ‘bonus’ suddenly got smaller?”
Maluck chuckled. “Yeah, hard pass.” He took another sip of coffee. “Alright, so we’ve got a few months before someone catches on. What’s the plan when that happens?”
Cass tapped her fingers on the table, her expression unreadable. “That depends on who catches on first. If it’s someone small, like a mid-level inspector or a city official wondering why the ‘processing fees’ look off, we can buy time—shuffle some numbers, give them a little bonus, make it look like a clerical error.”
Maluck nodded. “And if it’s someone big?”
Cass exhaled, sitting back. “Then we pivot.”
Maluck raised an eyebrow. “Pivot how?”
She flicked through her tablet again, pulling up another set of numbers. “Right now, we’re playing their game—keeping the bribes flowing, making sure everything looks normal. But if someone higher up starts sniffing around? We flip the script.”
Maluck leaned in. “Meaning?”
Cass smirked. “We make them the problem.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
He grinned. “Oh, I like where this is going.”
Cass set the tablet down. “People in these circles don’t like scandals. The trick is figuring out who has the most to lose and making sure they know it. If some bureaucrat suddenly decides to start asking too many questions, we make them look dirty instead. Dig into their records, find a discrepancy, a donation that looks suspicious, a connection to a business they shouldn’t have. Doesn’t have to be illegal—just questionable enough to make them back off.”
Maluck whistled. “So, we make the watchdogs too nervous to bark.”
“Exactly.” Cass leaned forward. “Most of these guys don’t care about actual corruption—they just don’t want to be the ones holding the bag when something blows up. If they realize looking into us means someone’s going to start looking into them, they’ll let it go.”
Maluck tapped the rim of his coffee cup, thinking. “And what if that doesn’t work?”
Cass’s smirk faded. “Then we cut and run.”
Maluck raised an eyebrow.
She sighed. “Look, we’ve got a good thing going here, but if the heat gets too high, we don’t fight it—we disappear. Pull the money out, burn the records, let Cars 4 a Better Future collapse under its own weight while we set up shop somewhere else. Worst case scenario, we walk away with a clean break.”
Maluck frowned. “I’d rather not nuke the whole thing unless we have to. This setup’s working, and I kinda like the idea of accidentally running an actual charity.”
Cass smirked. “Don’t get soft on me now, Saint Maluck.”
He rolled his eyes. “I just don’t like wasted effort.”
Cass nodded. “Neither do I, but we currently have a good short-term plan.”
Maluck leaned back, stretching his arms. “And the long-term?”
Cass smirked. “Not getting caught.”
Maluck laughed.
Cass frowned. “Seriously though. Four to eight months from now? That’s when things start getting risky. The missing funds will start showing up in audits—nothing obvious, but weird enough for someone like Lowell to notice. If he’s paying attention, he’ll realize something’s off.”
Maluck exhaled, weighing his options. “Alright. Then we’ve got three to four months to milk this operation quietly before things get complicated.”
Cass smirked. “Complicated? Maluck, you just hijacked a multi-million-dollar money-laundering charity and turned it into your own personal ATM. We passed ‘complicated’ a long time ago.”
Maluck grinned. “Fair point.” He set his coffee down and leaned forward. “So tell me, Cass. How do we make sure we stay ahead of Lowell?”
Cass closed her laptop and folded her arms. “Now that? That’s the real question.”
***
Maluck looked at his System screen, which was blinking with a reminder—he still had an ongoing System task involving Cars 4 a Better Future.
[System Task: The Fine Line Between Corruption and Reform]
You’ve taken control of a deeply corrupt charity, yet under your leadership, more people are receiving real aid than ever before. You have the power to turn this into something truly meaningful, to prove that even those who walk in the grey can still create lasting good.
[Option 1: The Right Balance]
“This is the path of true leadership and lasting impact.”
?Keep skimming money but ensure the charity stays clean.
?Transform it into a legitimate powerhouse.
?Use your influence to build a long-term network that keeps you protected.
Rewards:
+0.3 Wisdom
+0.2 Charisma
[Option 2: The Full Corruption Play]
“This path leads only to greed and corruption. It may bring wealth, but at the cost of everything truly valuable.”
?Expand your influence, squeeze every dollar out of this operation, and make it a full-on corruption empire.
?Milk every cent while keeping officials paid off.
?Turn this into a major money-laundering operation under Lucky Star’s control.
Rewards:
+0.2 Charisma
+$3,000,000 in “donations”
+100 LP
Time Limit: Before Harrison Lowell figures out what’s happening.
Make your move, Maluck. Tick tock.
***
POV : Astral Universe
Greed and Generosity were at it again, bickering in the astral universe like two siblings fighting over the last slice of cake.
“Hey! You can’t just add commentary to my System task!” Greed snapped.
Generosity typing words into a Celestial book was completely unfazed. “But I can. I’m in charge of the System today.”
Greed huffed. “That’s not how this works.”
“Oh? So when we issue dual tasks, I just have to sit back and let you whisper temptation into his ear?” Generosity scoffed. “Not happening. If you get to offer Maluck a path to corruption, then I’m more than in my right to help him make the right choice.”
Greed rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, enjoy it while it lasts.”
***
POV : Calgary
Maluck decided he was going to go with the first choice—the Robin Hood version of System Tasks—rather than the second choice, the Sheriff of Nottingham-style Task. He didn’t really need an extra three million dollars, and he felt good knowing he was giving back to charity.
‘Sure, I could give it all to charity… but then who’s paying the bills? My hotel room? My steak and lobsters? Hmm?’ he thought with a grin.
Cass, after giving Maluck the full rundown, still had a mountain of work ahead of her. She downed the last of her coffee in one go, grimaced at the bitterness, and stood up.
“Alright, I’ve got a million things to do and only half a tolerance for dealing with them,” she said, grabbing her bag.
Maluck smirked. “Sounds like a you problem.”
Cass shot him a look. “Keep that up, and I might forget to make sure your bribes stay on schedule.”
“Noted,” Maluck said, raising his hands in surrender.
With that, she headed out, already pulling up emails and muttering under her breath about idiots who don’t know how to file reports properly.
The moment she was gone, Maluck gave Theo a call. “Hey, did Chloe give you those coins to appraise?”
Theo blinked. “Yeah… how did you know?”
Maluck thought, ‘I knew she’d pawn that task off.’ Out loud, he just said, “Any results?”
Theo said, “I was just about to call you about that, boss. Where are you right now?”
“I’m in the hotel restaurant,” Maluck replied.
“Great, I was planning to grab a quick bite anyway. I’ll be right there.”
“Sure, I can wait,” Maluck said.
Theo arrived at the restaurant, spotted Maluck, and slid into the seat across from him. Without missing a beat, he flagged down a waiter and ordered a double cheeseburger, extra fries, and a chocolate milkshake—because clearly, his definition of a balanced meal was delicious.
Maluck raised an eyebrow. “That’s a lot of food for a ‘quick bite.’”
Theo shrugged. “Gotta fuel the brain. You think all this high-level running around happens on an empty stomach?”
Maluck smirked. “Right, because greasy fries and sugar are known for their brain-boosting properties.”
Theo took a sip of water and grinned. “Hey, Einstein ate a lot of eggs. We all have our thing.”
Once his order was in, Theo leaned forward, lowering his voice slightly. “Alright, so about the coins. I did some digging, and we’re sitting on something interesting.”
Maluck perked up. “Interesting good or interesting ‘we’re about to have problems’?”
Theo grinned. “Little of both. Some of these coins? They’re worth way more than we thought. A couple rare mints, a few collector’s pieces—stuff that could fetch a solid price if we move them the right way.”
Maluck nodded. “And the ‘we’re about to have problems’ part?”
Theo scratched the back of his head. “Well… turns out, at least one of these coins? Yeah, it’s technically missing from a private collection. And by ‘missing,’ I mean someone somewhere is definitely still looking for it.”
Maluck sighed, rubbing his temples. “Of course. Because nothing can ever just be simple.”
Theo chuckled. “Where’s the fun in simple?”
Maluck shot him a look. “Fun is me not ending up on someone’s hit list over pocket change.”
Theo held up his hands. “Hey, hey, it’s not that bad. We just have to be careful about how we offload it. Which, conveniently, is what I’m here for.”
Maluck leaned back, crossing his arms. “Alright, genius. Walk me through the plan.”
Theo grinned, taking a triumphant sip of his water. “First, I eat. Then, we make some money.”
Theo worked his way through his meal, wiping his hands before finally speaking. “The coins are worth $14,890. Not a fortune, but pretty decent.” He held up a small case. “I also bought some protective coin holders for them. Felt weird just having them in my pocket like loose change.”
“Smart idea,” Maluck said, holding out his hand. “Pass ’em over.”
Theo handed over the case, and Maluck tucked the coins into his pocket alongside the lucky penny. He noticed Theo had even gotten a protective cover for that too.
“See? This is why I hired you.”
Theo grinned. “Attention to detail, boss.”
Maluck opened the case, examining the neatly stored coins. “And what about the problematic ones?”
Theo leaned back, tapping a finger on the table. “We’re not selling those. Too risky. Instead, we hold onto them, keep them safe. Then, if we ever decide to leave the country—Vegas, Europe, wherever—we offload them there. Somewhere far enough that nobody’s going to care.”
Maluck nodded. “Yeah, no need to poke the bear when we don’t have to.”
“Exactly.” Theo smirked. “Besides, if we’re gonna commit financial crimes, let’s at least wait until we’re in a city built for them.”
Maluck laughed. “Vegas it is, then.”
Maluck tapping the coin case against his palm, continued, “Well, thanks for the great job. Now, I’m going to call Soi, I bet he’s got a whole bunch of stuff waiting for me to do.”
Theo chuckled, finishing off the last of his milkshake with a loud slurp. “Yeah, I bet he does.”
Maluck smirked. “You think he’s gonna be happy with our plan for the coins?”
Theo snorted. “Knowing Soi? He’s rarely happy about anything.”
Maluck laughed. “Yep. He really is a grumpy little donkey.”
Theo grinned. “More like a grumpy old watchdog—always growling, never wagging his tail.”
Maluck shook his head. “Either way, I still gotta give him a call. Might as well get it over with.”
Theo leaned back, stretching. “Good luck with that. Try not to let him lecture you into a coma.”
Maluck sighed dramatically.
Before he could make the call, a waitress carrying a platter of buffalo wings slipped on the floor, her tray tilting at just the wrong angle. A split second later, the wings went flying—straight onto Maluck.
“Fuck,” he muttered, jumping up as hot sauce dripped onto his shirt.
The waitress gasped, looking horrified. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Mr. Tychandros!”
Maluck grabbed a fistful of napkins from the dispenser, desperately blotting at the mess. The sauce hadn’t just splattered on him—it was all over him, somehow seeping through layers of clothing like it had a personal vendetta.
“Not a problem,” he said, forcing a smile while mentally screaming. ‘Yep. Those Bad Luck Points sure are great. I really love having so many of them.’
The waitress still looked mortified. “I—I really don’t know why I—there was a patch of—why the floor is wet there…”
Maluck sighed, giving up on salvaging his shirt. “Yeah, just my luck,” he said dryly. Then, with a shrug, “Guess the universe is telling me I should order some hot wings.”
The waitress blinked, then laughed, relieved. “Thanks for being cool about it, sir.”
He sighed, looking down at his ruined shirt. ‘Yeah, definitely need new clothes now.’
That’s when his lucky watch blinked to life.
GO SHOPPING. NOW.
Maluck raised an eyebrow. “Oh, now you want me to go shopping?”
***
