Before The World Wakes
Country: Aurivelle
City: Auremont
Grayson
The first thing most people noticed about power was money.
The cars.
The buildings.
The influence.
But the real cost of power wasn’t visible.
It was time.
My alarm went off at 5:30 a.m.
Not because I needed it.
I had already been awake for fifteen minutes.
Aurivelle was still dark outside my apartment windows when I stepped onto the balcony.
The city lights stretched endlessly across the skyline.
Several towers in the distance carried the Hawthorne name.
Some people collected art.
My father collected cities.
I showered, dressed, and reviewed the overnight reports while finishing my coffee.
By six thirty my driver was already waiting.
The black car pulled away from the building and merged into the quiet morning traffic.
“First stop?” the driver asked.
“Hawthorne Finance.”
The headquarters tower rose like a blade of glass against the sky.
Inside, the executive floor was already active.
Finance never slept.
My assistant Vivienne fell into step beside me the moment I stepped off the elevator.
“You received three acquisition proposals overnight.”
“Reject two.”
“You haven’t seen them yet.”
“If they were worth accepting you wouldn’t have led with the word proposals.”
She didn’t argue.
She handed me a tablet.
“The third one is interesting.”
I scanned the summary quickly.
A small tech logistics company operating between Aurivelle and Eldoria.
I paused.
“Schedule a meeting.”
Her eyebrow lifted slightly.
“Today?”
“No. Next week.”
She nodded.
“Also,” she added, “the London investors called again.”
“They’re impatient.”
“They’re rich.”
“That usually goes together.”
Vivienne smiled faintly before making another note.
By mid-morning we were already across the city at Hawthorne Technology.
The tech division always felt different from finance.
Less rigid.
More chaotic.
Innovation thrived on controlled disorder.
My office overlooked the development labs.
Engineers moved between workstations, screens glowing with code and design models.
The head of innovation, Dr. Bennett, stood beside a holographic prototype when I walked in.
“You’re early.”
“I prefer surprises.”
He laughed.
“Good. Because I have one.”
He activated the model.
A rotating 3D map of a smart-city infrastructure system appeared in the air between us.
“Traffic control, energy distribution, security networks … fully integrated.”
I studied it carefully.
“How scalable?”
“Entire metropolitan regions.”
I nodded slowly.
“This will change urban planning.”
“That’s the idea.”
“Begin patent protections immediately.”
Bennett grinned.
“Already filed.”
That was why he ran the division.
It was nearly noon when Vivienne informed me someone was waiting in my office.
“Personal visitor.”
I frowned slightly.
“I don’t have personal visitors during work hours.”
“You might want to make an exception.”
That alone told me who it was.
When I stepped into the office, the guy leaning comfortably against my desk looked up and grinned.
“Still terrifyingly punctual, I see.”
I exhaled.
“Sebastin.”
Sebastian Velez had been my closest friend since childhood.
We had attended the same elite academy.
Survived the same brutal expectations.
But unlike me, Adrian had chosen a very different life.
He worked in international venture consulting.
Which mostly meant traveling the world and causing trouble.
He spread his arms dramatically.
“You’re not even going to hug your best friend?”
“No.”
“Cold.”
“You showed up unannounced.”
“That’s how friendship works.”
I walked past him and sat behind my desk.
“What do you want?”
He dropped into the chair across from me.
“Coffee.”
“You came across the city for coffee?”
“And to confirm something.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“That you’re still alive.”
“I was alive yesterday.”
“Yes, but knowing you, there’s a fifty percent chance you’ve buried yourself under six billion dollars worth of stress since then.”
I leaned back slightly.
“Your concern is touching.”
“Thank you.”
He glanced around the office.
“You know, most people our age are still figuring out what they want to do with their lives.”
“And you?”
“I figured it out.”
“What is it?”
“Enjoying mine.”
I smiled.
Adrian studied me carefully.
“You work too much.”
“That’s subjective.”
“No, it’s factual.”
He leaned forward.
“You wake up before the sun, run half an empire before lunch, and attend board meetings for fun.”
“I don’t attend them for fun.”
“Exactly.”
He shook his head.
“You’re going to die a bachelor.”
“That’s an interesting medical diagnosis.”
“I’m serious.”
He pointed at me.
“You’re rich, powerful, intelligent… and completely married to your job.”
“Some people would call that dedication.”
“Some people would call that tragic.”
I ignored him.
“What are you actually doing here?”
He sighed dramatically.
“Fine.”
Then he grinned.
“I missed annoying you.”
“That explains a lot.”
Sebastian stood and walked toward the window.
The skyline reflected across the glass.
“Do you ever stop and think about how insane this all is?” he said quietly.
“What?”
He gestured toward the city.
“Half of that belongs to your family.”
“Ownership is an exaggeration.”
“Tell that to the skyline.”
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then he turned back toward me.
“So… any women?”
“No.”
“Still none?”
“No.”
He clutched his chest.
“Grayson Hawthorne, heir to a global empire… and still emotionally unavailable.”
“That’s not accurate.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes.”
“What’s the accurate description then?”
I returned to my laptop.
“Busy.”
He groaned.
“You’re hopeless.”
My phone buzzed before I could respond.
Vivienne’s name appeared on the screen.
I answered immediately.
“Yes?”
Her voice was calm but urgent.
“There’s a situation in Singapore”
I stood.
“What kind of situation?”
“A logistics failure in the Hawthorne smart-port project.”
Sebastian straightened.
“What happened?”
“Two major suppliers backed out unexpectedly.”
That wasn't a coincidence.
“Financial pressure?” I asked.
“Possibly sabotage.”
Of course.
Large projects attracted enemies.
“How long until construction halts?”
“Thirty-six hours.”
That was unacceptable.
I grabbed my jacket.
“Prepare the jet.”
Vivienne didn’t hesitate.
“I’ll notify the Singapore executives.”
I ended the call.
Sebastian watched me with amusement.
“Let me guess.”
“Emergency.”
“International?”
“Yes.”
He laughed.
“You see? This is exactly what I mean.”
I walked toward the door.
“You’re welcome to come.”
He blinked.
“To Singapore?”
“Yes.”
He considered it for exactly two seconds.
“Absolutely.”
Two hours later we were already in the air.
The Hawthorne jet cut smoothly through the clouds.
Sebastian leaned back in the leather seat across from me.
“You know,” he said, sipping the expensive whiskey he had somehow acquired from the onboard bar, “most people schedule international travel weeks in advance.”
“Most people don’t run infrastructure projects across multiple countries.”
He raised his glass.
“Fair point.”
I reviewed the digital reports on my tablet.
The Singapore port development was one of our largest projects.
If it collapsed, competitors would move quickly.
Failure wasn’t an option.
Sebastian watched me for a moment.
“You’re already working.”
“Yes.”
“We’re literally flying over another country.”
“And?”
“And normal people would enjoy the view.”
“I’ve seen clouds before.”
He laughed.
“You’re unbelievable.”
I looked up briefly.
“ Sebastian”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Coming.”
His grin returned.
“Of course.”
Then he leaned forward slightly.
“But when this crisis is over…”
“Yes?”
“I’m dragging you somewhere with music, people, and women.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
“That’s because you’ve forgotten how to live.”
I returned to my reports.
But a faint smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
Outside the window, the lights of Singapore were already beginning to appear beneath the clouds.
Another city.
Another problem.
Another piece of the empire to protect.
And tomorrow…
the world would keep moving.
Just the way I liked it.