It had been exactly one week since Alex started working on Neospace.
Every day had been long, morning to night, sometimes without food. But he didn't mind. Philip had been with him through it all, guiding him, checking his ideas, helping him fix the technical structures, and tightening the model.
And now, the document was finally ready.
The printed file felt heavy in his hands, not just because of the number of pages, but because of what it meant. This wasn't just paper. It was a dream. A bet on himself.
Alex stood outside the ADIG group tower, looking up with a confident smile. He chuckled to himself.
"Just like that… I'll be rich," he whispered. "All from an idea and a few pages of plan. No buildings. No machines. Just vision."
He stepped inside and headed straight to Raymond's office. The hallways, the elevator ride, the thick silence, they all felt different today. Like the universe was watching him, waiting to see what would happen next.
He knocked gently on the old oak door.
"Come in," Raymond's voice echoed.
Alex walked in with his bright face, full of energy. Raymond sat behind his polished desk, looking calm, with a glass of water beside him and a file open in front of him.
"Good morning, sir," Alex said with a slight bow.
"Alex," Raymond nodded, motioning for him to sit. "How've you been?"
"Good, sir. Really good," Alex replied.
Then something strange happened.
Raymond looked at him with a straight face, and asked, "How's your sister?"
Alex blinked. For a moment, he didn't know how to answer. Raymond had never asked that before. Not once.
"She's fine," Alex replied slowly. "Emma's actually in high school…. And on scholarship, so I haven't had to worry about fees. She's doing great."
"Wow, that's wonderful," Raymond said, then leaned forward.
"So… you're here because you've completed the project?"
"Yes, sir," Alex said, pulling out the neat file from his bag. He placed it carefully on the table in front of Raymond.
"This," he said proudly, "is the birth of something big. I call it… NEOSPACE."
Raymond raised a brow. "NEOSPACE?"
"Yes," Alex replied with a firm voice. "It's like a digital ecosystem. It's not just a business; it's an entry point. We teach people about digital assets. Help them build digital skills. We give them access to tools, affiliate links, mini-courses… even a digital wallet eventually. It's clean, smart, and needed. Especially now."
Raymond didn't speak immediately. He opened the file, flipped through the first few pages, moved eyes quickly, and absorbed the structure, the mission statement, the target users, the monetization paths, and the launch plan.
Alex watched closely, nervous but hiding it.
"You've put effort into this," Raymond finally said.
"Yes, sir. Every word. Every number. Every vision in there is real."
Raymond leaned back in his chair. "And you believe this will work?"
Alex nodded. "I don't just believe. I know. People need this. They're hungry for knowledge. They want to make money but don't know where to start. This… is that start."
Raymond looked up at him, eyes sharp.
"And what makes you think you're ready to lead something like this?"
The question hit hard. But Alex didn't flinch.
"Because of you," he said simply. "You taught me how money works. It's not paper; it's energy. You told me to build. And I've built. Now… I just need to push it out."
Raymond was still flipping through the pages of the Neospace business file when he paused, looked up, and smiled, genuinely.
"This…" he said, tapping the document with his finger, "is marvelous, Alex. Absolutely brilliant."
Alex's heart lit up with pride. He sat up straighter, nodding slightly in gratitude. He had dreamed of this moment, someone powerful finally seeing what he saw. His hard nights, empty plates, and quiet doubts all seemed worth it now. For the first time in a while, he felt seen, as a builder. A founder.
"You came up with something this unique, this structured, and you documented it this well in just one week?" Raymond continued. "Do you know how long it takes most people to do this? Months. Sometimes years. But you…" he chuckled and shook his head in disbelief, "You did this like you've been doing it your whole life."
Alex smiled, a little shy. "Philip really helped, sir. He was the one that guided me with the structure and technicalities."
Raymond raised an eyebrow. "Ah… Philip. That explains why it looks so professional." He paused, leaned back in his chair, and his face slowly changed, less amused now, more serious.
"But Alex… do you know that if Philip was a thief, a criminal, or just a cunning businessman, he could easily steal this idea?"
Alex frowned. "Steal it? What do you mean?"
"I mean," Raymond said carefully, "you haven't built anything yet. No prototype. No online presence. No trademark. No legal stamp. Nothing. Just a brilliant idea written on paper. And paper can be copied, Alex. Just like that. He could take this plan, adjust a few things, launch it in a different name… and legally, there'd be almost nothing you could do."
Alex blinked in silence, his earlier excitement slowly shifting into anxiety.
"I'm not saying Philip would," Raymond added quickly. "But listen to me, next time, only bring people in when you're almost done, when the product is real when you've launched or are about to. Until then, keep it between you and your future partners. Not helpers. Not friends. Just partners. Got that?"
Alex nodded slowly. "Yes, sir. Lesson noted."
Raymond gave a slight nod, then narrowed his eyes a little. "You and Philip seem to be getting close. So tell me… what's he working on these days?"
There was a pause.
Alex hesitated. Then he started, "He hadn't told you…."
"Told me what?" Raymond asked with a little sharper voice now.
But Alex quickly shook his head. "Never mind. It's nothing."
Raymond stared at him for a second but didn't push further. The air between them tightened a bit.
Alex cleared his throat and changed the topic.
"Well, now that I've finalized the plan… it's time to bring it to life," he said.
Raymond looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean we can now start working on it," Alex said, eyes hopeful. "You've seen it. You approve. I'm ready. We can set up a team. Begin design, development, marketing… I want to launch Neospace properly."
There was a long pause.
Raymond smiled again, but this smile was different. Almost... quiet. Almost too calm.
Then he leaned forward and said slowly:
"Alex. I gave you my lessons… and I told you to build something."
Alex nodded. "Yes, and I did."
Raymond raised a hand gently, cutting him off.
"No," he said. "You wrote something we could build. That's good. But that's not what I asked you to do."
Alex frowned. "I don't understand."
Raymond folded his arms.
"I meant you should build it yourself. Take action. Set it in motion. On your own. I won't be part of the process. I'll only be watching. From a distance."
Silence.
The words hit Alex like a wave. He stared at Raymond, stunned, trying to speak but nothing came out. He couldn't believe his ears. The weight of the words pressed into his chest, louder than anything Raymond had said before.